A Swinging Good Time

5,4,3,2,1.  We counted down the last few seconds of our 24 hour "Swing-a-thon" with two of our kids swinging away for Haiti.  What a wonderful weekend at PCMK.  Friday evening families arrived with young children in tow from 4-7 pm and the swinging began.  Elisabeth and I were out of town at a concert of our son's, but constant updates with photos kept us part of the action.
As the evening went on, our middle schoolers came by from 7-10 pm and the high schoolers finished the night covering from 10 pm to 1 am.  After midnight, the kids were so tired they were lying on their backs keeping the swings going.  Of course there was good food and even a movie to keep everyone entertained while the swinging continued hour after hour.
Sunday morning our kids once again kept the swings going until noon so we could cover all 24 hours of swinging for Haiti. It is so exciting to think these actual swings will give years of fun to the children of Haiti at the Lambi community.  If you want to donate to this project, send a check marked "swingathon" to the church office.
To make the theme of "Journey Outward" personal, our youth mission team shared the message and led worship.  Elisabeth even added some very powerful comments and observations of her own as a veteran of mission trips.
PCMK is on a journey outward into the community and world.  Sunday showed all the ways we do that as we had representation from all the agencies and ministries we support.  We even had a guide dog, Belinda, to 'show us the way.'  The journey is definitely more exciting than the destination.
See you in church,
Pastor Dale

Journey Inward

Sunday was our first Ministry Fair.  All of the ministries that take place within the walls of the church were represented.  It was part of our stewardship theme for the year, "Journey Inward/Journey Outward.  Our mission statement says we are "seeking light for the journey."  We are on a journey, an it is a journey with two directions.  We journey inward as we grow in our faith.  We journey outward when we take our message of God's love out into the world.

So, this Sunday we featured all our internal ministries so PCMK members could see ways that they can go deeper on the journey inward.  Next Sunday we will feature all our ministries of outreach into the community.  As part of that theme, the high school mission team will lead the worship service.

It is great to be back on the journey this fall.  The sanctuary was full, the children were ready for Sunday School and we commissioned the Sunday School teachers.  I topped off the day with having the high school mission team to the manse to get ready for next Sunday.  It was a great day on the Journey Inward/Journey Outward.

Fall Festival Fun

Pastor Dale and Elisabeth took a swing for $5

On Sunday, September 7th we held our third annual Fall Family Festival.  After worship we gathered in the parking lot for food and fun for the whole family.  There were fabulous salads to go with burgers and hot dogs cooked to perfection.  There was the bouncy castle, games and face painting for the kids.  New this year was the swing that was there to get us ready for the Haiti Swing-a-thon on September 19-21.

Volunteers had arrived early to set up our new easy to roll-out tables and stackable chairs.  We used all 12 tables with seating for 100, and every chair was filled.  It was great to have PCMK members back after summer vacations, and we hosted several visitors from the neighborhood who just had to stop and see what all the excitement was about.

The excitement is about all the good things that are happening at PCMK.  We are learning and growing in our faith together, and as we saw Sunday, we are having fun doing it.  We can even have fun raising money for good causes.  On Sunday I finally got around to responding to the challenge I got from a young member of our church to take the ALS Ice Bucket.  I had to respond because if he can do it, I can.  But I also care about ALS as a long time member of our church suffers with the symptoms of this terrible disease.

Part of me is sad to see summer fade away, but it is really great to see the children back in Sunday School and to hear our choir lead is in worship.  If you are looking for where you can become involved in this busy church, be there on Sunday, September 14th.  We will be holding our first Ministry Fair, which will highlight all our ministries and programs.  There is a place for you.

See you in church,
Pastor Dale

The Maestro Bringing in the New Choir Chairs

A Shelter in the Storm

On Sunday afternoon we held our third annual Open House at the manse.  It has been such a beautiful summer I did a lot of work to spruce up the yard and add extra chairs on the deck.  But then the weather decided it was going to be an inside event.  First it was blazing hot and humid, so no one wanted to go outside.  We all enjoyed the efficient central air conditioning that made the house so comfortable.  Then the sky turned dark and we had some thunder showers.  And wouldn't you know it, some of our guests had to leave just as the rain was coming hard.  I helped them to their car with an umbrella and it stopped raining as soon as I got back to the house.

We love having people of all ages in our home, but we especially like having children.  Little Terence Flanagan feels at home here, and he was joined by the great kids from the Fink and Carpenter families.  They played pool and ping pong in the basement and ran up occasionally to see what was happening.upstairs (and maybe to grab another cookie).

I've missed the dozens of children who are usually running around PCMK on Sundays.  But this Sunday they will be back.  Summer is over and Sunday School is back, and so is our third annual Fall Family Festival.  We move ahead rain or shine, but it looks like it will be a beautiful day, so plan on being there.
See you in church,
Pastor Dale