Vancouver First United Methodist Church

I am attending every regular gathering of the church as we continue to get to know one another. I've gotten to see the beautiful work of the yarm and more group and I'll be catching up with the dinner group on a Monday night in October. Last night I crashed the Monday night faith group and got some great food for thought as well as peanut butter cookies for my troubles. Soon I'll be checking up on Larry at the Tuesday 10am book study, enjoying coffee with Bridges on Wednesday next week, and dropping by United Women in Faith in November or December. I'm also going to ALL the meetings and might just show up at a Bell rehearsal or choir. I've already acted out my Amy Grant fantasy with our New Song Praise team. I won't go to all of these things all the time, but it's important to get a sense of our church and all we have going on. It helps me better connect people to the opportunities we have for learning, fellowship, music, and serving. What I know from my experiences so far is that we have fabulous lay leadership who are doing wonderful things and an incredible music staff. Here is the current list of what I know is happening around these parts! You can also find this list in the pew cards and our website will soon be updated with this calendar too.

I look forward to seeing you at one of these gatherings along the way!

Pastor Eilidh

Education & Fellowship Gatherings:

Sundays 8:30am Scripture Discussion- Conrad Room

Mondays 10 am Yarn and More-crafting club - Conrad Room

4:45pm Dinner with Lisa at the Applebee's on 112th

6:30pm book study with Tom - Conrad Room

Tuesdays 10am book study with Larry - Conrad Room

3pm - Bible Study with the Pastor - Conrad Room

Wednesdays 9am BridgesCoffee chat with Tom at Brewed Awakenings

3rd week 10am United Women in Faith - Conrad Room

Meetings:

Life of the Church- 1st Tuesdays 6pm Conrad Room

SPRC 2nd Tuesdays 6:30pm Conrad room

Finance 3rd Tuesdays 6pm on zoom

Trustees 3rd Wednesdays 4pm on zoom

Missions 3rd Thursdays 6pm Conrad room

Church Council 4th Tuesdays 6:30pm Conrad Room

Liturgical Arts- Seasonally- Conrad Room

Building Use Task Force- As needed- zoom

Music:

Handbells Sundays 11:15am in the music room

New Song Thursdays 4:45pm in the Sanctuary

Choir Thursdays 6pm in the sanctuary

We are excited to introduce the new Clark County Methodist Youth Cooperative! The formation of this cooperative group to serve the United Methodist Youth in Clark County has been a year in the making. Between the UMCs combined forces for the last several confirmation classes, and the friendships formed by youth from different churches attending summer camps such as Ocean Park, we felt the call to pool our resources and form and combined Youth Ministry that all Clark County Methodist Youth can flourish under. Already we have had a fun and welcoming kick-off event, and are looking forward to many more such get-togethers.

We have had the great fortune to hire Lacey Kelley as our Director. She comes to us with a foundation of UMC Youth, and experience working with youth in school, camp, and counseling settings. Let her tell you in her own words!

Hi, I’m Lacey Kelley (she/her), and I’m so excited to serve as the new Clark County Methodist Youth Director! I grew up in Kelso, WA and have been connected to the United Methodist Church since I was a kid — from Sunday mornings as a kid to leading youth ministry in college at Garden Street UMC in Bellingham, leading as the Dean of OP's (Ocean Park) Elementary camp, and now serving as the mental health counselor at OP's Mid/High camp. Church has always been where I’ve found a sense of belonging and community that I want youth here in Clark County to experience that too.

Outside of church life, I’m a therapist and former school counselor, which means I spend a lot of my time listening to young people, cheering them on, and helping them discover how strong and resilient they really are. That same passion for supporting youth is what excites me most about this new role — creating spaces where teens can ask big questions, explore faith, build friendships, and know they are unconditionally loved.

When I’m not working, you’ll probably find me hiking a new trail, getting creative with art projects, or spending time with my husband and our 5 cats. I believe faith should be full of joy, curiosity, and connection — and I can’t wait to see what we’ll create together here in Clark County!

Participating churches include: Orchards United Methodist Church, Salmon Creek United Methodist Church, Vancouver First United Methodist Church, and Vancouver Heights United Methodist Church; however, all local UM Youth are invited to join us in our events and activities!

Exerpt from Zerowastechurch.org:

"All living things are members of God’s creation, and all are “good”. Living things on Earth are interrelated and interdependent. Humans were not created to “subdue” the planet, but to protect and grow ecosystems. Just like other life, humans provide a “service”. When human actions lead to disruption of ecological balances, we are instructed by God to reconcile our trespasses. Upholding the ancient values that protect God’s people and the whole of creation must become a core function of the church.

During the last 11 months on this website, we have proposed personal actions that individuals and communities can take to address the ecological imbalances we have caused. In this 12th and final month of the 2018 edition of Restoring God’s Earth: A Year of Personal Action, we focus primarily on actions that individuals and faith communities can undertake in their worship and institutional lives.

Much of our inspiration for this ministry comes from 1) our belief that Jesus did not come only for personal salvation but also to save all of creation, and 2) we are reconciled by God to serve as partners in protecting and restoring our planet home.

Week 1

Acknowledge the urgency of the planetary crisis.
Commit to the use of clean, renewable sources of energy.
Start a community garden.

Week 2

Lift up prayers in personal and public worship for environmental justice.
Commit to energy conservation.
Uproot the political, social, and economic causes of environmental destruction.
Plant native trees in your yard and at church

Week 3

Repent of any acts of greed, overconsumption and waste.
Increase efforts to reduce, reuse, and recycle.
Incorporate caring for the whole earth community into the mission of your church.

Week 4

Start an environmental stewardship committee at your church.
Connect church life with the world outside.
From your utility request an energy audit for your home and church.

Bonus Action!

Update worship resources to include creation care.

Read and study the Green Bible."

Please visit the website for additional information.

Why Are You Here?

*

Follow us on Facebook