The Hellerich Family

We spent a nice, quite Christmas in Yakima this year.  Dan and Emily spent the holiday with her family, and Beth chaperoned another student study trip from the Urban School of San Francisco to India, this time the northern part (a few photos from her trip are posted here.)   We were invited to a friend’s house for the Christmas Day afternoon…thanks, Ardelle!  We had a wonderful time!

With Christmas Eve on Sunday this year, all of the worship services seemed to run together!  First of all, both Central Lutheran and Christ Lutheran churches had Wednesday evening Advent services.  Christ Lutheran had, on Sunday, December 24th, a morning Advent 4 service at 9:30am, and an evening Christmas Eve service at 7pm.  Central Lutheran had, on Sunday, December 24th, a morning Advent 4 service at 9am, and three evening Christmas Eve services:  5pm, 7pm, and 10:30pm.  Central also had a 10am Christmas Day service on Monday, December 25th.  All of the services were filled with beautiful carol singing in beautiful settings.

Dan, Emily, Bethany, Carolyn, and Dave spent Saturday, November 25, 2017, visiting Leavenworth, Washington, about 90 minutes north of Yakima.  It’s a beautiful Bavarian-themed town in the mountains.  We enjoyed the many shops there, and ate delicious German foods.  The snow helped make it more genuine, too!  Great place to visit, if you’re ever in the area.

The children visited us for Thanksgiving this year.  Always fun to work together in the kitchen!

Dave attended his first annual (out of three) First Call Retreat held November 13-16, 2017, at   Seabeck  in western Washington, west of Seattle.  He got to meet many other pastors and deacons in their first calls.  The program was great, we studied Reinhold Niebuhr, and the worship exceptional.  Thanks to everyone, especially Susan Briehl, who worked so hard to make it a meaningful experience!

On Sunday, October 29, 2017, Carolyn welcomed Bishop   , bishop of the Archdiocese of Yakima (Roman Catholic Church) to the pulpit of Central Lutheran (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) for their 9am worship service.  At 11am, Carolyn preached at St. Paul’s Cathedral in Yakima.  What a wonderful opportunity to commemorate together the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, when Martin Luther (allegedly) nailed his 95 Theses to the Castle Church door in Wittenberg, Germany.

That afternoon, people of all faiths gathered at 3pm at St. Paul’s Cathedral for a commemorative service at which Bishop Kristen Kuempel, of the Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod of the ELCA, preached.  Everyone then processed to Central Lutheran Church to continue the service at which time Bishop    preached.  What a wonderful way to mark such a special occasion, and celebrate all the reconciling that has happened between Catholics and Lutherans over the years, especially in the past 50 years!

Dave’s parents were married on October 29, 1947 in Wahoo, NE.  This day would have been their 70th Wedding Anniversary.  Dad died in 2006, she died in 2011.  We had some traditional family foods to celebrate the day, including spaghetti and hamburger and apple dumplings.

On October 21, 2017, we drove through the beautiful eastern Washington countryside to visit Pullman and the Washington State University campus, and Moscow and the University of Idaho campus.  The Lutheran Campus Ministry had an Octoberfest fundraiser at U of Idaho, with German food, beer, and music!  Sehr Gut!!!

We enjoyed a wonderful concert celebrating the Reformation at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle on September 30. 2017..

We participated in the installation of the Rev. Kristen Kuempel as bishop of the Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod.  She was elected at the synod assembly in May in Spokane.  She began her new call September 1st.  The installation was held at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Spokane on Saturday, September 16, 2018.  Carolyn processed with the pastors, and Dave processed with the deacons.  It was an honor to be a part of such an important occasion.  Blessings to Bishop Kuempel!