Sunday Worship 9am | Education Hour 10:30am
Contact Us: 509-966-2190
info@mountoliveyakima.org
7809 Tieton Drive, Yakima WA 98908
Office Administrator: Paola Ditter
A Word of Welcome....
We are a member church of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. We've been serving West Valley in Yakima for 60 years. Times may change, but Jesus Christ and His saving grace is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
We welcome all people, whether they are long-time Lutherans, spiritual seekers, or new to this whole idea of Church and Gospel. Come on a Sunday and see for yourself... Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Elder Enlightenment | Written by: Elder Gary Treece
Mt Olive is now officially in a Pastoral vacancy. However, Mt Olive is still a church as defined as a gathering of believers where the Gospel is purely taught and where the Sacraments are administered correctly. And there are blessings that can result from a vacancy. A vacancy can raise up a strong laity and can re-energize a congregation that leads to a healthy new life in the congregation. At the same time, a vacancy reminds us of what a blessing a Pastor is when we are forced to be without one for a time.
During a vacancy a congregation needs to be flexible. For Mt Olive that might mean a change in the frequency and timing of Communion. We will attempt to notify the congregation of changes required by the availability of an ordained Pastor.
A vacancy is a time when the congregation needs to continue its ministry. The congregation needs to remain faithful in attending Worship and Bible Studies and encourage one another to do likewise.
A vacancy is also an opportunity for lay people to get more involved in the life of the church and for more lay people to get involved exercising their God given skills and talents.
It will also be important that the leadership communicate well with the congregation. At the same time, the leadership will need to hear from the congregation when a need is perceived. We would ask that you would contact your Elder for questions or concerns that arise.
Love one another. The stresses of a vacancy can lead to conflict. Peace and cooperation are needed at this time.
Prayer and reading God’s Word are always needed but are especially important at this time. Prayers for the Synod, our Seminaries, our Districts and those other congregations in a vacancy are important knowing the God answers prayer according to His Will and Time. We should also take this time to spend more time reading God’s Word both personally and corporately.
Take Heart. Christ knows the needs of every congregation, and He is with us and He is faithful. Mt Olive is not only a congregation in the LCMS Synod or a congregation in the Northwest District of the Synod, or a Lutheran congregation in Yakima. Mt Olive is Christ’s church.
Elder Gary Treece
CALL COMMITTEE UPDATE
During our April Ministry Council meeting, we selected a call committee to help Mt Olive go through the process of calling our next pastor. The coming months will be a time of "hurry up, then wait" as we complete our self-study and nomination forms, submit information to the NW District, and wait for their response. We will try our best to keep the congregation informed of every step along the way, but please feel free to ask questions and stay informed. The NW District Website (nowlcms.org) has information, tools, forms, podcasts, and videos to help us through the process.
Next Steps
LATE SPRING
1. Call Committee will meet and finish completing the congregational self-study. This tool contains demographic and financial data about our church and community AND gives churches a chance to describe all our different areas of ministry. We get to share our vision and dreams as well as our obstacles. The call committee may send out surveys or contact people for more info about their ministry. Once it is complete, a copy of the self-study will be available in the Call Binder in the office.
2. Collect pastoral nominations. Members of the congregation are encouraged to recommend pastors who may be interested in receiving a call. It never hurts to ask! Call pastor friends, church workers, and others who may have recommendations for pastors who would be a good fit. We will submit these recommendations with our self-study. Nominations will be due the end of May.
MID SUMMER
3. Our district president (Pastor Von Bahren) will create a list of names from our nominations and across the country. He will send their pastoral information to our call committee to review.
LATE SUMMER / EARLY FALL
4. The Call Committee will contact each name and see if they are interested in being considered for a call (there are many factors that lead a pastor to say no: severe illness, a recent move or call, family situations, etc). Then they will begin the process to discern who God is calling to Mt. Olive.
At all times through the process, we pray for patience, wisdom, and God's will be done, in Mt Olive as it is in Heaven.
upcoming events
Ladie's Night Out: Cake Painting
Friday, May 8th
7:00-8:00pm
Come for light refreshments, a cake painting class, and time to relax as busy ladies!
Saturday, May 9th
9:30am
LWML
All ladies are welcome for a time of fellowship.
Ministry Fair
Sunday, May 17th
After Service
Meet the faces behind all the ministries here at Mt Olive and find out ways YOU could get involved! Hear from some ministries in need of helping hands. Brainstorm ideas for how to get community involvement. Dream about new ministries that could become a part of our church family in the future. We'll see you there! Sunday, May 17 after service in the Fellowship Hall.
5th Sunday Potluck
Sunday, May 31st
After Service
Stay after service for our 5th Sunday Potluck!
Get in Touch
We would love to hear from you! Send us a message, prayer request, or question. Someone will be in touch soon!