Pastor's Pen

Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
– Philippians 2:5-8

One of the great things about taking time off from one’s normal routine is having the opportunity to do things not otherwise possible. For Peggy and me this summer, that meant being able to attend a worship service and hearing our son, Andy, preach. Although I have to admit being less than objective, he did a masterful job! We are both very proud of him.

More to the point, however, he spoke powerfully about the above text, in language, perhaps, only a twenty-something could use effectively. Andy spoke in terms of two alternative phrases to express the above: Christ humbled himself and became obedient onto death … or engaged in what Andy termed “Obi Wan Kenosis.”

Both of our sons have had a long-term appreciation for the Star Wars movies – the Obi Wan reference stemming from that (the “kenosis” part is a play on words between Obi Wan’s third name, Kenobi, and the Greek word kenosis, meaning “emptying”).

Obi Wan was the critical Jedi Knight in the first Star Wars series. He trained Luke Skywalker and, at one point in one of the movies (Andy would remember which one; I do not), Obi Wan was fighting the embodiment of evil, Darth Vader, as Luke and his compatriots were escaping to safety. At a crucial point in the fight, knowing that Luke and the others were now safe, Obi Wan extinguished his light saber and allowed Darth Vader to kill him. Obi Wan emptied himself of the need to live and sacrificed his life for that of the others.

The comparison with Christ is obvious, only on a fictional and more limited basis, of course. What impressed me was how Andy developed this theme. He remarked that one of the things that interferes with our ability to humble ourselves in anything close to that of Christ is our sense of entitlement – and he wasn’t speaking merely in terms of Social Security! Andy was speaking in terms of small things, like when we become impatient standing in long lines in a grocery store; or when we encounter seemingly endless cycles of multiple choice responses while trying to speak to a customer service representative on the telephone; or when we become testy, perhaps even rude, when receiving less than the quality of service “we deserve” in a restaurant. He correctly pointed out that all of these situations are rooted in our sense of entitlement to something, like immediate, personal service – and completely unlike the example Christ gave us!

Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others, Paul wrote to the Philippians. Words I was humbled to hear my son direct toward me and the others in worship last Sunday – words that he acknowledged he, too, needed to take more to heart – words all of us who follow Christ would do well to keep before us in our daily walk with Jesus.

Summer is a marvelous time of year in our Pacific Northwest. It is a time for renewal, refreshment, and reinvigoration. May it also be a time of reorientation toward the well-being of others as we seek to live more Christ-like in our encounters with others!

Pastor Dick

Outreach News

For the Christmas in July drive, personal hygiene items for men/women, children and babies were collected and delivered to the Anacortes Food Bank on 4th St.

Frances takes food that you bring to Church on Sundays to the food bank and Gary Walter works there every Friday helping the folks carry their bags to their cars. Thanks folks.

We will never know where all of the Layette Project baby clothes went, but we do know that UMCOR sends the various items on their lists all over the world. Whether it's the Congo, Appalachia or a Tsunami flooded area .... your generosity was surely appreciated. 102 sleeper/gowns, 148 onesies/shirts, [70 donated by Bunnies by the Bay], 70 diapers, 5 sweaters, 6 facecloths, 57 receiving blankets, and 5 complete layette kits were sent to Sager Brown Depot.

The brunch diners offering of $285 paid the postage to Louisiana and started the Christmas in July fund with $100. Thanks to our Master Shopper, about $1,000 purchased nearly $3,000 worth of clothing.

FOOD FOR AUGUST:
Pasta, sauce and soups.

Note from the Trustees

We have found doors unlocked and even propped open with nobody around.

Please be sure all doors are closed and locked when you leave.

Thank you!

Don Weller

A Donation to the Church

The family of the late John Freeman has generously donated furniture AND boxes of household items in preparing for the house to sell. The furniture consists of two matching loveseats, two maple end tables and 6 dining room chairs. The furniture has been placed for our use in Boyd Hall OR be they can be sold before or during the UMW rummage sale on October 10 and 11.

There is a beautiful 11" cake plate decorated with pink roses, back stamped with the R S Prussia "red mark.”I was asked to sell it for "the best price" with the money going to UMW. I'm not capable of selling on the computer; therefore, I'm advertising for your help! If someone wants to take on this job of getting the most money for this item , please call 293-1082. Or offer us a good price and take the plate home.

The Freeman sons and spouses were here for one week, and contacted me regarding the above offer. With their help, Janice, Gary and I packed and made the decisions on which items to accept for the sale. We wanted to accommodate their wishes to give to the United Methodist church since their parents had been members for many years.The Freeman sons were grateful for the care and support given to their parents by our congregation.

~ Joy Walter
   Rummage Sale Coordinator

Social Justice

Methodists are encouraged to learn more about what the UMC is doing in the areas of taking positions on social justice issues and learning about what the church is doing worldwide. Google “UMC and Global Board of Church and Society,” then “General Board of Global Ministries” website, then “Faith in Action.” I especially appreciate the “word from winkler” writings. If you would like to read this site weekly, email the board at gbcs@umc-gbcs.org and it will come to your email automatically.

The July 11 edition discusses the recent Supreme Court ruling on gun ownership. Check it out. Google “UMC and General Board of Global Ministries to learn what is going on in the world and what the UMC is doing mission-wise.

~ Fred Curow

Meet J. Allan Ocampo

I was born in the Philippines many moons ago (1946), into a big Methodist family. I have six brothers and three sisters. My parents lived on a farm and I grew up tending water buffaloes (more than 20 and you’ve never seen stubborn until you’ve tended water buffaloes, called “kalabaw” in the native language, anglicized “carabao,” yep, that’s not a caribou) and a few cows. My parents raised mostly rice crops and vegetables, aside from raising ten children.

I entered the ministry early in life. After high school I became an assistant (local) pastor in our district (entering ministry was a little easier then), while attending a local college. I also attended a four-summer study at Union Theological Seminary, called “Pastors School,” which helped me prepare for ministry and for future seminary studies later on. The last two years of college work also gave me an opportunity to work at Clark Air Force Base (in Angeles City, which is now closed and turned over to the Philippine government) where I worked as an Auxiliary Chaplain working with chaplains of many denominations.

My wife, Zenny, and I got married on May 21, 1971 in a very romantic setting, at her parents house, with candlelight, fireworks, noisemakers and all (the reason was because during the wedding there was a brown out, thunder and lightening) and surrounded by a number of family members (we wanted it to be a secret, but the word leaked out… oh well).

We left the Philippines for the U.S. in August of 1971, settled in San Francisco where I worked with the San Francisco Unified School District while seeking a seminary where I would continue my interrupted seminary studies in the Philippines. We eventually settled in Delaware, Ohio, at Methodist Theological School, where for three years I served rural Richwood Central Church while working on my seminary degree. Our first son, Jason, was born there in 1974.

While in seminary, I was interviewed by District Superintendent (DS) Dr. Dan Walker from the Pacific Northwest (Puget Sound District), and later received a call from another DS named Bob Ortmeyer to serve a four-charge circuit (Bay Center, Menlo, Willapa and South Bend) in the Vancouver District. Asked why I decided to come to the Pacific Northwest, I remember saying, “Well, it’s at least three thousand miles closer to the Philippines.” We soon fell in love with the Pacific Northwest and when asked if I would consider serving a church on a beautiful island west of here, we decided to stay.

I served South Bend in 1975 and then went to Seattle: Beacon (1976-1980), to Tacoma: Mason (for one year), to Everett: First, to Monroe, then to Seattle: Ronald (1993-2005), and then back to Seattle: Beacon again (2005-2008).

Through these years our family grew from one child to five. Philip Jason, our first son, lives and works in San Francisco. Paul Mark works at Nordstrom in Northgate. Trisha Jihan works for Paccar as a lease manager in Bellevue, is married, and has given us two handsome grandchildren (Caleb Matthew, age 2, and Noah Madden, age 1 month). Erica Jill lives in Lynnwood and is in the process of getting her Nutrition degree at Bastyr U. Justin Matthew, our youngest, lives in downtown Seattle and works as a mortgage broker.

I enjoy fishing, Scrabble, swimming, travel (I’ve been to Israel, Egypt, and other Mid- East countries), leading pilgrimages, and have had several stints in archaeological digs.

We’re glad to be here in the Puget Sound District again. And, God willing, we’ll work with you joyfully in God’s vineyard during the coming years.

Treasurer’s Report

As of June 30, 2008:

We were 50 percent of the way through the budget year.
We received 52% of our anticipated income for the year. ($102,843 / $196,150)
We expended 50% of our anticipated expenses for the year. ($97,312 / $196,150)
Year-to-date, we have received $5,532 income in excess of paid expenses.

Details of our budget, spending and balance sheet are posted on the bulletin board in the Narthex hallway. If you are interested, please stop and take a look. Questions can be addressed to any Finance Committee member.

Church Planning Calendars

We will be ordering Methodist Church Planning Calendars for 2009.

Please contact Sharon in the church office if you would like to have one. We will be placing our order toward the end of August.

Angels Explained by Children

I only know the names of two angels. Hark and Harold. (--Gregory, age 5 )

Everybody's got it all wrong. Angels don't wear halos anymore. I forget why, but scientists are working on it. (--Olive, age 9 )

It's not easy to become an angel! First, you die. Then you go to heaven, and then there's still the flight training to go through. And then you got to agree to wear those angel clothes. (--Matthew, age 9 )

Angels work for God and watch over kids when God has to go do something else.
(-- Mitchell, age 7 )

My guardian angel helps me with math, but he's not much good for science. (--Henry, age 8 )

Angels talk all the way while they're flying you up to heaven. The main subject is where you went wrong before you got dead. (--Daniel, age 9 )

When an angel gets mad, he takes a deep breath and counts to ten. And when he lets out his breath, somewhere there's a tornado. (--Reagan, age 10 )

Angels live in cloud houses made by God and his son, who's a very good carpenter.
(-- Jared, age 8 )

All angels are girls because they gotta wear dresses and boys didn't go for it.
(--Antonio, age 9 )

My angel is my grandma who died last year. She got a big head start on helping me while she was still down here on earth. (--Katelynn, age 9 )

What I don't get about angels is why, when someone is in love, they shoot arrows at them. (--Sarah, age 7 )

Anacortes United Methodist Church
2201 H Avenue, Anacortes, WA 98221 USA
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 573, Anacortes, WA 98221
Office Hours: 9:00 a.m. - noon       Monday - Friday
Telephone: (360) 293-0604       Fax: (360) 293-0605
Email: umca@verizon.net

Space for this web site is provided by the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church.
Its content is the responsibility of the Anacortes UMC.