July 2024 Newsletter

Fremont United Methodist Church



Embodying Jesus’s love for our neighbors, and engaging in

relentless, unapologetic pursuit of equity and social justice.

The Beauty of Shared Life

Dear Fremont Family,

These past few weeks have been full of shared life, and I think it is always important to reflect on the power of what might seem like insignificant moments, but moments that move us toward God's preferred vision of shalom (wholeness) in the world. On Friday, June 14, a few of us stood on the corner and handed out ice cream to happy children and their parents on the last day of school. We interacted with neighbors in seemingly small exchanges, but they were moments of connection that draw us toward each other. Marcus Francis (son to Eddie and RaeAnn) and student at Alameda Elementary became our ambassador, and on our behalf, he took boxes of popsicles across the street and handed them out to his classmates. He even boarded a school bus so that those riding home could have a treat! To watch Marcus lead us was only one of the small wonders of that day.

Then, on June 23, many of you led in worship while several of us at Fremont represented you at Annual Conference. I want to say a special thank you to Rev. Patricia Kessel for preaching in my stead. Part of being the "body of Christ" is when members of the body exercise their gifts. The theme for Annual Conference this year was "Being Well," and a sign of our health is our full participation in the life of the church and beyond. Fremont is well represented in the larger body with members Laurie Day (Director of Connectional Ministries) and Cynthia MacLeod (Columbia District Lay Leader) playing key leadership roles in the Annual Conference.

Following Annual Conference, the NE Youth Collective returned for a second year to SLAM (Students Learning About Mission). This powerful week of being hosted by the Yakama Nation is critical in our work of reconciliation and repair as Christians. This year, we took 14 youth from three different congregations (Rose City Park Presbyterian, Fremont and Westminster Presbyterian) to partner with an organization called Mending Wings. This group led us deeper in cultural immersion and teaching about how the indigenous ways of the Yakama Nation are often confluent, maybe even more consistent than some of our practices, with the Jesus way. The friendships we are making between churches and with members of the tribe are transformative beyond measure.

Finally, last Saturday was our second annual Block Party. Wow! The amount of work that it takes to host 100 of our neighbors and to create community with them is big. I want to thank Rebecca Kenney and Diane Rheos who labored for weeks in advance on our behalf. But, I also want to thank so many of you who came early and stayed late to set up and clean up and participate in the day. To host neighbors is to take seriously our place and to take seriously our invitation to "love our neighbors as ourselves." I hope that we continue to learn and grow from our Block Party experiences, and I hope we also continue to delight in what we can do together when we share life with one another! You are a blessing to me.

Grace and peace,

Erin

Sending a Thank You to:

Every single one of us who volunteered at the Block Party!

Rebecca Kenney: For power washing and repairing our brick work! Those walls were constructed in 1954 and were in need of repairs. She used many, many hours to complete this job for us!

All of those who are stepping in to be with our kids each Sunday morning!

Mary Wandschneider and RaeAnn Francis who spent hours in our Sunday school rooms reorganizing and setting up. Come see the welcoming spaces our kids use!

Second Annual Block Party was 2 x the fun

Our Second annual Block Party was a huge success! Over 100 people came and hung out together.

Charlie and our Food Booth team served 150 hot dogs, chips, drinks and cookies all for free!

Beth led the Lavender table and showed how to make wands and little baskets.

Everyone loved painting rocks again!

All of the kids jumped and jumped in the bounce house- of course!

Our Fremont Welcome table shared fliers from many of our building partners and had sign up sheets for activities that our neighbors are invited to join us in.

Our BIPOC booths sold wares and hopefully made new customers.

The fun never ended!

Introducing a new building partner!

In the fall, Adventures in Spanish, will be teaching after-school classes in the middle room of the basement. They are also renting our second private office next to Brain Jackson, who runs Daydream Music Lessons.

We are being selective in the building partners we choose. We seek groups who have a mission that aligns with ours. Here is information from their website, "We provide a comprehensive learning experience that not only focuses on language but also deeply engages with Spanish-speaking traditions. Our approach involves more than just teaching words and phrases; it's about creating lasting connections and fostering a deep appreciation for the Spanish language and culture."

We can't wait to have them with us and explore how we can build a better community with them!

Busy Week of Summer Camps at Fremont

The last full week of June had kids everywhere in our building! We had three summer camps happening simultaneously. Music Together had their Rhythm Kids Camp, Juniper School had two weeks of camp with the current year preschoolers and older children returning from past years, and we had Yoga Playgrounds. At Yoga camp the kids practiced yoga and mindfullness. The photo above are some of the kids with their Mindfullness Jars. Each child chose the glitter and little floating things to put inside. They represent the way our minds can get all shaken up, as the kids sit and watch the contents settle, they can settle their minds at the same time. I just might make one for myself!

First Community Music Circle on June 22

Saturday July 20 & August 24th

6 to 7 pm

Fremont UMC Community Room

Last Day of School Celebration!

We had a great time chatting wiht neighbors and passing out popcicles, ice cream bars and sparkling water on Friday June 14th! Marcus was the star passing out the most popsicles and our Block Party flyers.

Fremonter Details

Fremont Newsletter Articles and Production 

The Fremonter Newsletter has always been a critical part of how we communicate, worship, prayer and celebrate together. We would love to encourage everyone to contribute articles to the monthly news letter. Interested in sharing, here is how and when to do it. 

• Fremonter articles are always due 5 days before the end of each month.
• Need a couple more days? That's ok, just contact Diane and let her know you will be submitting a piece.

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