On Sunday, May 28, we will be welcoming new members to the congregation during worship. If you are ready to become a member and join the church, please complete THIS form and return it to Pastor Leah (leah@fauntleroyucc.org) by Monday, May 22.
Feeding Our Hungry Neighbors on May 20th
Once a month Fauntleroy Church comes together to provide a hot meal for our unhoused and food insecure neighbors. Collectively we serve approximately 100-150 individuals, and it truly takes a village. There's an opportunity to help at every commitment level.
Here are some of the many ways you can participate:
1. make or purchase food, deliver it to the venue in White Center between 11-11:30am (or ask for pick up assistance!). Reimbursement is available.
2. help with set up, service, and/or clean up-- entire time is 11am-1:30pm-ish, stay any length of time you are available
3. drop off food pantry items, clothing, shoes, tarps, tents, blankets, toiletries This is an excellent opportunity to serve our community, be in fellowship with one another, and provide some comfort, sustenance, and love to those in need.
More details and sign up HERE
Boeing Choir Concert
Music Director Bronwyn Edwards has been singing with the Boeing Choir since last September. As a special gift to our Fauntleroy congregation and neighbors, Bron is bringing the BOEING CHOIR to Fauntleroy Church on Saturday, May 13 at 3 pm. Admission is FREE, and all are welcome. The choir performs a diverse repertoire from classical music to jazz standards and contemporary songs. Its 50+ singers perform in the Puget Sound region including many retirement homes, and they have also toured Great Britain, Portugal, and Australia. Their next tour is to Greece in September 2024.
Given the beautiful acoustics of the Fauntleroy Church sanctuary, this will be a wonderful listening experience for all. Please come and bring your friends and family.
Lenten Small Groups
Burgers and Bingo
Looking to share a delicious burger dinner with church friends and maybe win big? That's exactly what our Parish Life Ministry is planning for Saturday, April 29, 6 pm in Fellowship Hall.
Menu: Choose a beef or Impossible burger with Tater Tots, coleslaw, and dessert.
Cost: $20 for adults and teens; $10 for kids 6-12; younger kids free (no bingo card). Those under 18 must be accompanied by an adult family member. Childcare by request only.
Tickets: Reserve and pay online HERE, during coffee hour, or in the church office.
Deadline: Sunday, April 23
Contact: mbernahl@q.com or 206-579-8747 or stop by the information table during coffee hour
Recycle Roundup
Holy Week and Easter
Worship Without Walls
Trivia Night Success!
Our Festival of Trees is Growing!
Fellowship Hall has been transformed! The festive Winter Wonderland is a sight to behold! From A Starry Night to Frosty & Friends to a Peruvian Christmas, the trees in our holiday forest are all unique creations that will amaze and delight. There is even an Idolitree!
LET THE COMPETITION BEGIN!
One of the primary goals of this event is to collect items for our food banks in West Seattle and White Center. Start gathering non-perishable items and vote for your favorite trees. In this election, voting multiple times and for multiple trees is encouraged! We checked with the food banks. Of course, all types of non-perishable food items are welcome, but there is a special need for healthier options and ones for those with special dietary needs, for example – low fat, low salt, gluten free, etc. Also needed are easy and healthy snacks for kids.
COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSES: Wednesday evenings - Dec 7, 14 and 21 from 7-8 pm Please help spread the word throughout the community. The more visitors, the more items for the food banks.
AFTER WORSHIP SERVICES: Join us for Coffee Hour in the Fellowship Hall on Sundays – Dec 4, 11 and 18. Stack your “votes” around your favorite trees.
VOLUNTEER: Hosts for the Open House evenings and cookie bakers are still needed. Parish Life Ministry is coordinating these efforts.
Mask Optional Policy
As of November 27th, 2022, Fauntleroy Church has implemented a mask optional policy for all church worship, events and activities except during periods when the Seattle area community level of COVID transmission becomes high/red.
This council decision was based on the results of a November 2022 survey, which confirmed:
1) The high percentage of congregants who have received vaccination and boosters that reduce the risk of severe COVID.
2) the high degree of continued care individuals expect to make in their choices around masking, attendance and other engaged behavior.
3) The willingness expressed to engage some additional actions to care for one another that are providing shape to this mask optional decision.
We will continue to take additional steps to help protect against disease transmission, including the creation of a mask-only area in the sanctuary during worship, contract tracing, and making masks available for those who forget theirs and would like to wear one.
Please see the attached letter here for additional considerations and details regarding this policy.
It’s Advent at Fauntleroy Church!
The outside church Christmas lights are up, our halls are decked, the giving tree stands ready to have tags taken as it’s undecked, our home-grown devotionals have found their way into many hands already, our children are preparing for the pageant, our choirs are filling practices with Christmas music, and a small forest of themed trees is growing in Fellowship Hall. It’s beginning to look and sound a lot like Christmas at Fauntleroy Church!
Advent begins this Sunday, December 27 with communion served during worship. As we make our Advent journey together, you’ll notice that we are taking what feels a tree-lined path to Christmas. That’s intentional! “Under the Tree” is our 2022 Advent theme, and immersed in it, we’ll encounter Biblical stories and passages in which perspective is gained and the indwelling presence of God felt under the boughs of trees.
You may know that the tradition of having a Christmas tree only goes back about 500 years. But long before that, Ancient Romans were known to mark the winter solstice by decorating their homes with evergreen boughs – symbols of hope and life in a cold and dormant season. Even longer before that, humans found meaning and glimpses of the Divine in the presence of trees.
I have a Bible in which all the passages about nature are highlighted in green. Much like the more popular red-letter Bible that highlights Jesus’ spoken words (as presented by each Gospel writer), a green Bible draws one’s attention to just how much life and faith has intertwined with nature in the experiences of many. One of the things I’ve learned in reading this “green-letter” Bible is that references to trees abound in scripture. There are cedars and spruce, fig trees, oaks, olive trees, acacia, almond, apple, pine, pistachio, willow and more. Hundreds of references to trees can be found in the Hebrew scriptures and New Testament! Reinforcing the importance of their presence are bookend references to the tree of life in the first verses of Genesis and the last verses of Revelation – its boughs hanging over the garden of Eden as life begins, and as our scriptures end, its boughs stretching to both sides of the river of the water of life, flowing from the throne of God. Under the canopy of both these trees of life, the story of our faith unfolds and deepens.
This Advent, as we prepare for Jesus and God’s love to be born in the world anew, some of the trees under which we’ll find ourselves include the oak of Mamre, as Abraham and Sarah entertain angels unaware. Then, we’ll nod toward the hope-bringing oaks of righteousness in Isaiah 61 (a common Advent passage) as we enjoy our children’s pageant, “Under the Tree.” Next, we’ll meet Jesus and Zaccheus under the sycamore tree of Jericho as joy in that encounter prompts Zaccheus to embrace the world and life in radically different ways. As we near Christmas, we’ll draw near to the tree of life and a vision in Revelation of the world dwelling in wholeness and peace under the canopy of God’s healing, nourishing love. Though we’re taking this different, tree-lined path toward Christmas this year, the messages of the season will be found in the shade of rich boughs overhead, carols, candles and one another before finally, we emerge on the doorstep of the traditional Christmas story on Christmas Eve.
We hope you’ll meet us under some tree boughs in worship this Advent. There together, I trust we’ll find some of the most meaningful presents of Christmas: welcome, good news, joy, shared life and the indwelling love of God!
With hope,
Pastor Leah
Giving Tree- 2022
Our giving tree offers five opportunities for you to donate toward basic needs as identified by our homelessness and immigration task forces. You'll find tags on trees in the narthex and lobby through Dec. 11 for these needs:
- winter clothing for Welcome Table guests and Camp Second Chance residents ($20)
- Safeway gift cards for low-income school families ($25)
- food and gifts for asylum-seeking Peruvian families ($30)
- underwear for Welcome Table guests and Camp Second Chance residents (35)
- new shoes for Camp Second Chance residents ($45).
No shopping is required on your part, just a cash donation toward the need of your choice, either online, in the plate, or in the church office. The trees and office also have "Gift from the Heart" cards to present to someone you might wish to honor with your donation.
CROP Hunger Walk Success!
We did it, Fauntleroy Church! We raised $8,717 in our CROP Hunger Walk on October 2!!! It was a glorious day for a walk through Lincoln Park. 34 people and 3 dogs walked to raise awareness and funds to end hunger. We carried signs and had several people stop to ask us what we were doing. A portion of the funds we raised will come back to local agencies that feed the hungry in our community. Thank you to everyone who walked and everyone who donated. What a great way to make a difference in this world, one step at a time!
Sarah Ackers, Team Captain
Volunteer to Help Support our Immigrant Neighbors
Do you have a couple of hours a week to help refugee and immigrant individuals, families, and/or youth and children in need? The Immigration Task Force is exploring a partnership with Neighborhood House, which is based in the High Point Neighborhood Center. Potential volunteer opportunities include conversational English, teaching or tutoring ESL, and making it possible for ESL students to attend classes at Neighborhood House by helping with childcare at their facility and offering rides to classes. Or come up with your own idea on how to help The 15-year-old neighborhood center is a gathering place that offers Head Start programs, youth tutoring and enhancement programs, Seattle Housing Authority’s Job Connection program, English tutoring for refugees and other services. High Point has been described as a vibrant mixed-income neighborhood with an emphasis on environmental sustainability featuring many parks and community gardens. It has a rich mixture of refugees including many from East Africa and Somalia. The Immigration Task Force in just in the early stages of exploring how it could help and it would appreciate assistance from anyone interested in the reward that comes from helping others. To learn more, reach out to Ev Eldridge.
An Urgent Update From Our Immigration Task Force
Fauntleroy is coordinating with Alki UCC to aid four refugee families from Peru, and we are close to finding sustainable housing for two of them.
All four groups have family and relational ties with each other. Three are living with the generous single occupant of a house near Westwood Village, the fourth is an older couple who have found temporary space in another incredibly crowded house near Morgan Junction. All need better, safer, more permanent housing. Mary and Bob Code have offered to lease a three-bedroom house (under market value) in Alki on the condition that the church guarantee the rent (that’s a common arrangement in a situation such as this).
The Immigration Task Force is working to prepare the necessary documentation and finances to present the proposal to the church Finance Ministry, executive committee and Council. In the meantime, the search continues for options to house the remaining two families.
About $5,000 has been raised from West Seattle individuals and such churches as Alki, Fauntleroy, Peace Lutheran and St. John the Baptist. We NEED so much more as the families arrived here almost penniless.
Fauntleroy has a $2,500 Neighbors in Need grant pending with the UCC, and ITF members will meet shortly with the Finance Ministry to discuss more fundraising ideas. Many furnishings and household goods have been donated, including from Fauntleroy’s 2nd Time Sale and the Microsoft warehouse donation. Storage space is also needed. More VOLUNTEER HELP IS NEEDED. And if you feel moved by the plight of refugees, perhaps you’d like to join the ITF. Please contact Bob Wyss (401-447-3628) or Dianne Sprague (401 447-4421) if you can help.
Finally, and most importantly, the offer from Mary and Bob Code has been incredibly generous and heartfelt because, to truly help these families, we need to keep them here in West Seattle, where our volunteers live. Let us hear from you if you have a lead on housing in this area. Bob Wyss and Dianne Sprague, co-chairs of the Immigration Task Force
Fauntleroy's Festival of Trees
One of my favorite times of year at my last church was November -- when tree-by-tree-by-tree, a forest of themed Christmas trees would come alive inside the church building, made possible by the creativity, joy, and wonder (with a smidge of competitiveness) of a congregation that loved to make one another smile. This year, with our approaching Advent theme of "Under the Tree," it felt a wonderful thing to attempt at Fauntleroy Church -- so, we're going for it!
Individuals, church groups, community groups, groups of friends, families, all are invited to make a fun, themed tree come alive inside our church building! What do I mean by "themed?" Well, it could be something as simple as a tree you title "the purple tree," then decorating it with all purple lights and ornaments. Or, you could do something a bit more complicated, such as...
● a superhero tree with Marvel and D.C. Comic ornaments and maybe a cape,
● a hymn pun tree where all the simple handmade ornaments are puns on hymns ● a star tree, with all star ornaments
● a pride flag tree
● a flower tree with nothing but flowers to decorate it
● a "trigonomeTREE" for the math enthusiasts among us
None of those ideas are taken, by the way, but ideas abound on the internet and in your creative minds, I'm sure! To prompt your creative juices flowing, we're making this a competition to benefit our local food banks, as people vote for their favorite trees by placing non-perishable food items "under the tree." With the help of our Parish Life Ministry and others, we'll invite the community to come at specific times, enjoy some cookies, maybe an ornament scavenger hunt for kids, some background Christmas music and vote with their food bank donations too! Your help in spreading the word for both participation and visiting our Festival of Trees in December is appreciated. We'll announce specific times at which the church will be open outside Sunday mornings for December/Advent tree enjoyment, but first things frist: WE NEED TREE SUBMISSIONS. So, if you'd like to participate, here's the form you need to complete with instructions on what you need to do. A big thanks to new member, Shirley Asmussen, who is helping to coordinate! Please note that you do need to have or borrow an artificial tree for this event. If you happen to have an artificial tree not doing anything this year and would be happy for someone else to use it, let us know that too!
Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la,
Pastor Leah
Fauntleroy Fine Art & Holiday Gift Show Spotlight
The Great Toilet Paper Caper
The sun shone brightly on the morning of October 10 as a U-Haul truck and other vehicles pulled up to the loading dock of a warehouse in Kent. With masks in hand, gang members tumbled out, ready to execute the plan.
Thus commenced the Great Toilet Paper Caper of 2022.
In September, Bryce Caldwell, a Fauntleroy Church member, reached out to Pastor Karyn Frazier about a huge stash of leftovers from Microsoft events that had to vacate the warehouse. She passed the information along to Doug Gunwaldsen, coordinator of the church's Homelessness Task Force, who quickly realized that this “surplus” represented an extraordinary opportunity to help scores of needy people in West Seattle and White Center.
Planners for upcoming events had been ordering fresh supplies without knowing what was already on hand in the warehouse as surplus from prior events. Consequently, a LOT of new, unopened stuff had accumulated there. The storage bill became so large that something had to be done with it all.
Bryce suggested that, rather than trash it, the company let a nonprofit (us!) take what it could use. That sounded like a good idea at first but it initially got a thumb's down from higher ups. Bryce persisted, though, and soon the caper was back on.
A reconnaissance visit confirmed that a huge stash of good stuff was there for the taking. Toilet paper and other consumables could benefit sheltered and unsheltered guests at the weekly Welcome Table as well as residents at Camp Second Chance. Appliances and other "nesting" things could help asylum-seekers equip new homes. Hazelwood Preschool and area churches could share in the bounty.
Shortly after our gang arrived, warehouse workers Jeff and Zach began peeling away shrink wrap from pallets, and hand trucks were soon crisscrossing the expanse. Masks went back in pockets as bodies warmed to the task. "Let's take this!" "How could we put these to good use?" “Who needs this?” "Be sure to make room for these new refrigerators!"
After a couple of fast-paced hours, the gang hit the road. Almost 3,000 rolls of toilet paper, boxes of hygiene items, humidifiers, cleaning supplies and equipment, bean bags, humidifiers, coffee makers, refrigerators, and things too numerous to list filled the 20’ U-Haul and one pickup!
By mid-afternoon, a portion of the loot was in temporary storage on the stage at Fauntleroy Church, things for the Welcome Table were in storage at Holy Rosary Church, and delivery of the rest was being arranged.
Would the gang do another caper? You bet!
(Joan Gregory, Gordi Mandt, Mary Code, and Cinda Stenger pitched in, too, but missed the photo op.)
CROP Hunger Walk- 2022 Things to Know
It's here! Our CROP Hunger Walk is this Sunday!
Here's what you need to know:
• When: October 2, starting at Noon
• Where: Gather at the church for a group photo and a blessing at noon then walk along the waterfront in Lincoln Park. You can choose whether you walk from the church or start walking at the park. We will enter from the South end of the park.
• Why are we walking? We walk to raise awareness and funds to end hunger in our community and in the world.
• Wear red so that we stand out in the crowd!
• Lunch: We will have 50-60 minutes between worship and the walk. Bring a brown bag lunch for yourself and enjoy eating with fellow walkers at the church.
• How far do we walk? The typical walk is 3 miles. It symbolizes how far a person in a different part of the world might walk daily to get water. Please choose a distance that is comfortable for your ability. And, if you want a little challenge, perhaps set out to walk what you know will be an easy distance and then go a fit further.
• How to I join the Fauntleroy team? Sign up online here or sign up on Sunday following worship.
• How can I sponsor the Fauntleroy team? The preferred method is an online donation made here. Otherwise, donations can be brought to the church on Sunday and included with the offering. Make checks out to CWS/CROP.
• What does Church World Services do? CWS works to empower people to have thriving livelihoods in their own communities, and with their own families. Where that isn’t possible, because of conflict or violence, or economics, or natural disasters, or the effects of climate change, or any other reason, then CWS makes sure they are safe and supported until such time as they can safely return home. And where that isn’t possible, CWS helps people to resettle in a safe home here in the U.S.
• Questions? Want to help on the day of? Reach out to our Team Captain, Sarah Ackers (sarah.ackers@fauntleroyucc.org)
