Community Life
Week of August 10th, 2025
PH Check - July 27-August 10
Let's dream together, Council Tree. Sunday is the final day the survey will be available. It is important that as many people in our congregation take the survey as possible to get accurate results. If you have not yet completed the survey, please take the time to do so. You can read Pastor Bert's letter and find the survey link here.
We Need Your Jars!!
Council Tree, as we seek to welcome visitors with flowers on Sunday mornings, we find ourselves in need of more jars than we currently have on hand. If you have some extra jars sitting around at home, please consider bringing them in so we can use them to welcome newcomers. Any received beyond what is needed for Sunday mornings will be used for the same purpose in the Garden.
Faith Family Hospitality's overnight program needs you!
We are thankful for your willingness to serve in the past and would appreciate your consideration of serving this rotation as well. Our dates are August 10th through 17th.
Thank you for continued support!
Sign up here to help support families.
Outdoor Worship and Blessing of the Backpacks
Let’s worship the God of all creation in God’s creation! Join us on the NORTH LAWN for an outdoor worship service and our annual Blessing of the Backpacks. Find more information here.
August 10th @10am
We Need Your Help!!
If you're able to help with set up on Sunday for the outdoor service, we can use all the help we can get! Please join us at 8am to help set up tents and chairs.
Baptisms - August 10 @3pm
Join us at Picnic Rock to celebrate a few baptisms at 3pm on August 10th. We would love to have anybody from our church community join us for this important step in the life of these individuals and our community. If you are interested in baptism, please reach out to Bert to discuss if this might be the next step for you.
July Financial Update From Council
Here is a summary of the financials for the first four months of our fiscal year.
Above is a table showing the Council Tree cash flow for April through July 2025. Total Giving/Income for July was below the budgeted expectation. The actual expenses are running below budget as the Covenant Pension billing will occur in the Fall instead of the budgeted summer timing. Fiscal year to date we have used $35,000 of the savings account provided by the Nourish Fund to cover our expenses.
July and August are traditionally our lowest monthly giving and rental income of the year, with expenses holding steady. Please consider donating during this last month of summer.
As always if you have questions please reach out –
Sarah
sarahk@stackfam.com
970.214.5209
Do you want to become more like Jesus?
Consider joining a Huddle Group. A Huddle Group is a 9-session intensive small group experience with 5-8 others that gives significant intentional priority and energy to learn how to live more like Jesus did. They are safe but challenging places of learning that center on Scripture and how spiritual, emotional, and relational maturity are inescapably linked.
More information and registration can be found here.
Music in the Garden is Back
Join us outside by the garden on Sunday, August 17 at 6:00pm for an evening of music from some of Council Tree's finest! We invite you to enjoy a summer evening together with friends by bringing a picnic dinner and a lawn chair to enjoy some music . We'll be hearing from a few different groups and individuals and will plan on playing until around 8:00pm. Come and join us!
August 17th @6pm
The Summit 2025 - August 23 @8:30-12:30
Light breakfast and lunch will be provided. Click here for more information or to RSVP.
Registration extended to August 18th.
Suggested donation: $10
Back to Church Night - August 24 @5-630pm
All are invited to join us for a time when we will ask the question, "Why and how do kids participate in our Worship Services?" We will have breakouts for kids and adults, as well as a time together where we will talk about why coming to church matters, and why intergenerational worship is so important to the life of the church.
More info and RSVP here.
Stories from the Garden
One of my goals here in the garden is to create a hospitable, healing place. A place where people can come, take a breath, rest, walk around and just be in creation. Creation is a healing place. You will remember that mankind was created in a garden, and first walked with God in a garden. The other day a lady came out, and she was walking around while I was weeding a pathway. She kept wandering over near me and seemed like she wanted to talk, so I said hi, and tried to open up a conversation. After a little bit of small talk, she ended up pouring out her heart to me. Her husband died two years ago, and she has been coming out to the garden a couple times a week since then, just walking around and being with the plants, looking at the flowers, the bees, the birds. She said it’s helped her, not by getting rid of the grief of her husband’s passing, but by adding beauty to it. The pain, the loneliness, the grief, are still there, she told me, but by spending time in the garden, and around kids, they are not the only feelings in her life. They add a little bit of something good. Something that she sees as on the road to healing. She thanked me for providing a space for her, and others, to come to. So I pass that thanks on to you, lovely people of Council Tree, for providing a space where folks can come to rest. To heal. To be with God in Creation.
Plant of the Week: Echinacea
Echinacea is one of the best known medicinal herbs. It strengthens the immune system and helps the body to fight off infections. The Native Americans praised this plant highly for the above mentioned reasons, and used the root for treating poisonous snakebites. It has been studied extensively by doctors and scientists for it’s medicinal benefits, some of which include antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties. The Natives knew this all along, and shared their knowledge with the early immigrants and traders in this country, and now Echinacea can be found growing all over the world. It has an interesting life history, as it’s been almost completely wiped out in it’s native range, and now exists mostly in people’s gardens. It’s name comes from the greek root “echinos” which means hedgehog. One look at this unique flower and it becomes obvious why they called it that.
Save the Date
Mark your calendars for these upcoming Council Tree events:
July 27-August 10 - Periodic Health Check
August 10 - Outdoor Worship / Blessing of the Backpacks, Sunday @10am
August 10 - Baptisms at Picnic Rock, Sunday @3pm
August 10 - High School Girls' Bible Study, Sundays @6:30pm
August 10-17 - Faith Family Hospitality
August 16 - Story Sprouts, Saturday @10am at the Playground
August 17 - Music in the Garden, Sunday @6pm
August 23 - The Summit, Saturday @8:30-12:30
August 24 - Back to Church Night, Sunday @5pm
September 7 - Ministry Fair, Sunday after church
September 21 - New Member Lunch at the Wright's home, Sunday @12:15
Volunteer Opportunities
From the beginning of creation, God established holy rhythms of life and service for those who follow in God’s path. We each have personal seasons of rest and restoration, and of new life and service. Council Tree encourages spiritual wondering alongside the Holy Spirit to discern what spiritual season you may be in.
If you find yourself in a place where you have margin to serve, we could definitely use your gifts! If you feel God is calling you to explore serving, we would encourage you to start an exploratory conversation with a team lead to find out more.
Click here to find out some of the many serving opportunities that are currently available.
Give Online
If you would like to give online click here.
Weekly Email
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