Spokane Friends Pastor Leaving

The Rev. Earl Tycksen is leaving the Spokane Friends Church after 11 years as its pastor.

Tycksen said he made the decision not to stay on in January, and picked his new church in Nampa, Idaho, at the end of June.

“I just felt I’d finished my job here in Spokane,” said Tycksen. The pastor said he looks forward to the new opportunities and challenges he will face in ministering to a smaller congregation. Tycksen will leave Spokane this week and conduct his first service in Nampa on Aug. 3.

Members of the church at 1612 W. Dalke had picked a new pastor to replace Tycksen, said church elder Edith Pinto, but that person chose another position. So for now, the church is without a senior pastor and will have a series of guest speakers in the pulpit while they conduct another search for their next pastor.

Pinto said the 11 years that pastor Tycksen spent at the church were good years. “It is time for him to move on, and we respect that,” said Pinto.

Associate pastor Lorraine Watson will continue in her position.

Churches offer joint Bible school

Three Orthodox Christian churches in the Spokane area are joining together to host a vacation Bible school for kids age three through the sixth grade.

The school will run from 8:30 a.m. to noon Aug. 4-8 at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, 1325 E. Queen.

Workers and clergy from St. Nicholas, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Spokane and St. John the Baptist Orthodox Christian church in Post Falls will participate.

The children will make crafts, play games, and attend Bible study classes. The week will end with a picnic for kids and parents after classes on Aug. 8.

To register for the free classes, call Holy Trinity at 328-9310 or St. Nicholas at 484-1604.

‘SonRise Balloon Adventure’

Mead United Methodist Church, 2515 E. Farwell Road, will also host a vacation Bible school Aug. 4-8.

“A SonRise Balloon Adventure Vacation Bible School” will run from 1 to 4 p.m. each day.

Children in preschool through the sixth grade will play Bible games, make crafts, and participate in skits. The children will perform a musical program to close out the week on Aug. 8.

A preregistration day will be held Aug. 2 at the church from 1 to 3 p.m. There will be balloon games, face painting, and an Around the World cake/cookie walk.

The Bible school is free. Children are asked to bring a clean, white T-shirt with them on opening day. For more information, call the church at 466-7866.

Handbell choir performs

The Kinjo Gakuin University handbell choir will hold two performances Sunday at Whitworth Community Presbyterian Church, 312 W. Hawthorne Road.

The 17-member internationally acclaimed choir will perform at the 10 a.m. worship service and at 11:15 a.m. in the sanctuary. The concert is free.

The choir will also be the featured performers at this year’s international handbell symposium in Spokane that will run from Friday through Sunday.

Kinjo Gakuin University, located in Nagoya, Japan, is a sister college of Whitworth College.

Drama troupe here Friday

The Royal Company Players, a six-member drama group from Bethel College in St. Paul, Minn., will perform Friday at Shiloh Hills Baptist Church, 207 E. Lincoln Road.

The 7:30 p.m. performance is part of the group’s seven-week tour of the country.

The Royal Company Players utilize stories, scenes, and monologues in a unique approach to contemporary issues.