Volume XXXIX, No. 14 July 27, 2011

Magnolia United Church

of Christ (Congregational)

As an Open and Affirming

congregation, we celebrate

diversity in race, abilities, gender,

age, marital status, opinion,

sexual orientation and religious

backgrounds. We trust God to

lead us into new truth and we

welcome all who wish to join us

in this search.

“We Covenant to participate

in Worship to deepen our

faith and strengthen our

community”

Sunday, Aug 7

Communion Sunday,

Special music:

Leanne Kehoe on viola

Sunday, Aug 14

We will celebrate Scott

Ward’s ministry among us as

we officially ―install‖ him as

Director of Community Life

with a liturgy of covenant

and blessing.

Sunday, Aug 21

Come and Hear about this

year’s Magnolia Mission

Youth (MMY) mission trip to

Yakima from Courtney

Calero and one of the partici-

pating youth. We also will

welcome Myrna Capp back at

the piano and organ!

Sunday, Aug 28

Special music with

Tom and TJ Ranken.

Collecting school supplies for

Blaine Kids in Care.

The Magnolian

A Communication Link Between Church & Home Magnolia United Church of Christ (Congregational)

From Pastor Joy…

―People come and go so quickly around here‖, Alice said to the characters she

met in Wonderland…That is how I feel around our house as our children scatter

here and there. It is also reflective of summer in church, particularly in the

beautiful Pacific Northwest! People at MUCC come and go with vacation,

taking in the breath-taking beauty of our area, time with family and travel. As I

write this I am anticipating two nights in a sleeping bag with two of our four

kids at Icicle Creek outside of Leavenworth. I have not had the opportunity to

camp for two summers now and am quite excited! We also have a nice new

camping stove waiting to be tried out that is actually bigger than a bread box

and I am excited to try some new recipes under the trees besides tacos and chili.

I know, not exactly roughing it! But still, the sound of the river, the birds; the

smell of fresh air…sounds great!

Fall will be here soon enough and the coming and going will settle back down,

at least a bit…Right?

Some of the things I am spending time on at MUCC besides worship and getting

acquainted with you, in support of our congregation’s purpose, vision and cove-

nant are:

How can we be a vessel of faith formation for the young people and the

families that are currently in our midst, or might be, in this new future we

have before us? I have understood that Sunday mornings don’t work for

many families these days and I most certainly understand that. I want to

think outside of the box in that way, but I also know that Sunday mornings

can still be a place of support and formation for some. I am exploring a

Sunday morning ―one room schoolhouse‖ kind of idea as well as a once a

month family dinner and story time. If you are interested in exploring or

supporting either of these things – please let me know.

We are continuing the conversation that began in June about serving 14 indi-

vidual mom/children from Mary’s Place as a week- long overnight shelter,

two times per year. The response has overall been extremely positive.

Though it has not been decided for certain yet, I see us in a discerning phase

now and would hope we would be ready for a church-vote no later than Oc-

tober 16th. If the vote is affirmative, we would try to host our first week in

January of 2012. (continued inside)

From Pastor Joy… (continued)

Scott Ward and I are excited about the monthly ―Insights‖ presentation that will be open to the broader

community along with the ―Art in the Narthex‖ shows featuring local Seattle artists. We meet weekly to

discern how to use the arts to glorify God in worship as well. (Bringing Scott on board as our Director of

Community of Life was truly inspired!)

Seeking to build a sense of teamwork with the staff, we are now having weekly meetings on Wednesday

afternoons. We are also working on updating job descriptions and need to get some Personnel Policies in

place – if you have some background in this, and are willing to work on a short term project, please let

Eleanor (Moderator) or myself know.

Conversations are being had at coordinating council (formerly governance) about how we can be even

better stewards of our finances and encourage broader support of our church budget and the significant

work that needs to be done on our beautiful building and grounds. While any of us can easily fall into

the trap of scarcity thinking – we are exploring ways of joining our resources together to see how abun-

dant they can actually be in fulfilling our purpose and vision.

On Sunday, Aug 21 we will have an Inquirer’s Lunch for those who are considering membership at MUCC.

We are excited to see our congregation growing in faith, ministry and mission in many varied ways.

These are the main areas I am currently focusing on along with those wonderful opportunities I have to share

lunch or a cup of coffee with some of you – and a monthly visit to Horizon House where I thoroughly enjoy

an hour with our beloved MUCC friends who live there.

I give thanks for God’s love that enlivens us!

Peace, Joy

P.S. Looking for a good read? The most disturbing but faith-inspiring book I have read this summer was

called “Left to Tell, Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust” by Immaculee Ilibagiza

“We covenant together, sharing ministry with the pastor…”

Magnolia UCC and the Pacific Northwest Conference of the United Church of Christ

will come together at MUCC on

Sunday, September 18 at 3pm

to celebrate the installation and (make official) the covenant between parish and pastor. A light dinner will follow in Pilgrim Hall.

We hope MUCC will come out in celebration of this

new relationship and new beginning. Child-care will be provided in the play room.

Children and youth are encouraged to attend the service.

The Rev. Michael Denton, PNW Conference Minister will be preaching.

Please mark your calendars for this special event.

Magnolia Mission Youth Thank-you Brunch

Church of the Ascension

August 28th 12:00 pm

All are invited to share in the memories, highlights, and insights form MMY’s Summer Mission Trip to Yakima and to get a taste

of what it is like to live in a completely different culture!

Or, if you are just curious about MMY...This is the perfect event for you to attend to learn more about it

Hosted by: the youth who attended the Mission Trip and their families

Cost: Free… just let us thank you for your donations and prayers!

RSVP by August 24th to Lindsay Butler at 298-9938 or grenmt@comcast.net

Blaine Kids in Care* School Supply Drive

Hi everyone!!! I'm sure you can all think back to the time when you were getting ready

to go back to school and you went to purchase your school supplies. For me it was a

wonderful delightful time full of anticipation and excitement to begin a new school

year. My favorite things to buy were the pencils, eraser and plastic holding case not to

mention the "new" pee chees!

We have the opportunity to pass on this same excitement and joy to the Blaine "Kids in Care". On Sunday

August 14th and 21st we will be handing out the supply list for collection on Sunday August 28th. If you

are unable to shop and want to participate you may make a cash donation and we will do the shopping for

you. It has been a great blessing for us to have a part in making these children’s lives a little brighter. Please

let me know if you have any questions. - Becki Johnson

*Blaine Kids in Care: This program supports those children who attend Blaine elementary school who do

not have the resources for many of their school activities. Most of them are currently homeless and are

living in shelters or other temporary housing.

Magnolia Summerfest

On Friday, July 29th and Saturday, July 30th,

Magnolia UCC will host a booth at the Magnolia

Summerfest. Scott Ward and Pastor Joy will be

there and they invite others from the congregation to

join them as we reach out to the community and in-

vite them to join our ―joyous, Christ-inspired com-

munity of faith‖. Please stop by and add your sup-

port to Scott and Joy any time between 10 am and 6

pm either day. If you can stay for an hour or two –

great! There is a sign-up sheet in the narthex, or call

Scott Ward to let him know when to expect you:

206-696-2671.

Did you see our presence in The Magnolia News?

Inquirer’s Progressive Lunch

Are you curious about life here at Magnolia

United Church of Christ? Would you like to

know more about living in covenant with this par-

ticular community of faith? On Sunday, August

21st you are invited to join Pastor Joy and Scott

Ward for a little information about our church and

our denomination and a time to ask any questions

you might have. The afternoon will start at noon,

here at church, and then we will carpool to Marlys

and Roger Seeman’s for salad and later to Liz

Roach’s for dessert. During the afternoon you can

get better acquainted and hopefully, find a church

home. If you are interested please talk with Joy or

Scott, 283-1788. Or let them know if you are in-

terested, but unavailable August 21st.

Wanted: book shelf for chil-

dren's corner in the Parlor. It needs

to look nice and not be too tall--5

feet would be good. Call the

church office or Lucia Schubert at

206-283-6972 if you have one you

would like to donate. Thanks.

Still Speaking Devotional

The Still Speaking campaign of the UCC, e-mails daily devotionals to those who have requested them. There

are often some real gems, like the one below. If you would like to receive these daily devotionals, just got to

dailydevotional@ucc.org to sign up.

July 7, 2011 Atheists

Excerpt from Romans 2:12-16

"When Gentiles, who do not possess the law, do instinctively what the law requires, these, though not having

the law, are a law to themselves. They show what the law requires is written on their hearts . . ."

Reflection by Quinn G. Caldwell,

I like atheists. They tend to have considered the issues. They tend to have asked themselves the holy

questions about the origins of the universe, about happiness, about what constitutes the good life,

about good and evil, injustice and mercy, about how to live.

Of course they and I disagree on at least one fundamental point. Of course many are grumpy, judg-

mental, and dogmatic (certain public intellectuals come to mind). Of course many have chosen atheism

out of laziness. Then again, those things are true of many Christians, as well.

By and large, my experience has been that the average atheist has arrived at her position through careful

thinking at some cost to herself, and lives a life marked by kindness and generosity. Which is saying

something in a world where many people's vision of the good life is spending half their time watching TV

and the other half shopping—precisely so they don’t have to think about big questions or make sacrifices.

Paul wanted to convince his co-religionists that God is at work everywhere, even in those with religious

convictions different from Paul's. So it is, I believe, with atheists—though most would not thank me for

saying so.

If what Paul says is true, then God is shown forth more fully in the life of a careful-thinking, good-living

atheist than a lukewarm Christian-by-default. If what Paul says is true, God might even prefer the latter

to the former.

Prayer

God, thank you for working through all kinds of strange people—even me. Amen.

Quinn G. Caldwell is Associate Minister of Old South Church in Boston, Massachusetts, and co-editor,

with Curtis J. Preston, of the just-published Unofficial Handbook of the United Church of Christ.

Scott Ward Litany of Installation

August 14th

In March Scott Ward was appointed as our

Director of Community Life with the aim of con-

necting our church to the Magnolia community

and inviting and encouraging the community to

join with us in building relationships and deepen-

ing our faith. Anyone with ―eyes to see and ears

to hear‖ know that Scott has taken on his task

with enthusiasm!

On Sunday, August 14th, we invite all to join us

for our worship service at 10:00 am where we will

share a Litany of Installation to celebrate this

special call to ministry with Scott.

Church Coordinating Council

The Coordinating Council normally meets at 7:00

pm on the second Tuesday of each month. This

month they will meet on Saturday, August 13th at

the home of our Moderator, Eleanor Fisher for a

planning retreat from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.

The agenda for this meeting will consider:

Functions and Procedures of the Coordinating

Council

Ministerial Priorities

Financial Planning and Priorities

If you have any concerns you wish to bring to the

Council, please contact Eleanor Fisher, Moderator,

(206) 282-8640.

Books Enliven our Lives

As we seek to live into our purpose and vision we discover new ways to express

and experience joyous involvement. One way happens with the creation of a vi-

brant, engaging book collection. Reading opens up new insights and the possibility

for spiritual growth for us as well as an opportunity to share our responses to the

books we read.

We began this initiative by ―weeding‖ the book collection we have. ―Weeding‖ is a technical librarian term,

which means out-of-date, non-relevant, worn books are removed from the shelves. The books we are keep-

ing cover a variety of topics and genres—poetry, fiction, faith formation, hope, health, biblical interpreta-

tion, and more. You are invited to donate new and previously read books to the collection. We encourage

you to write a short recommendation ―blurb‖ for potential readers. The remarks will be posted next to the

book. Specially designed (guess who is the designer!) bookplates naming the donor will be affixed to the

book.

We hope to open a reader’s blog designed to encourage you to share your thoughts about the books you

read. A ―Read for New Insights and Spiritual Growth‖ page will be added to our church website offering a

list of the books we have available, recommendations from our readers, access to the blog as well as infor-

mation about the Book Group. We have had a Book Group at church for years and would love to have new

people join us. We meet at 6:30 on the second Monday evening each month.

Reading offers food for our souls and nourishment to our intellect and understanding whilst broadening our

horizons. We read for new insights and spiritual growth.

Keep your eyes on the bookcases in the Parlor as the library comes to life.

Justin Roberts & the Not Ready for Nap Time Players sing Bible songs!?!

Benefit Concert for Family Promise of Seattle

Grammy-nominated and nationally-renowned family musician Justin Roberts is coming to West Seattle for a special benefit engagement to perform songs from the Hebrew Scriptures and New Testament off his CD set Why Not Sea Monsters?

Get ready for a hilarious take on the story of the loaves and fishes, a moving portrait of the Good Samaritan, and a retelling of the creation story that involves a shark, pizza pie, and broc-coli, carrots, and beets.

Friday, August 19th, 6:30 p.m.

Fauntleroy UCC Church, 9140 California Ave SW Suggested donation at the door:

$5/child (under 10), $10/adult, $15/family All proceeds benefit Family Promise, which works with Seattle congregations to provide housing, meals, and permanent living solutions for families in need.

Great Music! Great Family Fun! Great Cause!

To learn more about the music of Justin Roberts please visit: http://justinrobertsmusic.com/music.php.

To learn more about Family Promise please visit: http://familypromiseofseattle.org/index.html.

For more information, contact Rev. Katy Lloyd at revkaty@nwlink.com.

Mark Your Calendar

Friday, September 16, 7:00 pm, Pilgrim Hall INSIGHTS: Sen. Jeannie Kohl-Welles will speak on

Human Trafficking in Seattle Sunday, September 18, 3:00 pm Magnolia UCC and the Pacific Northwest Conference Invite all to the Installation of Joy R. Haertig Light meal will follow. Sunday, September 25, 11:30 am Pastor Joy will meet with parents about Sunday

School, confirmation classes, etc. Sunday, October 2, 11:00 am, Narthex Gallery Artist Reception: Patti Bezzo Sunday, October 9, 10:00 am, HOMECOMING Friday, October 21, 7:00 pm, Pilgrim Hall Sunday, October 23, 2:00 pm INSIGHTS: Screening “Finding Kind” Saturday, October 29, 5:00 pm, Pilgrim Hall SALMON DINNER FUNDRAISER

Fit Club Seattle now in Pilgrim Hall

As a parent of 2 Magnolia Co-Operative Preschool alums, it’s been an in-

credible experience and opportunity to get to know many of the great fami-

lies in and around the community. And throughout the years, many have

gotten to know my family, and particularly, my passion of helping others

through health & fitness. I invite you to learn more about me and my pas-

sion on my website: www.choose2befit.com

For the last 1.5 years, it’s been fun to encourage our community to join our weekly Fitness Club (aka Fit

Club Seattle) that has been offered over at Fort Lawton Reserve Base. The misfortune of that facility clos-

ing, opened the door for the opportunity to be in the heart of our great neighborhood at Magnolia United

Church of Christ (MUCC).

In the effort to continue to bring awareness to our community of the importance of proper health & fitness,

we have launched our weekly Fit Club Seattle in Magnolia United Church of Christ’s Pilgrim Hall – every

Thursday evening starting at 7:00pm. It’s open to everyone (please no children younger than 16 years) and

it’s FREE to all community members!

What’s Fit Club Seattle all about?

Fit Club Seattle is a group of individuals getting together to have fun

and motivate each other striving to improve our fitness and the fit-

ness of others. Our goal is to encourage and bring together an entire

community to join us and break down any barriers that they may

have and learn to have fun with their fitness. Since we cater to all

fitness levels, we have a workout program for all to enjoy.

Each meeting features a different workout program from the

Beachbody library of fitness programs (think P90X, Insanity, Turbo

Fire, Brazil Butt Lift, etc), and as we conclude the workout, we also

talk about nutrition and sample a variety of recovery and wellness

products.

We invite our members to join us each week for a FREE workout, continued motivation and the opportunity

to celebrate our weekly successes! You know what they say, there is POWER in numbers!

Again, all fitness levels are welcome and encouraged to attend. For more information:

www.topseattlefitnessclub.com or contact Taryn Perry at taryn@choose2befit.com.

Hope to see you at our next Fit Club workout! - Taryn Perry

Benefit Concert at Magnolia Presbyterian Church Saturday, August 6th

Saturday evening August 6th at 7pm, Magnolia Presbyterian Church will be hosting a special benefit concert

by international autoharp champion Cathy Britell and singer/songwriter William Limbach. A free-

will offering will benefit families recovering from devastating tornadoes in Joplin, MO earlier this spring.

William and Cathy plan a concert of traditional, popular, and original songs and tunes, some old and some

new; aimed at informing, inspiring, and entertaining, with plenty of opportunities to sing along, laugh, and

even dance to their music. Sound samples and more information: http://britellandlimbach.com.

All are welcome! (Magnolia Presbyterian Church is located at 3051 28th Avenue West; Seattle, WA 98199.

Website: http://www.magpres.org)

Volume XXXIX, No. 14 The Magnolian July 27, 2011

What’s Happening at Magnolia UCC

Sun July 31 10:00 a.m. Worship, childcare

Thur Aug 4 7:00 pm Seattle Fitness Club in Pilgrim Hall

Sun Aug 7 10:00 am Worship, Holy Communion, childcare

Mon Aug 8 10:00 a.m. Circle of Stones in the Parlor

6:30 p.m. Book Club in Pilgrim Hall

Thur Aug 11 7:00 p.m. Seattle Fitness Club in Pilgrim Hall

Sat Aug 13 9 am—3 pm Coordinating Council at Eleanor Fisher’s House

Sun Aug 14 10:00 am Worship, childcare, Liturgy of Installation with Scott Ward

Tues Aug 16 5:30 p.m. FASC Kitchen Crew in the Kitchen

Wed Aug 17 5:30 p.m. Serving Supper at Family & Adult Service Center

Thur Aug 18 1:30 p.m. Horizon House Satellite Group

7:00 p.m. Seattle Fitness Club in Pilgrim Hall

Sun Aug 21 10:00 a.m. Worship, childcare, MMY Mission Report

Noon Inquirer’s Progressive Lunch

Mon Aug 22 10:00 a.m. Circle of Stones in the Parlor

Thur Aug 24 7:00 p.m. Seattle Fitness Club in Pilgrim Hall

Sun Aug 28 10:00 a.m. Worship, childcare, Blaine Kids in Care school supplies

Wed Aug 31 11:00 a.m. The Magnolia Mailing Team in the Parlor

The Magnolian is published

on the last Wednesday of the month by

Magnolia United Church of Christ

3555 W. McGraw Street

Seattle, WA 98199-3213

Telephone: (206) 283-1788

contact@magnoliaucc.org

www.magnoliaucc.org

Church Office Hours:

9 a.m.-3 p.m. (Monday-Friday)

Rev. Joy R. Haertig, Pastor

Scott Ward, Dir. of Community Life