Last Week, Next August

Dear LTCC Family,

Has it worn off yet? Or does the joy of last weekend still linger? What a blessing our Missions Emphasis Weekend was!

Not just the food on Friday night – so, so good! Thank you to Café Pacific for a great buffet!

Not just the presentations – what stirring reminders that the work of sending out the gospel takes a variety of forms and reaches to places from just a few hours up the road, as well as, to places halfway across the world. Thank you, Micah and Andrea Heath, and James Hoad!

And then, there was the fellowship! Oh, how sweet it is to be with brothers and sisters again, and again, and yet again. Thank you to the missions committee for organizing such a great weekend. And thank you to the hospitality team for ensuring everything was not only set up and ready to go but presented beautifully. Be sure to thank these behind-the-scenes heroes when you see them next! Well done, Missions Committee: Ron & Fran Hubeek; Jeff & Millie DeMarre; Dave & Karen Faires; Vic & Julianne Sparks; Pam Page; and Dani Kuehn. Thank you, Hospitality Team: Pat Shotwell; Julianne Sparks, Leslie Peterson, Leeanne Needham; Karen Faires, Ellen Roth; and Millie DeMarre.

This Missions Emphasis Weekend reminded us that we truly are sent. Sent as individuals, sent as prayer partners, sent as financial partners, sent as a partnering church.

“How beautiful . . . are the feet of the herald, who proclaims peace, who brings news of good things, who proclaims salvation.” (Isaiah 52:7 CSB).

And, just a reminder that if our Missions Emphasis Weekend ’22 didn’t fill your missions fuel tank but only primed the pump for more, then the place to be is Missions Fest Seattle in Edmonds on November 4th and 5th.

Now, let’s shift from the rearview mirror of last weekend to the distant horizon of August 2023 and LTCC’s annual Mayfield Lake camping trip.

I call it “proximity fellowship.” That's what you get when you have 70 to 100 people all camping within a few hundred feet of one another. And what do you get with proximity fellowship? You get morning breakfasts around a morning campfire. You get daily Vitamin-D sessions by the lake. You get water sports on the lake. You get evening Smores around a nighttime campfire. And you get a lot of chat time with a lot of different people – some whom you’ve known for a while, some who you are getting to know a little deeper. What you get with proximity fellowship is relationship to a next level.

The annual Mayfield camping trip is a LTCC highlight event -- even if, like me, you’re not much of a camper. While some diehards stay for the entire week, many break camp after the annual Mayfield Lake Potluck on Wednesday. And some who aren’t camping that week at all, drive down just for the day on Wednesday to enjoy the food, sun, lake and fellowship. (For a peek at what it’s like, be in the sanctuary this Sunday during announcements at the beginning of service for a fun video)

So, why bring up about something that’s 9 months away? Because the ability to reserve campsites for that week opens this Sunday at 7am. And, in the past . . . and not saying who . . . some have been known to set an alarm for 6:55am to ensure they get their favorite camping spot. But it’s not just about getting a favorite camping spot, it’s about getting a camping spot period. Campsites get booked up fast and so, if you’re thinking about returning to Mayfield for our annual camping trip, or trying it out for the first time, reserve your campsite early!

Reservations open at 7am on Sunday, October 30, 2022. You can reserve your spot at Mayfield Lake for July 30 through August 4 on the Tacoma Power Parks website with this link.

Yeah. Good weekend last weekend. Should be a great week, Lord willing, next August. For now, I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday.

For the elders,

Pete
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Pete Corak