The Christian

Courier
Vol. 64, No. 7 Bellingham First Christian Church July 2014
Pride is Here!
Bellingham Pride begins with a family picnic on Saturday, July 12
and continues through the parade and festival on Sunday, July
13. (For a full list of events, visit their website.)
We will be walking in the parade and hosting a table at the
festival on Sunday. The parade begins on the corner of Cornwall
and Ohio and ends at Depot Square. The festival takes place
there in Depot Square, in the Farmers! Market space.
If you would like to be a part of this year!s Pride events, please
talk to Bob Fisher, Tamalyn Kralman or Mary Ann Teeters.
Happy 50th
Anniversary
50 years ago in August, Lee and I said, "I
do." We would like you to help us celebrate
that "We did!"
Please come to an open house in the church
fellowship hall on Sunday, August 17, from
2-5 p.m.
We really hope you can join us. 50 years
requires a celebration!
Margaret and Lee Brown
Community Meal Update
As many of you know, the Community Meal Task
Force solicited the congregations opinion on a
p r o p o s a l t o
begin serving a
once per month
community meal
for the needy in
our community.
The results of
the survey were
overwhelmingly
i n f a v o r o f
s t ar t i ng t hi s
new mi ni st r y
with 22 votes in favor and 4 votes opposed.
Thank you for your valuable feedback and
support of this opportunity.
The task force received some very thoughtful
feedback from various congregants and, after
discussing that feedback, has decided to serve
this one-Sunday-per-month meal from our own
kitchen at First Christian Church. Previously, we
had proposed that the meal be transported
downtown and served there, but many in the
congregation provided feedback in favor of using
our own kitchen and fellowship hall instead.
continued on page 5
495 East Bakerview Road
Bellingham, WA 98226
360.734.6820
bhamfcc@comcast.net
www.bhamfcc.com

Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
A movement for wholeness in a fragmented
world. As part of the one body of Christ, we
welcome all to the Lords Table as God
welcomed us.
All of Us
Ministers
Rev. Gary Shoemaker
Pastor
grshmkr@comcast.net
Mary Ann Teeters
Finance/Membership Administrator
maryannt44@comcast.net
Rev. Tamalyn Kralman
Director of Ed. & Community Outreach
Courier Editor
tamalynk@comcast.net
Amelia Nye
Accompanist
TBD
Childcare Provider
Rev. Sandy Messick
Regional Minister
Rev. Sharon Watkins
General Minister and President
Summer Sunday Schedule
(June 1 - Aug. 31)
10:20 a.m. Gathering Time
10:30 a.m. Worship
11:45 a.m. Fellowship Time
2nd Sunday Out-to-Lunch Bunch
6 p.m. Wild Goose Worship
(2nd, 4th and 5th Sundays)

Office Hours
Monday - Friday
9 a.m. - noon
Our staff are in and out of the office throughout the
week. Please feel free to stop by during their office
hours or make an appointment that fits your
schedule.

Officers
Don Hoffman, Chair
Virginia Haldeman, Vice-Chair
Megan Shoemaker, Secretary
Cheryl Perry, Treasurer
Message from the Pastor
2 July 2014

First Christian Church
!Disciples of Christ"
Shoes News
Words of Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou held within herself an amazing sense of self. She
lived with courage and grace. In other words, she's no different
from any of us. She just somehow captured the freedom and
courage to express her story in ways that caused the rest of us to
pay attention. We lost an incredible treasure when she passed a
few weeks ago. May her words below inspire you to live your life
large!!!
My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry; to get my
work done and try to love somebody and have the courage
to accept the love in return.
While I know myself as a creation of God, I am also
obligated to realize and remember that everyone else and
everything else are also God's creation.
My mother said I must always be intolerant of ignorance,
but understanding of illiteracy. That some people, unable
to go to school, were more educated and more intelligent
than college professors.
Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps
fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of
hope.
I've learned that people will forget what you said, people
will forget what you did, but people will never forget how
you made them feel.
If you don't like something, change it. If you can't
change it, change your attitude. Don't complain.
Perhaps travel cannot prevent bi gotry, but by
demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and
die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand
each other, we may even become friends.
I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a
catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw
something back.
I know that when I pray, something wonderful happens.
Not just to the person or persons for whom I'm praying,
but also something wonderful happens to me. I'm grateful
that I'm heard.
Thank you Maya for a life of wisdom and insight!
Pastor Gary
News from the Pews
July 2014 3
Joys and Concerns
of Our Congregation
Please submit written requests to update this list.
New to Our List:
Mark Millenaar, as he seeks safe storage for his
ceramic molds and his friend, Randy, in his faith journey
Ongoing:
Our new graduates, Alyis Clark, Andrew
Hoemann, Amelia Nye, Madison Perry, and Alexis
Pinkston as they begin new adventures in life
Neilan Hart, five year-old friend of the Pages, now in
remission
Donna Fairchild, recovering from a fall and a
compression fracture
Helen Blaney recovering at home
Mac and Velma McDonald and their son, Steve,
health concerns
Disciples House Residents, past, present and future
Iglesia de Dios, as together we share Gods love
Raices Culturales and the children in their gardening
program
Rev. Sandy Messick, Regional Minister
Rev. Sharon Watkins, General Minister and President
Our General Church ministries
Yakama Christian Mission
Refugees around the world
All troops involved in world conflict
Peacemakers worldwide
Do You Know Acts?
Did you ever wonder how the church began? How did
Jesus little band of merry
men and women expand
from a small group in
Jerusalem to a movement
throughout the Roman
Empire? The book of Acts
tells that story. It all starts
with the instructions the
resurrected Jesus gave to
his disciples: You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in
all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth. (Acts 1:8) Here are a few fun facts to know and
tell about this fascinating book...
The writing of Acts is generally attributed to Luke, often
considered a physician and companion of Paul.
Acts is a companion book to the Gospel of Luke.
A Health Blessing for All
May you rise each morning
With the voice of blessing
Whispering in your ear,
Opening your new day to
dreams,
Possibilities, and promises.
May your day
Fit the rhythms of your
soul,
Exciting your heart,
And creating within you
A creativity to journey
Beyond old limits
For new frontiers
That will emerge.
May your day
Assume a proper space
In your life.
Instead of owning you
Or using you,
May it challenge and refine you,
Bringing you deeper
Into the wonder of your soul,
Into the wonder of the Sacred.
Amen
(adapted)
Prayer; Great Healer, may we be encouraged and find
healing from our ills and worries as we seek your sacred
presence in our lives through that which is uplifting and
meaningful. Amen
Jane E. Kletka, RN, FCN
Health Ministries
Nurses Notes
Luke was most likely written after 70 CE, while Acts didnt
come until early in the second century CE.
Acts, while addressed to Theophilus, seems to address
an audience of Greek-speaking Jews and God-
worshipping Gentiles who want to know more about the
Christian faith and community.
Peter is the main character for the first 12 chapters. Then
the focus shifts to Paul.
Acts paints a beautiful picture of the early church
expanding in an orderly fashion, from Jerusalem to Rome,
from Jew to Gentile (the distinction between Jew and
Gentile has ceased).
Acts highlights the power of the Holy Spirit to guide and
protect Christians, the resurrection as core proof of Jesus
identity, and the offer of salvation through God, the Lord
of All (a title previously reserved for pagan gods).
To learn more, please contact me or see our church library.
~Tamalyn
4 July 2014
Welcome to Our New Members
Judy and Walter Bayless and Ardythe Hannah
Welcome to Walter and Judy Bayless, who transferred
their membership to First Christian Church on Sunday,
May 11.
Judy and Walter met in the A Cappella Choir at Austin
College, a small Presbyterian liberal arts college in
Sherman, TX. They lived in Galveston, TX, while Walter
was in medical school and then moved to Dallas for his
internship. The Army came calling, and they spent the
next three years in Germany. After an Ob-Gyn residency
in El Paso, TX, they were Alaska bound, spending the
next 2-1/2 years in Fairbanks. It was on the way to
Alaska that they discovered the Pacific Northwest, and
Bellingham has been their home for the past 37 years.
Both were raised in musical families, and music has
always been an important part of their lives. Judy enjoys
directing the Bell Choir at FCC and is thrilled with the
progress the group has made since beginning three years
ago. Walter is one of the faithful bell ringers.
Judy has a passion for genealogy, and her sister, Merle,
says Judy was born in the wrong century since she is
never happier than when burying herself in 18
th
& 19
th

century historical records!
Walter retired in 2004 from his OB-Gyn practice, and
spent the next three years as Vice President of Medical
Affairs at St. Joseph Hospital. Retiring again in 2007, he
now enjoys a variety of activities which he never had
time for during his career: cooking, gardening, reading,
photography, and his most recent hobby, wood furniture
refinishing. They also enjoy traveling in their
motorhome, and Judys mother, Mary Lee Wiser, often
accompanies them.
Judy and Walter have two married daughters and are the
doting grandparents of four young boys. They celebrated
49 years of marriage on June 19.
We are also happy to welcome Ardythe Hannah, who
transferred her membership to First Christian on Sunday,
June 8. Ardythe was born and raised in Manitoba,
Canada. She met her husband through a cousin of his
and they married in 1950. She has three children,
Bradley, Diane and Karen. In 1953, the family moved
from Vancouver, B.C. to Sumas, where they raised their
children. When the kids were in school, Ardythe worked
at the Post Office, where she was employed for 10 years.
Ardythe and her husband also owned and operated the
Caribou Motel in Sumas for 13 years. They sold the motel
in 1985 and moved to Bellingham.
Some years later, newly single and with her children
grown, Ardythe found her passion in Bridge and in travel.
She and a friend spent a number of years traveling to
Europe. Ardythe still plays Duplicate Bridge on a regular
basis.
After some time away, Ardythe returned to Bellingham in
2011, where she happily resides with her constant
companion, the charming Charlie, her Rat terrier.
Get to Know Chapman University
Chapman University, Orange CA is coming to a church near you! Chapman is
related to our founding denomination, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
and as of 2010 is also ofcially related to the United Church of Christ.
An excellent university with programs in liberal arts, sciences, education, the
arts, business, lm and digital arts, Chapman has a special program for
Disciples and UCC students. Disciples on Campus offers weekly worship,
service and fun events and a retreat each semester to build community.
(Scholarship info is available in the church ofce.)
Nancy Brink, Director of Church Relations, will be participating in the opening
day of the UCC Western Regional Youth Event in Seattle and then will hold
Continued on page 7
July 2014 5
Interfaith Coalition Our House Open
House on July 13!
Interfaith Coalition of Whatcom County is proud to
include First Christian Church as one of our 44 members.
Our mission is simple: we provide housing, healthcare
and hope to our neighbors in need. With the completion
this month of Our House, a triplex in Ferndale, up to ten
more families each year will have a safe, warm home to
help break the sad cycle of homelessness and despair.
Now its time to celebrate Our House! Youre invited to a
drop-in open house on Sunday, July 13, from 1-3 pm.
Our House Open House will include personal tours of the
homes, a brief program, refreshments, music and a
special blessing. There is no parking at Our House. Please
park by the balloons at Ferndale High School or United
Church of Ferndale, just a short walk away. Or, you can
use the shuttle from United Church of Ferndale.
The members of First Christian have been very generous
to this project! In addition, Interfaith is thankful for our
generous community, which has donated money and
skills to build Our House, and the many volunteers who
have contributed their time, energy and enthusiasm. With
the completion of Our House, Interfaith will have 11
homes for parents and children to begin to turn their lives
around. Thank you for being our partner in hope. Thank
you for believing that together, we can transform lives. It
is happening right here in Whatcom County, and soon it
will happen again at Our House.
We hope to see you on July 13! For more information,
please call us at 734.3983.
Laura DeRose Harker
Hello Amy's Place Friends
and Volunteers!!!
I'm attaching our summer newsletter* and giving a BIG
thank-you to Dave Veenhaus for designing it and helping
me with this masterpiece. We are actually doing really
well over here at Amy's Place. We are witnessing youth
success stories every week. Even though it has been a
difficult season, we are coming through the other side
with your prayers and support.
Thank-you so much faithful friends and volunteers;
without you there wouldn't be an Amy's Place.
I hope you will donate good stuff and attend our yard sale
July 18 and 19!! Please continue to pray for the youth
and children attending Amy's Place. They need us.
Happy Summer,
Heidi
*Please note that the newsletter is posted on our What is
Our Local Mission? bulletin board.
Also note: our congregation provides meals to Amys Place
as needed; generally once a month.
Utilizing our own space simplifies logistics, reduces our costs, and seems to be a more favored option. As a result, we
plan to serve our community meal in our own fellowship hall on the second Sunday of each month beginning August 10.
At this time we have not partnered with any other congregations in this new endeavor, but the task force plans to explore
this issue more if we find the number of attendees warrants such partnerships. We will be asking members of our own
congregation to assist in providing these meals. Food preparation will begin as early as necessary during the morning
hours and setup for service (setting tables, etc.) will begin after the coffee hour. The meals will be served to all who show
up asking to be served from 2-4 p.m., concluding earlier if we run out of food (which, hopefully, will not be the case).
Clean up will be immediately following.
We realize that we are in conflict with coffee hour and Out-to-Lunch Bunch. As this is unavoidable, we plan to take the
following steps to alleviate those problems:
We will do our best to contain our food preparation activities to the far side of the kitchen, thus staying out of
the way of those preparing, serving, and cleaning up coffee hour;
We will not ask those who want to participate in Out-to-Lunch Bunch to miss that activity in order to participate in
this new ministry, unless they so choose.
In the next few months we will begin recruiting volunteers and be working on the details of our first service on August 10.
We look forward to working with you all on this exciting new ministry.
Regards,
Megan Shoemaker on behalf of the Community Meal Task Force
Community Meal, contd from page 1
In the eyes of the Divine, we are created in wonder,
we are all beautiful with an amazing potential of
greatness; we are created in the image of the Divine.
When we see ourselves as broken, sinful, flawed,
and weak we fall into the trap that we have no
value; we start to define the world as broken, sinful,
flawed and weak - we see a world without value, we
see a Divine without value.
John Casimir OKeefe
The Naked Jesus; A Journey Out of
Christianity and Into Christ
Who!s on First?!
6 June 2014
July
Happy Birthday
Jacob Scherr 1
Don Hoffman 1
Melody Hoffman 2
Tod Gobledale 7
Bekki Weston 7
Margaret Farrar 8
Wayne Deming 9
Robert Naidu 10
Jim Nunamaker 10
Chuck Page 13
Wendy Barta 14
Linda Heyne 15
Lucas Pitton 15
Debbie O'Neal 15
Tamalyn Kralman 16
Lydia Johnson 18
Jan Kean 20
Marlin Erickson 25
Preston Pinkston 27
Debbie Ruther 28
Mandla Gobledale 28
Karen Gilda 31
Happy Anniversary
Linda & Jim Nunamaker 9
Chuck & Darleen Page 11
Betty & Charles Schmidling 14
Pat & Dale Whitney 15
Checking-In Group
This group meets at 5 p.m. the fourth Thursday of each month and is an opportunity to talk about life! Location to be
determined. Please contact the church ofce for more info.
Men!s Breakfast
All men are invited to meet at Denny!s, 7:30 a.m. each Saturday for fellowship and food. A sense of humor is
encouraged!
Sunday, July 6
Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49,
58-67
Psalm 45:10-17
Romans 7:15-25a
Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
Sunday, July 13
Genesis 25:19-34
Psalm 119:105-112
Romans 8:1-11
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
Sunday, July 20
Genesis 28:10-19a
Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24
Romans 8:12-25
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
Sunday, July 27
Genesis 29:15-28
Psalm 105:1-11, 45b or
Psalm 128
Romans 8:26-39
Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52
Sunday, July 6
Elders: Leslie Pinkston (O), Melody Hoffman (C)
Diaconate: Betty Schmidling, Sandy Grant,
Mary Ann Teeters
In Home Communion: Leslie Pinkston
Lock Up Elder: John Riseland
Reader: Gregg Heyne
Greeters: Max and Cheryl Perry
Flowers: TBD
Fellowship Time: TBD
Sunday, July 13
Elders: Gregg Heyne (O), Don Hoffman (C)
Diaconate: Marian Overcash, Linda Heyne,
Ardythe Hannah
Reader: Nancy Langford
Greeters: Schmidling Family
Flowers: Dale and Pat Whitney
Fellowship Time: Connie Page, in honor of
Chuck and Darleens 55th anniversary
Sunday, July 20
Elders: Don Hoffman (O), Brenda Riseland (C)
Diaconate: Lois Oswalt, Pat Whitney, Connie Page
Reader: Melody Hoffman
Greeters: Chuck and Darleen Page
Flowers: TBD
Fellowship Time: TBD
Sunday, July 27
Elders: Melody Hoffman (O), Joe Plancich (C)
Diaconate: Lynn Plancich, Kathy Wheeler,
Jayne Witman
Reader: Lillian Moir
Greeter: Megan Shoemaker
Flowers: Esther Group
Fellowship Time: Esther Group
This Month!s Lectionary
When you read Gods Word, you must constantly be saying to
yourself, It is talking to me and about me.
--Soren Kierkegaard
Calendar
June 2014 7
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1
Noon
Bible Study
2
Bulletin
Deadline
3 4
Independence
Day
5
7:30a Men!s
Breakfast,
Denny!s
6
10:20a Gathering Time
10:30a Worship
11:45p Fellowship Time
1:30p Spring Creek
Worship
7 8
Noon
Bible Study
9
Bulletin
Deadline
10 11 12
7:30a Men!s
Breakfast,
Denny!s
13
10:20a Gathering Time
10:30a Worship
11:45p Fellowship Time
Out-to-Lunch
Bunch
10 a - 4p Bellingham
Pride Parade &
Festival
14
6:30 p
Stewardship
Meeting
15
Courier
Deadline
Noon
Bible Study
16
Bulletin
Deadline
17 18
5:30p Prayer
Vigil for
Peace in the
Middle East,
Sacred Heart
Catholic
Church
19
7:30a Men!s
Breakfast,
Denny!s
20
8:30a Elders! Mtg
10:20a Gathering Time
10:30a Worship
11:45p Fellowship Time
1:30p Spring Creek
Worship
21
Noon
Esther Group
22
Noon
Bible Study
23
Bulletin
Deadline
24
5p Checking
In Group
25 26
7:30a Men!s
Breakfast,
Denny!s
27
10:20a Gathering Time
10:30a Worship
11:45p Fellowship Time
7p Book Group
28 29
Noon
Bible Study
30
Bulletin
Deadline
31
July 2014
three free dinner meetings to meet prospective UCC and Disciples students and/or parents who want to learn
more about Chapman and all of our church related colleges.
! Monday, June 30 6:00 pm at First Christian Church, Kent (11717 SE 240th St, Kent, WA 98031)
! Tuesday, July 1 6:00 pm at First Christian Church, Kennewick (1921 S Olympia St, Kennewick, WA 99337)
! Wednesday, July 2 6:00 pm at First Christian Church, Tacoma (602 N Orchard St, Tacoma, WA 98406)
Please RSVP to Nancy Brink, brink@chapman.edu or 402.312.0409 no later than Saturday noon, June 28. For
more info on Chapman, go to https://chapman.edu.
Chapman, contd from p. 4
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First Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ)
A church of grace and welcome for all!
495 East Bakerview Road
Bellingham, WA 98226-9168
PERIODICALS POSTAGE AT
Bellingham, WA 98226-9168
USPS 0589-870
Save the Dates
July 12 - 13 Bellingham Pride Parade and Festival
August 10 Somebody Cares!
FCCs Community Meal
August 17 Margaret and Lee Browns 50th
Anniversary Celebration
Sept. 14 CWS CROP Hunger Walk
(see the church office for details
Nov. 16 Alternative Holiday Market
Contact Us
Office bhamfcc@comcast.net
360.734.6820
Find us on Facebook First Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ),
Bellingham, WA
Follow us on Twitter FCC Bellingham
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360.734.6820, or 495 E. Bakerview Road, Bellingham,
WA 98226
"When people were hungry, Jesus
didn't say, Now is that political, or
social? He said, I feed you. Because
the good news to a hungry person is
bread."
- Desmond Tutu