The Weekly Courier

September 26, 2024

"We seek to connect people to God, each other, and the wider community and to welcome and affirm all people"

Prepare Your Heart...

Before you hear Angi lead our song team in singing "To Live is Christ, To Die is Gain" by Brian Irby, learn the words to this new song with this recording.

Click on the picture --> 

This Week's Calls to Action!

• Write a card to one of our kids getting baptized this week!
• Send us your favorite comfort food recipes for our church cookbook
• Contact Carol Gruen to order your UWIF nuts
• Bring a salad to Affinity Nights next Wednesday, Oct 2nd

For more information about all of these events and opportunities, read on below...

This coming Sunday, September 29th, is Young Disciples Sunday at FUMCO! We have nine children being baptized during the service and will have them lead several parts as well! We also have five adults joining the church as new members. It’s going to be an amazing day and we hope everyone plans to attend the celebration. 

Following worship, we will head downstairs for cupcakes, coffee and a receiving line for the children who are getting baptized. Each child will have a table with pictures, their new bibles and a basket for people to put cards in!

Here are the first names of the children being baptized: 

Charlie, Eivind , Isabelle, Kylee Anne, Lilianna, Olivia, Sadie, Sam, & Weston 

We will also be showing off our new children’s ministry area after worship as well! You are all invited to walk through our new children’s ministry rooms and bless the space as we begin another program year!

Blessings, Brittney Gilleland 

Green Bag Sunday

Green bags will be given out this Sunday, September 29 and returned the following Sunday, October 6. Please fill them up with the usual non-perishable goods.

A volunteer is needed on October 6 to help move the donations into storage. Another volunteer is needed on Saturday, October 12 to help to transport the donations to the Food Bank Warehouse. Give Toni a call or email to tonimik@comcast.net if you can help.

The Art of Heart and Soul

The Art of Heart and Soul is a small group experience to explore your spirituality. We’ll use simple art forms to encourage your heart and soul to speak and then engage in group spiritual direction to tell your story.

Never done spiritual direction and can’t do art? Do not fear! Cathy Raymond, a Certified Lay Minister and experienced spiritual director, will be your travel companion on this reflective spiritual journey.

Here’s the details:

• Date: Mondays, beginning October 7 and ending November 11.

• Time: Evenings, 6:00 – 8:30

• Place: First United Methodist Church for Olympia

• Sign up: Contact Cathy Raymond at (360)280-4722, or cgraymond@aol.com.

Group is limited to 6 seekers. No experience in either spiritual direction or art is needed! There is no charge to participate. Come! Be curious. Come! Try something new. Come! Experience the Holy Spirit’s presence in your life.

Fall Affinity Nights Return!

Wednesday Affinity Nights are back! Dinner will be served at 6:00 and we'll break into activities at 7:00pm. Kaleidoscope Kids will also be running alongside Affinity Nights activities—providing food and fellowship options for all ages.

This week's Activities (10/2):

Into to the Hebrew Bible w/ Pastor Alexa, Coming Back to the Table w/ Pastor Heather, Board Games, Assembling Little Food Pantries, Mom FRIENDS, Kaleidoscope Kids

For meal this fall, we are compiling a church cookbook and encouraging people to bring the cooked version of those recipes to Affinity Nights. RECIPES MUST BE SUBMITTED BY OCTOBER 13TH TO BE PUT IN THE COOKBOOK! We're providing a loose structure of types of recipes you might bring each week leading up to Oct. 13th, but never feel limited to that type of recipe. We're looking for the recipes that bring you comfort & joy and only want to aid in the brainstorming process, not limit.

Here are ideas for recipe types, but, again feel no need to follow it:

• October 2, Desserts and Salads (as defined by Americans)
• October 9, Chili

Check Out the Health Fair!

The Annual Health Fair (hosted by our Health Ministries Team) is coming back to First Olympia on Saturday, October 13th from 11:30am - 1:00 pm. Join us after worship downstairs in the Great Hall to learn about many important health topics like:

Diabetes Education, Blood Pressure Checks, Audiology, Spiritual Care, Home Health, Prayer Shawls, Funeral Alternatives, Olympics West, Sleep Therapy, Hospice, Mental heath, Aging, Dental care, and so much more!

And this year, Flu and COVID vaccines will also be available for free. For more information, contact Jeanne Kirkpatrick (jeannek2@comcast.net).

Faith Action Network Presentation

Interfaith Works is supporting a FAN (Faith Action Network) and JUUstice Washington (a Unitarian Universalist State Action Network) panel presentation on Understanding the Impacts of the United States Indian Boarding Schools which will occur on October 11th from 12:00-2:00pm on zoom. Featured panelists include:

• Theresa Sheldon (Tulalip Tribes), Former NABS (The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition) Director of Policy and Advocacy
• Edward Arlen Washines (Yakama Nation), WA State Truth and Reconciliation Tribal Advisory Committee (WA State Office of the Attorney General
• Jewell James (Lummi Nation,) Master Carver.

The opening prayer will be given by Mark Kremen (Skokomish Elder) who is an IFW Program Council delegate from the Olympia Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd. One can register for the zoom presentation here: https://forms.gle/Mf71tJAW6qeZxwfC9.

Sept-Oct Upper Rooms

September-October issues of the Upper Room are ready for pick-up for $1.00!

You may get yours on a Sunday morning, before or after worship. Or swing by the church Monday-Thursday, 10am-2pm.

Come Join a Choir

Our Common Ground Choir meets on Thursdays @6:45pm in the Gathering Place.

And the Jeffords Memorial Handbell Choir 

meets on Wednesdays @5:30 in the Choir Room. Please come join us!

Food Bank Winter Activity Drive

The Thurston County Food Bank is collecting donations for their Winter Activity Drive. When school is out for winter break and the holidays, families may face challenges finding activities for their kids to do while at home. Our Winter Activity Kits provide children ages 0-18 with activities that encourage creativity and imaginary play over the school break.

Here's a list of our suggested items (must be in new or almost new Condition):

• Sketch pads, card games, Crayola colored pencils, small toys & stuffed animals, tea light candles, hats, mittens, socks, etc...

To donate items, please drop them off at our Tumwater Warehouse (2260 Mottman Rd SW) or you can bring them into the church office with your normal Green Bag Sunday haul. If you have any questions, please reach out to the food bank at annamink@tcfb.org.

Send Us Your Recipes!

As we "Come to the Table" this fall, you are invited to share your wisdom and celebrate your culture by contributing recipes to our collaborative cookbook, Comfort & Joy! In the holiday spirit, we invite you to share recipes that bring you comfort or joy.

You can bring your own recipe cards for us to scan, or write your recipe on the cards available in the church office. You can also email recipes directly to Lauren (multimedia@fumcoly.org). If there’s a story that goes with your recipe, write that up too! We will collect and format the recipes, to be published by the holiday season.

UWIF Nut Sale Begins

It's time to order nuts from the United Women in Faith!

If you enjoy our annual nuts sale, please check out our price list below and contact Carol Gruen (gruencl1941@gmail.com / 360-352-9703) or Ken Bago (360-491-5008) with your order as soon as possible.

Click here to read the 2023 nut price list. These prices will honored through October 31.

FUMCO Shirts are Here!

If you ordered one of our new t-shirts to celebrate First Olympia's reconciling mission, they have arrived and are ready for pickup at the church. You can stop by on a Sunday morning or during normal office hours during the week.

We have a handful of extra shirts to sell if you missed out order deadline. Supplies are first come/first serve on Sunday mornings (check with Lauren after worship). And we hope you'll continue to wear your FUMCO shirts on Communion Sundays throughout the year. When gathered in the sanctuary, we'll form a rainbow in the pews. Together, we'll show that we are a safe and inclusive community for everyone.

Relief For Flooding in Thailand

A message from Heather Askew, our Missionary friend in Thailand:

The past few weeks, the Northern Thailand area of Chiang Rai (which include the third largest city in Thailand) has been seeing once in a century flooding. Thousands of people have been displaced after their homes and vehicles have been almost completely submerged in mud and water. Now the waters have receded but many people are having to dig their way back into their homes. Many have lost all their earthly possessions as flash floods in the middle of the night gave no warning. If you would like to donate to help people get basic necessities, clothing, food and shelter to get back on their feet, there are several organizations assisting with this relief effort. 

- Bread 4 Life, one of our partner orgs, is doing food donations (specify Chiang Rai floods in donation) : Click here for Bread 4 Life link.

- Another of our partners in the area set up a gofundme account: 

Click here for Go Fund Me link.

- You can also Donate through the Chiang Rai International Christian School. Select "general fund" and write in "flood relief" for the note/memo

Click here for Chiang Rai International link.

FUMCO Gleaners

Last Thursday, our FUMCO Gleaners were part of a big fall harvest Sept 19 at the Calliope Farm Kiwanis Food Garden, helping to gather HUNDREDS of pounds of pumpkins, squash, peppers and celery. 

Thursday, October 19 will be the the next FMCO Gleaner work day. Contact Rob Harper at rbh25@comcast.net for more information.

Life of the Church

Last Saturday, 9/21 our Friendship Hikers completed a wonderful hike to the Stevens Canyon area of Mt Rainier National Park. After a great loop hike up to Silver Falls, the group drove up to a scenic viewpoint for lunch and our official group photo!

If YOU'RE interested in joining us for our last hike of the season on Saturday, October 19, please reach out to Ginger Sarver (bgsarver@comcast.net) and Mae Wharton (maewharton@gmail.com) for more information on time, location, and hike difficulty.

You can find more photos from these events (and many more) on our Facebook page: 

https://www.facebook.com/FUMCOLY.

Our Welcoming Statement

First United Methodist Church of Olympia welcomes people of all ages, all abilities,

all sexual orientations and gender identities, all nationalities and ethnicities,

the poor and the rich, single people and the many forms of family.

See our Church Calendar.

Visit our webpage!

Watch our latest worship service

Read the latest Joys & Concerns

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Contact us ...

by phone: 360-943-2661 by email: fumco@fumcoly.org

OFFICE HOURS: Sunday 9am-noon | Monday-Thursday 10am-2pm

The Weekly Courier editor: Lauren Fontanilla