Hello all, I hope you are enjoying our beautiful Spring weather. We have had a productive winter at Crest to Coast. On February 10, four officers went to Grays River UMC for a Soul Care Retreat, “Sharing Our Souls and Celebrating Women.” It was a fun, snowy day, with Sue Raymond presenting the Martha and Mary Midrash, Bible study, crafts, and more.

February 27, we invited our nine Unit Presidents or their representatives to our C2C Nine Ad Hoc Zoom meeting. Joan Hackett created the Three R’s: Retreat, Reading, and Retirement; the Three M’s: Mission, Money, and Membership; and the Three P’s: Program, People, and PR as the topics for discussion for folks to choose from and discuss. Five of the nine Units participated, and everyone enjoyed sharing their ideas and concerns. It was a great way to get the input from around the district.

On March 10, another group traveled to Stevenson UMC for another Sharing Our Souls and Celebrating Women retreat, “For Such a Time as This.” Sue Raymond did another of her Midrashes of the same title. Lunch and dessert were provided, and ideas, experiences, etc, were shared.

This summer, on July 18, we will go to Bay Center on Willapa Bay for another of our planned Soul Retreats. Sue will again present a Jewish Midrash “Loaves and Fishes” (she did this one at  our Conference retreat last year), and we will have a Loaves and Fishes Picnic. Sounds fun, doesn’t it? These are turning out to be an exciting way to meet people and hopefully stir up interest in United Methodist Women. These small communities seem to love these opportunities to gather together, and sometimes several towns participate. Many do not have Units. At least one more in Puyallup is scheduled in the fall.

A big thank you to Joan Hackett and Sue Raymond for making these happen, contacting folks, planning, and participating in the programming. I also want to credit my team for continuing on without me the last three weeks, as I had hip replacement surgery, but I am well on my way to walking again without pain. We look forward to Mission U again in July and our Annual Fall Gathering on September 20 in Centralia, Washington. We would happily share more about our retreats and setting them up. See you at Mission u.

Bev Thomas,
Crest to Coast District President

Crest to Coast  Report

Tacoma Community House

I have become more active at Tacoma Community House since our Annual Meeting. First, UMC Olympia received a gift of hundreds of Christmas ornaments, and a third of them went to TCH to decorate the large tree in the lobby. I have been asked to serve on the board but have not yet attended my first Board meeting. I did attend the 115^th Birthday Celebration of the organization on January 10. They were also celebrating the opening of a new center in the Parkland area, which will help serve some of the most underserved residents in the state. I will submit an article for the district and conference newsletters about all that is happening and the outstanding work done at this National Mission Institution!

Blessings,
Sue Raymond