The mission of Mount Olympus

Presbyterian Church is to invite

people to experience Jesus

Christ and become his passion-

ate followers.

Volume XLX, Issue 8 August 2015

Our Kenya Team Tells About Their Experience See pages 15-19

Come to their formal presentation on 8/26 at 7:00 p.m.

August Sermons and Adult Ed Classes

See pages 3 and 4

Junior High Retreat at Hume Lake

See photo on page 7

August 2015

Dear MOPC,

We have been blessed to celebrate the birth of eight new lives into our community this year. We will also welcome one more in the fall.

Adults certainly need a pastor, but what about these little ones? I frequently remind myself that I am their pastor, too.

These infants are a part of our church, and if they are part of this church, then I am their pastor.

And, just as I do with adults, teens or young children, I have to meet these in-fants on their level. This is usually pretty simple and often fun! I enjoy holding them, praying for them when they are born, and/or acknowledging them when I greet their parents. Some-times I have visited infants while they are still in the hospital.

They cannot speak. They aren’t fully aware of everything. However, they are beginning to understand joy, pain, love, rest, and many other human experiences.

They aren’t yet familiar with the Scrip-tures, nor have they begun speculating about the mystery of the Trinity.

They don’t give offerings, can’t serve on ministry teams, and often sleep through my sermons (which their parents might consider to be a blessing!).

But let me remind us that Jesus said the kingdom of heaven belongs to them (Matt. 19:14). He never said that about adults. So, don’t overestimate “understanding,” con-sciousness, and awareness.

Psalm 8 says that from the lips of infants God has ordained praise. Apparently God thinks infants are capable of that great act.

I believe our littlest ones are learn-ing to trust their Heavenly Father, just as they are learning to trust their parents. I believe the Holy

Spirit works in them gradually as they grow in years and understanding. In God’s time and way, this power hidden within them in-

creases and shines forth openly as parents and the church nurture and encourage their spiritual

growth.

If part of having faith means being up-held by God even when I am not aware of him and when I achieve nothing for him, then faith is happening in infants.

These infants won’t be going out to lunch, having deep conversations, or email-ing with me. But, I am their pastor, too.

In His Grace,

Phil Pastor Phil

Page 2

I am their pastor, too.

Thank you from Pastor Phil: Last Christmas Eve some generous, encouraging per-son left a wonderful monetary gift on my desk. It allowed me to treat my wife to a couple of great days in Park City for our 25th wedding anniversary. To that saint – THANK YOU!

Page 3

Sermons in God’s Big Story for August We move into the New Testament in August. Each week, the big picture and themes of the book or books will be preached so that we can learn God’s Big Story, and our place in it.

August 2 The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke “Eyewitnesses” These firsthand accounts of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, although sharing much in common, are each unique August 9 The Gospel of John “Looking Into the Eye of the Sun” This fourth gospel is very different from the first three, and gives us another rich picture of Jesus Christ. August 16 Acts “The Message Spreads” Learn how the gospel began to spread and how the church caught fire after Christ en-trusted his ministry to the first believers. August 23 Paul’s Letter to the Romans “Dynamite in a Letter” The first of Paul’s letters in the New Testament may be his most influential. August 30 I Corinthians “Life Together As The Body of Christ” The Corinthians were a complicated bunch of Christians. How did they ever live to-gether? How do we live together? MOPC sermons can be heard and read at www.mountolympuschurch.com. Click “Sermons” on the left side of the home page. Then click “Launch Sermon Player” on the next page. Finally, click on the sermon you want to listen to and hit the arrow. To read the message, click on “Sermon Transcript.”

GOD’S BIG STORY: See mountolympuschurch.tumblr.com for resources that will help us as we read through the entire Bible this year.

Page 4

August 2 – Sabbath Sunday (No class on this date) August 9 – How We Got the New Testament Who wrote the books of the New Testament? How were these particular books formed into our New Testa-ment? Who said they belonged there? Pastor Phil will teach this special class on “God’s Big Story.”

August 16 – Acts: A New Book, New Experience, New Assurance, New Apostle Acts is unique among the New Testament writings; its recounts a selective history of the early church after the resurrection of Christ. It traces the spread of the gospel in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. It shows God using Peter, the denier, and Paul, the zealous persecutor of the church, as His instruments to build the church. August 23 – Romans: The Righteousness of God: The Just Shall Live by Faith While all Scripture is inspired of God and profitable, there are some parts of the Bible that contain more doctrinal truth than others. It is safe to say, an understanding of this book is a key to unlocking the entire Word of God. Romans is the great exposition of the faith, as it presents doctrinal truth, dispensational truth, and practical truth.

August 30 & September 6 – 1 & 2 Corinthians: Staying Alive All Your Life! These letters to the church at Corinth are really about staying alive all of your life! They are about reproof and instruction, discovery and growing. They are about discipleship study. They are about the importance of having a mature grasp of Christian doctrine. They look at what happens when off-center tendencies take over in the lives of believ-ers. They are at the heart of Paul’s ministry.

CHARITABLE GIVING: MOPC members feel confident that our tithes and offer-ings are put to good use. But what about other charities? Recently the Red Cross has come under fire for its inability to account for over a half billion in contributions for relief and restoration efforts after the earthquake in Haiti. A useful website that evaluates many charities is www.charitynavigator.org. The cate-gories evaluated include Human Services and Relief, Education, Health, Environment, Religion, Research, Animals, Arts & Culture, and Civil Rights. A website that posts re-searched news articles is www.charitywatch.org. A list of the missions/charities that MOPC supports is listed on the bottom of the next page.

Page 5

Sabbath Sunday – August 2 Begin to plan this day to make it a day of rest in honor of the Lord, and for your own rest.

Things will be scaled down at MOPC that morning to give our teachers, ushers, and the many other people who serve so well on Sundays a day of rest, too.

Pastor Phil will be preaching, and will open our sermons in the New Testament.

“…everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant— these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer…” Isaiah 56:6-7

Ways to Honor the Sabbath: Come and worship the Lord Take a long nap “Go Dark” – shut off the phones and spend time in conversation with friends

and family Enjoy a picnic with friends or family Take a long, slow walk Choose not to do laundry, shopping or work around the house Do whatever makes the day a delight to you!

MOPC supports many local and international missions! Here is a partial list: Rescue Mission/Rescue Haven, Salvation Ar-my, Crossroads Urban Center, Utah Food Bank, Family Promise, Chin Christian Church, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, Ulster Pro-ject, Cross Culture Club, Young Life, Samaritans Purse, Angel Tree, Wycliffe Bible Translators, Holding Out Help, Ulster Project, Nassa Theological Seminary, Nakuru Partners.

Page 6

Senior Adult Fellowship luncheons will resume in Sep-tember. Have a fun Summer! Thanks for making our lunch-eons a fun time of food and fellowship!!

Presbyterian Women

Due to the generosity of the MOPC Congregation, the Presbyterian Wom-en were able to fill seven bags of hygiene products, which the VBS Ser-vice Camp attendees delivered to Family Promise. Thank you, thank you and please continue to donate these useful items!

PW is currently on hiatus during the summer months. We will resume our meetings in September.

MOPC Basketball Team Installs Hoop for Refugees

Trevor Hardcastle, our MOPC church league coach, saw the need for a new basketball backboard and hoop at an apartment complex which is home to many refugee families (24 different lan-guages are spoken there). He coordi-nated all aspects of the project and the team installed this hoop while their fami-lies hosted a BBQ for the residents. It was a wonderful way of demonstrating Christ's love to those in need. In this photo: Trevor Hardcastle, Gary Barker, and Erik McHenry.

Page 7

The MOPC softball team is off to a great start this season with a 5-1 record, and fans are always welcome! Come out and cheer for our team. Their schedule is posted here: http://www.mech.utah.edu/~smascaro/MOPCsoftball.htm

Jr. High at Hume Lake: Eight students spent a week in July worshipping, in Bible study, and surfing. They also bonded with each other and growing in their faith.

“The last few months have been busy at the Mount. I returned from maternity leave recently and we kicked off our new ser-mon series ‘Intelligent Faith’.” — Melissa Dolloff, Director of The Mount Here are some other recent happenings at the Mount: Memorial Day BBQ: In May, we teamed up with college

ministries from K2 and Capital Church to host a city-wide Memorial Day BBQ at Sugar-house Park with college ministries from all over Salt Lake. It was attended by over 450 people and was a great outreach event. (See photos on opposite page) Aaron Strumpel Concert: On July 5th we had a BBQ dinner and worship night at the Mount, led by musician Aaron Strumpel. The turnout was great and Aaron and the band led us in worship for over an hour. (See photos on opposite page) Food and Fellowship Nights: Every Wednesday night Sam Hall (member of the Mount) hosts a weekly “Food and Fellowship” event for the Mount. We come together to eat and hang out for a bit before participating in a short devotional. Bible Betties: Our women’s group continues to meet every other Thursday night. Once a month is a community-building activity (such as dinner together, movie night, bowling, etc.) and the other weeks we are reading through a book that challenges us in our faith walk. Summer Missions: Haley Seeger has returned from her mission trip in Bali and Heather Castle leaves for her trip to Western Ukraine soon. Heather’s trip has been completely funded. We held a candy drive on July 19th and received donations of marshmallows, peanut butter, and different types of candy that Heather took with her to the young adults per their request.

Page 8

Urbana 15 Global Mission Conference Are you age 17 or older and interested in missions and/or looking for a great worship and Bible study experience? Consider going to Intervarsity’s Urbana Conference in St. Louis, Missouri from December 27-31, 2015. It only happens every 3 years, so start planning now! For more information, take a brochure from the Missions area on the wall in the Gathering Area or go to urbana.org. The Local Missions Team has some support money available. If interested, contact Gwen Mitchell.

Page 9

Top left and right: Memorial Day BBQ at Sugarhouse Park

Bottom left and right: Aaron Strumpel Concert

Prayer Requests?

Call the church office at 801-277-2674 e-mail prayerchain@mtopres.org with your requests for prayer. If you would like to join the prayer chain, call 801-277-2674.

Page 10

Prayer Concerns Pray that God will comfort all families who have recent-ly lost loved ones including the Bailey and Chytraus families.

Pray for pain relief and comfort for the MOPC members who are recovering from serious illnesses, injuries, and surgeries.

Pray for the victims of domestic violence and child abuse.

Pray for the families and victims of gun violence, especially those who were killed in the Charleston church, Louisiana movie theater, and Tennessee recruiting center.

Pray for our discernment and a spirit of cooperation for our political leaders and the leaders of other counties.

Pray for the many refugees fleeing from violence in war-torn countries in Africa and the Middle East.

Prayers of Praise Praise for the recent births to members of our congre-gation: Cooper Baskett (4/14), Thaddeus Wall (4/23), Amelia Aria Johnson

(4/24), McKenzie Dolloff (5/11), Kaida Brozek (5/15), Amelia and Clara Jud-kins (6/10), and Caleb Johnson (7/11).

Praise for the faithful volunteers who help with our local missions including Utah Food Bank, Family Promise, Res-cue Mission, Rescue Haven, Habitat for Humanity, Crossroads Urban Cen-ter, and St. Vincent de Paul

Praise for members of our congrega-tion who support our many missions with their financial contributions.

Praise for MOPC’s worship leaders and musicians.

Praise for educators and administra-tors who are teaching and mentoring our children and youth.

In our Father’s House

Vivienne Bailey, July 16, 2015

Page 11

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 Katherine McHenry

2

Sabbath Sunday 8:30 & 11:00 Worship

9:45 Adult Sun. School 6:30 pm Youth Pool Party

& BBQ

6 pm The Mount

3

12:30 pm Staff

4

6:30 am Men’s Bible

7 pm Technology Children’s Team

5

7 pm Stephen

Ministry

6

7

7 pm Rescue

Mission

8

9

8:30 & 11:00 am Worship

9:45 Adult Sun. School 12:15 Global Missions

6 pm The Mount

10

12:30 pm Staff

11

6:30 am Men’s Bible

7 pm Finance Deacons

12

13

14

9:00 Sandwiches

for 4:45 pm Salvation Army

15

4 pm Youth End of Summer Party

16

8:30 & 11:00 am Worship

9:45 Adult Sun. School

6 pm The Mount

17

12:30 pm Staff

18

6:30 am Men’s Bible

7 pm Session

19

7 pm Stephen Ministry

20

21

22

23

8:30 & 11:00 am Worship

9:45 Sunday School

6 pm The Mount

24

12:00 pm Staff

25

6:30 am Men’s Bible 7 pm Facilities Team

7 pm Childcare Advisory Board

Meeting

26

7 pm Kenya Mission Team Persentation

27

28

29

9 am Youth Leader Training at South

Mountain Commu-nity Church

30 8:30 & 11:00 am

Worship 9:45 Sunday School

6 pm The Mount

31 12:00 pm Staff 7:30 Personnel

Birthdays and Events

Starting a new chapter at USU-Eastern in Price, UT

Our third quarter loose coin offering supports Intervarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF), an organization that is rapidly expanding to new campuses in Utah. On most of these campuses, IVCF is the only Christian group.

Page 12

Utah Food Bank The MOPC team will work on Saturday, August 8, from l0:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon at the Utah Food Bank, located at 3150 South 900 West. We always have fun and fellow-ship while sorting food or performing other tasks.

We hope you will join us. Remember to wear close-toed shoes and ages 12+ are welcome.

If you need a ride, contact Pauline For-ster.

SUMMER Months can be HUNGRY Months Food bank donations drop as the summer progresses, but the needs don’t change. The Local Missions Team is hosting a food drive for Crossroads Urban Cen-ter in August. Look for the paper bag in your church mailbox, or

grab an extra bag from the Crossroads wagon in the gathering area. Fill it with non-perishable foods and return it to the Crossroads wagon. For more information about Crossroads Urban Center, go to www.crossroadsurbancenter.org.

Page 13

August 30th: Fifth Sunday of the Month (children stay in the service)

September 13th: 9:45 Sunday School and Parents’ Cafe Begins

September 13th: Back to School Pool Party!

August 2nd: Sabbath Sunday (no children’s church)

August 9th: The Book of Job

August 16th: Learn all about the different types of Psalms David wrote.

August 23rd: Learn all about the Proverbs and Ecclesiastes

Page 14

Summer 2015 at Inverted

Great things are happening in youth ministry. Here are the August highlights! Welcome New 6th Graders! It’s so much fun to welcome new students into youth ministry. We will do whatever we can to get you all plugged in and feeling connected and comfortable. Our policy is to allow new 6th graders to start participating in youth ministry activities right away… so that includes summer camp, any fellowship events, etc. We’d love to have you! Pool Party and BBQ on Aug 2nd! Hey all, we’re heading to the Nipper’s house (3856 Parkview Drive) for our annual pool party and bbq on Sunday, August 2nd at 6:30 p.m. Bring a side dish and/or drink to share; we’ll provide the burgers and dogs. Jared is challenging all students to a belly-flop competition so bring your best flop! Friends welcome, no cost. End of Summer Party… Aug 15th We’re gonna finish this summer vacation with a bang! Mark your calendar for Saturday, August 15th from 4-8 p.m. We’ll be building a giant slip and slide… having a shaving cream war… water balloon volleyball… and of course food. Come out to play, and say bye-bye to summer vacation. Location to be announced…check email for more info. Kenya Mission Trip Presentation, Wednesday Aug 26th! Come one, come all to our Kenya Mission Trip Presentation, 7 p.m. in the sanctuary. We had the most amazing experience serving in Nakuru, Kenya and we can’t wait to tell you all about it! There will be pictures, videos, stories and songs…don’t miss it! Youth Leader Training Day On Saturday, August 29th we’ll be offering an all-day training for our volunteer youth leaders (held at South Mountain Community Church from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.). This is man-datory for everyone interested in serving in youth leadership for the 2015-2016 school year in any capacity (small group leader, trip leader, mentor, etc). We’ll have coffee and pastries for breakfast and then feed you an amazing lunch! You’ll learn and grow and walk away encouraged to serve our students!

Continued on next page

Page 15

Abby Duzy: “I liked being with the preschoolers in the slums because they were so happy, even though they didn't have much. They smile so wide and bright even after all they've been through.” Abby said she was surprised by the fact that the kids at the big school are so eager to share what they have, even though they have so little. When asked how the experience changed her, Abby said, “Now I notice just how self-ish I've been and how I take advantage of everything I have. I learned that I should be super grateful for what I have and willing to share what I have with the less-fortunate.”

Summer at Inverted (cont.) Wednesday Night Youth Kick-off! Labor Day weekend is a little later this year, so mark those calendars for our Youth Group Kick off on Wednesday, September 9th, from 7-8:30 p.m. with separate program-ming for Junior High students (grades 6-8th), and for High School students (grades 9-12th). We’ve got an amazing year planned and can’t wait to grow in faith and friendship together! Want to get youth calendar updates and information? Give us your email address for our Inverted Emails! Send your info to jdwhite@mtopres.org and we’ll get you added!

Our Kenya Team describes their experiences….

Continued on next page

Page 16

Jake Trevino: “One of my favorite things about this trip was seeing the kids’ smiling faces as we bonded and made friendships. I will never forget this wonderful journey and I can't wait to go again! There is still much work to be done so I'm not done yet!”

Kyle Combe: “The surprising thing to me was how happy they were to see us every sin-gle day. At my school if we had people come visit for 5 straight days, we would be sick of them by the end of the week, but there they would always come up to us day after day with bigger and bigger smiles. I was changed most by seeing how they can live in such circumstances and still be so content, yet always seeing what’s ahead. I also learned that you have to go in to a situation expecting to not only teach them something but also be taught by them.”

Page 17

Jessica Palumbo (Jamie White’s sister): “What I liked best was the team that went on this trip. Every time I turned around I saw opportunities exceeded by these kids willing-ness to do what needed to be done. Regardless. The feeling I got when we returned from Kenya was the most surprising experience. I feel like I walk around continuing to have these out of body experiences where I see situations and instead of reacting the way I used too, I react very differently. Like, the ‘Kenya’ me is changing who I am. I learned that pure joy is possible. In the worst situation, it's possible. I hope to never forget that.”

Jared McClure: “One most moving experiences of my trip to Kenya is that of the Swa-hili worship songs that the children at the school would sing. They sang with such pas-sion as they belted out praise songs together in unison. It took me 3 days before I could listen to them sing and not be moved to tears.”

Gabby McBride: “Before Kenya I was really struggling with my faith. But after seeing the chil-dren and getting close with the students I really started to be-lieve again.”

Page 18

Ali Brusa: “I was the oldest participant on the Kenya trip and I was very surprised with one thing in particular. (Jamie had done such a tremendous job preparing us- cultural norms, expectations, and guidelines, along with culture shock preparation and poverty awareness just to name a few.) I knew we were going to help many orphans, and those who weren't orphans were often living with guardians in dire situations, so I ex-pected anger, intense frustration, and possibly uncooperative behaviors that I as a teacher often witness in Salt Lake classrooms. Instead I was completely shocked to find the large majority of the Kenyan students genuinely happy and appreciative. They were filled with love for us, their friends, and God along with a respect for their teachers that truly filled my heart with pure joy. It was an unexpected surprise and one that made me feel gratitude and peace.”

Ben Smoot: “The trip to Kenya was amazing. I loved working with the secondary kids at the big school be-cause although I was trying to teach them valuable skills, they where my peers and they taught me valuable skills. The most surprising thing was the different culture in Kenya; it was night and day from the culture in the U.S. I was definitely changed in this experience. I am now a more loving person from this experience. This was a life changing trip.”

Page 19

Sophia Barnish: “My Kenyan experience hit me very hard when I came home, seeing how much we waste and how much we complain about what we don't have. We don't realize in our everyday lives that people halfway across the world are starving. People don't have clothes, parents, food, a bed, much less a phone. Never again will I say that 'I'm starving!' This trip was very humbling to me and changed the way that I think; sure I complain, who doesn't catch themselves complaining at least once a day? Although, I've definitely learned to think about what I say and how I react to things. I am so proud of everyone on our team, and I am thrilled to have gone on such a 'once in a lifetime' trip. I would love to go back, and I am hoping that opportunity arises.”

Morgan McClure: “We were able to visit a handful of different projects and schools in Kenya and there seemed to be one consistent characteristic among everyone we met... gratitude. People work so hard, and they're so grateful for it. It's been humbling as I look at my own life and all the ways I have this selfish "I deserve" mentality amidst a life of great comfort and privilege.”

KENYAN PRESENTATION

Mark your calendars for August 26th at 7:00 p.m. The Kenyan team will present slides and videos showing the highlights of their mission trip.

Church Staf f & Ministry Team Leaders

Pastor Phil Hughes Pastor Emeritus Jeff Silliman Executive Administrator Sheila Barnish Administrative Assistant Emily Piper Youth Ministry Directors Jamie White and Dave White Asst. of Youth Ministry Jared McClure Children’s Ministry Director Ruth Rudy Director of The Mount Melissa Dolloff Treasurer Jeanne Mehlhoff Child Development Director Julie Hessheimer Facilities Manager John Mehlhoff Adult Ministries Director Elaine Davis

Office Hours: Mon—Fri 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Ph: (801) 277-2674 Fax: (801) 277-2059 Pastoral Email: phughes@mtopres.org Exec Administrator: sbarnish@mtopres.org Newsletter Email: epiper@mtopres.org Website: www.mountolympuschurch.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/mountolympuspresbyterian Address: 3280 East 3900 South Salt Lake City, UT 84124

Elders Serving on Session

Class of 2015 Class of 2016 Class of 2017 Bill Gartner Matt Cain Maggie Loring Donaree Neville Mason Harvey Mark Jackson Steve Mascaro Shauna Huston Armand van Hien Debbie Penney Fred Larsen Lauri Winge

Adult Ministry Pauline Forster Children’s Ministry Katie Peterson Congregational Life Linda Duffy Facilities Management Gary Peterson Finance Bill Gartner Financial Secretary Mitch Spackman Global Missions Debbie Penney Local Missions Gwen Mitchell Office and Info Tech Jim Wight Outreach Directors Marina Collins/Julie Davidson Pastoral Care Assistant Kathy Terrion Prayer Ministry Karen Jackson Worship Kathy Wight Youth Cathy Dupont

Our Ministry of Care BOARD OF DEACONS

Class of 2015: Debbie Harvey, Janet Hutchinson, Deanne Jorgensen, Marilyn Marshall, Carol Smedley, Kathy Vincent Class of 2016: Mike Bicker, Pauline Forster, Betsy Hamilton, Shirley Knox, Melissa Reynolds, Julie Shaheen Class of 2017: Barbara Lincoln, Chris Chytraus, Mindy deHoll, Karen Jackson, Mary Templeman, Karen Duzy

STEPHEN MINISTERS Kathy Terrion*, Candy Vila*, Bruce Bemis*, Barbara Alexander, Don Alexander, Paul Owen, and Sheridan Metcalf.

* Stephen Ministry Leadership Team