Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, March 25, 2018

Dear Journeyers, Pathfinders, Trail Blazers, Pioneers, Friends, Family members, and Pilgrim God faithful, 

The coming week is all about pilgrimage.

The focus Scripture is Mark 14:1-15:47, and Mark is writing about what we now call the beginning of the last stretch of Holy or Passion Week, which is all about Jesus, the Pilgrim God, and the joyous and solemn moments experienced by his followers and the crowd.  In this week, we are reminded that the trail of faith we move along today has been, in part, established and trod by Jesus of Nazareth, who has been walking with us and walks before us, calling us forward in the faith.  And Christ's Spirit always walks and moves with us as we continue to follow Jesus as members of a community of faith.  Our direction?  Where are we headed?  We are headed to God, who is at home...a home which we long for all the days of our lives. 

The late-Brother Roger of the Tazie (France) Community (an ecumenical monastic community in France), coined the phrase, "Jesus, the Pilgrim God." In his book, The Pilgrim God, Brother Roger explored how God moved with the chosen people, with whom God established a covenant.  God walked in the Garden with Adam and Eve, continuing to follow the people during the great floods, and accompanying Sarah and Abraham on the wilderness road of faith. It was the Pilgrim God who moved with the people of Israel after they left slavery behind in Egypt on the desert road, where their faith and the covenant was tested, fragile, and yet there was solidarity, and they discovered a place of unparalleled intimacy with God. What we know of Jesus is that his pilgrimage began in earnest right after his birth as he and his parents fled to Egypt. Throughout his recorded life's ministry, all his language and practices had the feel of a desert bedouin and wanderer rather than an established rabbi as he owned no home that we know of, and hung out with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus when he needed to rest. But this week we call "Holy" is Jesus going to Jerusalem, in honor of Passover, the pilgrimage of the people of God out of bondage to freedom. This Holy week for us is all about pilgrimage, and we are all about being a community of pilgrims! Let us join our voices on Sunday with a loud and boisterous "Hosanna!" "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of God!" 

***

Our Schedule this Week:

* Sunday, March 25, Palm Sunday, 4-6 pm: we will gather at Colonial Heights Presbyterian Church, working on Spring Bags for people who live in retirement communities around the Portland metro area.  Address: 2828 SE Stephens St, Portland, OR 97214.  We will be making bags for 18 people at Luxor, Holistic Care Home, and Garden Home Senior Care. 

* Thursday, March 29, Maundy Thursday, we will meet at Liz Mitchells' house at 7 pm.  9460 SW Martha St., Tigard, OR  97224;

* Friday, March 30, Good Friday, 6 pm: we will meet at the entrance to the Portland Art Museum, near the entrance by the Gift Shop, for a stroll through the moving exhibit, Common Ground.  We will spend an hour in the exhibit, and then go to a nearby restaurant to discuss the power of this art on this Good Friday.  Admission is $5 this evening.https://portlandartmuseum.org/exhibitions/common-ground/

* Saturday, March 31: Holy Saturday.  Prayers for those who have died in the past year as we remember that the One we call Christ has defeated death;

* Easter  Sunday, April 1, at Sarah and Tims' home, 7544 SW 90th Pl, Portland, OR, at 9 am. Breakfast casserole provided; bring hot cross buns and fruit to celebrate this day!

***

Our prayers of celebration and concerns:

1. For Lorinda's sister, Blake, and her future well-being

2. For the family of Jenny Watson, Jo Ann's friend, who died Wednesday at age 46 leaving behind a husband and three children.

3. Traveling mercies for Tom and Lee as they travel to Arizona.

4. For people to take a leap of faith and come join us.

5. For the thousands of people in East Ghouta, Syria, who are being bombed by Bashar al-Assad's government forces.  

6. For the people of Yemen where civil war continues and the country is caught in a humanitarian crisis.

7. For the students protesting gun violence when politicians refuse to take action.

8. For the 600,000 Rohingya refugees stranded in Bangladesh after fleeing violence in Myanmar.  

9. For the people in Nigeria suffering from violence and brutality inflicted by the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram.

10. For people in Portland suffering from sexism, racism, homophobia, and all forms of discrimination.

11. For growth of the Community of Pilgrims.

12. For Luke, Dayna, and family, may they build a peaceful life in New Mexico.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer...

***

Recognizing Palm Sunday before us, reflect upon the words of this poem by David Hirt:

The taste of hosannas is still on my lips,
     the smell of the palms as they patter against
     the cloudless blue sky of Jerusalem’s day
     when David’s own scion comes riding a colt
     and prophesy seems to arrive as we hoped
     while children, the children, all sing him their psalms
     and stones lying silent could echo their songs,
     “Hosanna! Hosanna to David’s own son!”,
when everything’s changed.  The Messiah we have,
     he isn’t the one that we want; not the king
     who’ll ravage our foes and will raise up the House
     of God: the grey temple we built with our hands.
A tremor now passes throughout the crowd come
     to celebrate Passover; start the great feast
     of Memory held in the fullness of time
     and lived in again, in eternity Lord,
     and “Crucify! Crucify,” echoes on still.
It bounces off stones and it shivers my soul.

***

Buen Camino!

Pastors Brett & Chris

Community of Pilgrims, March 18th newsletter

Greetings, Sojourners, Peregrinators, Wayfarers, Adventurers, Family members, and Friends,

I know, I know, "beware the ides of March," but I am claiming the word "bold" today in order to send out this email blast, and will assume that nothing will go (tragically) wrong. After all, the first day of Spring is next Tue., March 20!  Begone, O winter weather.  And let us, with gladsome hearts, welcome spring ... with apologies to those who are allergic to something that is blooming.

The Scripture focus this week--Jer. 31:31-34--continues to explore the thick, multi-layered nature of God's covenant with us, and the significance of the covenantal relationship that we have with God in Christ, in which God's Spirit reminds us daily of this unique bond we have with God, and God with us. Indeed: God calls God's self a "husband" in this passage, which has a very different meaning when it was first uttered in a faraway land, and today's modern understanding of who and what a "husband" may be in a society that strives for gender equality and different contextual understandings of "husband" and "wife", e.g., a straight marriage, or a same-sex marriage. In hindsight, what a great theme for Lent: our covenantal relationship with God, which is born of God's imagination, God's creation, God's initiation, manifest in God's ongoing relation with us as God's pilgrim people. In his book, Company of Strangers, writer and friend Parker Palmer picks up on this theme of true covenant: it "means the acceptance of weighty obligations to a Lord who demands that we 'do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.' The church's acceptance of this true covenant would serve as a channel of reconciliation in a world in love with divisions....the church would proclaim not its mastery over the world but its servanthood--to God, to humankind, and to the vision of a peaceable kingdom". In Community of Pilgrims--in which service is key--we gain a better understanding of the covenantal relationship we have with God in Christ as we embrace the three-fold approach to the Christian life as pilgrims, based upon the Benedictine practice of ora et labora et lectio.  This is roughly translated as "prayer and work or service and study of Scripture." Together, as a community of faith, we both live in a covenantal relationship with God, and live out that covenantal relationship publicly as we serve others in our daily living. This includes our writing campaign for cleaner air, sending of love with Valentine's Days bags to school children, and our support for gun control.  And just think!  We've only just begun as a new community of faith!  What wonders God's Spirit has in store for us in the days and months and years to come!

***

As Community of Pilgrims, our calendar for the coming days and weeks is as follows:

* Saturday, March, 17, 2018: this from Jo Ann Tower: The kitchen at Outside In (where Lorinda & I volunteer each week) needs a thorough deep cleaning. I’m willing to spend a couple of hours there this Saturday, March 17, in the early afternoon & invite you to join me. We would have the entire kitchen to ourselves – no clients will be there. They will supply cleaning products. You may want to bring rubber gloves. If you are interested in helping this Saturday, please contact Jo Ann Tower towerric@comcast.net or 503-705-9791. Please contact Jo Ann for more information;

* Steering Team meeting, Thursday, March 22, 2018 at Jo Ann Tower's home, 7 pm.

* Sunday, March 25, 2018: A Palm Sunday Community-wide service project TBD!

* Thursday, March 29, 2018, 7 pm, Maundy Thursday Holy Communion at Ric and Jo Ann Tower's home;

* Friday, March 30, 2018, 6:00 pm, Portland Art Museum for our Good Friday project as we take in the stunning photographic Common Ground exhibit.  $5 that night for those who are not members of Portland Art Museum, with dinner afterwards at a nearby restaurant. More on this exhibit: https://portlandartmuseum.org/exhibitions/common-ground/;

* Sunday, April 1, 2018: Easter sunrise (kind of) worship at Lorinda and Ray Moholt's home, with a potluck to follow!  More TBA!

***

Prayer Concerns and Celebrations:

1. For Helene, Linda's granddaughter, who has been cast as a strolling minstrel in "Twelfth Night". 

2. For Drew, Nina's son, who will move with his family to China where he will teach.

3. For Luke, Dayna, Obi, Olivia, and chicken and rooster who have all have made it safety to New Mexico.

4. For parents that they may have the resources to raise strong children in loving families.

5. For mothers and fathers who suffer from addictions and abuse and for the children in those families.

6. For Chuck's 23 year old grandson who got a job in Seattle.

7. For the thousands of people in East Ghouta, Syria, who are being bombed by Bashar al-Assad's government forces.  

8. For possibilities of peace between North and South Korea and between our country and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

9. Traveling mercies for Ric and Jo Ann Tower and those traveling over Spring Break.

10. For Mr. Schaub who is improving in rehabilitation in Hillsboro.

11. For responsible resolution in the immigration crisis in our country.  For permanent protection from deportation for the 700,000 undocumented immigrants brought into this country as children.

12. For Lorinda's sister, Blake, and her future well-being;

Lord, in your mercy, 

Hear our prayers...

***

Finally, a poem, Late Winter, by Eric Rosenbloom:

The groundhog hides before the sun
Like thoughts we cling to after dawn, 
Their tender form yet ripe for day. 

The groundhog in her burrow stays
Until the light is also warm
To nurture little cubs yet born. 

The mind awakens to the sun
Like flies between the window panes
To buzz and slough the winter’s chill. 

Enticing, so much light, and yet
It blinds and enervates
And sets again and leaves us cold. 

New life begins in winter’s midst
But wary of the cheerful sun
The groundhog in her burrow stays. 

***

Buen Camino, friends!

Pastor Brett and Pastor Chris

Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, March 11, 2018

Dear Friends, Pilgrims, Wanderers, Sojourners, Seekers, and Inquirers, 

Even though it is raining as I write this email blast, the promise of spring, with clocks springing forward by an hour on Sunday morning, and the forecast of days in the 60s, and almost 70, this weekend, is almost surreal, to say the least. Nevertheless, I greet you all in the name of Jesus Christ, the Pilgrim God. 

The Scripture focus this coming Sunday is John 3:14-17, in which one of the most famous "bumper sticker" verses is located, "John 3:14", as seen in banners strewn around athletic bleachers, inked on the faces of football players, and bill boards beyond Ebbing, Missouri. Christians know the verse well because it is a straightforward expression of God's love for the world and promise of eternal life: "For God so loved the world..." When the Gospel writer John recorded these words, the small community of which he was a member of was facing fierce opposition. This is a community of faith that had to be reassured time and time again that it was going to be all right, that God loved and loves them, with clear evidence of such love as God giving the world God's only child, a parental sacrifice that  challenges us, even to this very day.  To quote biblical scholar Marilyn Salmon, "Any parent knows that the love for one's child is so great one might sacrifice oneself for a child. In this human experience we grasp God's self-giving love for us, giving us the incomparable gift of salvation, life forever through his beloved Son." Knowing that God loved and loves the world so much, how can we, too love the world, both humankind and creation? Might we take on the challenge of caring for the earth more in this season of Lent? Care for each other so that we work for the elimination of racism in the city of Portland? Or on this, International Women's Day, do we work towards gender equity in the work place, because "God so loved the world..."?

***

Our monthly calendar so far:

* Steering Team meeting on Thursday, March 22nd, at Towers home, time TBA;

* Our Holy Week is turning out to be fascinating:

Sunday, March 25: we are planning to be at Human Solutions, serving food this evening, which is also Palm Sunday, time and location TBA;

Thursday, March 29, we will gather at the Tower's home for Maundy Thursday worship, time TBA;

Friday, March 30, we will gather at the Portland Art Museum at 6:15 pm to view the moving photograph exhibit, Common Ground, with dinner together afterwards: https://portlandartmuseum.org/exhibitions/common-ground/;

Sunday, April 1, we will gather at Lorinda and Ray Moholt's home for Easter Sunrise or Morning worship, with a potluck following, time TBA;

***

Evangelism Reminder!

One of the ways that we will grow as a new community of faith is through gossip.  A reminder: the word "gossip" comes from the word "Gospel," the Good News. Word of mouth works! Text it to others. Tell our story as a hot news item! 

Or share with others in your family and among your friends along with strangers that we meet on Sunday afternoons, 4-6 pm, in the Chapel of Rose City Park Presbyterian Church. Or you can also do the following: go to Facebook and "like" the Community of Pilgrims page, and then post whatever we have on our Facebook page on your personal page. 

Or feel free to send people a link to our website, communityofpilgrims.com on another website community you are part of that you think people would be interested in our Fellowship.

Another cool thing to do is share news of our Fellowship where you are currently working as a volunteer or where you work.  For example, at Outside In, all the front desk staff know that the reason that I am working as a volunteer on Wednesday mornings is because of my commitment to serve in the Portland area at a non-profit once a week as a member of Community of Pilgrims.

We will also look forward to spending an afternoon in the NE Hollywood area sharing and posting our flyers in various stores in the area some time in April. But let people know that we are more than a NE Portland Fellowship: let's make us a "destination" Fellowship, in which people from all around the Portland metro area are welcome to come and worship and serve with us. 

I also am preparing to preach at various Presbyterian churches in the coming months, in the morning, and would like it if members of our Fellowship would join me, ready to be a speaker at an adult forum before or after worship, as well as to pass out literature about our Fellowship.

***

Finally, a poem for Lent, written by Madeleine L'Engle, who is the author of "A Wrinkle in Time," in which the movie version comes out tomorrow:

For Lent, 1966

It is my Lent to break my Lent

     To eat when I would fast,

To know when slender strength is spent,

     Take shelter from the blast

When I would run with wind and rain,

     To sleep when I would watch,

It is my Lent to smile at pain

     But not ignore its touch.

It is my Lent to listen well

     When I would be alone,

To talk when I would rather dwell

     In silence, turn from none

Who call on me to try to see

     That what is truly meant

Is not my choice. If Christ's I'd be

     It's thus I'll keep my Lent.

***

Buen Camino!

Pastors Brett & Chris

Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, March 4, 2018

Dear Sojourners, Seekers, Inquirers, Newcomers, Flanuers, Family members, and Friends,

On this Friday afternoon, after snow last week, the temperature in Portland is pushing towards 50, Daylight Savings Time starts next Sunday, and March 20th is the first day of Spring... time marches onward!

Before I go any further, and before you read any further, our time together THIS Sunday will begin at 4:30-6:00 pm.  The memorial for the late Rev. Robert Patton will be at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church, starting at 2:30 pm. 4:30-6 pm. See you then and there at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church, and bring a friend.

The focus Scripture this Sunday is Exodus 20:1-17, otherwise known as the 10 Commandments or the Decalogue. Currently, as a nation, our moral compass seems a little bit out of whack, in which some of the bedrock assumptions of what is right and wrong, good and bad, seem to either be challenged daily, or are reversed: what we once thought was bad is now good, and that which was once good is now bad. When I taught Ethics at NC Central University, the first day of class always began with a talk about the very definition of the word, "ethics". According to Mirriam-Webster Dictionary, ethics is "the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation"and "the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group." The question for us as a community of faith that we will explore on Sunday is this: Are the 10 Commandments our ethics? Do we think our society sees these 10 Commandments or commands as matters of personal, private conduct, or of a public and communal morality that would indeed care, together, for the widow, the orphan, and the stranger in our midst, and honor and remember the Sabbath day weekly and keep it holy? Come and join us this Sunday as we explore the 10 Commandments in our modern world and community of faith.

***

Activities of Community of Pilgrims, and our upcoming dates: 

* THIS Sunday, March 4, 2018 we will begin at 4:30-6:00 pm.

* Presbytery of the Cascades will meet at 1st Presbyterian Church, Portland, OR on Friday and Saturday, March 10-11, 2018. Meeting will begin at 1:00 pm on Friday, and convene by Sat., at 1:00 pm. 

* Our 6 month anniversary is next Sunday, March 11!  Let's celebrate the 6 months of gathering together as a Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, thankful for one and all, and for the support of the Presbytery of the Cascades and PCUSA's 1001 Worshiping Communities!

* Sunday, March 25th we will hopefully be going to Human Solutions and participating in a soup kitchen event that evening.  Stay tuned for more news on this.

* Thursday, March 29 is Maundy Thursday, which we will gather together, place TBA;

* Sunday, April 1: Easter Sunrise Worship: Lorinda Moholt has opened up the possibility of meeting at their home for a sunrise service, including us pulling together an breakfast potluck! Let's discuss!

* Finally, thanks to Tom and Lee for opening their beautiful home to all of us to celebrate the "come back soon" party for Luke, Dayna, Olivia and Obie.  What a wonderful evening of fun and love.

***

Our prayer celebrations and concerns are as follows:

1. For Olivia's teacher who lost her father last Sunday. Also for Ashley at St. Andrew's. She is leaving.

2. For Brett's new job with the United Methodist church as LGBTQ Community Adviser for the Oregon-Southern Idaho Methodist Conference.

3. For Wendy Leibrick, Jo Ann's friend, who underwent open heart surgery and is progressing okay.

4. For Dayna and family moving to New Mexico. May they arrive safely.

5. For Linda and her daughter and granddaughter. They shared a wonderful visit and slumber party. For more shared memories.

6. For Bill's sister-in-law who has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

7. For Bill's cousin who got married this past year and is pregnant with child expected in July.

8. For all those who offered prayers for the Guatemalan mission.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers.  Amen

***

THIS Sunday, March 4, we will meet at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church at 4:30 pm.

***

Finally, Dear March, Come In, by Emily Dickinson:

Dear March - Come in	
How glad I am- 
I hoped for you before- 
Put down your Hat- 	
You must have walked- 
How out of Breath you are- 	
Dear March, how are you, and the Rest- 
Did you leave Nature well- 	
Oh March, Come right upstairs with me 
I have so much to tell 

I got your Letter, and the Birds- 	
The Maples never knew that you were coming- 
I declare - how Red their Faces grew -	        
But March, forgive me- 	
And all those Hills you left for me to Hue- 	
There was no Purple suitable- 	
You took it all with you. 	        
  
Who knocks? That April -
Lock the Door -

***

Buen Camino, friends!  And see you at 4:30 pm...bring a friend or 2!

Pastors Brett & Chris

Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, February 11, 2018

Dear Sojourners, Walkers, Peddlers, Interested souls, Family members, Seekers, and Friends,

This coming Sunday is it!  The last Sunday of the season of Epiphany, in which the light is brighter and sharper than ever in showing us the nature of Jesus, the Pilgrim God, who leads us on an amazing journey.

The focus Scripture is still in Mark but we jump to Mark 9:2-9, in which we read of the transfiguration or glorification of Jesus. On the top of Mt. Tabor (in Israel, that is), there is this God inspired transformation of Jesus' very clothes and appearance, in which his clothes became "dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them" (vs. 3). And standing with Jesus were the other important biblical figure, Elijah and Moses, who both experienced, first hand, the glory of God. And witnessing it all were Peter, James, and John, who didn't know what to do with all that was before them.  They probably thought this was a Kodak moment, wanting to set up a memorial to this display of personalities, when what God was doing was revealing to one and all the very essence of who Jesus is: " This is my son, the Beloved, listen to him" (vs. 7). When I read this passage, I am reminded of the incongruity found in this moment of true epiphany, in which God and humankind meet, face to face (metaphorically) and we are suddenly shocked out of our small mindedness by meeting the Holy of Holies.  After all, we are more like children or "cheerful, brainless tourists on a packaged tour of the Absolute...Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does not one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill Sunday morning.  It is madness to wear ladies' straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets.  Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews.  For the sleeping god may wake someday and take offense, or the waking god may draw us to where we can never return." (from Annie Dillard, Teaching a Stone to Talk: Expeditions and Encounters [NY: Harper and Row, 1982], pp. 40-41.) Come, daughters and sons of God in Christ: join us on the floor with our "chemistry sets" and lets see what happens this Sunday.

***

On our calendar of events, join us at one of the following:

Feb. 14: Ash Wednesday: we are considering meeting at a Fellowship members' home for Ash Wednesday service around 6:00 pm.  Details to be shared soon.

Feb. 20: 16th Annual Faith Labor Breakfast at St. Andrew's Catholic Church at 7:15 am.

RSVP with aj@jwjpdx.org.

Feb. 24: Farewell party with Dayna, Luke, Obie, and Olivia at Tom and Lee's home; details forthcoming;

***

Just as we are leaving the increasing light of Epiphany and on the edge of Ash Wednesday and Lent, may the light of Christ continue to lead us all, O Pilgrims of the Pilgrim God, Jesus Christ.

Buen Camino!

Pastors Brett & Chris

Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, Feb. 4, 2018

Dear Sojourners, Inquirers, Friends, Family members, Seekers, and Newcomers,

Welcome to February.  Here's a little bit about February to amaze friends and strangers alike: "The word February is believed to have derived from the name 'Februa' taken from the Roman 'Festival of Purification'.  The root 'februo' meaning to 'I purify by sacrifice'.  As part of the seasonal calendar February is the time of the 'Ice Moon' according to Pagan beliefs, and the period described as the 'Moon of the Dark Red Calf' by Black Elk.  February has also been known as 'Sprout-kale' by the Anglo-Saxons in relation to the time the kale and cabbage was edible."
-  Mystical WWW

We are coming to the fifth Sunday after Epiphany, in which there is a growing light on who the nature of who Jesus is, both human and divine. In the focus Scripture this week, Mark 1: 29-39, is a story of Jesus healing and preaching, in which a woman is at the heart of the story.  Sadly, we do not have her name, only her relationship, and that was as Peter's mother-in-law, reminding us that the Biblical family is not a modern nuclear family. What is important is not only that she was healed by Jesus, but that she then turned around and served others, much like Jesus calls us to serve one another. As biblical scholar Beverly Gaventa reminds us, Perhaps Jesus and this unnamed woman are in a kind of conspiracy to show what Jesus is really about, and the call to wholeness, healing, service, humility. Jesus will later try to get his disciples to understand what it really means to be his disciples: not power, but serving others, serving God.

This coming Sunday, we are going to be meeting at Colonial Heights Presbyterian Church from 4-6 pm and engage in an act of serving others as we gather goodies for Valentine Day bags for a local school.  Nina Clippard is going to lead all of us on this service project as we re-discover what it means to be Christ's disciple: serving others.  The address is 2828 SE Stephens St, Portland, OR 97214. Come in the back door of the church, into Fellowship Hall.

On our schedule this week, there is much going on in Portland and vicinity.

Monday, Feb. 5, 2018, A New Poor People's Campaign.  Rev. William Barber of Moral Monday Movement in NC has picked up a project of Martin Luther King, Jr., the Poor People's Campaign. Here's a link to this project. Here's a link for more information: www.poorpeoplescampaign.org. 

Tue., Feb. 6, 2018, Ric Tower posted this opportunity to learn more about the connection with homelessness and mental health: Due to a tremendous response to the December Community Listening Session on Mental Health, Multnomah County Commissioner Sharong Meieran is hosting another session that includes a movie screening on Tuesday, February 6. This Movie Screening & Community Listening Session on Mental Health will be from 6 to 8 p.m. in the First Floor Boardroom of the Multnomah County Building at 501 S.E. Hawthorne Boulevard. All are welcome to attend and the event is free but seating is limited.

Sunday, Feb. 11, 2018, we will be back at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church. 

Tue., Feb. 20, 2018, the 16th Annual Faith Labor Breakfast at 7:15 am, St. Andrew's Catholic Church. Email RSVP to aj@jwjpdx.org.

Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, Jan. 28, 2018

Dear Sojourners, Inquirers, Newcomers, Friends, and Family members,

Amid gray skies and wintry rains, the sun makes an appearance now and then, with clouds breaking away to show blue skies above. For that reminder of blue skies and sunshine, I am thankful.

In preparing for this week's sermon, the focus Scripture is Mark 1:21-28, in which Mark's Jesus reveals his first act of ministry among the people in an unexpected healing of a man with an "unclean spirit." As was true for most healing stories, the focus was not on the one healed per se, but on the one who is doing the healing, namely Jesus, and the source of this power, and that is very true in the case of this story.  Not only did Jesus reveal the power of God within him to heal, but we read that as he taught in the synagogue in Capernaum, he taught a "new teaching--with authority." What was and is breaking in with the birth and presence of Jesus and the sending of the Spirit is a new social order, or rather a new social dimension.  Georges Florovsky wrote, "from the very beginning Christianity was not primarily a 'doctrine,' but exactly a 'community.' There was not only a 'message' to be proclaimed and delivered, and 'Good News' to be declared.  There was precisely a New Community, distinct and peculiar, in the process of growth and formation, to which members were called and recruited. Indeed,'fellowship' (koinonia) was the basic category of Christian existence." We, who are members of the Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, are but the latest evidence of God in Christ doing something new, as the Spirit is actively working through us to call each other and recruit others to join us in being this new fellowship of Christians as we continue to follow and listen and receive the Good News by the One who teaches "with authority."

As for the busy life of the Community of Pilgrims, the following is happening, following a kind-of calendar of events:

* Jo Ann Tower wrote to me about this opportunity! There is a free and open to the public gathering at the Oregon Jewish Museum in which Rabbi Rose and Yusuf will be speaking. The link to learn more about this is http://www.ojmche.org/events/special-events-2018-01-29-never-again-a-Jewish-response-to-the-rohingya-crisis. " Yusuf is one of the 600 Rohingya living in Portland. His story is inspiring. His clear leadership of his community is generous. He brought to the meeting another Rohingyan gentleman, whose wife, sons, daughter-in-law and grandchildren are in the refugee camps in Bangladesh. They do not have enough food. They are in dire need of medical care, food, education and hope. These men were eager to learn that volunteers from Never Again Coalition want to help. He was interested that two of us are traveling to Washington, DC on Feb. 9th for the Lemkin Summit. Lemkin coined the word “genocide” at the time of the Holocaust. He wanted to join us there in our effort to speak to Oregon politicians on Capitol Hill to pass bills to help stop the “ethnic cleansing/ genocide”. Please save the date of Jan 29th 6:30 pm and join me as we learn more from Yusuf.

* Feb. 3rd from 10:30-12:30 is the walk in the historic Albina district of Portland: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hidden-history-of-albina-portlands-black-history-tickets-41887371255.

* Feb. 4th, we will meet from 4-6 pm at Colonial Heights Presbyterian Church, 2828 SE Stephens St. Portland, OR 97214. We will be packing bags with Valentine's Day bags for an elementary school.

* Feb 20th: there is the 16th Annual Faith Labor Breakfast at St. Andrew's Catholic Church, 806 NE Alberta St., Portland, OR, sponsored by Portland Jobs with Justice.  RSVP to aj@jwjpdx.org

* Prayer celebrations and concerns:

Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship

Dear Friends, Family members, Inquirers, Newcomers, and Sojourners,

Greetings on a windy Friday afternoon in Portland, OR!  While the sky is the color of ash, and the trees are by and large leafless, we are also reminded that, slowly but surely, the light of our days grows longer, and before too long, new life will be pushing up through frozen earth. For all good gifts of life and love, even in winter's embrace, we give God thanks.

The focus Scripture this Sunday is Mark 1:14-20. In Mark, Jesus doesn't begin his ministry by walking into the temple in Jerusalem, announcing who he is and what he is about to do.  He starts out on the edge, in the wilderness, reaching out not to religious leaders, but to those who fish, on the seashore, like James and John, and Simon and Andrew, who he invites to leave their nets and follow him. And these men who fish for a living say "yes," and leave and follow Jesus. Just like that! These are either incredibly faithful and courageous people, or fools for Christ. 

This week we were reminded of Martin Luther King, Jr., who also said, "yes" to Jesus, as did Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, and John Lewis.  They said yes to Jesus, and through them, God has done and continues to do and promises to do "kingdom" wonders--freedom and justice--as they draw on the promises of God for that courage and that faithfulness. What is wonderful about being part of the Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship is that each of us, in our own way, said, "yes" to the Holy Spirit who has called us to begin a new community of faith in the Portland metro area. To do so, in a culture in which being religious or spiritual is on the downturn, is also an act of courage and faithfulness.  We are all following in the footsteps of not only these four early disciples, but also of Priscilla and Aquila, Paul and Timothy, Hildegard of Bingen and Meister Eckhart, Dorothy Day and William Sloane Coffin...to name a few. Like these people before us who said "yes", we have said "yes" to God in Christ in starting this new community of faith, and to work as volunteers in the community in the name of Christ.  Thank you for your faithfulness, patience, and love. 

On Martin Luther King, Jr's, birthday, many people in and around the country participated in volunteer/service projects for a day.  As part of our becoming a Community of Pilgrims, we, too, have expressed a desire and commitment to voluntary service in the community. Let us know if you are still looking for a place and people to serve.

In that spirit of justice, freedom, and courage, here are some calendar items:

* Legislative Forum, Sunday, Jan. 21, at Westminster Presbyterian Church on NE Hancock in Portland, OR, 2-4 pm, sponsored by Westminster Presbyterian Church.  This is a chance to learn what the legislative issues are for the upcoming short session;

* There is the chance to know our city better on Saturday, Feb. 3, 10:30-12:30: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hidden-history-of-albina-portlands-black-history-tickets-41887371255. We can work out carpools, etc.

* In that same theme of service, we will be gathering at Colonial Heights Presbyterian Church on Sunday, Feb. 4 for a Sunday service project!  Nina will be giving us more information in the very near future. 

* Also: there is the 16th Annual Faith Labor Breakfast at St. Andrew's Catholic Church, 806 NE Alberta St., Portland, OR, sponsored by Portland Jobs with Justice.  RSVP to aj@jwjpdx.org. 

* We have a Steering Committee: Jo Ann Tower, Bill Kinsey, Kathy Fukuyama, and Tom Galey.  We thank you, folks, for volunteering your time, energy, love, talents, and good efforts in steering this new community of faith as we grow.

Our prayers of celebrations and concerns this week include the following: 

1. For the Creighton family and mother Kathy. This was the family's first Christmas season after their son committed suicide.

2. For Nina who will have eye surgery this week.

3. For Connie Humphries who will have minor thyroid surgery.

4. For Cindy Frazier and her family.  Cindy fell and  broke her collar bone five weeks ago.  The injury was misdiagnosed and the collar bone actually crushed and three broken ribs. She faces surgery and six to eight weeks recovery. Cindy suffers from Parkinson's.

5. Gratitude for Sue Malter's improved health. Sue feels better and welcomes calls, emails, and visitors.

6  For Sue Sause whose husband died unexpectedly. 

7. For our country.

8. For peace.

9. For easing of tensions in the Korean Peninsula now that North Korea and South Korea have talked and North Korea has agreed to send a delegation to the Winter Olympics.  

10.For people in Southern California who have lost their homes and loved ones.

11. For those who have been abused around the world.

12. For those suffering under extreme weather conditions in the Northeast and elsewhere.

13. Prayer for Nina as she heals from eye surgery;

14. General prayers of thanks for the creation of and continuation of the Community of Pilgrims...

15. Happy Birthday prayers for Chuck Stilson.

16. Thankful for a Steering Committee, and those who volunteered to serve this new community of faith.

Finally, a prayer and poem by Mary Oliver, "White Eyes"

In winter 

  all the singing is in

    the top of the trees

      where the wind-bird

With its white eyes

  shoves and pushes

    among the branches.

      Like any of us

He wants to go to sleep,

  but he's restless--

   he has an idea,

      and slowly it unfolds

from under his beating wings

  as long as he stays awake.

    But his big, round music, after all,

     is too breathy to last.

So, it's over.

  In the pine-crown

    he makes his nest,

      he's done all he can.

I don't know the name of this bird,

  I only imagine his glittering beak

    tucked in a white wing

     while the clouds--

which he has summoned

  from the north--

    which he has taught

      to be mild, and silent--

thicken, and begin to fall

  into the world below

    like stars, or the feathers

     of some unimaginable bird

that loves us,

  that is asleep now, and silent--

   that has turned itself

    into snow.

***

Buen camino,

Pastors Brett & Chris

Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, Jan. 14, 2018

Dear Friends, Family members, Inquirers, Newcomers, and Seekers,

Greetings on a winter's day in Oregon. I hope this email finds everyone doing well as we engage in the work, play, study, homework, and rest, which we are called to participate in, wherever we may be. 

This coming Sunday we will continue to play "catch-up" with the Church calendar as we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus Sunday.  Last Sunday, we caught up on a celebration of Epiphany and "old" Christmas, singing "We Three Kings" at the beginning of our time together, and concluding with "Silent Night." Again, many thanks for all who came, and thank you, Olivia, for a beautiful solo in "Silent Night." The theme of pilgrimage is all over these texts that unveil important moments of Jesus' life. For example, in the story of the visit of the three magi, we read that Mary, Joseph, and Jesus are on a pilgrimage right after the visit, for Herod was about to search for the Christ-child to destroy him (Matt. 2:13).  Mary, Joseph, and Jesus went on a pilgrimage, as refugees in a foreign land, to Egypt. In the focus verse for this coming Sunday (Mark 1:4-11), the baptism of Jesus, we witness the public beginning of Jesus' pilgrimage of faith, in which the heavens open up, and the Holy Spirit descends like a dove on Jesus, and a voice comes from the heavens, "You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased" (Mark 1:10, 11).  And with this extraordinary blessing, the Holy Spirit immediately drove Jesus into the wilderness for forty days, and off he goes, our Pilgrim God, to show us the way (Mark 1:12) as people of The Way. So, where is the Spirit sending us out, as baptized followers of Jesus in this new community of faith that God is creating? May our prayer be this week, "Show us The Way."

This coming Sunday, Matt Huerta will join us again as our ASL interpreter.

Last Sunday, we began talk about creating a Steering Committee, who would work with Chris and I as we move forward in growing as a fellowship. We are creating this Steering Committee of 3-4 people, because we are not a church and have no Session, but we need other voices in our growing fellowship. Let's continue to pray about this, and this Sunday or next, actually form a Steering Committee that will meet on a monthly basis with Chris and I. Thank you!

On another high note, the 1001 Worshiping Communities offers a Health Care Grant of $1,500, and the New Ministries Team of Presbytery of the Cascades has agreed to match those funds.  As a result, I (Brett), will have health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act in 2018...and for that gift/grant, I am truly thankful.

We discussed last week the opportunity to take a walking tour of Portland's Albina Historic Area as a faith community.  It is on Saturday, Feb. 3, beginning at 10:30-12:30 pm. I'll let individuals purchase their own ticket for $10.  Here is a link to the event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hidden-history-of-albina-portlands-black-history-tickets-41887371255?aff=erelexpmlt. This is part of Black History Month in Portland.

On Sunday, Feb. 4, we will be meeting at Colonial Heights Presbyterian Church, packing school bags as our service project-of-the-month, with Nina Clippard leading this activity.  Stay tune for more events. 

Finally: on Tuesday, Feb. 20, at 7:15 am, there will be the 16th Faith Labor Breakfast at St. Andrew's Catholic Church, 806 NE Alberta St., sponsored by "Portland Jobs with Justice".  RSVP to aj@jwjpdx.org.

Kathy--our marvelous potluck setter-upper--is going to be gone from Jan. 28-Feb. 11. Who would like to volunteer to set up our table for all the potluck goodies?

Our prayer concerns this week included the following:

1. For Sue Malter as she recuperates from pneumonia.

2. For the families of Hazel Torgerson and Mark McClanahan as they heal from their losses.

3. For Larry Kelley's family after Larry's mother died.

4. For the Beldin family, Luke's friends, for their loss and with in vitro fertilization so their child can live.

5. For Olivia's grandparents who come to visit on Wednesday, may they be well so they can enjoy their travel and visit.

6. Gratitude for Brett's return and Chris filling in during his absence.

7. For those who are sick this winter.

8. For safety for those caught in the winter storms on the east coast and for the fish and animals suffering in the extreme cold.

9. Celebration that certain things have improved and for 2017 being the best year ever in reduced poverty and child mortality rates worldwide (Nicholas Kristof's NYT's article).

10. Prayers for Sue Sauce in the wake of her husband's passing.

Finally, a baptism of Jesus prayer, by Jan Richardson:

Blessing the Baptism

As if we could call you
anything other than
beloved
and blessed

drenched as we are
in our love for you

washed as we are
by our delight in you

born anew as we are
by the grace that flows
from the heart of the one
who bore you to us.

***

Buen Camino!

Pastors Brett and Chris

Happy Epiphany Feast Day!

Dear Friends, Family members, Newcomers, and Inquirers: Happy Epiphany Feast Day! While we will celebrate and honor it tomorrow, let us remember this prayer, published by Evangelical Lutheran Church of America: "Almighty and ever-living God, you revealed the incarnation of your Son by the brilliant shining of a star. Shine the light of your justice always in our hearts and over all lands, and accept our lives as the treasure we offer in your praise and for your service through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever." See you tomorrow Jan. 7, 2018, at 4-6 pm, Rose City Park Presbyterian Church Chapel.