VISION TO ACTION

What's happening on our vision teams. There continues to be a feeling that we are being transformed even as we seek ways to be agents of transformation in our communities. Here's what's happening

Community Connections: The team has met this past month to evaluate the past events, includingthe HUNT and to look ahead to coming community events. Coming in late July and early August, arethe "mini-Music Camp" and the Neighborhood BBQ. If you would like to be involved in these eventsor join the team, please talk to Mark Liedstrand, team leader.

The Community Connections ministry team has been hard at workover the past months organizing and planning outreach events such asparenting classes, HUNT and our annual BBQ, as well as coming upwith more ideas on how we can share God’s love with our neighborsand the community around us. It was wonderful to have a neighborask what activity we were preparing for as we began setting up the sitefor our HUNT, and when I mentioned it was for an Easter egg hunt forthe neighborhood, she said “oh, you must be from the church down thestreet”. While the neighbors may not be knocking on the doors to attend our Sunday service, we have been incredibly successful in meeting the neighbors, starting new relationships, and sharing God’s love in

our community. Next up – our annual BBQ which seems to have established a rhythm in the neighborhood with many people coming year after year.

Just recently we held a parenting class and received very positive feedback from the participants. It should be noted that many of the participants came as a result of a personal relationship with a Foothill family member. Not only do these events give us a chance to make connections with people inthe community that we would not have otherwise had a chance to meet, they give us a chance to introduce friends to our Foothill family in a casual and comfortable environment.

If you would like to become more actively involved in the Community Connections ministry work,you are welcome to attend one of our gatherings or speak to anyone on the ministry team. We meet about every 6-8 weeks with a potluck at the home of a ministry team member. The gatherings havebeen a wonderful time of fellowship and sharing stories over a delicious meal followed by somebrainstorming over what we can do next. I am happy to say we have more ideas that we have the ability to perform. Even so, we are looking for more participants, both in terms of bring ideas and in support of our ministry work. Our next meeting will be a brunch at the Robert’s home on Saturday, June

28. Feel free to join us.

Community Connections ministry team members: Mark Liedstrand, Ona Avent, Perry and BrendaBrown, Stan and Marian Ecklund, Pam Gaderlund, Chris and MJ Lykke, Roy and Kay Roberts

Mentor/Tutors: As most of you probably know, several of us at Foothill mentored high school students and tutored middle school kids for the past couple of years. As we come to the end of this school year, I'd like to review some of our experiences and suggest opportunities that lay ahead.

I can safely say that all of us who has participated in this outreach ministry have experienced excitingopportunities, fun times and disappointments. The good news is that we, as a team, have been able toshare our experiences with each other and learn how better be a friend and confidant of our students.

We are a team. But all of us, and our students, are very different! Mentors have taken their students to museums, cooked together, introduced their mentees to Men's Foothill lunches, gone to movies,shared coffee and/or lunches, sewed together and gone shopping with their students. Tutors have supported and encouraged their students to succeed in reading and other assignments.

We work in the schools through an organization called "Partners for New Generations" (PNG). I have consistently received feedback that our students and PNG rate our service and commitment to kids exceptional.

However, there remains a significant need for more mentors and tutors. Every year, more and morestudents want to be mentored - and there's a growing need for tutors as well. PNG estimates that Mountain View and Los Altos High Schools alone could use 20 more mentors! The tutor program isnew and wide open for more volunteers.

Please pray for those of us who are mentoring and tutoring - and if you would be willing to sharesome of your time and caring for a kid or teenager - let me know. I'll help get you started.

Lyle Bickley, team leader

This year's mentors from Foothill have been Mary Jane Lykke, Jack Repenning, Betty Norlander, PerFernqvist, and Lyle Bickley at Mountain. View High School, Andres Pech at Menlo Atherton HighSchool, and Jim Gaderlund at Graham Middle School in Mountain View.

Fourth Ministries: Last month we described work that Kay Roberts has done with yoga at Foothill toreach out into our community. On May 28th, she was recognized with a CREST (Cupertino Recognizes Extra Steps Taken) award from the city of Cupertino for her work "outstanding volunteer contributions" to their community.

Congratulations! Fittingly, on Mother's Day the roses on the communion table celebrated the birth of Nathan Santiago Pech, born to Andres and Renee Pech on Sunday, May 4th. He was 7 lbs. 11 oz. and 19.1" long at birth.

and the birth of Grace Salima Langsdorf, born to Tom and Megan Langsdorf on Wednesday, May

7th. She was 7 lbs. 15 oz. and 20" long at birth. and the birth of Brya Mei Taladua, born to Earl and Bryanne at 7:33 p.m. on Tuesday evening, May 13th. She weighs 7 lb. 1 oz. and was 19" long.

May God bless each of these wonderful new children of his and ours.

Sympathy -We were saddened to learn of the recent death of Paul Ruel at age 25 onMay 20, 2008. Paul was a vital member of SURGE, our high school ministry, during hishigh school years and had kept in contact with many in our congregation. Over the pastseven years, we have often prayed for Paul and his healing from leukemia. A memorial service for Paul is planned for Saturday, June 14th at 2 p.m. at First Baptist Church in LosAltos. Peace be to his memory.

SAVE THE DATE! The Annual Congregational Meeting Sunday, July 13, 2008 5:30 p.m.

We'll begin the evening in fellowship around a meal. We will conduct our normal business ofreviewing God's work among us during the year, election of officers and board members, andpassage of an annual budget. The Constitutional Review committee will present a proposedconstitution based on the leadership team model. Action on the proposed constitution willwait until next year's annual meeting. However, we will do a thorough presentation so thatquestions of clarification can be answered. During the course of the coming year, we willagain host Congregational Conversations to thoroughly discuss each section and note anyamendments we might want to bring to the 2009 meeting.

Congratulations to our Graduates!

Stephanie Ericsson Cal-Poly-SLO B.A. - Communications/DanceScott Fernqvist Manhattanville College M.S. - International ManagementLisa Norlander Brown University Med Sch M.D. Grady Caldwell The King's Academy 8th Grade Andrew Caldwell Seattle Pacific Univ. B.S. - Biochemistry & Chemistry

(sons of Marshall & Gwen Gazaway Caldwell, grandsons of Don & Joyce Gazaway)

And in other Educational News . . .

Silvia Rojas, daughter of Alicia Arredondo, was selected by the Association of Mexican-American Educators as "Administrator of the Year 2008", Fresno Pacific University. She is the recipient of this honor for her outstanding service and great efforts as an encourager of young people to continue their education.

NEIGHBORHOOD BBQ