CHRISTMAS EVE 7PM NEW HORIZONS

Let us join together to recall and revel in the people and moments leading up to the Nativity of our Lord in Bethlehem! There will be carols, candles, and costumes!

This will be our worship gathering for the weekend; our next service will be Sunday January 2, regular time and place, 10:30am @ New Horizons.

REMEMBERING NANCY - FRIDAY DECEMBER 17, 7PM, NEW HORIZONS

"The LORD watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow...", says the Psalmist from one of our weekly Lections, Psalm 146:9.

Nancy Morrow was as a widow among us, and we witnessed the Lord's watch over her. Sunday afternoon, December 5, Nancy's life here ended. We grieve together; Nancy's death is a great loss for us. We also remember the many ways she modeled faith and expressed God's love to us, her friends, and her neighbors. Nancy cherished her own two children, and she regarded the congregation of Emmaus Road as her family in Seattle.

Come honor Nancy's life,

share remembrances,

and acknowledge in faith together what Nancy treasured:

the Lord's presence in her life and in ours.

Friday, December 17

7-8PM

New Horizons

SERVING NEW HORIZONS DINNER - WHO, WHEN

Emmaus Road serves dinner at New Horizons the FIRST WEDNESDAY of EACH MONTH, from 6-8PM. Here are the Groups and Leaders who alternate serving throughout the year.

Small Group Name	Leader Contact Info	Next Serving Dates
Wallingford Group	Anna-Marie Chainus drawsalot@hotmail.com	January 5th, 2011 August 3rd, 2011
Downtown Group	Mark & Angie R. 206-245-0061	February 2nd, 2011 September 7th, 2011
Crown Hill Group	Beth DeVries bethdevries@msn.com	March 2nd, 2011 October 5th, 2011
Belltown Group	Ryan Engel rengel301@gmail.com	April 6th, 2011 November 2nd, 2011
Pioneer Square “Falcons” Group	Mike Colyn mike.colyn@gmail.com	May 4th, 2011 December 7th, 2011
South Park Group	Dan Ruiter bonekatt@gmail.com	June 1st, 2011 January 4th, 2012
Top Potters	Eric Likkel eric@emmausroad.net	July 6th, 2011 February 1st, 2012

CHRISTMAS PARTY DECEMBER 10

An ecard by Smilebox

GROUNDWORKS SUNDAY OCTOBER 31

Emmaus Road is devoting the fifth Sunday of the month to our neighborhood of gathering, Belltown. We devote fifth Sundays - Groundworks Sundays - to serving with neighbors, aiming to become church beyond the building. Gather at 10:30AM; plan to volunteer for an hour or two; look forward to pizza and pop around Noon.

Our leadership team and volunteer tasks include:

• Lori King - projects in the neighborhood
• David Anema - street cleaning, landscaping in Belltown
• Kurt Munson - painting @ New Horizons
• Cornell Blackwell & Biff Gaitan - cleaning, sorting @ New Horizons
• Nell Colyn, Jade Likkel - kids' craft; Advent decorations for New Horizons
• Linda Bishop - Pizza and Pop

A couple unique volunteer opps. include:

1. curtains @ New Horizons we use to surround main worship area are in need of repair; this requires a portable sewing machine
2. speakers @ New Horizons need repositioning on ceiling; Mark Nelson has details

For more information or to sign up, contact David Anema, our Americorps Volunteer for Community Development: 206-369-6534; david@emmausroad.net

Also, feel free to sign up simply by posting comments to this blog.

ROAD CREW MEETING THIS THURSDAY!

Our Road Crew meeting is this week, Thursday September 23, NOT AT NEW HORIZONS, but at our Greenwood office on the corner of N.85th/Greenwood AveN.,

312 North 85th Street, Suite 101

Seattle, WA 98103

To see the full agenda, check out the Road Crew page...

EMMAUS ROAD AT FOUNDERS DAY

Over the weekend of August 14-15, Belltown hosted it's first annual street festival, FOUNDERS DAY. About fifteen members of Emmaus Road showed up during the festival to help out. Belltown Covenant enjoyed being present at one of the non-profit booths, beginning the launch of "belltownvolunteers.org".

GROUNDWORKS WEEKEND, AUGUST 14-15

Emmaus Road is taking the weekend of August 14-15 to invest in our neighborhood of gathering, Belltown, in a unique way. Normally, we use fifth Sundays - Groundworks Sundays - as opportunities to serve with neighbors, becoming church beyond the building. August happens to be the month that a group of neighbors have been able to launch something Belltown has not seen for a long time (or ever?): a local, neighborhood festival. Seattle Founders Day includes "two days of free music, crafts, and theater in the street, at Second and Bell." A detailed line-up and map can be found on this online poster page. Our own Americorps volunteer, David Anema, has been attending planning meetings for months, getting to know the organizers and neighbors involved with the launch of this festival. In addition, Belltown Covenant, of which Emmaus Road is part, plans to launch "belltownvolunteers.org" in concert with the street festival. This is a terrific opportunity for our church to serve and connect with a new circle of neighbors in the heart of an active corner of Belltown. We would be serving alongside members of Mars Hill Church (downtown campus); one of their deacons posted a well-written description of this event, it's significance for our neighborhood of gathering, and why it's good for their church to volunteer. In addition, every volunteer who registers four hours of service gets a Tshirt!

Here is what we can do over the Saturday and Sunday this Festival takes place:

volunteer for two to four hour shifts either day, which could begin as early as 8AM (setup) and end as late as 10PM (takedown). Shifts would include security duty (wearing Tshirt and carrying radio - no confrontation), and/or trash cleanup (by using volunteers, saving thousand of $).

Parents, KIDS are especially wanted (with you parents, of course), on SATURDAY 12-4PM, to make paper lanterns and join a parade at 3PM.

Contact David Anema, who will be there all day Saturday and Sunday: 206-369-6534

Signup below!

CHURCH CAMP 2010

This past weekend an Emmaus Road crowd made the trek to South Whidbey Island State Park for Church Camp 2010; altogether, 14 adults and 7 kids joined the fun.

The food was WAY too good for camping; it made it seem more like glamping when it came time to eat. Some of us were fairly new to Emmaus Road and it was a great opportunity to slow down and get to know each other. We ended our time in prayer around the morning camp fire on Sunday. If you were one of the campers and you have pictures, send them my way!

CHURCH CAMP, JULY 30-AUGUST 1

Friday July 30 through Sunday August 1, Emmaus Road is heading out of town for our second annual Church Camp. Food, fun, forest, foreshore (fancy word for beach that begins with letter "f"). Camp the entire weekend or come for a morning, afternoon, or evening. Worship will take place Sunday morning around the camp fire or down along the beach. The remainder of our time will be free for food and fun.

Location: South Whidbey State Park

4128 Smugglers Cove Rd.

Freeland, Wa. 98249

Directions:

• Take I-5 N
• Merge onto WA-525 N via Exit 182
• Take Wa-525 N to Mukilteo-Clinton Ferry-(Whidbey Island Ferry)
• As you depart the Ferry on Whidbey continue straight ahead on WA-525 forabout 10.5 miles- (just past the town of Freeland)
• Turn L on E. Bush Point Rd. (E Bush Point Rd becomes S Smugglers Cove Rd)
• South Whidbey St Pk will be on your left

Other details:

Cost per person is $2.50 per night (for tents). RV's would be more

Emmaus Road has a beautiful group site, same one as last year.

Park includes Beach access, BBQ grills, fire pit (wood available for small fee).

Full bathroom facilities available in park away from our group site; several port-a-potties and fresh water on group site.

Bring your own gear; if you need to borrow something and/or hitch a ride, feel free to comment on this blog post or contact Suellen Yerger or Pastor Eric Likkel to coordinate.

BAPTISM ON THE BAY SUNDAY JULY 18

This Sunday, July 18, Emmaus Road gathers along the shore of Elliott Bay for Baptism, at the beach of Olympic Sculpture Park in Belltown. Do not go to New Horizons; come directly to the park.

Bring along picnic food to enjoy; our ceremony will be brief but our fellowship long. The beach is at the end of the sidewalk where Olympic Sculpture Park gives way to Myrtle Edwards Park.

For those driving in, parking is free in the neighborhood streets nearby.

Another option is to park further north in Myrtle Edwards territory and walk, skate, or ride down to the beach.

Regular worship resumes at New Horizons the following Sunday, July 25.

PARADE BLOCKING 4TH THIS SUNDAY

This Sunday is Seattle's Gay Pride Parade. From Westlake Center to Seattle Center, a parade will travel along 4th Avenue through Belltown to Seattle Center beginning at 11AM. To reach New Horizons (3rd/Cedar) for our 10:30AM worship gathering, it is advisable to approach from the west, coming down Elliott and turning up Denny and onto 1st Ave, OR, coming down Aurora (or up Aurora if traveling from West Seattle or elsewhere south of downtown), and exiting the Western Ave. ramp (@south end of tunnel), from which you can approach 3rd/Cedar from the west, traveling up hill along Vine, Cedar, or Broad. Give yourself a few extra minutes!

GROUNDWORKS SUNDAY, MAY 23

There are four meaningful opportunities for us to serve and interact with neighbors Sunday May 23rd. Invite friends. If possible, sign up ahead of time to help us prepare.

1. Sunset House (4 residents) & Simon Tower (7 residents); cleaning, etc.; (bring rubber gloves, like the yellow ones you use in your kitchen; a mop and bucket if you have one); Jennifer/Jaime leading
2. "Street-scaping" @ 2nd/Bell (bring gloves and landscaping tools); Daniel Tidwell & David Anema leading
3. New Horizons Kitchen Cleaning/donation sorting; Cornell Blackwell
4. New Horizons Painting; "accent" walls; 8-10 spots for UGM members; Kurt Munson leading

• Parents and kids: If the weather cooperates, families can work outside at 2nd/Bell location with kids of all ages; little hands can help pull weeds! But if the weather is poor, we will have a craft/project @New Horizons to help beautify the drop-in center; Matt Park leading

• 12:00 PM Pizza available @ New Horizons!!

In case you're wondering how "Groundworks Sunday" fits into Emmaus Road's rhythm of ministry, here is a link explaining how this came about.

CHURCH CAMP, JULY 30-AUGUST 1

Same place on Whidbey Island as last summer;

hopefully sunnier and drier!

Exact location: South Whidbey State Park

4128 Smugglers Cove Rd., Freeland, Wa. 98249

Cost per person = $2.50 per night for those in tents. RV's would be more.

We will enjoy the same beautiful group site we enjoyed last year.

In case you were unable to join last year, you can look forward to...

• Beach access
• BBQ grills
• Short hikes
• Full bathroom facilities as well as port-a-potties
• Bring games or puzzles you enjoy to share with others
• Sunday morning we will share a few moments around the Word and Sacrament.

Directions:

• Take I-5 N
• Merge onto WA-525 N via Exit 182
• Take Wa-525 N to Mukilteo-Clinton Ferry-(Whidbey Island Ferry)
• As you depart the Ferry on Whidbey continue straight ahead on WA-525 for about 10.5 miles- (just past the town of Freeland)
• Turn L on E. Bush Point Rd. (E Bush Point Rd becomes S Smugglers Cove Rd)
• South Whidbey St Pk will be on your left

LEARN ABOUT HOMELESS & STREET-INVOLVED YOUTH

New Horizons Ministries, one of our partners of faith in Belltown, is hosting a training event. At this event, you can learn about issues of homeless and street-involved young people. New Horizons Ministries (NHM) is a Christian, interdenominational, non-profit agency that serves Seattle’s street youth. Training is happening Saturday, May 15 & 22 from 8:30-5:00. Topics will include Street Culture, Prostitution, Chemical Abuse, Relational Counseling, and Spiritual Formation. Whether you are interested in volunteering with NHM or simply want to learn more about young people involved in street culture, this is a great place to start! Registration fee is $75; partial scholarships are available. Contact Edward Sumner for more information: 206.374.0866 x 133 or edwards@nhmin.org.

Looking for a less time-intensive opportunity to support the ministry to homeless and street-involved youth? Consider joining THE WALK, or consider supporting Emmaus Road member and New Horizons volunteer Jennifer Henry.

Jennifer is putting together her team and also asking for financial support to help meet her team's ambitious goal of raising $2,000 by June 5th. She is happy to answer any questions or share stories about what happens through New Horizons; Jennifer can be reached via (425)306-6968.

• To make a donation, go to this link www.nhmin.dojiggy.com, then click on "make a pledge" and you can do so under Jennifer's team name, THE Atomic Fireballs
• If you would like to walk with THE Atomic Fireballs, click on "Register," then choose "Join a Team" under participation preference.

CHEER ON ELECTRON BOY

Emmaus Road member Jessie Elenbaas invites us to cheer on Electron Boy as he rescues Seattle from Dr. Dark & Blackout Boy. Jessie, who works for Make-A-Wish Foundation, also asks us to pray for Erik as he hopes to live out this wish during his remaining days.

Thursday 4/29 1:45PM

SPACE NEEDLE

JOSH & KARA'S CONNECTION TO HELP HAITIANS

Members Josh & Kara Gillanders, of Emmaus Road, have a direct connection to a team traveling to Haiti with help. Josh's brother Jake Gillanders, a paramedic in Kitsap County, is a member of Disaster Response Northwest, traveling to Haiti early in May. Here is Kara's invitation to our church, explaining how we can participate:

Dear Emmaus Road,

On behalf of Josh's brother (my brother-in-law) Jake, I'm sending out this message. Jake is a paramedic and firefighter in Kitsap County and part of an organization called Disaster Response Northwest. The group will be traveling to Haiti on May 11 to help with the medical needs of the community. Please know there is no requirement or expectation for participation. However, if you know of anyone who has soccer balls (new or used) that they would like to donate, or make other donations such as baby formula, Disaster Response Northwest would greatly appreciate it. Josh and I are willing to collect the donations and give them to Jake by May 5th.

Thanks,

Josh and Kara Gillanders

BELLTOWN ROOFTOP FARMER, DANIEL TIDWELL

While finishing a masters of divinity degree from Mars Hill Graduate School, Belltowner Daniel Tidwell has been pursuing urban agriculture opportunities along with his wife, Jocelyn. Members of the Belltown P Patch and part of the Emmaus Road crowd, Daniel and Jocelyn have also become rooftop farmers. Within the last year, the Tidwells have seen how growing fresh produce with the intention to share has brought neighbors together. Check out this radio story from GREEN ACRE RADIO on KBCS, and listen to Daniel speak about rooftop farming and community development.

EASTER BRUNCH APRIL 4

That's right, Easter 2010 is right around the corner! Every year, Emmaus Road has enjoyed celebrating Christ's Resurrection with a great potluck brunch at New Horizons following worship. David Beckwith has volunteered to be our Brunch coordinator this year; please contact David - 605-295-0143 or Thirstybaby@gmail.com - and volunteer for the following tasks:

Food Contributions; a member volunteered to provide a ham; we need other hot dishes and baked goods.

Set-up and Food Prep

Cleanup

As always, "many hands make light work."

EMMAUS ROAD IN THE NEWS

Under the heading Renewing Communities Together, a story is told about how the cluster of Christian Reformed congregations and "church plants" are involved in their Seattle neighborhoods. The emerging ministry known as Dust in South Lake Union is a neighboring sister church to Emmaus Road in Belltown.

Here is a link to the story in the February 2010 issue of the denominational monthly magazine, BANNER.

HAITI - PERSPECTIVE FROM CRWRC WORKERS

The Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, known to denomination insiders as the "CRWRC," has had a presence in Haiti for many years. Here is a link to a recent update from some of those in the field today.

Struggling to Return to Ordinary Life in Luitor, Haiti
CRWRC Newsroom | March 18, 2010

Prior to the January 12 earthquake, Luitor, Haiti was a peaceful and productive village--although poor. The villagers farmed sugar cane, corn, beans, potatoes, plantain and peanuts. Some were fisherman and tradesman; some families owned chickens and goats. Children attended public or private schools nearby. Life in Luitor was enjoyable and few children left to seek their fortunes in the big city.

All of that changed on January 12.
Read the rest of the story

ANTHONY KING

An update on how our friend is doing following his March 2 surgery.


From Lori, March 17:
It is two weeks after brain surgery and Anthony has been recovering well. He got the staples out last Friday. The incision is healing up quickly, and he is not in any pain. Everyone who has seen him post surgery is amazed at how great he looks. The body is truly amazing!

The goal of the surgery was to restore some function to his left hand. During the past two weeks of recovery, he has had good days and bad days. So, the jury is still out on whether surgery helped his hand. We are definitely holding out hope for improvement over time.

The results of pathology are in.

There were five samples in all submitted for review. Two samples were from the frontal cyst, which was mostly blood and fluid; however, the cyst wall contained some atypical cells that were suspicious. The next samples were collected from the corpus callosum tumor, which revealed there is viable tumor present. When compared with the biopsy from 2005, the tumor looks very similar except there has been a significant change in one area called MIB-1 Labeling Index. The MIB-1 index is used as a marker of cell proliferation in tumors. The lower the percentage of cancer cells in the evaluated area, the better. For Anthony's tumor, the MIB-1 index has grown from 2% in 2005 to 12%, which means the tumor has been upgraded from a Grade II to a Grade III. The pathologist did comment that it was difficult to assign a grade, but felt it was consistent with progression.

Obviously, this is not great news, but the neurosurgeon feels that we don't need to do anything wild yet because the tumor has been acting fairly stable since progression was noted on MRI last June. It certainly isn't behaving as an aggressive Grade III.

So, what's next?

Anthony will continue on oral chemotherapy for now. He will get another scan in a month and take it from there.

Anthony is already back at work part time this week and last. Next week, he will resume working full time, and start riding his trike to work. Luckily, the weather is getting warmer and it is staying light longer--something we can all rejoice in. We are looking forward to a trip to Cancún at the end of April for a week. We continue to feel grateful everyday because each day is truly a gift.

-Lori

GROUNDWORKS SUNDAY, JANUARY 31

Here are five meaningful opportunities for us to serve and interact with neighbors Sunday January 31st. Invite friends. If possible, sign up ahead of time to help us prepare.

1. New Horizons Painting; "accent" walls; 8-10 spots for UGM members; Kurt Munson
2. Sunset House & Bell Tower; 15-20 people; cleaning, etc.; Jennifer/Jaime (bring rubber gloves, like the yellow ones you use in your kitchen; a mop and bucket if you have one).
3. Noel House woman's overnight shelter; 5-8 people; David Anema
4. New Horizons Kitchen Cleaning/donation sorting; unlimited; Cornell Blackwell
5. New Horizons Kids' Project; beautify the drop-in center; Teresa Elenbaas

12:30PM Pizza @ New Horizons!!

In case you're wondering how "Groundworks Sunday" fits into Emmaus Road's rhythm of ministry, here is a link explaining how this came about.