In October, St. Matthew’s will be offering a four-week miscarriage grief group on Monday evenings from 7:00-8:30pm. Delmas Luedke, Pastor and retired Director of Spiritual Care for Swedish Hospital, and his wife, Bobbi, a registered nurse, will facilitate the gathering. Persons of any age and/or their partners, who have ever lost a child in utero are invited to attend. We will share our stories, discuss miscarriage education and support, and prepare for a special memorial service.If you are interested in participating, contact Nicole VanderMeulen, Lifestage Children Coordinator, at nicole.vander@comcast.net

Parish Nurse’s are sponsoring a class taught by Delmas Leudke on returning vets on October 14th at 7pm.Behind the jubilant homecoming celebrations, many returning veterans hide invisible wounds. Upon returning home, many veterans face the biggest challenge of their lifetime and begin fighting a personal, hidden war in earnest. Often well-concealed at first, for many, the signs and symptoms of post-war trauma and stress—depression, anxiety, domestic problems, substance abuse, isolation, suicide, and homelessness—eventually appear.Pastors and churches are called to step forward and respond to this crisis. Come to this class and find out how!

The Bell TonesSt. Matthew’s handbell choir, The Bell Tones, is looking for a few good ringers! We need 3-4 people to fill out the choir this fall and we would love to have you. It’s important that you can read music a little, and count well. Starting on September 21st, we rehearse on Tuesdays at 7:00 pm and play at the 8:00 service on the first Sunday of every month. We have a lot of fun and create amazing sounds. Please contact Pastor Gretchen or Sharon Jones if you are interested!

Are you artistically inclined? If you have the talent and ability to paint a mural, we are looking for you! We would like another mural to brighten the nursery space, as well as offer a fun picture for our little people of SMLC to view.Please contact Sharon Jones for more information at sharon-jones@comcast.net

Please sign up for a salad or dessert at the Welcome Counter

Rsvp 425-271-2478

You don’t have to look very far to find disagreements among people, even people of faith. The disagreements can be intense and drive us apart. At the least, there is not much conversation between folks who feel differently from each other on any subject.

In fact, if they are able to stay in relationship, it is often because they don’t bring up anything controversial. That can work for a time, but as we have seen in many arenas lately, it can lead to broken relationships and disconnections.

The prophet Amos asks the question: “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” It is an important question for our time. It merits investigation, using biblical texts and communicating together about some important issues in our lives.

Join us as we laugh, share our wisdom, and even talk about a few of the subjects that separate us.  We meet the second Monday of every month from September through May. Hosted by Dawn Johnson in Cabana #1, The Bristol at Southport, 1131 Lk WA Blvd N. For more information contact Dawn at 425-207-8283 or email thewowfactor@clearwire.net.

If staff is gone more, will there always be a pastor available?

The staff is doing their best to coordinate schedules, and for the very rare days where all three pastors are away, will make sure a neighboring pastor is available.

How will we be impacted by the cuts?

There will be much less paperwork in worship, but people can look at displays in the entryway to keep up on what’s happening. The monthly Messenger will be available online (and also at church for those without computers.) There will be opportunities for you to take on responsibility in various ministries; ask the staff how you can help!

What other measures were tried before cutting staff time, coffee, and bulletins?

For the last three years the finance team has worked with the staff to make less obvious cuts, such as decreasing the spending in some programs. There have also been several appeals to encourage growth in giving.

Does the church have significant debt?

No, the mortgage has been paid off and the council monitors finances. But at this point the spending exceeds the congregation’s current giving.

We just paid off the mortgage; why didn’t that cover it?

Paying off the mortgage lowered our yearly expenses by about $32,500, since a good portion of our mortgage expense was paid out of our “building fund”.  Our budget for 2010 is $37,000 lower than 2009 (when our deficit was over $100,000). (More details are available in last January’s annual report.)

What are the future options?

The budget for 2011 will need to be developed carefully, For our budget to be balanced, rather than continuing to operate at a deficit, we need to increase offerings and/or make cuts. Spending on staff may need to decrease, but the hope is that giving will improve before SMLC loses the team it worked over ten years to put together. Shaping SMLC’s future will continue to be the congregation’s work.

Wednesdays 9/29, 10/6, 10/18  7-8:15pm in the Conference Center

What is adolescence?  Have there always been “teens” and have they always acted the same way?  How does one approach parenting and understanding teens?  We will cover questions like these as we explore the journey of adolescence and how you understand and care for your child in this important stage in his or her life. Led by Pastor Kirby and Todd (Lifestage Youth), this class is open to everyone and is part of a series of classes for Confirmation parents.