THIS SUNDAY: Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, June 14, 2020, Proper 6, Gather and Devotion and Zoom; Contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com;www.communityofpilgrims.com
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Dear Pilgrims of the Way,
Greetings on a rather ordinary yet beautiful Oregon morning. The clouds are in place. A gentle rain is replenishing the dry earth. There is no end to new life surrounding us, above us, or below our feet, and within us. God is here.
In T.S. Eliot’s poem, “Four Quartets," I always conceived of God as the still point of the turning world. In this spring time, the world around us, which is springing with new growth, is a turning and agitated world right now, in which we are in the midst of seeing and participating in the birth and establishment of a new “normal” as we see, feel, and hear the voices crying for justice and peace in the middle of a pandemic, and the angry, sad voices of the dying old “normal," which is forever gone. Like the pilgrims of justice who set us on our path as a community of faith, who came before us as prophets and pilgrim guides towards justice, remember these words and actions from the Moral Monday movement of NC in 2013, which I have quoted many times: “Forward together, not one step back.” Rather appropriate for a community of pilgrims today.
The season of "high holy days" has come to pass in the Church calendar. It starts with All Hallow’s Eve (aka Halloween) and doesn’t stop until the end of Trinity Sunday. We are now in what is called the Ordinary Season, or "Proper," and the liturgical color is green for quite awhile. This Sunday's Scripture is also highly instructive for a community of pilgrims, as Jesus is sending out the disciples, two by two, onto their pilgrimage, Matthew 9:35-10:8. Jesus gives them a laundry list of things to do once they are out there, in the field, among the people. United Church of Christ minister Kathryn Matthews writes something very telling about what Jesus is instructing the disciples to do and be: “Jesus doesn't tell his followers to establish churches in fixed locations and gather there regularly in order to "be" the church or to follow his teachings, let alone to attract others to The Way. Rather, he ‘sends’ them, and, repeatedly, he tells them to ‘go’… The church is to be in motion: not dwelling in a static, stay-at-home, preserve-our-level-of-comfort-and-let-them-come-to-us spirituality, but embarking on a bold ‘going-out’ into the world that God loves so passionately, sharing what God has given us with those who have not yet heard God speaking (or communicating) to them, or felt the touch of God's love upon their lives--or have not known how to name either one.” This Sunday, as we gather via Zoom, let’s talk about and imagine ways that we are able to be the church-in-motion, embarking on a bold “going out” even in the age of COVID 19.
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Celebration time! The Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship was awarded $50,000 from the Presbyterian Church USA and the Presbytery of the Cascades for 2020-2021! This is a big deal! This is our third and final grant from the denomination. We were grateful recipients of the Seed Grant in our first year of existence. Then, we received the Investment Grant for 2019-2020. We also have received three Health Insurance Grants from the PCUSA and Presbytery of the Cascades, which pays, in part, for my health care. Thank you, one and all, who helped pull this grant application together, and those who discerned the ways of our Community, and understood our vision. God is doing a new thing in Portland, OR, and we are grateful to be part of the movement of the Holy Spirit as we follow Jesus, and embrace all. God is good. All the time.
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Requests and Opportunities
Please still hold on to your 40 items of clothing from Lent, in which, when the pandemic “shelter in place” order will be lifted, and we can take these items to SnowCap.
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While we are not meeting in person, the Community of Pilgrims will still welcome your financial contribution. Please make a check out to Community of Pilgrims, and mail it to Brett Webb-Mitchell, 9460 SW Martha St., Tigard, OR 97224. Many thanks!
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For those who want to volunteer some more in the Portland-metro area, here’s a list of volunteer opportunities: https://www.opb.org/news/article/coronavirus-help-oregon-washington-volunteer-donate-give-blood/. And here’s a neat calligraphy project that Lorinda Moholt participated in, with proceeds to Oregon Food Bank: https://give.oregonfoodbank.org/CCC
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The Presbytery of the Cascades chose to give $1,000 to churches and new faith communities to make a change in the world. We are working with the folks at Moreland Presbyterian Church to figure out how to grow the amount of giving from this stimulus check to include Human Solutions and other non-profits doing good work in this day of COVID 19 pandemic.
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Events!
June 14, Gather and Devotion, Zoom!
June 21, Gather and Devotion, Zoom!
June 28, Gather and Devotion, Zoom!
July 5, Gather and Devotion, Zoom!
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Prayers of Celebration and Concern
· Healing for Joann Tower that she recovers from her cold quickly.
· Thanksgiving for what appears to be a sound offer on Chris's house and prayers her house sells.
· Traveling mercies for Chris and for her step daughter Rulyn who flies into Portland tomorrow and who will drive back with Chris.
· Safe travels for Chris's dogs in the car and in hotels.
· The world, protestors, and the reasons they are protesting.
· Elsa Wells who died recently.
· Those struggling from the pandemic in Oregon and other states as confirmed cases and deaths continue to mount.
· Small businesses devastated by COVID-19 and all their employees out of work.
· Thanksgiving for Chuck's gracious hospitality to Chris and her two large dogs.
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Poem
The First Book, by Rita Dove
Open it.
Go ahead, it won’t bite.
Well … maybe a little.
More a nip, like. A tingle.
It’s pleasurable, really.
You see, it keeps on opening.
You may fall in.
Sure, it’s hard to get started;
remember learning to use
knife and fork? Dig in:
you’ll never reach bottom.
It’s not like it’s the end of the world–
just the world as you think
you know it.
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Buen Camino!
Pastors Brett & Karen
Rev. Dr. Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com