This week, May 19‒25
- Tuesday: 3:00, Session Meeting, here
- Tuesday: 6:30 pm, Men’s Group, here
- Tuesday: 6:30 pm, Women Bible Study, Wallick home, 801 W 2nd St, Cle Elum
- Wednesday: 2:00 pm, OCC work group, here
- Wednesday: 7:00 pm, Celebrate Recovery @ Cle Elum Community Church
- Thursday: 9:00 am, Groundskeeping Party
Following week, May 26‒June 1
- Monday: Memorial Day holiday; Church office closed
- Tuesday: 6:30 pm, Women Bible Study, Wallick home, 801 W 2nd St, Cle Elum
- Tuesday: 6:30 pm, Men’s group, here
- Wednesday: 2:00 pm OCC work group, here
- Wednesday: 7:00 pm, Special Session meeting with Discernment Team
- Wednesday: 7:00 pm, Celebrate Recovery @ Cle Elum Community Church
- Thursday: 9:00 am, Groundskeeping Party
The Mt Pisgah Presbytery Discernment Team that is helping us discern our future within or outside the Presbyterian Church (USA) will be meeting with Pastor Berkley and our Session elders on May 29, to begin the process of discernment. Please pray that the entire process will be a demonstration of God’s gracious provision.
Operation Christmas Child work group is most Wednesdays at 2:00 pm. Call Beth Matanich at 649-3424 to check the schedule. There is a list of needed supplies available at the church and watch for a list in your email.
A note from Pastor Jim Berkley
On Sunday morning, May 19, I moderated a meeting at First Presbyterian Church of Yakima in which the church members voted to ask the Presbytery of Central Washington to dismiss the congregation to another Presbyterian denomination called the Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians. This large and influential church of 914 members needed to have at least 50% of its members present for the vote, and 65% turned out. The church needed 75% of the votes to be for dismissal, and the yes votes reached beyond 91%.
I was moderator of a Discernment Team that worked with the church—four members from presbytery and four members from First Presbyterian Church. For several months we had consulted with the church as it contemplated its future. We had met with the pastors and elders, and we held three open meetings for the congregation. The church had previously studied its beliefs and denominational issues for a number of years. All of this culminated in the vote last Sunday. Now the congregation and presbytery will confer about the actual terms of dismissal, but the result will be that the congregation becomes part of a new denomination that is in alignment with its beliefs and style of ministry.
Having experience with the discernment process in Yakima helps me understand what is ahead for Mt. Pisgah Presbyterian Church. Susan Colts from Mt. Pisgah also served on the Yakima Discernment Team, so she has led the effort, too. Yakima First Presbyterian Church is a few months ahead of Mt. Pisgah, but we are generally walking the same path. Later this month, the Discernment Team for Mt. Pisgah will meet with me and with our Session, to begin our discernment process. Following will be open meetings with you, the congregation, and eventually a vote of our members. We are praying that the whole process helps us focus on what is truly important: obeying and serving Jesus Christ. Please pray for our congregation as we discern our future, too, and for First Presbyterian Church of Yakima, as they take new steps into a new denomination.
— Pastor Jim Berkley
