We will be returning to our Fall worship schedule on September 9th. The schedule is going to be a little different this year in the hope of getting more children involved in our church.

 Fall Sunday Schedule:

There will be no Children’s Sunday School on Communion Sunday, which is the first Sunday of each month. We have a new curriculum for the children this year that I believe will be lots of fun. There will be a sign-up sheet in the Narthex for volunteers to teach the children.

Thank you,

---Angela Gano,

Christian Ed. Chairman

Vacation Bible School went as planned without any major problems. We had approximately 26 kids each night. All the kids had a blast on their "Great Adventure at Avalanche Ranch" learning about God. We had children from Preschool all the way up to 8th grade.

The basic program each night consisted of dinner, singing, games, crafts, theater time with Chatter The Chipmunk, and story time. Everyone learned new songs, made a variety of crafts, and enjoyed the movie led by Carly Sether. Pastor Dave led the children in numerous games, told bird stories, and taught the kids all the books of The New Testament. Becca Yoder told great bible stories at story time out under a tent in the Grove. Pat Bullard, Angela Gano, Audrey Yoder, and Paulette Eyman pitched in and fixed tasty, western dinners one or two nights of the week.

Thank you so much for the delicious meals. The children also took a collection each night for The Heifer Project. They collected enough money for needy people to get a goat and a flock of chickens. Woo Hoo! We would like to thank all the volunteers who helped out during the week. A special thank you to Carly Sether, Pastor Dave, and Becca Yoder for a job well done.

------Angela Gano, Christian Ed. Chairman

Smyrna’s congregation donned colorful Hawaiian print shirts and dresses on August 19 in order to enjoy the wonderful meal of Hawaiian dishes served up after worship.  A free will offering raised $1226.02  towards paying off the Edmond’s property.

New books at Smyrna’s library:  Check them out!

Two new books have been added to the children’s library shelves at Smyrna.  Both were purchased at the UCC Generol Synod in Hartford, CN.

 Sometimes Smart is Good by Dena Fox Luchsinger, illustrated by Karen A Jerome has beautiful illustrations and is written in both English and Spanish.  The story contains positive ideas of how and why children can be good.

If Nathan Were Here by Mary Bahr, illustrated by Karen A. Jerome is a sensitive story telling how Nathan’s life affected his friends before and after his death.  A memory box seemed to be the best answer for his classmates.

The Annual Picnic of the Stitch Club met at Roberta Daniels’ on Monday, August 6.  Pictured digesting their lunch are, from left:  Levonne Gano, Eleanor Holbrook, Joann Gribble, Murlene Liechty, Roberta Daniels, Virginia Yoder and Lucia Schuebel.  Also attending but not pictured were:  Ruth Helpler, Milda Kellands, David Akers, and the photographer, Elaine Daniels.

Random thoughts from Pastor Dave:

Favorite Hymns?

Ever wonder how the minister picks the hymns?  One method is to look in the index in the back of the hymnal and choose a hymn that corresponds to the theme of the sermon.  There is also an index of scripture passages that can guide the minister.  And of course ministers have been known to pick their own favorites hymns (over and over again?)

As part of my ministry at Smyrna, I would love to have us sing hymns that are your favorite.  You can email your favorites, let me know after church or put a note in the hymn suggestion box that you will find in on the table in the church narthex.

Tape recorded services

We record every Sunday’s service and would love to bring the tape out to your house if you would like to hear the service.  Just send an email to the church or let me know if you are interested in a particular Sunday.

Blessing of the Animals- September 30th

One of my favorite special worship services is a Blessing of the Animals.  I borrowed the concept from the Episcopal Church that remembers St. Francis of Assisi and his love of animals.  We will be holding a special service on Sunday, September 30^th at 4PM in the grove.  You are invited to bring your pets to a special blessing service where we thank God for our pets and the joy they bring in our lives.

Molalla Service Center

I visited the Center to see first hand all the good work that they do.  They think very highly of Smyrna and the support we have given them over the years.  Don’t forget to bring your contributions to the church in support of the hungry.

Thanks for making my introduction to Smyrna so smooth.  I look forward to a year filled with God’s blessings.

---Pastor Dave

503-927-3681

David Aker's E-Mail

Pastoral Letter on the Iraq War

At the 26^th General Synod in Hartford, Connecticut, the Collegium of Officers issued a Pastoral Letter on the Iraq War endorsed by the all of the Conference Ministers and the Presidents of the Seminaries of the United Church of Christ.  The pastoral letter calls on the church to “join protest to prayer” in an effort to end the war.

Copies of the letter are available in the church narthex or you can learn more by going to the UCC website (www.ucc.org) and looking under Big Things/ 100,000 people for peace.

If you choose to support the letter, you can do so electronically.  By World Wide Communion Sunday, October 6, the Collegium hopes to have collected 100,000 signatures in support of the letter.  In the weeks following World Wide Communion, leaders of the United Church of Christ will present the Pastoral letter with signatures to the leadership of Congress and members of the Administration in Washington.

Smyrna United Church of Christ's

Charity Picnic Sunday Sept. 9, 2007, 1:00 pm

Smyrna’s Charity Picnic is a special event organized to celebrate those in our community who are courageously living with serious illnesses.  We want to thank you for your donations by inviting you to a picnic in the grove.  Your gifts may be made at the picnic or mailed to Irene Schriever, treas., 32914 S Kropf Rd., Molalla, OR 97038

Alzheimer's Association                   

American Diabetes Association

American Heart Association      Muscular Dystrophy Association

American Cancer Society                 Parkinson’s Center of Oregon

Vasculitis Foundation      Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation

Autism Society of America

100% of the donations go to the charities

To Our Dear Smyrna Church Family,

We are writing to thank you for your generous support of our Cruizin’, held at Bremer’s Corner in rural Clackamas County on July 28, 2007.

The funds we raised from this event helped charities including The American Heart Association, The American Diabetes Association, Children and Adults with Attention Deficity/Hyperactivity Disorder, The Autism Society, The American Cancer Society, and the Vasculitis Foundation.

Thanks to individuals like you, we were able to raise over $8,400 to support our endeavors.  Again, we thank you for your help in making the lives of others so much better and educating the community about the diseases.

We have set the date of July 26, 2008 for our 2nd annual “Cruizin’ 4 Life” at Bremer’s Corner.  We will be looking forward to seeing you again.

We would very much like to hear from you about ways to improve our event, and would appreciate your response and suggestions.  Please take the time to mail your response to:

Cruizin’ 4 Life

8395 S. Gribble Rd

Canby, OR 97013

Or e-mail us at:  Cruzin 4 Life Email

Thank you again.  We have been gratified by the outpouring of support from our community, family and friends.  If you would like to help us next year, give us a call or write to us

---The Cruizin’ 4 Life Staff

503-266-9581

Thomas Daniels Web Consulting