Volume 11, Issue 10 October 2013

OctoberAt a Glance

Engage the present - Create the future

The Connectiona publication of Blue Mountain Community Church

3 SAMS 10:00 am 8 Board of Elders Meeting 6:30 pm Quilter’s Guild 7:00 pm10 MOPS 9:00 am12 Men’s Breakfast 8:00 am 13 Next Step after services17 SAMS 10:00 am24 MOPS 9:00 am27 Next Step after services31 Harvest Carnival 5:30 pm

Meet Summit Kidsby Kathy Nelson

Fall is in the air, or at least I think it is. You can never be too sure here in the valley! I love this time of year because it means things settle down and get back to normal, whatever normal is nowadays. We are experiencing a new normal here at Blue Mountain Commu-nity Church – two worship services on Sunday mornings. It has been quite the ride to prepare for this from a Children’s Ministry point of view. Let me give you an update. Children’s Ministry has a new name, Summit Kids – Where kids climb closer to God. We doubled in size and are thrilled to have so many new faces join the team. And if you haven’t noticed Summit Kids volunteers wear awesome, lime green t-shirts on the morning that they are serving with kids. If you have been thinking of volunteering with children and there was something holding you back, well maybe the t-shirt will seal the deal. Just kid-ding! In all seriousness, if you are interested in volunteering, let’s talk. In Summit Kids we are engaging the present, creating the future, and growing kids!Fall also makes me start thinking about Harvest Carnival. This is our annual event that provides an alternative to the typical trick-or-treat-ing that happens on October 31st. We need all hands on deck to make this year the best year yet. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact me. It is going to be tons of fun!

Page 2

October Birthdays and Anniversaries

From Pastor Jim . . .This really is my favorite time of the year in Walla Walla. In a couple of weeks the leaves will take on their fall colors and then begin to drop. It almost feels like magic as the days grow shorter and the air grows cool. I hope you take some time to slow down and breathe in the beauty of the season and remember,

“The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.

Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known.

They speak without a sound or word;their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone

throughout the earth and their words to all the world” (Psalm 19:1-4a)

Our fall ministry launch is underway. The biggest change this year has been the addition of a second Sunday morning service. We now have services at 9:00 am and 10:30 am. Children’s Ministry is pro-vided for both services. We are encouraging people to “attend one and serve one.” This change means serving doesn’t require you to miss going to the worship service. The real advantage, however, is that we now have twice the capacity for growth. So, if you like what is going on at Blue Mountain Community Church, be sure to invite family, friends and coworkers to come with you. The chances are if it is meaningful to you it will be meaningful to them as well and many people would come if only invited.Also, the fall small groups are just beginning to get underway. You can sign-up online or fill out your welcome card and check the Life Group interest box. Life groups really are the best way to make last-ing friends and connect on a deeper level with other Christ follow-ers. Now is the time to give one a try. And if you have a high school or middle school student you will want to have them check out our Youth Ministry on Sunday evenings at 5:30 on the half pipe in the Chapel.

Hope to see you Sunday Pastor Jim

1 Michael Havens2 Kyle Erb

Bill Luisi5 Jennifer Dye6 Don Lynch7 Syvila Priday9 Dyan Nelson Kriss Pettyjohn11 Scott Leamy

Alison KnightBonnie RaugustHouston Rice

12 Delmer Criss13 Teri Stewart

Laura McNeil14 Michael Baird

17 Micalah ManningGary McAlvey

18 Marilyn Johnson20 Nicole Redman

Nate Swisher21 Sonia Walker22 Andrew Easton

Jim EvansMegan Evans

23 Nathaniel RiceRon Skifstad

24 Evelyn Cornelius25 Jillian McDaniels27 Sara Erb

Amanda Agrellas28 Brandon Hoppen29 Heather Zitterkopf

3 Cary & Dona Rahn5 Glen & Bernice Shivley15 Skip & Jane Harrold21 Jack & Tracy Shea23 Jerold & Doris Cook29 Don & Nicole Redman

Earl & Connie Stanley

Page 3Back to Class

by Cody RhynardAnyone with children in school knows that the year-ly calendar really resets in the fall, rather than January 1st. There is something exciting about the promise and mystery of what the new year holds; for our families, our students, our church, and ourselves. In my time working with students I have come to appreciate just how packed their schedules really are - especially during the school year. From talking with parents, I know some weeks it seems like nothing short of a miracle just to have a meal around the dinner table together. With that in mind, I do not want youth events to become merely one more “thing” on your calendar. I pledge to do my best to honor your family time, by keeping you in the loop and being intentional about not over-scheduling. With that said, I am excited about what God is doing in this youth ministry! We are now a few weeks into our Sunday night meetings, and we will continue meeting here at the church from 5:30-7:30 pm each Sunday this year. We start off every evening around the table, a tradi-tion of our faith for thousands of years. And, as the saying goes, “Eatin’ makes a good meetin’!” We share fellowship around the table, we give praise through song, we hear the word, and we wrestle with the questions of life. And in between, a few Nerf darts may fly:)

To add to the excitement, our Life Groups start back up October 1st this year. These are our small groups for our Senior High students, a chance to continue discussion and take things a little deeper. Not as many Nerf darts, but still a great time. These groups will meet every Tues-day evening. And here it comes: the invitation to help support and in-vest in our students. We have several needs for help to continue this ministry. As our group of students grows, so too will our student ministry team! Keep your eye on the Sunday morning announcements to see more de-tails about how you can help out and serve. And in the meantime, please pray. Pray for our students, our minis-try team, the middle schools and high schools. Pray that God’s hand would be upon these students and that God would reveal Himself to each and every student this year.It’s a new year. A fresh start. I’m excited to be here. I’m excited to discover what God is inviting us to.If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me at cody@bluemountainchurch.com.

Have you read our plumb lines?These short statements have been developed by the staff, to help guide who we are and why we act the way we do. They are avail-able through the church office and on the “About Us” page on the web. Below is one of our plumb lines:

We recognize that God is already speaking into the lives of every man, woman and child, wooing them toward faith in Jesus Christ. Our task is to find ways to join that conversation and leverage for faith in Christ. Our posture will not be “in your face,” aggressive, or overbear-ing. Rather, we will be gracious, compassionate and respectful. We will seek to develop relationships with people around us and invite them to

follow Jesus Christ, the only hope this world has ever known.

SAMSOctober 3 & 17

11:00 am

October 12th 8:00 am

A monthly publication of Blue Mountain Community Church 928 Sturm Ave., Walla Walla, Washington 99362, (509) 529-1212, www.bluemountainchurch.com, Editor: Julie Caton, bmccbulletin@gmail.com. Deadline for submissions: 9:00 AM, the second Tuesday of the month prior to publication. Editor reserves the right to edit for content and space. Unsolicited materials welcome. © 2013 Blue Mountain Community Church

MOPS exists to en-courage and equip moms of preschoolers. All moms are welcome.

MOPS meets October 10th and 24th from 9-11 am in Baker Hall. Contact Courtney Kahl at bnckahl@gmail.com for more information.

October is Pastor Appreciation Monthby Julie Caton

I put this on the back page, so hopefully our pastors won’t see it, cause they get embarrassed when I start talking about Pastor Appreciation Month. They want to think it’s no big deal, that they don’t need it, or don’t want to draw attention, but that’s just the point. Here are a couple reasons why Pastor Appreciation is so important:1) Pastors work - a lot! A pastor’s job is to lead the church and equip the people, not just prepare a 20 minute speech once a week. Your pas-tors meet with key leaders to figure out how to solve problems, over-come obstacles and move the church forward. They pray for you and your families, for our community. They paint walls, vacuum, fix broken lights, as well as leading Bible Studies, worship practices and more. Plus they’re pretty much always on call or available for emergencies or many times for people who just need someone to talk to. Being a pastor is a lot like being a mom. There is no job description quite adequate. 2) How our pastors are treated is a direct reflection of how friendly and generous a church body we are. We want BMCC to be known as a friendly, welcoming place. One place that is shown, even to our com-munity, is in the way we treat our pastors. If we don’t love and support the people who lead us, how on earth are we going to love and support the new person who walks in our door?3) Pastors get discouraged too. Remember the last time someone com-plimented you or verbally acknowledged a job well done? It lifts your spirits and encourages you to keep going. The same is true for pastors. They are real people with real struggles. They need to hear that what they are doing matters, to hear that their ministry is making a difference in people’s lives. That’s why they chose to be a pastor in the first place.So let me encourage you to do something special this month to show our pastors how much you appreciate them. I’ll be putting some ideas up on our Facebook page throughout month, but here are a few to get you started.* Write a note saying something you learned froum the pastor and how it is changing your life.

* Offer to babysit, so your pastor can go out on a date with his/ her spouse.

* Brag about your pastor to others, then invite them to church.

* Show up at church workdays so that there will at least 2 people present, the pastor and you.

* Borrow the pastor’s car for an hour. Get it washed and fill up the tank.

* Give the pastor a meaningful gift or a homemade treat.