8

The United Methodist Church of Ephrata 117 C. Street NW, Ephrata, WA 98823 - (509)754-4664

E-mail: office@umcephrata.org

Thank you for supporting the work of the church through your prayers, your presence, your gifts, your service and your witness as we pursue our mission:

“We Serve God by Serving Others”

Office Hours Monday through Wednesday

9:00am to 1:00pm

Thursday 9:00am-12:00pm

Phone: (509)754-4664

Email: office@umcephrata.org

Pastor Don Dunn…...pastor@umcephrata.org

Administrative Assistant: Tresa Poe…….office@umcephrata.org

Custodian: Jamie Downing

Pianist: Betsy Pecka

www.umcephrata.org facebook.com/umcofephrata

The United Methodist Church of Ephrata

“We Serve God by Serving Others.”

The Update Newsletter

April 2019

www.umcephrata.org

Friday Gives Way to Sunday

Lenten journeys over the years have been times of slowing down to observe what is going on in life, in church, in communities, nation, and world. I have often wondered why so much struggle either for myself or for others. Will things ever change?

One friend was a minister-social worker who graduated from Semi-nary with a double degree, a Mastery Divinity and Masters in Social Work. This woman was in a lifelong relationship with a woman. One Good Friday many years ago she was in a march with a group of other Christians. As the march proceeded it became for her a sort of protest. A protest against how the social workers were being cut back, with the case load being increased considerably on the remaining workers. As they marched down the street, someone was carrying a cross and various marchers passed it around. It was a telling moment when she bore the cross as they marched past the Social Service building. Good Friday reminds us of Christ suffering in many areas in our current world. Over worked people, lower pay, higher cost and unaffordable housing, unaffordable insurance, racial discrimination, and disagreement over human sexuality. Good Friday is dark with despair. Holy Saturday comes hopeless as the waiting weighs heavy on the heart. Then comes Sunday – Easter, as despair gives way to hope, darkness to light, the stone of security to the freedom from deathly confinement. Change is what we probably fear most! No one expected Jesus to rise from the dead, but He did! Do we? The early followers didn’t know what to make of a world that could be transformed. It is still so even among us – But Sunday is coming!

Pastor Don

Happy Easter!

Have a Blessed Easter

2

The Community Memory Café will meet Monday, April 8th, from 1:30 - 3 pm in our Fellowship Hall.

Penny Clees will be our leader. The hosts for the snack time is Barb Deycous and Linda Bryant-Smith

The Welcome table will be served by Louise Sivula and Janis Davisson.

Please spread the word that the Community Memory Café serves those with various forms of memory loss as well as their caregivers, spouse, or relative/friend.

Please join us for Community Dinner on

Thursday, April 25th, at 5:30pm.

Invite friends, family, and neighbors.

All are welcome!

**For a bitterly cold and snowy winter night, March’s Community Dinner still brought in a

pretty good crowd of 35 plated dinners and 12 take home meals, for a total of 47 meals. Thank

you to Louise Sivula, Maggie Reynolds, and Bob Bluhm for volunteering!

~Camille & Christy Price

Ash Wednesday Combined Service with

Memorial Christian Church and United

Methodist Church.

It had started to snow again so it was a

smaller group but very grateful for those

who could safely make it.

There are two Christian Magazines that are available. They are Christian Century which began in the early 1900’s. It is the Premier Publication in Christian journalism for thinking our Christian faith today. The other is Sojourner’s an Evangelical Christian perspective that reports a hope filled vision of Christian faith being lived. You are invited to look them over. I find both a resource for thought and prayer. They are placed next to the Upper Room in the Narthex. I have four copies of Making Sense of the Bible by Adam Hamilton. This is a short overview of the Bible that is well written, easy to understand, and very helpful on interpretation. I will leave copies in the Nar-thex on the table. You are welcome to take a copy.

7

“I call to you, Lord, come quickly to me; hear me when I call to you. May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.” Psalm 141: 1-2

One of the most wonderful gifts we are given is the gift of prayer. We can pray for one another in times of need as well as times of celebration.

To join the email prayer chain, email Tresa at office@umcephrata.org

PRAYER REQUESTS

Please let us know if someone should be added or taken off our prayer list by contacting the church office: Also contact the church office if you know of someone in need of a

visit by our Congregational Care Team or Pastor Don.

Bob St. Clair Jr

Ed Sivula

Doug Jensen

Ron Gardner

Steven Grass

Brian Davisson

Renee Muse

Al Davisson

Steve Smith

Vonn Cabe

Justin Townley

Rosetta Barnes

Mary Morin

Gail Catlow

Joe Hatch

Eleanor Gausman

Dan Anderson

Randy Senn

Ed Warren

Marlene Fisk Warren

David Prince

Abbie Thorndike

Roberta Osborn

Dennis Ackerman

Amy Torrens-Harry

Rayce & Tiffany Barnes

Tabatha

Susan Aldridge

David Thompson

Julea Dunn

Marie Marsh

Amy Torrens-Harry

Mike Dell

Dick Ross

Eric Moulton

Tom Pheasant

Francie Hernandez

Jody Pheasant

Chris Wash

Kevin Harmon

Michael Oliveira

Lane Jensen

Prayers for Health, Healing, and Well-Being

6

Special Dates

April Fools Day, April 1st

Autism Awareness Day, April 2nd

Fifth Sunday in Lent, April 7th

Holy Week, April 14-21st

Palm/Passion Sunday, April 14

Maundy Thursday, April 18

Good Friday, April 19

Easter Sunday, April 21

Earth Day, April 22nd

Administrative Professionals Day, April 24th

Arbor Day, April 26th

National Poetry Month

Jazz Appreciation Month

Alcohol Awareness Month

Cancer Control Month

Grief Support: For those going through the challenges of loss-perhaps recently, or from years ago. Meeting every first and third Tuesday of every month from 6 to 7pm, with Penny and David Clees.

Caregiver Support Group: Every second Wednesday of the month from 10 am until 11 am. Come and find support and understanding. Come and tell your story. Come and have time to rest in the caring arms of Christ’s love. If that time does not work for you, please call and set up a time to meet with Pastor Don.

Bible Study: Pastor Don leads a Bible Study group every Wednesday at 2pm in the Fireside Room. All are welcome and encouraged to join.

Memory Café: For those that are having memory loss issues. The Memory Café meets every second Monday of the month at 1:30pm.

3

UMW/Circle of Love

Our April 15th meeting will be lunch at Momma Yum Yum’s.

We will gather at the restaurant at 11:45am. Hope to see all the ladies there for lunch, fellowship, and organization discussions!. - Ann Chandler

Men’s Group will be meeting Saturday, April 6th at 8:30AM.

Breakfast, conversation, and program.

All men are welcome and encouraged to attend.

SPRING CLEAN UP DAY AT CHURCH – APRIL 6th

On April 6th, we are hoping to have a spring clean-up day to help clean out

our flower beds, do a little spruce up in the sanctuary and the narthex. We

will start at 8:00 a.m. For those of you who want to help outside please

bring rakes, gloves and strong backs. For those who would like to help

inside please bring rags, Pledge and Windex. I will provide coffee, tea and

something to eat. We are hoping to get this all done quickly if we get

enough people to help. Questions? Call me at 754-4502. Thank you,

Mary Mantz, Chairman of Trustees

YARD SALE - MAY 18th

Yes, I know it’s not spring, but we do need you to go through your closets, drawers and garages and see if there is anything you can live without. Please only donate items that are workable and I’m sorry we cannot take TV’s, VCRs, computers, and appliances. We cannot prove they work so people won’t buy them. If there is anything in the antique area that you want back if it doesn’t sell, please let us know.

Questions? Call Mary Mantz 754-4502

APRIL IS OUR MONTH TO DO THE EPHRATA FOOD BANK

We are looking for people to help out at the Ephrata Food Bank for the

month of APRIL. We need at least two to three people each Monday and

Thursday from 2p.m. to 4 p.m. This is our time to show support and

helping out the people who work there every week filling boxes and

stocking shelves. There will be a sign up sheet on the KIOSK for what

days you are willing to volunteer for. Thank you, Mary Mantz

4

DATE April 7 April 14

(Palm Sunday)

April 21

(Easter)

April 28

Assistant

of the Day Ed Rogers Lonny Holleman Denis Plew Bob Bluhm

Ushers

Christy Price Denis Plew Lonny Holleman Ann Chandler

Greeters Cammy Hatch Connie Chadwick JoAn Jensen Louise

Ingebrigtson

Liturgist Camille Price Ann Chandler Bobbi Dunn Linda Bryant

Smith

Coffee

Hour Tura Yount

Barb Deycous &

Cassie Roloff Christy Price Ellen White

Lead

Counter Mary Mantz Denis Plew

Linda Bryant

Smith Mary Mantz

Assisting

Counter Margaret Trieber

Louise

Ingebrigtson Marilyn Grass

Louise

Ingebrigtson

Communion

Servers

Barbara Deycous

& Margaret

Treiber

Flowers

Mary Mantz In Memory of

George & Jackie

Pheasant

Janice Niehenke

In Honor of

Jim & Verna Irving

SERVERS

Lenten and Holy Week Schedule

April 3rd, 5:30 PM Soup Supper United Methodist Church

Pure in Heart

April 10th, 5:30 PM Soup Supper Holy Trinity Lutheran Peacemaking

April 18th, 7pm Maundy Thursday United Methodist Church

Liturgy of the Basins

April 21st, Sunrise Sunrise Service Patrick Park Easter Sunday

The Pastor will be offering a membership class. If you are interested please let him know by calling the office so we can set a time for meeting together.

5

Maggie Reynolds April 8th

Joan Jensen April 10th

Tom Pheasant

April 13th

Francis Jensen April 14th

Constance Baars

April 15th

Amanda Christensen April 20th

Margaret Treiber

April 24th

Brooke McKnight April 25th

Janis Davisson

April 26th

Dick Driver April 27th

April 2 Quilters, 9am Grief Support, 6pm April 3 Soup Supper, UMC, 5:30pm Bible Study, 2pm April 6 Men’s Breakfast, 8:30pm Church Clean Up Day April 8 Memory Café, 1:30pm-3pm April 9 Quilters, 9am April 10 Caregivers, 10am Bible Study, 2pm Church Council, 5:15pm Soup Supper, Holy Trinity, 5:30pm April 14 Palm Sunday April 15 UMW, 12pm April 16 Quilters, 9am Grief Support Group, 6pm April 17 Update Newsletter Folding, 9am Bible Study, 2pm April 18 Maundy Thursday, 7pm @ UMC April 21 Easter Sunday Sunrise Service @ Patrick Park April 23 Quilters, 9am April 24 Bible Study, 2pm April 25 Community Dinner, 5:30pm April 30 Quilters, 9am

Al & Janis Davisson April 4th 55 years

Mark Your Calendar

Mark & Janice Niehenke April 10th 15 years