Church Groups 

Adult Education Classes

Sunday mornings at 8:30 a.m. you will find a lively discussion group meeting in the library upstairs.  All are welcome to join the group.  In depth studies of God’s word and the teaching of Jesus have included Genesis, Mark and currently the study of 1 Corinthians.

Angel Acres Enrichment Center / Day Care

Important Facts and Information
Open 6:00am to 6:00pm - Monday thru Friday
Provides care for 6 weeks to 6 year-olds
Lunch and Snacks Provided
State Licensed
Christian curriculum included

Please come for a tour!

Current Student Enrollment = 48
Current Staff = 14

Children’s Ministry:

Sunday Morning Children's Ministry
All children are invited to participate in our Sunday morning children’s education ministry. The Sunday school leader is Lora Wood.

Children ages 3 years through 12^th Grade are invited to the newly refurbished classrooms in the lower level at 9:00 a.m. for their age level classes. Parents, bring your elementary aged and younger children and check them in with the registrar!

Ever hear of extreme makeover? Our Junior and Senior High aged youth are welcomed into their youth rooms that have been painted, cleaned and organized!

Camping:
The United Methodist Church of the Pacific Northwest has 4 campgrounds that are busy all year around. We have one close by called Camp Indianola, on the shores Puget Sound! The others are at Ocean Park, outside Ellensburg and in Idaho by Twin Lakes. All ages are offered opportunities to experience these beautifully maintained camping areas. There are planned camps for grades 1-12 as well as Elderhostel programs, women’s & men’s retreats and family camps. Lorene Kerby is the Camping Coordinator. Please call the church office or talk with Lorene to get the newest Camping Brochure.

Church Council:
The purpose of the Church Council is to gather the church officers and ministry leaders together to share plans and ideas, discuss proposals and vote on the business of the church.

2006 Council Chair is David Kingsbury , 2006 Council Secretary is Adrienne Davis

Anyone is welcome to attend. The meetings are held the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m.

Finance Committee:
The Finance Committee talks about money. They make sure the offerings are counted properly, the bills are being paid on time and that records are kept accurately. Their job is also to inform the congregation of the financial status of the church. Judith Craig is the Finance Committee Chairperson.

Meal Team:
Like to cook? The Meal Team needs you! We have a list of people on call who are willing to prepare a dinner for someone who has just had a baby, or just had major surgery or who just lost a loved one. It is nice to be able to help these people during a stressful time in their lives and a simple meal is always welcome. Helen Almy is the coordinator who keeps our cooks in order!

Lay Leadership Committee:
This is the committee who look at the committees and teams of the church, then prayerfully consider and ask those in the congregation to be on them. The Pastor coordinates this committee by order of “The United Methodist Church Discipline” and a committee voted on by the church annual meeting.

Mission Opportunities

Family Kitchen:
The last Wednesday of each month our church helps provide and cook a dinner for those who are less fortunate. Family Kitchen is open at the First Lutheran Church on the last 2 weeks of each month.  The menu is posted so the congregation can supply the food items, then on those days a crew prepares, sets up, serves and cleans up the meal. Any extra food is sent home with the families in need.  Our Coordinator almost from the beginning of Family Kitchen is Phyllis Keithly.

Habitat for Humanity:
Our County has a very active chapter of Habitat for Humanity and our church has many volunteers who help in different capacities. Our church sponsored building a complete home on LeGrand Street in Manchester. The home was completed for the family to move in by Thanksgiving 2004! For information about helping at other sites, call Jim Craig, 876-5520 or Bob Holtz, 871-2657.

Stafford Suites Worship:
Every 2^nd Sunday the ever faithful Lou & Joan Stack take worship “on the road” to the local senior housing apartment, called Stafford Suites. They sing hymns with the residents, read scripture to them and give a short message. Lou & Joan and the residents love to have others from the church join them at 3:00 p.m. each month. Be a part of this loving ministry to the older generation!

Music Ministries:

Adult Choir
Do you like to sing? Do you like the thought of inspiring others with your singing? If you want to rub shoulders with a fun loving and genuinely nice group of people, this is the choir for you! They rehearse Thursdays from 7:30-8:30 p.m. and perform most every Sunday during the school year. Jeff Mitchell is our distinguished Choir Director.

Hand Bell Choirs
If you have 2 hands, can read some music and count to 4 – you can ring bells! We have 3 octaves of Hand Bells that are waiting for people to ring them! Right now the Hand Bells are used for special occasions and when the need arises, players are called upon to practice for several weeks to perform. If you would like to be on the hand bell player list, please contact the church office – 876-3975.

Page Masters Book Club:
Read a book, go to lunch and talk about the book. Sound easy? It is! And fun! For the past 9 years this group of women have read a book each month and met in local restaurants to discuss it. The books have ranged from the historical, mystery, self-help, religious and romance sections to the Oprah book of the month. Join in this diverse group of ladies – you’ll be glad you did! Thelma Peterson is the person to call for more information, 876-2175.

Prayer Chain – On line:
If you believe in the power of prayer and want to help pray for the needs of our congregation, this is a powerful group to be a part of. To add your name to the prayer warriors of our church, please call the church office. If you wish to have something placed on the prayer chain, click prayer chain on the main page of this website, or call the church office.

Prayer Shawl Ministry:
Knitting and crocheting is what many people in our church are doing these days. The Prayer Shawl Ministry has given out many shawls to persons going through tough times in their lives. Mary Lee Nelson brought this ministry to fruition in our congregation and energizes those who love needlework. Call Mary, 769-7459 if you can donate money or yarn for materials, if you would like to be a part of her crew, or if you know of someone hurting.

Scouting:
Our church sponsors Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Girls Scouts! Almost any night of the week you can find a scouting event going on at our church. If you would like information about any of the Scouting opportunities, please call Ken and Vivian Jensen at 360-895-3145 or Robert Jewett at 360-871-7322.

Staff Parish Relations Committee:
This important committee acts as the liaison between the congregation of the church and the pastor and the staff. They are in charge of hiring, evaluating and encouraging the personnel of the church. They also handle all suggestions and problems of and about the church staff. Ray Mitchell is the one to call at 360-895-0316 if you have any concerns in this area.

Trustees:
The people on this committee are our “Corporate Officers”. They handle the official business of the corporation. They are mainly in charge of taking care of our building needs, such as roof repair, painting, light bulb changing as well as the landscape needs like mowing and parking lot cleaning. They hold several work parties each year – for the entire congregation! Linda Scheer was elected Chairperson again this year. You can call her at 360-876-4073 with building concerns or fill out a Trustees Work order available in the church office when you see a need.

UMYF (United Methodist Youth Fellowship):
Junior and Senior High aged students meet every Wednesday evenings from  6:00 – 8:00 p.m. in their own "Youth Room". This is a great time for them to share their feelings, have some fun, sing and jam, and learn together how the love of Christ is the best thing they will ever know.  Katie Aoesved is our Youth Director and Justin Sharrett is our Youth Assistant.

All Youth are most welcome, even if you are not a regular attendee of our church or not!

United Methodist Men:
Providing opportunities for fellowship, service to the community and personal growth.
The men have monthly Breakfast meetings, which are held on the last Sunday of each month at 7:30 a.m. in deVries Hall.

Vacation Bible School:
Do you remember Vacation Bible School when you were a child? Coming to church every day for a week during the summer? Well, this is still a great tradition that still works here at our church!  Watch for news of  Summer 2006 VBS!

Visitation Team:
If you like people and would like to help visit those who can’t get around – this is the team for you! This group of loving people visit shut-ins of our congregation regularly and help make them feel a part of our church. Sound good to you? Please call Kathy Reichstein, 360-871-2697 and get on her team!

Women of Mission:
Our United Methodist Women have evolved into "Women of Mission". The members are women who are concerned about people in need locally or globally and gather monthly to figure out how they can help. Bake sales, Spaghetti Dinners and Soup Luncheons and Talent Shows are their specialties. Through these kinds of projects they have supported Angel Acres Day Care, The ALIVE Shelter, Children of Africa, Habitat for Humanity and many other agencies.

The planning executive committee meetings are held the 2nd Wednesday of each month in deVries Hall at 10:00 a.m.

2006 Coordinator is Jean Schmitz

2006 Treasurer is Judith Craig

2006 Secretary is Thelma Peterson

Worship Team:
This group of busy people work mostly behind the scenes to put on Sunday worship. Becky Blake is the Chair to this group which includes a Visuals Team led by Adrienne Davis, Communion Preparers Linda Scheer and Robert Jewett and the Communion Servers Coordinator Kathy Reichstein, the Reader Coordinator Joan Stack a Sound System of Roger Slezak, David Kingsbury, Dan Carlson and Robert Jewett and a Projection Team of Maureen Eaquinta, Annette Kingsbury, Jake Ehli and Paula Jewett and finally the Drama Team of Norma Holtz and Thelma Peterson.