NORTHLAKE WELCOMES NEW BOARD PRESIDENT DAVID SWANSON
Hello, Northlakers,
As the "dog days" of August approach I find myself trying on some new
shoes, namely those of President of Northlake's board of trustees. Much
like the millions of children who will be trying on real new (school)
shoes this month, I am anticipating a year of new faces, new challenges,
the comfort of being with old friends and the fun of meeting and getting
to know new ones. I'm thankful for the great job Jenny Mason has done as
board president, and at the same time I wonder how I can live up to the
standard she has set.
The good news (in more ways than one) is that the board president has no
sweeping dictatorial powers, and for that I am grateful. I'm also
grateful to be working with a great bunch of people on the board - Rina
Johnson-Fa'amoe, Gigi Getz, Ann Rotermund, Paul David, Phil Giesy, Mary
Leber and John Poulson. Of course they are only the tip of the iceberg.
Our paid staff and the people who serve on the various committees that
keep Northlake humming, the people who volunteer to do all sorts of
things large and small, and the whole community that is Northlake
comprise a formidable pool of talent, ideas and energy.
Our congregation is growing, which is a wonderful thing. Rev. Aikman’s
buffo sermons and Shannon Gordon's blossoming RE program figure into
that heavily, but I think it also has to do with the welcoming
atmosphere I felt when I first stepped tentatively through the front
door 8 years ago and within five minutes found myself singing "Enter,
Rejoice and Come In".
I'd like to ask the "old friends" at Northlake to make a conscious
effort to welcome the "new friends" not only to the sanctuary on Sunday
mornings but to the evening committee meetings, the choir, the RE
classrooms, the kitchens, the covenant groups and the Saturday work
parties. (I'm sure I missed something, but you get the drift.)
Getting to know each other is one of the real treats of coming to
Northlake, and one of the best ways of getting to know each other is to
spend time working (and playing) together.
See you around
Dave
FACILITIES UPDATE
This year Facilities doubled the number of work parties, to improve
the maintenance of our building and grounds, to keep our renters happy,
and to encourage building users to be neater. We thank everyone who
attended the work parties in August, February, March, and June. We will
probably use the same schedule next year.
Several improvements are taking place on the building exterior. Our able
contractors, Cyrous Khubchere and John Poulson, strengthened the exit
stairs and are nearly finished replacing the southeast post. Not sure
why the cedar siding on the south gable failed after eleven years, but
likely there were issues with the installation and maintenance. We hired
Cedar King, who also did the siding on St. John’s Episcopal new
construction, to replace our siding with Hardiplank siding, a very
durable product. We decided to use a durable 100% acrylic paint instead
of stain for a longer-lasting coating. Special thanks to Ray Wheeler for
overseeing the siding and painting projects.
Where’s the new sign? A while ago, Northlake won a grant from the
PNWD-UUA Chalice-Lighters Fund towards a new church reader board sign.
Our new sign, from Distinctive Signs (in Louisville, KY) is currently in
the closet ready to be installed. John and Cyrous are bringing in the
electrical service for the installation of the new sign and the flagpole
for the US and Companion flags. The dedication ceremony will be sometime
this fall.
Some areas for low-cost future improvement: We are looking for used
cabinets for both kitchens that will go with our existing cabinets.
Although we have improved the lighting downstairs to make it more
energy-efficient, we could do more upstairs with a grant from Puget
Sound Energy.
Signage is needed to help people use the building, recycle waste, and
find what they need, including where to park.
If you notice something that needs attention or have an idea to reduce
our environmental footprint, please bring it to the attention of someone
on the committee: John Poulson (Board Liaison), Rose Dummer, Joie
Goodwin, Arne Mortenson, Diane Slota (chair), or Ray Wheeler.
In community, Diane Slota
MORE CHEAP TREATS
Visit Bellevue’s 36 acre Botanical Gardens, and enjoy
one of the finest perennial borders outside of the British Isles!
FREE—12001 Main Street, Bellevue. For more, go to
www.cityofbellevue.org.
FREE Concerts in the Kirkland Moss Bay bandstand every Tuesday and
Thursday evenings. Take a lawn chair or a blanket and sit out under the
stars and enjoy the music.
FREE Concerts every Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Bothell Landing. Take a
cushion or lawn chair. Concrete seating!!
Browse the Kirkland Wednesday Market, just west of the Library Parking
Garage. Gorgeous flowers, fresh fruit and vegetables. At 11:30 a.m.,
until 4 p.m. A neat way to support the environment, local producers, and
eat healthily at the same time. FREE parking under the Library.
The stage at 3rd Place Books in Lake Forest Park Mall has exciting FREE
events most evenings. Writers read from their books, bands play an
eclectic selection of music and speakers inform and entertain.
NOT JUST A CUP OF COFFEE, BUT A ‘JUST’ CUP
When we serve coffee after the service, this is not just an
opportunity to socialize, but has become one of the ways we show our
support for social justice issues around the world.
As the second most heavily traded commodity in the world, coffee is a
direct link between our community and farming communities in Latin
America, Africa and Asia. Through the UUSC Coffee project, we can enjoy
great coffee while helping small farmers in underdeveloped countries, as
they build a better future for themselves and their families. Farmers
earn a fair price for their products, have access to affordable credit,
gain long-term trading partners to invest in their education, health
care and agricultural improvements.
By serving Equal Exchange coffee, we are part of a global network of
churches helping small farmers and cooperatives to help themselves. Last
year 5,187 faith congregations bought 212 tons of coffee, tea and cocoa
from Equal Exchange Fairly Traded Gourmet Coffee.
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