"A Green ReCreation Center!"

When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers-the moon and the stars you set in place.

What are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?

Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor.

You gave them charge of everything you made,

Putting all things under their authority-

The flocks and the herdsAnd all the wild animals,

The birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,

And everything that swims the ocean currents.

PSALM 8:3-8

Being in charge of something also means that you must “care” for what you have been given charge over. These verses started me thinking…. how are we doing with our “care” for what He has given us here at Washington Cathedral? I mean… we have this wonderful, new ReCreation Center that God has given us charge over to build for Him. Have we taken great “care” inbuilding it?

Well, I didn’t have to go very far to get some answers to my questions since my husband, Bruce, stepped up to answer God’s call for someone to manage the project. He was a great source of information, so I thought I’d share it with you today. But then… I had one more thought… “maybe you’re not the only one with this thought, Naomi.” So I searched out a dear sister in Christ, Sara Clark, who I know loves God’s creation. Sara and I have a few things in common. We both love to worship Jesus through music! We are both allergic to wheat, milk & soy (bummer). And we’re both dedicated recyclers (Go Green!). So here’s what we both came up with:

Some Green Aspects of Washington Cathedral's ReCreation Building

1. We've chosen to build our building into the hillside for major energy efficiency both in the winter and the summer. And we’ve really insulated our new building.
   
2. We've used recycled materials in our linoleum, auditorium flooring & wall paneling.
   
3. We've invested greatly in storm water retention and water quality facilities to minimize the impact of water runoff on the environment. The design of these storm water ponds combines engineering requirements with aesthetics to create natural looking landscape features for the Community. Our runoff is released at a rate that corresponds to an old growth forest; is re-circulated in water features; or is used in irrigation.
   
4. Rainwater and well water will be used for irrigation, which reduces our use of precious Community drinking water resources.
   
5. We've incorporated low maintenance landscaping that reduces the amount of energy needed formaintenance and lowering our fertilizer requirements.
   
6. We've used energy efficient lighting throughout the building, making use of motion sensing and light sensing systems to maximize energy efficiency.
   
7. We've incorporated energy recovery systems in our heating system to reduce energy use.
   
8. We've aesthetically designed a trash storage building that drains to the sewage system to preventcontamination of run off from waste materials.
   
9. We're using recycled concrete blocks, which eliminates concrete waste and destruction of the environment.
   
10. Our windows are Low E glazed energy efficient windows.
    
11. We designed our site to be sensitive to the steep slope and stream to the east of our property.
    
12. We lovingly participated in neighborly green activity by designing the parking lot along our southern border to include landscape buffers of trees and vegetation for our neighbors.
    
13. Our parking lot light design was chosen to minimize light pollution for the Community.
    
14. Local materials were used in our project. The concrete, wood, retaining wall blocks, gravel and paving…which make up the bulk of the projects weight, were all manufactured locally.
    

Pastor Naomi & Sara Clark

"Celebrating 24 Years!"

“There are no casual relationships on the battlefield of a great dream!” Pastor Tim White

On the second Sunday this October, Rich and I will celebrate 24 years of being a part of this community of friends we call Washington Cathedral. I will never forget the first day we walked into the cafeteria at Lake Washington High School. There were about 30 people there (later we found out that about 20 of them were from the Tri Cities there to support Tim). Naomi Marquez (now Pastor Naomi Marquez Blake) was a guest soloist that morning and we were so impressed by her beautiful voice. We were greeted with enthusiasm and warmth by Jane Bishop and she introduced us to her son-in-law, Dennis Brown, and his family. Pastor Tim stood up in front and said “This is the Day the Lord hath made and we will rejoice and be glad in it.” We walked out of the cafeteria that morning and said “This is it, this is where we need to be.”

That week we received a letter from Pastors Tim and Jackie signed “Your Friends for the Rest of Our Lives.” Little did we know the truth of that statement. The friends started to pour in – David Gerzsenye and his family. Roy and Pam Seymour with kids Chris and Kelly. Arden and Linda Apted invited John and Greg Hanna, their skiing buddies. John and Greg Hanna were so excited they invited their physician, Dr. Bob Hoskins. Pastor Naomi was traveling over once a month to sing and her brother Marci started teaching Sunday School every week. Her Aunt Darlene and Uncle Harold started coming and then Uncle Kenny and Aunt Margie. The church family continued to grow – Steve and Diane Sibley, Dennis Miyoshi, Rob McJunkin, Nancy Willsie (now McJunkin), Michael Fernandez, Teresa Christensen (now Fernandez), Bill & Sally Jo Holmes, Doug and Jeanne Sutten, and it goes on and on and it will continue to grow.

As I write these names, I have tears in my eyes. Some are still with us and some have gone on to heaven. What is even more important is how the list continues to grow. I work every day alongside people who joined the family 10 years ago, 1 year ago, 1 month ago, and I thank God that I am part of a diverse and growing family.

I believe the greatest gift that God gives us when we put our trust in him, is the relationships of wonderful people who are dedicated to the dream of building a “great caring network” engaging in a “conversation of hope”. Come join us we have lots of room!

Pastor Linda Skinner

"A Changed Life!"

There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up. When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am." Exodus 3:2-4

It all started when the boy was ten years old. And yes, it started at church camp exactly 43 years ago. It was up the Cascade Mountains. And that boy, who never really understood what it meant to have personal relationship with God or to be a follower of Jesus Christ, sat on a log during a fireside talk. There were some very sharp teenagers there, ones you could look up to, ones whose values would standout later in life. Young people with a fire in their eyes and a passion to live for. They were good students with amazing potential. You just knew you were around exceptional human beings - playing softball with them or hiking in the mountains. They boldly shared about their fears. They shared about their dreams and you could not help but pull for them. There were cabin raids, squirt-gun fights, camp skits, and laughter late at night that made the kids all fall on the ground. And then there was campfire time. The speaker said he wanted to give anyone a chance to pray and ask to be a follower of Jesus Christ. No one dared to walk up in front of the whole group to become a Christian. I could not resist. So at the very last moment I took the walk that changed my life. I’ve thought of that moment many times in the last 43 years. I never tried drugs, even in the 60’s, never really had a wild spell. I think the difference was the walk I took that summer. God had a lot of work to do in me and he still does. But I’ve often wondered where I would be without that campfire time in 1965. I was thinking about that this last year as I visited long-time friends in the hospital. They have quietly provided scholarships every summer since the church began for kids who could not afford to go to camp. I wonder how many of those kids had their lives changed while at camp on those scholarships. For 24 years they have each provided more than one scholarship. That’s quite a few miracles!

This year I have asked the kids to raise money for the completion of the ReCreation center. It will be one of the finest Youth and Sunday School Centers in the country. Many of the classrooms will be used by young people five days a week between 3 and 5 pm. The room looking over the pool with a view of woods is unparalleled for a youth or Sunday school room. I promised the Sunday School Teachers and Youth Leaders that there will be some business people in the church who will step up and provide scholarships for the kids that need it to go to camp. I wonder who God will choose to carry on this legacy since two of our former leaders in this area are not be able to do it anymore. I know it will be someone who will do it quietly, with a very glad heart, knowing that God is using their success to change lives.

June 27th - 29th High School (Camp Berachah) “Rejected”

June 27th - 29th Junior High (Archeology Camp) “Indiana Jones”

July 18th - 20th Grades 4-6 (Iron Sharpens Iron) “Iron Man Camp”

July 14th - 17th 3yrs-3rd Grd (Vacation Bible School) “Commotion in the Ocean”

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Tim White

"A Prepared Mind!"

Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message. Acts 10:44

"In the field of observation, chance favors only the prepared mind.” Pasteur’s dictum

To Louis Pasteur, who not only discovered germs but also the process of vaccination and pasteurization, we owe many innovative insights. It was his dictum that framed many subsequent scientific discoveries and technological innovations. And it is important for us to see the importance of a “prepared” mind and listen forbreakthroughs from God.

Almost every time Jackie and I are heading to a “Tiny Little Church” service, we wonder, “How we can keep up with the busyness of our lives?” And then, on our way home, we say, “What were we thinking?” Because that time spent, knowing that God was there is so valuable to our marriage, our faith, our children, our career, and our dreams. What were we thinking? - That we did not have time for worship or fellowship. Worship prepares the heart, fellowship prepares the mind. And God leads us into the breakthrough.

This summer there are going to be a million wonderful things that will distract you from your family. Many of them will be very good, but I challenge you to consistently take time to prepare your heart and mind for the incredible breakthroughs that God has for you.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

"A Light on the Hilltop!"

Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:15b-16 (The Message)

It is not even finished and our building is already a “light” to our community. A lady by the name of Carroll Whipple, who has been a swim and water aerobics instructor in this area for years, saw our building and Pastor David recently took her on a tour. She was so impressed with what we are doing she sent the enclosed note and a wonderful gift to our fund for our new pool. Carroll graciously gave us permission to share her note with all of our church family.

Dear Pastor David,
We so appreciated the tour of your new building project and taking time from your busy schedule! It is really impressive and we know it will be well used and a blessing to many. We’ve enclosed a check that might be added to your pool fund. We are looking forward to meeting you again and watching the progress of the building.
Very Sincerely,

Carroll Whipple

I had the joy of personally speaking to Carroll on the phone. She is so passionate about the benefits of swimming and exercising in water that it just exudes from her. Many years ago as a young mom, carrying her children on her hip, she says her back began to hurt and she decided to begin swimming to rehabilitate. That was 40 years ago. Today at 89 years young and a great grandma, she is still working with children and adults on exercising and swimming to gain mobility. She is a Certified Water Safety Instructor and Instructor Trainer through the Red Cross. Carroll is so excited about our pool because as she said the pools that she has been using are all closing down. She told me that she would love to help anyway she can. She’d volunteer her time, she’d train instructors, in what ever way we could use her she’d love to help. She said that she loves to tell people about the benefits of working in the water. I’m sure when we have our grand opening this fall, Carroll will be there to help us initiate the pool.

We can only begin to imagine what will happen when the building opens, the lights are turned on and the pool is filled with water. Thank you, Lord, for people like Carroll who see the “light on the hilltop” and are prompted to help out in any way they can to make the dream of the ReCreation Center a reality.

Pastor Linda Skinner