All church picnic

Sunday, Sept.7 Fernandez Park in Pinole (595 Tennent Avenue).
Come to church dressed casually, then following the service, join us at the park. Bring your own meat to grill and dessert or salad to share. Games and musical instruments welcome. Place settings available.

The site is great for the whole family and includes a separate, enclosed toddler area, a new play structure for the kids, and basketball courts. Bring chairs, a sun hat, and join the fun. Rides available; call Jim or Valerie Shattock, 233-5433, and leave a message.

Missions

We did it again--surpassed last year's giving! A great pile of backpacks and school supplies were blessed on August 17 and delivered the next day to the West County Times Office.
Total given: 52 backpacks (39 stuffed, 13 empty), MANY bags of loose supplies, and an additional $145 in cash.
Anne Struthers, VESTIA coordinator, met us at the Times office, and we loaded everything directly into their van. (Thanks, PAULA HAMMOND, for your help.) Anne later reported that our loose supplies were enough to fill our empty backpacks with more left over for others. Once again... El Sobrante, leftovers, signs of God's abundance!

To all the donors: somewhere in the county there is a child who is off to a better school year, thanks to your caring. You are a blessing!

Thanks, all you vitamin donors! The vitamins have been given to Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland and will eventually make their way to Africa where they will be part of ministry to and with AIDS patients. You are a blessing!

Landscape Preparation and Maintenance

There was a "Work Sunday" August 3rd.
This was partly a follow up to the initial landscape work done around Keislar hall on March 1st and May 17th, and the door painting undertaken by Men's Group Volunteers. The Cub Scouts and parents also were particularly helpful in distributing wood chips over the Appian hillside. Many thanks to all involved.

GRIP report and invitation

The Greater Richmond Interfaith Program (GRIP) is one of ESUMC's most important local ministries. Joining efforts with 40 other congregations produces amazing results. Join us in our next turn serving lunch at GRIP's Souper Center: August 15th, from 10 a.m. to approximately 12:45 p.m. The Souper Center is at 165 22nd Street, Richmond. Call Jim Shattock (233-5433) for further information. P.S. Thanks to everyone who has contributed already to the special offering for GRIP.

The Annual Women's Retreat

ESUMC is once again sponsoring the Women’s Retreat, January 23-25, 2009, at Westminster Retreat in Alamo. The theme this year is “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” (including the places you’ve been!). This is a ‘minimally structured’ annual event for creative renewal. Couldn’t we all use a bit of that? This year’s planners are Peggy Abrams, Janie Chambers, and Jacqueline Seidel. We are ready to accept your $50 deposits. We need to get a firm count as early as possible. Remember, you may invite friends and relatives who are not church affiliates.

All church dinner, sponsored by the Men's Group, on October 25th. More details later.

News from Macedonia

Dear Friends and Family,
You may be thinking Lee and I have dropped off the face of the earth... it has been a while since you have heard from us and for that I apologize. We have been busy!

Let me recap...

April 27 - We celebrated Easter (on the Orthodox date). The children with whom I work in Strumica put on a wonderful play about the resurrection. We had worked very hard to prepare it! My favorite scene: the huge stone on the stage began to move, causing two (very small) Roman soldiers who were standing guard to run away in fear. The two children playing the soldiers have been attending my Saturday English class and have now started to attend Sunday school as well.

April 28 - Lee and I packed our suitcases and left for Italy by bus from Skopje. We departed at 3:00 p.m. and arrived in Mestre (just outside Venice) at about 11:00 the next morning. Yes, that meant about 20 hours on the bus - but it was inexpensive and the least complicated way to get there. Breaks were frequent and our fellow travelers, interesting. Lee and I spent two days in Venice, then took the train to Florence for two days there. Lots of music, art and sights along the way.

May 3 - We arrived by train in Arezzo, Italy where Lee?s son Todd and (now) daughter-in-law Jessie (Jessica) had rented a villa for a week for their very lovely wedding. Close family and friends attended. A fairy-tale setting and a well-planned and executed event. Handsome and happy couple - smart, too.

May 10 - We said good-bye to family, friends and our Italian villa to take the bus back to Macedonia. Schedule necessitated our spending the night in Mestre, which we discovered to be a more appealing place than we had anticipated. We arrived back in Strumica on Monday morning, May 12. (Of course, with the dollar so low in value vs the Euro these days, everything in Italy was expensive.)

May 14 - We welcomed 11 Primetimers (and 2 more the following day) and their shepherd Nancy to see the work of the UMC in Macedonia, to meet Macedonian people, experience Macedonian life and culture, and learn about Macedonian history. Lee and I were the sheep dogs; having planned the program, we escorted them through 12 days of activities, events and experiences. (Primetimers is a Methodist program a bit like Elderhostel.)

I invite you to look at my updated web site www.carolpartridge.com.

Blessing and love,
Carol Partridge,
GBGM Missionary
Strumica, R. Macedonia