Valley Community Presbyterian Church April 2018 Sundays at Valley Children’s Spring Musical April 29 The King’s Kids Choir will present the musical Adult Education Class, 9:00 a.m. Sermon on the Mound in worship on Sunday, April Early Coffee in Library, 9:30 a.m. 29. This musical, created by Celeste Clydesdale, Worship, 10:00 a.m. combines valuable life lessons with catchy songs and Sunday Funday, 10:20 a.m. a baseball theme. Sermon on the Mound centers on spring training for the Eagles baseball team. Mac Coffee Fellowship, 11:00 a.m. Wire, the rookie, has been training with the team for April forty days and forty nights and is nervous about the opening game. He remembers to follow God as his head coach and to work 1 Easter Sunday Worship, together as a team to live out God’s word. Will he hit a home run? You’ll have 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. to come and find out on April 29! Easter Egg Hunt, 9:00 a.m. in the Youth House Spring Fundraisers to Benefit Youth 8 Communion Mission Reception of New Members, This year our middle school and high school youth have two events in April during 10:00 a.m. worship to help raise money for their summer mission trips. 15 Membership Class, April 29 Pancake Breakfast 11:15 a.m. First, the annual pancake breakfast will be held in Davis Hall on April 29. Dining for Women, 11:30 a.m. Congregants will be able to enjoy a delicious breakfast before worship from 9:00-10:00 a.m. or directly after worship from 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. This 22 event corresponds with the Kings Kids’ spring musical, “Sermon on the Mound.” 29 Spring Musical, 10:00 a.m. Garden Plants and Baskets Sale The youth are collaborating with the New Leaf nursery to offer a variety of May garden plants and lovely hanging baskets for sale. Youth will have a table set up during coffee hour to take your orders on April 15, 22, and 29. Plants will Communion 6 be delivered to the youth house on May 19 between 12:00-1:00 p.m. and Gamble Library Book Sale ready for pick up once they are sorted. Youth will also have their own after 10:00 a.m. worship individual forms to reach out to friends and family for additional orders. A portion of proceeds will be given back to Valley and will go directly into the youth mission fund. If you have any questions about these events, please contact Allison Carlson at [email protected] or by phone 503.701.9853. Graduates in your family this spring? Send the information to [email protected] to be included in upcoming issues. Awakening Souls, Sharing Joy, Serving God in Christ - TRANSFORMING LIVES Living as Witnesses to the Resurrection The holiday (holy day) of Easter carries with it great symbolism for the lives we lead as Christians in the world today. What does it mean to witness to the resurrection of Christ? One way to understand resurrection is by celebrating new life during this wonderful season. The flowers and trees are blooming, wildlife is out and about more and more; even the neighbor’s dog seems to walk with a bit of a skip in her step these days. Do you feel the new life that spring and Easter bring? Valley Community is no different as we continue to celebrate not only the risen Christ, but also the new life blossoming from within. Stop by the church on any given night of the week and one will see boy and girl scouts, basketball teams, preschool families, choirs of all ages, Bible studies…and this is only the beginning! Church members are mowing lawns, weeding our gardens, helping with children’s events, and even spring cleaning the closets! Consider this your invitation to join in the new life being witnessed here at Valley Community! If you are reading this from afar, be sure to call in and say hello! If you are in Rev. Jeff Binder the neighborhood, be sure to join us for Sunday 10:00 a.m. worship, ask about our many volunteer opportunities, or stop in during our many midweek events. We are an Easter people! Join us in witnessing to the resurrected Christ as we live new lives each and every day! In Christ, SAVE THE DATE: Spring All-Church Work Day Saturday, May 12 from 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Carpentry - Painting - General Cleanup - Landscape Maintenance Sign up during coffee fellowship after Easter Sponsored by the Starfish Mariners and the Facilities Committee THE MESSENGER Session Highlights VALLEY COMMUNITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH March 13 Session Meeting 8060 SW BRENTWOOD ST. Approved a request from Valley member and college senior Hannah PORTLAND, OR 97225-2355 Nolen to sponsor her as a PCUSA Young Adult Volunteer. Hannah will 503.292.3537 be serving the church in Scotland, working with the poorest people in FAX 503.292.4272 that country. valleycommunity.org Approved a pancake breakfast and a sale of hanging baskets on Sunday, April 29, as fundraisers for youth mission. Email: [email protected] Approved a motion from the Membership Committee to produce a new PASTOR photo directory this fall. We will work with Lifetouch, the same JEFF BINDER company that we've used in the past. NEWSLETTER STAFF: Received a report from the Safety and Security Committee that a new ANGELA GRAHAM camera and intercom system has been installed at the main doors and the PLEASE SUBMIT ARTICLES VIA E-MAIL BY east parking lot doors. This system allows those in the office to see and APRIL 20 FOR THE MAY ISSUE: speak with people at these doors. [email protected] Called a congregational meeting for Sunday, May 6, immediately THE NEWSLETTER STAFF RETAINS following worship, for the purpose of electing officers. The Church PERMISSION TO MODIFY SUBMISSIONS Officer Nominating Committee (CONC) reported that people have FOR CLARITY, SPACE, CONTENT AND accepted the call to be nominated for almost all of the open officer STYLE. positions. Page 2 Valley Messenger April 2018 Dining for Women Features Non-profit Helping Women Grow Food Valley’s next Dining for Women meeting is Sunday, April 15 at 11:30 a.m. in the Fireside Room. The featured grantee is African Women Rising and the specific program is about permagardens. Their mission is to empower women after war by providing self-sustaining solutions that give hope and change lives. They help women in Northern Uganda, including South Sudanese refugees, increase their food security by teaching them to grow their own food through permagardens. Dining for Women loves this project because it serves post conflict communities and refugees helping them to recover and rebuild their lives while learning valuable skills to ensure their food security, economic sustenance and good health. Join us for our monthly potluck lunch meeting where your dining out dollars will go to meet African Women Rising’s grant request. Homelessness to be Addressed Plan Ahead for Valley’s Produce at Presbyterian Women Table Gathering Although Valley’s Produce Table Learn about what some is several months from starting it is churches in our Presbytery are not too soon to plan for what you doing to address homelessness will be growing and thus sharing in their communities at the from your garden’s bounty. As you Spring Gathering of peruse seed catalogs and roam Presbyterian Women April 14 among the aisles at nurseries think at Central Presbyterian about what you can plant to share at Church, Eugene. Central our weekly Produce Table during Presbyterian and other coffee fellowship. Monetary donations collected get sent churches in Eugene have to the Oregon Food Bank at the end of the growing and worked together to establish a harvest season. Last year Valley sent a check for $298 to tiny house village and other efforts to address the issue help reduce food insecurity in Oregon. All growing things of homelessness. Representatives of a couple of are accepted at the table: herbs, flowers, vegetables and churches in Eugene will speak in the morning part of fruits. Please help make our 2018 Valley Produce Table an the Gathering, as will a representative of Cottage Grove overflowing success! Presbyterian, which received a $100,000 Presbyterian Women’s Birthday Offering Grant to help build a Senior Adult Luncheon April 25 community in Cottage Grove. After lunch, a bus tour All are invited to Senior Lunch on will visit Emerald Village, a tiny house village in Wednesday, April 25. Our luncheon Eugene. will begin at noon followed by an A flyer/registration form are available in the church interesting program about Sheldon office, and at the website for Presbyterian Women in Jackson College in Sitka, Alaska. the Cascades Presbyter: www.cascadespw.org. If you’re Sheldon Jackson has a legacy as a interested in carpooling, please contact Connie Brenner. Presbyterian mission school Another important PW activity is happening this representing Native language and culture. Founded in summer -- the triennial Churchwide Gathering of 1878, Sheldon Jackson was the oldest institution of higher Presbyterian Women in Louisville, Kentucky, August 2 learning in Alaska when it abruptly closed its doors in -5. There will be opportunities for inspired worship, 2007. In 2011 the core campus was turned over to the interesting workshops, lots of displays, and great Alaska Arts Southeast Fine Arts Camp who are restoring fellowship, as well as an opportunity to see the the campus and filling it with arts and cultural education headquarters of our PCUSA denomination.