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IT'S THE FIRST SUNDAY OF THE MONTH: Live worship today at 10 am,
complete with music and communion.

Worship Link www.fumcbellevue.org/online
Communion Link https://fumcbellevue.org/online/communion-link

Stay online after worship to join Pastor Phil for a virtual coffee hour. Our new interns, Vanessa and Chris will also be joining us. The time will be open and free-flowing, so bring whatever meaningful questions or topics you’ve been thinking about, or just show up for the fellowship and good-natured conversation.
It is Spring in the Garden!
Sugar snap peas, spinach, kale, and swiss chard are growing like crazy!  We sent in a soil sample for testing to the King County Conservation District, which is free for everyone in King County, and found that our soil needed nitrogen.  Added that, and voila!  Vegetables!  This summer the garden will again be a neighbor's garden-fresh produce for whoever wants it! The Nextdoor App proved to be a successful way to let people know what was ripe and many people took advantage of our offer. If you would be willing to help weed the garden, please email Laurie Edwards. All that nitrogen added to the soil is also going to make the weeds grow! It would be great to have help for an hour or two every week and if each person only had to do it once every few weeks. Your choice when you come to weed, and you can help yourself to whatever is ready to be picked!
Hungry Preschoolers Say Thanks!
The Bellevue Backpack Meals program is SO thankful for the 1000 bags of food we stuffed on ACT Sunday, happy that Bellevue School District preschoolers who suffer from food insecurity will have some nutritious food to eat over weekends for the next few weeks. From start to finish, set up through clean up, it took 2.5 hours to do the work.  As always, many hands made light work and everyone enjoyed themselves. 

ACT for Social Justice Sunday, May 23rd
We will be picking up trash and microtrash at Lake Sammamish State Park from 10 - 11:30 am. This is another great opportunity to help others in a Covid-safe environment while having a great time. Get more information and sign-up here. Bring a friend or two!

Buy Black!
A new app, Miiriya, allows you to shop online, knowing you are only buying from Black vendors. It's brand new, but the concept is like Wikipedia - it's free, and anyone can list their products for free! So, the more people that use it the more products they will have, the more products they have the more people will use it. Try it today!

2021 Finance Update

Our financial results through March 31st were very close to expectations. Giving was slightly above projections and expenses were slightly below budget. Thank you!

There was, however, still a significant operating deficit for the quarter, which was anticipated. Our second Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan/grant should cover the operating deficit into May. After that we will face a funding gap and will begin using reserves to support our mission. Additional giving would allow us to “stretch” our reserves, of course, and help ensure we continue to fulfill our mission. Please prayerfully consider donating a portion of a stimulus check or savings if possible.

While PPP funds and use of reserves will help meet our needs in 2021, we will continue to face a funding gap beyond 2021. Anticipated giving and tenant income at former levels will not be sufficient to support our mission. A task force has been formed to explore ways to fill the gap and is feeling hopeful that there are measures we can take that will provide necessary funds. More to come in the next several months.

Your continued financial support is critical to fulfilling our mission. We are doing church differently while making a difference in the world. The 35+ people signed up to help at this Sunday’s ACT event and the 50+ people who enjoyed the spiritual practice of our Good Friday service are proof of that! We thank you for your past support and look forward to being able to support our community and our mission endeavors in the future.

Thank you!

Book Group
The next meeting of the FUMCB Book Group will be held on Wednesday, May 19th, 2021, at 1 pm via Zoom. Darlene P will host the meeting. The selection for May is a non-fiction book published in 2017 by Jason Fagone. It is entitled: “Woman Who Smashed Codes; a True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America’s Enemies. If you have questions, please contact Phyllis B or Darlene H.

Lectio Divina
Mondays from 4 - 5:30
Join here. Lectio Divina is a contemplative method of reading the Bible with ‘the ear of the heart’ so as to be transformed, more than simply informed, by the text. We hope this group will help us focus on how the Bible can help to navigate this cultural moment and uplift us with needed hope in this season of upheaval.
STAFF:  We're here for you!
  • To sign up for a time to meet with Pastor Phil, click here. 
  • To sign up for a visit with Laurie, click here. 
  • To leave a message for any of us, call the church office! We check messages remotely.
  • For other needs email Aya in our office: Changes in your contact information, emergency contact information (if you would like to provide that), opting out to receive reminder texts on Sundays, a paper copy of the directory, your Care Circle list, etc. 
For Your Prayers
Consider spending some time this week in a moment of quiet reflection or prayer. Consider praying for the following:
  • Prayers for baby Marlow, Marcia's nephew’s premature infant daughter, in a Denver NICU in critical condition. Prayers for her parents, Tara and Josh, for comfort, courage and strength as they go through this stressful and painful time. 
  • Please pray for the members of the Duwamish Tribe, as well as all those whose ancestors lived on these lands from time immemorial.
  • Please pray for all of our LGBTQ neighbors.
  • Please pray for the protestors.
  • Please pray for our country to be less divided
  • Please pray for the health of our community and those affected by COVID-19.
  • Please pray for Pastor Joe and his LGBTQ+ friendly medical clinic and church in Kenya
  • Please pray for Pastor Phil for wisdom, strength, and vision
  • The mission and vision of our Church 
  • Our church family and friends
  • The local community and our neighbors 
  • The United Methodist Church
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