God is at work in the churches of the Pacific Northwest Conference. Read and rejoice!

Maxwelton CF (South Whidbey) held their first Saturday evening service on Easter weekend and had 170 in attendance. Their total attendance for Easter services was an all time record for their church!

Everett teens spent spring break at East L.A. Light & Life School. They fell in love with the children and with serving in Jesus' name. A typical week at Everett FMC would find the following groups there: Pentecostal Ukrainian congregation, AA, Al-Anon and AlaTeen, Bible Study Fellowship and NW Christian Sports League. "God granted us a facility; we choose to share it in Jesus' name."

Anchorage recently concluded a two-week season of fasting, prayer and re-focusing through which God has given them an new passion for future ministry. Worship attendance is up 21% over this time last year.

McKinley Park (Tacoma) continues to minister to new people of all ages. Recently 7 people responded to the invitation during the morning worship service. The congregation is expecting God to do even greater things than this.

Mountain view CF (Yakima) brought in a musician for Easter services. They had 102 people in attendance, a new high for the past several years. The congregation is growing closer and discovering new ways to serve and love God and the members of their community.

The Sedro-Woolley congregation has been praying the Jabez prayer. They report that seven children in their daycare were recently saved. On Easter they received 19 new members and baptized 15.

Lakeside CF has over 60% of their adults actively involved in Life Groups. Adults are giving their lives to the Lord and being discipled by their friends. On Easter, they ministered to 1,142 people.

Burien saw half of their Easter congregation respond to an invitation to place special requests/needs at the foot of the cross. They expect to see miracles as a result of the faith expressed there.

Quincy was thrilled to have a total of 20 baptized on Easter weekend. Four of these were in the recently-launched Hispanic congregation. One gentleman came to the altar "to ask Jesus to be my Savior" as a result of witnessing this baptism service. Pastor Ed Burns says, "It just doesn't get any better than this." Rev. Neil Roth has been giving leadership to the Moses Lake congregation. He reports that the Lord is blessing with increased attendance, a new spirit of optimism, and a fresh willingness to reach out to the community.

Iglesia Gloriosa (Houston), is gearing up for construction to begin this summer on a new church facility. Pastor Luis Aristeo produces a radio program and also has a significant ministry providing support for people in the immigration process.

Shoreline's Praise Team is finishing up a full length worship CD with 13 songs This will be available in June, along with sheet music so that churches can use the material. All proceeds after cost go to Child Care International in Cambodia. If you would like a copy, send $15 to Shoreline FMC to the attention of Kevin Austin.

At Eastmont CC (East Wenatchee), one highlight is their Home Bible Studies. They average 80 adults participating weekly. Sunday morning attendance is increasing due, in part, to a first-ever church softball team!

Hillcrest CF (Mount Vernon) reports that in January their official Board renewed a commitment to seek God's face, resulting in a focus on prayer. In turn, they have received new inspiration and energy. One result has been a "face lift" of trees coming down, new furniture moving in and fresh murals on walls. There is a new youth room in the works. Wenatchee's transition to become a small-groups-driven church is going well with groups multiplying and pre-Christians attending. People are coming to Christ through Alpha ministry, worship service and one-on-one relationships. In the past 4 months, mission teams from their congregation have ministered in 5 different countries. They are also rejoicing in the completion of the new children's wing.

At Snohomish FMC, Alpha courses are attracting 20-30 adults each week. They recently had an awesome weekend retreat with many making new or renewed commitments to Christ. The Holy Spirit was powerfully present. This summer they are taking VBS into the community and running a soccer school for kids.

Rockwall is excited to see construction coming along on their new church. They are rejoicing in God's provision in the sale of their old church and parsonage.

God is moving at Day Creek through preparations for their mission trip to Anchorage in July. Some who wanted to go didn't have the money for the trip, so the whole crew is working together to raise the money needed. Christ is seen as people choose to love their neighbors as themselves.

Tacoma First is receiving 10 people into membership in May with 10 more in preparation. The congregation is looking forward to a partnership with The Northwest Leadership Foundation in the Association for Urban Studies that will better equip them for urban ministry.

East Bernard, located south of Houston, is our newest church plant. Pastor Antonio and Ada Rauda are giving leadership to this congregation. This is the third church plant out of the Rosenberg church (Pastor Macario Segura). Welcome East Bernard!

Revs. Dale (Shoreline FMC) and Karen (SPU) Winslow are moving on to new ministries. Dale has been elected as Superintendent of the Gateway Conference and Karen has been hired to teach in the Religion Department at Greenville College. We give God praise for the Winslows' service to PNW and pray God's very best for this in this new season on ministry.

Rev. Kevin and Natelle Austin (Shoreline) and family are following the call of God to work with the new, but dynamic Free Methodist work in Thailand. They expect to begin work there this October. Please pray for the Shoreline church during this time of significant transition!

Northwest Urban Ministries (NWUM) now has its own space in the Rainier Valley. The new name for the center is Hope Central. They have many programs going, including after school club, English classes and plans for two age-level camps this summer. Church relationships are building quickly, the staff and volunteer base is growing, and God is blessing with funds from a variety of sources. If you would like to receive their newsletter, contact Director Anna Schoenhals at 206-281-7681.

Nightwatch Who is our neighbor? Do Free Methodists care? Members of Rainier Avenue, Day Creek, Seattle First, Lakeview, and students from SPU provide food, shelter and compassion through the work of Operation Nightwatch-a nighttime street ministry in downtown Seattle. For more information, phone 206-323-4359.      
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Reflections on Latin America Prayer Journey (by Supt. Matt Whitehead) "On February 28- March 16, I had the privilege of participating in a unique experience. I was part of a group that visited 5 countries (Dominican Republic, Haiti, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador) for the specific purpose of praying for our missionaries, national leaders, and the needs represented in those areas. Our prayer team consisted of Bishop Roger and Ellen Haskins, Art and Sylvia Brown, David Roller, Rick Snodgrass and myself. Being on a prayer journey was a wonderful experience-one that I hope to see replicated in PNW and across our denomination. The opportunity to pray in so many diverse settings with many different people cultivates a wonderfully broad perspective of the work of God's Kingdom. You can be very grateful for the work of our world mission program. Seeing our missionaries and national leaders up close gave me a deep appreciation for their valuable and demanding ministry. God uniquely prepared our prayer team for some of the specific situations we encountered and we could see God's hand of providence in many wonderful ways. It was a privilege to represent each one of you on the prayer journey."

Cluster meetings for pastors and leadership board members will be held in various locations May 21-June 7. This is a key opportunity for leaders of local churches to come together for instruction and mutual encouragement. Supt. Whitehead will be sharing on how each church can encourage a passion for lost People, develop positive, effective leadership, and establish helpful evaluation processes. A foundational part of each church's understanding of mission should be the goals listed here.
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Our Vision Path
Every church a healthy church with Spirit-filled leadership working a plan to fulfill our expected outcomes.

What are the expected outcomes for each local church?
Every local church
· a worshipping community.
· an enfolding congregation producing discipled, growing, holy people.
· regularly reaching the lost for Christ.
· engaged in our world missionary movement.
· ministering to the poor and disenfranchised.
· bringing structures into the service of its mission.
· characterized by extraordinary intercessory prayer.

PNW Leadership Summit Mark your calendar for this event on June 22 & 23 at Warm Beach Camp. Everyone is welcome to participate in the inspiring worship services together. We are blessed to have an unusually high number of PNW-sponsored missionaries with us for our summit this year. Your pastor(s) and delegate(s) will be receiving an information packet by May 23. Ask them for more information or phone us at 800-419-3120.

Texas Celebration will be held in Waco at the Clarion Inn this year on July 6 & 7. Registration forms will be mailed soon.