The Mountain View July 2003

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven on Earth.

One summer, a man spent the day on the beach in Jacksonville, Florida. The undertow was unusually strong that day and three times life guards jumped down from their tower to rescue swimmers from the surf. Finally, the man went to the life guard station to express appreciation for the dedication of these persons. When he walked inside, he noticed a sign on the wall in large red letters:

"If in doubt go!": This directive ought to be on the wall of every church and on the heart of all those seeking to follow Christ as we see the multitudes around us and read the command of God to "Go!"

Matthew 28:16-20 - Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

We bid a fond farewell to the Egelston family. Jennifer has been a friendly, welcoming, and incredibly efficient presence in our church office, along with her associates (children), Lucia and Jake, who make everyone who walks into the office smile as soon as they see them. Thanks to Jennifer, as well, for making our church newsletter look so professional. Thanks to Jim for his enthusiastic work with our Youth Fellowship and for his friendly way of making people feel comfortable around him. And Ashley, you've been delightful, with a smile that charms everyone you meet.

God be with you till we meet again,
By His counsels, guide, uphold you,
With His sheep securely fold you,
God be with you till we meet again....

It took us only a short time to fall in love with the Mountain Vista UMC Congregation and Church. It will take us a lifetime to forget you. You have been our family and we will miss each one of you sorely.

I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the hard work of some of our members. Thank you to all who showed up and helped with the workday on May 31st. There was much accomplished on both the outside and inside. I would surely miss someone if I were to try and name all who participated, so THANK YOU....you know who you are.

I'd like to acknowledge and thank Renee Montour. Renee took on the very thankless job of coordinating the use of our building with the many groups who use our facilities during the week. Renee is moving to Texas and she will leave a big gap in our talent pool. To schedule events please call the church office.

We have been seeing an increase in requests to borrow property. The Board of Trustees will be developing a policy for lending some items to members of our church. At this time any such policy will probably be limited to some of our chairs and tables. This policy should be out in the next month or so and we will publish the new policy in this newsletter. If you have need to borrow something that belongs to the church, please call me at 523-8264. I work shift work, so please give me a couple of days lead-time so we can get it coordinated.

And finally, and it with some delicacy that I bring up the next subject. I will extend this on behalf of all committee chairpersons. We have had a couple of instances where members of our church made decisions on behalf of our church. Sometimes these decisions, while innocent, were contrary to decisions already made by a committee. In the past, we were able to do this. As we grow in size, not all of us will know what decisions and policies different committees have made. There may be information that isn't made known to the congregation in general for many reasons. We all have to be good stewards of the gifts and talents given to us. Please call a committee chairperson or committee member if you have a question about some aspect of our church. This is why the chairpersons are there...to serve the needs of our congregation. As we grow in numbers and campus size, we can maintain our "close knit" family feeling, but we need to let those who have offered to serve us do their jobs.

Thanks for your support and understanding,
Steve Lewis
Chairman, Board of Trustees

I would like to tank all of you who assisted in the Second Annual Arts, Crafts and Collectibles Bazaar. All of your assistance was greatly appreciated.

A special round of applause goes out to my committee: Betty Ross, Marlene Reeves, Wendy Haden, Jean Ann Nohavec, Virginia Berry, Carole Molyneux, Vicki Van Voorhis. Dave Reeves gets an extra special "Thank You" for the 3M's. His many hours, muscles, and mileage were greatly appreciated. Without him, the larger items would not have been available for sale. Thank you's also go out to the ladies of the church who made items for the bazaar, to those who made donations for the sale, to Lorraine Wilkinson and Nancy Peralez for assistance in getting bulletin inserts ready for Sunday bulletins, and to all the volunteers who assisted with the setting up, selling, and clean up. All of your assistance was greatly needed and appreciated. Thank you to everyone who attended as you helped us collect $1321.63!

Two single speed bicycles in VERY new condition. One men's and one women's style.

So many gave willingly of their time to make this year's Bazaar/Yard Sale so successful. We would like to express our thanks to those who helped.

Friday night set up of chairs and tables: Wendy Haden, Peggy Robison, Marlene Reeves, Dave Reeves, Jan Cordes, Manny Peralez and Tom Whaley.

Saturday: Donna Kasten, Rhonda Nelson, Doug Kreib, Patti Chauza, Shirley Robison, Nancy Peralez, Betty Ross and Cindy Hayes.

Marriage Encounter is for couples who love each other and want to reawaken Love and God in their marriage plus the joy of their honeymoon and wedding day! A Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend can help you do that. The next Methodist Marriage Encounter weekend is scheduled for August 8-10, 2003 in Salt Lake City at the Airport Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites. Registration closes July 19, 2003, so a quick response is encouraged.

For more information or to register, contact Dan and Marcia Brissenden at 277-5420 or email mbrissenden@ebay.com or Rod and Luanne Holmes at 964-8062 or email rlholmes73@hotmail.com.

Due Dates for Sunday Bulletin and Newsletter

For the Sunday Bulletin: Information due Wednesday of each week.
For the Mountain View: Articles due the 3rd Tuesday of every month. Articles on disk or e-mailed (mtnvista@aros.net) preferred.