Summer officially began June 20th; ours haven’t been “those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer.” but nine weekly Dog Obedience classes for our little Gretel (born 6/14/23), church potlucks 2-3 times a month, participating in Mission U in Yakima July 24-27 & helping work on assembling flannel washable sanitary pads for ‘Freedom Kits’ (see Freedomkits@yahoo.com); tuning into several UMC Zoom conversations with our Bishop; Zoom Faith Talks with Jen Farmer, & several Zoom planning meetings for our upcoming Puget Sound Missional District Annual Meeting. I also plan to attend “Roots & Wings” in Stanwood on the 17. As part of the worship team at our Arlington United Church, I play the piano, alternating with another pianist & organist most Sundays. Then there’s endless weeding of our multiple planting areas on our acre of yard (I didn’t get a veggie garden planted this year, but I am tending three large tomato plants & 1 potato stash —all in old tires! Five hills of rhubarb get shared with our neighbors & at church.)
Our District Leadership team is cooperating beautifully as we plan our District Annual Gathering on Saturday, September 7, at the Marysville United Methodist Church. Our theme is “We are Servants of the Lord, Today and Always!” We are very excited to have Rev. Jan Bolerjack, from the Riverton Park UMC in Tukwila, as our Keynote Speaker! She will update us on the tireless efforts to help the many refugees and asylum seekers who have found their little church. We also will be sharing several videos to introduce or acquaint everyone with the Acknowledgement of the Native Peoples lands where we live, and also sharing videos from the two
National Missions in our state, the Atlantic Street Center (ASC), & Tacoma Community House. We’re inviting donations of items that could be used by the refugees and asylum seekers at Pastor Jan’s church, as well as taking financial offerings for Riverton Park and our district pledge to United Women in Faith. (I will miss attending our State Conference in Spokane Valley in October; our Vice President will represent our district.)
The next day, Sunday, my husband Alan “Lanny,” our dog Gretel, & I will be heading east with our Arctic Fox 29’ trailer pulled by our Dodge Ram quad-cab truck to meet up with 25 other RVers in Joliet, Illinois, for a “Fantasy Tours” road trip along Route 66. I’m hoping to locate any of our 90 United Women in Faith/UMC Mission projects en route, in addition to the planned itinerary, driving 2,200+ miles. We hope to also visit relatives & friends along the route before returning home in mid-November, racking up over 5,000 miles.
We’re praying for a safe trip, beautiful weather, & good health. Best wishes to each of you!
God Bless You All,
Jeannine “Jeannie” Lish
Puget Sound Missional District President
Land Acknowledgement
We, the members and friends of Arlington United Church (a merger of the United Methodist and the Evangelical Covenant denominations), respectfully honor the first peoples who have continuously inhabited this land around Arlington and the Stillaguamish River for thousands of years. We acknowledge that the area in which we gather is within the traditional territory of the People of the River, the Stoluckwamish River Tribe, and the Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians. They experienced genocide, ethnic cleansing, theft of their lands and water, and forced removal. On October 27, 1976, the Tribe achieved federal recognition and treaty rights and was made eligible for federal services. In 2014, the Tribe was granted a 64-acre reservation by the federal government. They have continued to acquire land in this area, are leading contributors to the area’s natural resource preservation and social outreach programs, and are active contributors to building Arlington’s future. They are teaching their children the cultural traditions of their ancestors, such as harvesting cedar and grasses for weaving, fishing, hunting, and gathering. And through their dancing, drumming, and singing. They believe that everything has a spirit and that they are caretakers of these lands and waters. We thank our Native American brothers and sisters for sharing their land and resources with us. We will strive to work with them to preserve their lands and to ensure all living things therein will thrive. We pray that God and His Holy Spirit support us in this joint endeavor
2023-2024 Officers
These positions were appointed & agreed upon by our Executive Team:
President: Jeannine Lish
Vice President: Susan Alderin
Secretary: Pat Rudd (on line participant)
Treasurer: Karen Guthrie
Communications Coordinator: Gay Johnson
Education & Interpretation: OPEN
Membership Nurture & Outreach: Judy Good
Program Resources: Helen Smith
Social Action: Judy Jewel
Spiritual Growth: Beth Bryant
Chair, Committee on Nominations: Jeannine Lish