Reconnecting Sunday
Sunday, September 15
Whether you are a newcomer or longtime participant, have been away for weeks or months or have been here all summer, you are invited to celebrate all our connections. Worship will have an environmental theme. You are encouraged to come to church via carpool or car-free.
After worship we will have a “150-mile potluck”: Try to source as many ingredients as possible from within a 150-mile radius of here. Laptops will be available for those who want to estimate their carbon footprint. (Bring information on home energy usage (utilities), how many miles you drive per year, and how much you fly.) You may estimate your carbon footprint ahead of time here.
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Block Party
Friday, September 6 6:00 p.m.
Pocket Park on 20th Ave
Meet our 20th Avenue neighbors on a late-summer evening. RainWise will be here to share treats and information about the program. Last year, Prospect provided live music, snacks, and lively conversation. Let’s talk about what we can bring this year!
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Potluck and Mission Program with Michael Joseph
Tuesday, September 17, 6:00 p.m.
Fellowship Hall
 Global Ministries mission co-worker Michael Joseph has been serving in Colombia on behalf of Global Ministries of the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church Disciples of Christ for the past twelve years. As he ends his service in Bogota, Michael will be visiting churches across the UCC Pacific Northwest Conference and Disciples Region to share stories about his work and experiences with peacemaking organizations in Colombia. Please plan to attend and if you are able, bring a potluck dish to share at a meal before the presentation.
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Beginning September 1st we are introducing a new format for Coffee Hour. There will be opportunities for not only bringing a snack but also helping set up and clean up. Daulton will appreciate all the help we can provide for this welcoming social time.
For September; set up and clean up volunteers are: Bob Bakke, Amy Miller, Cora Trujillo, Terri Dowling, Pam Puglisi and Judy Hooper. Snacks will be provided by: Art and Jackie Mampel, Pam Puglisi Roy Hardman and Terri Dowling.
There is a sign up sheet in Fellowship Hall for October and November waiting for you. Please consider how you can help with our Coffee Hours.
Thank you,
Judy Hooper
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Minister’s Greeting
Making Noise for the Planet
Back in September 2014, when I was the UCC minister for environmental justice, I got to participate in the Climate March in New York City. The organizers were hoping for maybe 100,000 people. At least 300,000 of us showed up in New York, and hundreds of thousands marched elsewhere around the world. The sun shone on us as we snaked through Manhattan in one surging, joyful, unbroken line of humanity. We marched, sang, carried signs, prayed, danced, made art, met people, drummed. It was a glorious day! It was a party with a message to our leaders at the UN, who heard us.
The next day, the New York Times carried four photos of the march, including one that showed this sea of people filling a whole street for blocks and blocks. “See?” I joked with one of you, pointing at the photo. “That’s me, right there at the back.”
Okay, so I wasn’t on the cover of the New York Times. But I was there at the march. I felt part of something huge, something that was about changing the world for the better, and it was thrilling.
It’s time for another big event like that, and this time it’s being led by youth. On Friday, September 20, young people and others all over the world are going to leave their schools and jobs for a one-day walkout, a strike for the climate.
We are invited to join the throngs standing up for the climate. In Seattle, people will gather at Cal Anderson Park 9:00am – noon to learn what climate work is happening in our region and how we can be a part of it. From noon to 1:00pm we will march down to City Hall, where a rally will take place at 1:00pm. You can RSVP on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/events/724142398026618/.
The day is intended to be peaceful and powerful. We are sending a message to our leaders, of course, and we are also educating ourselves about how to make changes on behalf of our planet.
In advance of this global walkout day, we at Prospect will celebrate Reconnecting Sunday on September 15 with Carpool/Car-Free Sunday, where we will do our best to come to church either with a carful of people or without any car at all. We will eat lunch together with potluck dishes made with local ingredients (homegrown tomatoes, anyone? Or zucchini casserole? Apple pie? Blackberry cobbler?). And we will calculate our carbon footprints, looking for ways in which we could lower our carbon emissions. (If you want to estimate your carbon footprint ahead of that day, visit https://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx.)
We are not sitting idle, passively waiting for others to address climate change for us. This challenge will take all of us, and we are showing up! Come and march, bake, carpool, and worship as we seek to build God’s realm right here and now—together in community, and with great joy!
Blessings,
Meighan
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Becoming a Vegetarian for Climate Change
I hate climate change. Not just because of what it’s doing to our earth and the future of our children and grandchildren, but because it makes me feel so helpless. I get depressed just thinking about it. What can I do? I can’t invent a new technology to clean up the mess. I can’t seem to make the politicians do the right thing. So I just try to ignore it. But that doesn’t work either. What was I to do?
Then, this winter, John went to hear Jim Antal, a retired UCC minister who tours the country to talk about the church’s role in addressing climate change. John was very impressed with Antal and decided to become a vegetarian because it was time to take this step. When he told me this, my reaction was: Hey! Here’s something I can finally do about climate change! It may not solve all the problems, but if I start and then I can get other people to start eating vegetarian, maybe our collective efforts will do something important. And it is something I can handle. Something that is not totally overwhelming.
So how did I start? Well, I have to admit, that my transition to being a vegetarian was not as radical as maybe others would be. Our daughter, Laura, has been a vegetarian since 4th grade and so for almost 20 years, we have eaten about half our meals vegetarian. We just had 50% to go. The key was to find restaurants that were vegetarian friendly and recipes that are full of flavor but not too complicated.
On the restaurant front, I have to tell you that we don’t have that many great vegetarian restaurants around and that most “vegetarian friendly” restaurants offer one entrée and that’s usually pasta. After you’ve had that you don’t really want to go back too often for the same meal. But there are some that are good and affordable. For example, Essential Bakery and Café at the corner of Madison and MLK makes house made soups every day and at least one of them is always vegetarian.
As to cooking, I’ve found the internet to be my friend. There are lots of vegetarian recipes out there. I’m particularly fond of a website at https://cookieandkate.com/ . I like this woman’s sense of flavor. Nothing boring on this website. Here are links to two recipes which are two of our current favorites:
https://cookieandkate.com/baked-ziti-recipe-with-roasted-vegetables/
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/herb-crusted-cauliflower-steaks-with-beans-and-tomatoes
I like to do them one after another because, between the two recipes, I can use up an entire head of cauliflower without waste. The ziti recipe is from the above web site. I make it into two pans and freeze one, so I get two meals from my effort. I hope you enjoy one or both of these recipes.
I should also mention that there are different “flavors” of vegetarian. At the most extreme end are “vegans” who only eat plants—no dairy, no eggs or anything else that isn’t a plant. Then there are varieties extending from that to possibly adding dairy, eggs or even fish. At one point, I thought I would just add bacon, but I got over that. So John and I are what is technically referred to as Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarian because in addition to mostly eating plants, we also eat eggs, milk and cheese.
All in all, it’s not really very hard. We eat well and enjoy lots of variety in our meals. I think you could do it too if you wanted to try. You could start with “Meatless Monday”……
Nancy Daugherty
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Save the Date: Film Screening: The Devil We Know
Friday, October 4 6:30 p.m.
Sanctuary
Prospect's Green Team invites all members and friends to this FREE screening, with discussion to follow. Unraveling one of the biggest environmental scandals of our time, a group of citizens in West Virginia take on a powerful corporation after they discover it has knowingly been dumping a toxic chemical - now found in the blood of 99.7% of Americans - into the drinking water supply. The Devil We Know reveals how two unlikely heroes--a gym teacher and a cattle farmer--took on one of the world's most powerful corporations while the government looked the other way.
More info at thedevilweknow.com
Free admission; donations accepted.
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Seattle Climate Strike
Friday, September 20 9:00 a.m.
Cal Anderson Park
Youth around the world have been striking for their right to a healthy future, and they are calling on all of us to join them. Join WA Youth Climate Strike for a peaceful & powerful youth-centered mobilization. Phase 1 from 9 am to noon is Climate Justice Fest at Cal Anderson Park, with trainings, games, music, art, street theater demos, teach-ins, and lots of chances to connect with the movement in ways that activate and excite you. Phase 2 from noon to 1 pm is a march to City Hall (with Link as a mobility option). SEJ team members plan to meet in front of Central Lutheran Church at 9 am and welcome other Prospectors to join them!
RSVP link
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Congregational Meeting
Sunday, August 18
Quorum – A quorum was present
Northeast Office Carpet Proposal – Terri Dowling presented a proposal to use some of the remaining funds from the 3rd floor renovation capital campaign to replace the carpet in the Northeast office recently vacated by 350 Seattle. The Building Access Committee has been working with Lowe's Flooring, and the estimated cost is $930. Approved unanimously (John Daugherty moved, Dave Kidder seconded).
Submitted by Patsy Severson
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Church Board Minutes
Sunday, August 18
Present – Terri Dowling, Suzanne Fry, Jan Kinney, Louise Morehead, Rev. Meighan Pritchard, Patsy Severson
Minutes of July 21, 2019 Meeting – Approved (Suzanne moved, Terri seconded).
Office Manager Report – The report was reviewed.
Finance Report – The elevator reserve account has been renamed. Expenses were greater than income in part due to correction of prior-year transfers. Employee paychecks are currently printed and mailed. We are going to explore the possibility of direct deposit for paychecks, including cost.
2019-20 Goals – Discussion of goals for 2019-20 year:
- How can we be stewards of our fear around challenging issues?
- Faith formation
- Become more of a community resource
- Address the budget shortfall
- Become a center for courageous conversations on issues such as racism and immigration
- Become a Greening Congregation
Racial justice/white privilege – Discussed possible next steps for Prospect (This is a focus for the conference.)
Building Access Committee – It will take about 5 weeks to finish NE office carpet installation after today's approval. Peerspace went live this week. It was noted that the rates we ask people to pay are based on the expense of operating the space, and rates are flexible. Changing how we handle the space would require a detailed transition plan.
Greening Congregations – Looking for opportunities to connect with nature. Discussed plans for Reconnecting Sunday. Meighan facilitates environmental justice team meetings at the conference, which are to let people know what congregations are doing conference-wide. Friday, September 20th is Global Climate Walk-Out Day, part of the week focusing on climate action (9/20-27).
Pastor's Report – Progress continues on the house. Meighan's sabbatical will be July through mid-Sept. 2020 (2 months of sabbatical plus 2 weeks of vacation). Planning for the sabbatical time includes themes, finances, and coverage. It would be good to develop a more intentional pastoral care team. People in addition to the pastor are doing pastoral care already, but a more formal team will be helpful especially during the sabbatical time.
Other – There has been some discussion of having mid-week worship or something similar (faith formation, courageous conversations), perhaps with a family-oriented focus.
ACTION ITEMS:
- Jan will re-frame the 2019-20 goals to be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-limited).
- Meighan will start putting out feelers for a sabbatical planning team.
- Meighan will check with Dave Kidder about his thoughts on mid-week worship and put something in the newsletter.
Submitted by Patsy Severson
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Congratulations to Caitlin and Nathaniel Blair-Stahn on the birth of their daughter, Aurora Ximena (Ximena is pronounced he-may-nah) at 12:00 a.m. on August 22, 2019, weighing in at 8 lbs 9 oz.
Best wishes to the whole family – can’t wait to see you in church!
 
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Ongoing Groups
Beyond Fundamentalism Book Group meets monthly at the home of Jim & Mary Alice Power, 1107 22nd Ave E.
Bible Study meets most Mondays in the Office to study the lectionary texts for the coming Sunday. All are welcome; weekly attendance is not required. (No Bible study on Labor Day, September 2.)
Godly Play Sunday school is usually offered for children ages 3-10 during the worship service one Sunday per month on the 2nd Sunday (September 8). Please contact Cora Trujillo with questions: trujcs1@gmail.com or 206-330-4201.
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PNW Conference News
The Summer 2019 issue of the Conference UCNews is now online at http://www.pncuccnews.org with information on:
• Annual Meeting
• Puerto Rico mission repairs
• African American UCC clergy
• Justice Witness Ministries efforts to dismantle racism
• Church Council of Greater Seattle's 100th
• Global Ministries visitor from Colombia and partnership efforts.
• Pride Parades and vandalism at Renton
• Pilgrim Firs and N-Sid-Sen news.
Hard copies will be available in the Prospect office and Narthex.
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 The new school year is fast approaching and I am so excited that the program is continuing into another year of providing early childhood education and support for our community. I’m looking forward to meeting and getting to know all the children and their families.
This school year we hope to strengthen the relationship between the preschool and church so, please feel free to let us know if you would like to volunteer within the classroom or participate in our preschool program in some other ways. We would love to have special guests visit in the program to share their skills or knowledge with the children. We would also like to explore if there are ways for the preschool to support the church in its endeavors. If you are interested in volunteering or sharing ideas, please email pepseattle@gmail.com or call 206-324-5230.
We are also excited that preparations have begun for the 56th Anniversary and Auction Celebration at the Mount Baker Community Club! This year’s date is scheduled a little later in the year than usual, but we wanted to ensure we could bring you the same great experience as we have in the past. Be sure to mark your calendars for May 30, 2020 and be on the lookout for Save the Date mailers! We will be celebrating the 56 years of service Prospect has provided to the community, as well as coming together to raise funds for our student scholarship program. We hope to connect with our supporters and rally the community’s support of this remarkable program.
Preschool News at a Glance:
We will be welcoming our students back into the building on September 16th. Feel free to stop by at any time and say hello!
 Mark Your Calendars:
May 30th, Annual Auction – please share any ideas you may have on the name for this year’s auction
Table Captains – If you are already interested in being a table captain, please let us know!
Volunteer Needed:
We are looking for a tech savvy person to help us update our donor database, enter donation records, maintain donor information, and assist in fundraising development and organization. Volunteer hours and days can be flexible, any time Monday-Thursday from 9am-3pm. If interested, email pepseattle@gmail.com or call 206-324-5230
Sincerely,
Donna Guna
Director, Prospect Enrichment Preschool
pepseattle@gmail.com 206-324-5230
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Save the Date: Fall 2019 Compassion Cultivation Training Class Series
Facilitated by Diane Hetrick and Shayla Collins
Select Wednesdays: October 16, 30, November 6, 13, 20 and December 4, 11, 18, 2019
6:30-8:30pm
Prospect UCC Parlor
(Dec. 4 in Conference Room)
Course Description
Compassion Cultivation Training is an eight-week course designed to develop the qualities of compassion, empathy and kindness for oneself and others. The course, developed by a team of contemplative scholars, clinical psychologists and researchers at Stanford University, combines traditional contemplative practices with contemporary psychology and scientific research on compassion and is offered in a secular presentation.
The training includes:
• Mindfulness: Daily meditation, visualization and breathing practices to develop loving-kindness, empathy and compassion.
• Coursework: Two-hour weekly classes that include lecture, discussion and in-class listening and communication exercises with partners and small groups.
• Assignments: Real-world homework to help you practice compassionate thought and action.
Cultivating compassion goes beyond feeling more concern and empathy for others. It develops the strength to be with suffering, the courage to take compassionate action, and resilience in the face of life’s challenges. Each of us can nurture and grow our compassionate instinct, like a plant carefully cultivated from a seed. This process requires patience, steady care, proper tools and a supportive environment.
About the Instructor
Diane Hetrick has been studying and practicing in the areas of mind-body healing, mindfulness, meditation, and compassion cultivation most of her adult life. She completed the Certificate in Mindfulness Facilitation training through the Mindfulness Awareness Research Center (MARC) at UCLA and the Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) Teacher Certification Program, offered through the Center for Compassion, Altruism, Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford. More at: http://www.dianehetrick.com/
Class series will be offered on a donation basis. For further information, or for information how to register, please contact: dianehetrick@gmail.com
Quotes from recent participants of the CCT class:
“Diane is an excellent and caring teacher. Her innate kindness makes the class feel very safe. Her sincere enthusiasm for the material on compassion is inspiring.”
“Now I listen to others with compassion and understanding, rather than talking or thinking of what I will say next. A slowing down has occurred that is very pleasant and helpful to me.”
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Save the Date: Community Lunch Oktoberfest
Fall Appreciation Dinner
Sunday, October 6th
5:00-8:00 pm
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You can now manage your giving to Prospect UCC online. You can set up one-time or recurring contributions and review your online giving history anywhere you have access to the internet. Follow these easy steps:
- Visit the church website at www.prospectseattle.org and select the “Donate” tab
- Click on the “Donate” button
- Click on the “Create Profile” button
- Follow the onscreen instructions to create your profile and schedule contributions.
If you prefer, you may give through the free Give+ Church mobile app on your smart phone or tablet. Download from the App Store or Google Play.
If you give to Prospect through the web-based donation page or mobile app but still wish to participate in the Sunday morning offering, you are invited to give a token cash gift or place an “Electronic Giving” card in the offering plate. These cards are found in the pew rack.
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