Congregation Pledges Support For Missionaries
Folks who attend Valley Fourth Memorial Church must be a good credit risk.
Every year, the church sponsors a conference where it raises hefty sums for missionaries by getting its members to make pledges. The thing is, those “faith pledges” don’t require any recorded commitment - but the congregation always manages to make good nonetheless.
“People sign their names and how much they can pay on a card. They keep their copy, but the church tears up the cards,” says Roy Nyholm, a church member helping organize this year’s conference. It starts Sunday.
Nyholm says the church just uses the cards to tally up the congregation’s total commitment. “It’s not a contract or anything. It’s about faith.”
Not faith like a mustard seed, but more like an acorn. This year, the church hopes to raise $140,000 in pledges.
The theme of this year’s week-long conference is “Turn the Radio On,” and Sunday’s featured speaker is Dr. George Sweeting. Sweeting is the author of more than 30 books, and chancelor of Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. Sweeting writes a monthly column for Moody magazine called “Climbing Higher,” and has a daily radio broadcast of the same name.
Sweeting will speak at 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. worship services on Sunday. He will speak again Monday and Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Another noted broadcaster, Richard Steward of Trans World radio, speaks on Nov. 19 at 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.
The conference has events scheduled every day this week except Thursday. For information, call the church at 924-4525. Valley Fourth is located at 2303 S. Bowdish Road.
Church bazaar today
Spokane Valley United Methodist Church hosts its annual bazaar today.
A tea room will be open from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. The bazaar itself runs from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Church member Anne Sherrod says the bazaar will feature home-baked goodies, quilts, baby clothes, hand-made children’s gifts, holiday decor and plants raised by church members. There’s even a knife and scissor sharpening booth.
A lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. For $4.50, bazaar-goers can feast on turkey tetrazzini, cranberry salad, green beans and french bread.
The church is located at 10422 E. Main, just behind the International House of Pancakes on East Sprague.
Altar Society bingo
The St. Joseph’s Altar Society will host a bingo tournament on Friday, Nov. 17 starting with a cakewalk at 6:15 p.m. Bingo starts at 7.
The event happens at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 4521 N. Arden Road.
Winners get a turkey of a prize - an actual frozen fowl. There will also be $25 and $50 “blackout” prizes later in the evening.
For those who are too hungry to wait for their once-feathered trophy to thaw, there will be German sausage, nachos, popcorn and beverages for sale.
This is the first time the church hasn’t had to rent a space for the event, said Altar Society chairperson Denise Studebaker. Their new church building has a large meeting hall.
, DataTimes