January 2001

From Nolan

Merry Christmas

As I write this it is the sixth day of Christmas after a busy Christmas weekend. Six services over two days, whew! What a wonderful time, Margaret Kvamme, the choirs and hand bells provided us with beautiful music. Thanks to all of you for helping to make this a memorable celebration of the birth of the Christ Child.

The Annual Meeting will be held Sunday, January 14, immediately following the 11 a.m. service. Please join us as we examine our 2001 Budget and elect Vestry, Joint Venture and Convention Delegates for the coming year.

Looking back over 2000…

God has been kind and generous to ECA this past year. In everyway I measure, spiritually, ministry to others and ourselves, financially, we have done well this year. And personally in 29 years of ordained ministry Ann and I have never experienced such love and caring as you have shared with us.

Trying to describe ECA this year, while sitting in the Portland airport on a long lay over after visiting family in snowy Spokane, Ann and I came up with the following words at random.

Joy, Healthy, Happy, Fun, Healing, Family, Kids, Youth, People, Spiritual, Food, Fellowship, Prayer, Workers are the words that just tumbled out.

Without elaboration you can see that God has been good to us as we continue to act in faith. The year 2001 holds the promise of another wonderful year.

Have a happy new year!

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are bing built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

Ephesians 2: 19-22

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power towards us who believe.

Eph. 1: 18-19

Evangelism & Growth

Did you invite someone to church at Christmas? Then you were "evangelizing." Did you share the Christmas story with someone by something you gave them (book, pamphlet, tree ornament, concert, personal visit)? Then you were "evangelizing." Did you clothe, feed, or in some way provide for the basic needs of someone in great need? Then you were "evangelizing." Take a minute and reflect on how you may have been evangelizing during the Christmas holiday season. Perhaps, you didn't really think what you were doing was "evangelizing."

Evangelizing does not have to be a scary and foreboding activity. We do it everyday just by being ourselves in the places we go for our work or for our play. We share light in this world of pain, suffering, and loneliness. We bring comfort, compassion, and friendship. And that is what evangelism is at its core. Sharing love to all those around us.

Yes, we are doing it now. Could we do it even better or greater? Give it some thought and let me know what you think.

- Susie Ferguson 997-0107

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven... for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Matthew 6:20-21

Pledge Status

We are getting close to our goal of 100 pledges totaling $237,000. As of Sunday, December 17, we have 82 pledges totaling $211,096. We still have 18 people who pledged last time who have not responded yet. We hope to hear from you soon, so we can finalize our year 2001 budget.

There are also a number of regular attendees who have not pledged recently, who we hope to hear from this year. We are optimistic that with these responses, we will hit our goal. Thanks to all of you who have responded so generously.

- Ed Mueller, Alex Dershimer and Brenda McHenry

Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thess. 5:16-17

Eyeglass House

Look for the small wooden house on the shelf in the hallway of Old Fellowship Hall. It's facing the parking lot. Lift the lid and put all your old glasses and frames in that you can't use anymore. The volunteer optometric service organization (VOSH) collects them, refurbishes and categorizes them and dispenses them to the needy in both the United States and foreign countries.

VOSH is composed of optometrists and optometry students that donate their time and energy to help those not able to get vision care. The doctors go on mission trips to impoverished areas to give eye exams arid distribute the refurbished glasses. Thank you for helping.

Any questions?

Call Amy Griffith, 268-0920.

Entertainment 2001 Book Sales Complete

My grateful thanks to all of you who supported our sales of the Entertainment book again this year to benefit Silicon Valley Habitat for Humanity. We sold 113 books and realized a profit of just over $450.

Because the cost was only $20 this year, we were able to sell more books than ever before. But, we only received a profit of $4.00 a book as opposed to $8.00 in previous years. Still, it was well worth the effort and we hope you will all enjoy trying different restaurants in the coming year.

- Dot Allfrey

Dori's Stole

Get your material to Virginia Jones or Penny Sabin this month. Thanks. Remember it needs to be at least a 6" square of cotton material. You also need to put a swatch on a 3 x 5 card telling why that material is important to you.

Annual Meeting

After the 11 am service on January 14, come vote for Vestry and Joint Venture representatives and be involved in discussions about our church.

Bob Wickizer

Bob Wickizer will be preaching on January 21. Come and welcome him!

Calendar for Joint Venture

Thank you for the wonderful response to the new procedure for getting your activities on the calendar. I appreciate all the input and please continue to give me any suggestions both positive and negative. I will try to accommodate requests the best I can. Occasionally there will be conflicts; I hope they can be resolved to everyone's satisfaction. Remember how hard it would be to move 150 people from the facility to provide for another request. Try to be sensitive to the needs of others when putting in a request.

I took the responsibility for the setting up the calendar to relieve problems that have occurred in the past and to have complaints coming to me and not to the ministers. I may have to consult with them, but I would like it to be my responsibility.

The calendar is up, the request forms are next to it, and a map of the facility will be up after Christmas. January will be completed by the end of the year. It is a slow process, please bear with me. Everything should be together by mid-January. There will be a bulletin board up one of these days to make it look neater.

Again, thank you for your cooperation.

- Amy Griffith

Women's Book Group

The Book Group now meets the SECOND Thursday of the month at 7:30 p.m. in the Old Fellowship Hall. Book selections are as follows. Please join us for:

January 11: West With The Night by Beryl Markham

February 8: My Dog Skip by Will Morrison

- Carol Pullen 268-2868

Gold Grapes

Have you noticed someonedoing something special at ECA that you think should be praised, thanked, or recognized? That's exactly what Gold Grapes are given for - thanks and recognition for service. This month we give Gold Grapes to:

Jenny Hoyt, Warren and Dorothy Willard, Russ Petruzzelli, Susie and Jerry Ferguson, Pete and Suzanne Mayo, Pat and Dwight Dorsey, Ann Avoux, and Belinda Byerly-Robins offering to shuttle the Akues and Kabejas to church.

Beverley Deveaux, Kathy Mastre, and Genie Yomtov and their many angels for a wonderful Christmas party.

Also, there are a few people who do a behind-the-scenes volunteer job that do not get recognition as often as they should. They are the counters who count the money and the checks on Sundays. Many of these counters have been doing this for years and they do an excellent job. If anyone is interested in taking on a Sunday counting once every 8 weeks, please call Fran Sandrock, the head counter. Here's a great big thank you to the following folks.

- God bless you for your service

Thank you to Christian Education

Many thanks to Tom Rose for leading another interesting class. All who attended enjoyed a lively, and informative discussion on Hell. He is thinking about a class on the end times in the spring. More on that later.

I also want to thank Sandie Mueller and Debbie Bishop for teaching the first part of our Sunday school year. We are blessed with so many wonderful teachers.

Thank you once more to our children, Karen Haley, Tami Neiders, Linda Falen, Cindy Francis, Missy Estrade, Margaret Kvamme and Santa (Bill Mac Donald) for a super Christmas Pageant and party.

Thanks be to God!

Turkey Drive

Thank you to all that helped with the turkey drive in November - the people that donated, cooked, cleaned and bagged the turkeys. You all help feed so many people during the year. A special "Thank You" to Pat Fox who sets up the project. She gets the sign-up, buys the turkeys, pans, etc. and co-ordinates the cooking, cleaning and bagging of the turkey. It's a very big job and many hours are spent on this project.

- Montgomery Meals co-ordinator,

Amy Griffith

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, perservering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.

New Year's Resolutions

Many of us fall into that "New Year's Resolution Syndrome" and set off in January with great plans for bettering our lives. We've considered our plans and waited for that magic day of January 1st to begin. By the time you are reading this Shape, some will have already abandoned their plan, some will be forging on (for how long yet to be determined), and some will have accepted that their idea was just that, an idea. Oh well, maybe next year.

Our Lord offers us a much different scenario to better our lives. There is no magic date or day, and no need to wait another year to try to begin anew. Simply, make a plan with Him and begin. It doesn't go well, ask for forgiveness or help and try again. You fail, ask for help and try again. Our Lord never tires of us returning to Him to begin anew. We can do each hour, each day, each week, each month and each year. Most importantly is that we return to Him for help, strength, and guidance to better ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

This month let us pray for each of us to recognize God's grace and forgiveness in our own lives and to be inspired by that gift to move in the direction He leads and calls us.

For specific prayer requests of thanksgiving or needs, please call Dorothy Willard @ 268-1212. Dorothy lovingly leads a group of ECA parishioners devoted to intercessory prayer for you.

- Susie Ferguson

January's Prayer

Dear Lord Jesus, let me begin anew this moment. Where I have failed or fallen short, give me the courage to try again. Soften my heart so you may mold me into the person you desire me to be physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Thank you for being such a vital part of my life..

Amen.