Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship Newsletter, Sept. 2, 2018

THIS SUNDAY: Sept. 2, 2018, 4 p.m. Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church 1907 NE 45th Avenue – Portland, OR. Questions? Contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com.

_____

Dear Rambler, Train passenger, Car Rider, Airplane Passenger, Family, and Friends,

Those of us living in Portland got tired of the smoky haze that hung over the city for days and are glad and grateful for the signs of blue skies and white clouds. Do I hear and see a collective “Amen”?

The focus Scripture this week is from Mark 7: For it is from within, from the human heart that evil intentions come...all these evil things come from within, and they defile a person." There is no doubt that we see and hear much that is evil these days, which springs from within the human heart. Some of my clergy colleagues and friends have been arrested in the last few weeks in support of freeing asylum seekers who were wrongly imprisoned nearby. We collected toys and games for children of these asylum seekers a few weeks ago, children taken away from their parents. We witness corruption close by in systemic ways through various governmental agencies and administrations. Moves to roll back regulations that would help slow global climate change abound. And racism is louder than ever and “in your face”, as is sexism, homophobia, ageism, ableism… and the list never seems to end. Thanks be to God that, in the end, love prevails, no matter what. As the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Colossians (3:14), “Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Come join us this week as we continue to grow in love in a world where evil is present as a Community of Pilgrims.
___

Events!

Sept. 2, 4-6 pm, Gathering and Worship with Community of Pilgrims at Rose City Park PCUSA;

Sept. 9, 4-6 pm, Gathering and Worship with Community of Pilgrims at Rose City Park PCUSA

Sunday, Sept. 2-14, Pastor Brett leaves for India for Continuing Ed. Pilgrimage.

**Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018, we are excited about celebrating the first anniversary of the Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship on Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018! On our first Sunday, 31 people joined us! Come join us again for a special anniversary Sunday, when we hope to have 32 people join us!**
____

Requests

*Regarding the t-shirts: Please pick up your t-shirt this Sunday, and bring cash or a check made out to Community of Pilgrims, in the amount of $8 for adult M, L, and XL, and youth; and $12 for adult 2XL. Thank you!
____

Prayer Concerns and Celebrations

· Jeanette, JoAnn's Mother, Sue, Liz, and all of our Mothers.
· 18-month-old Quinn who is in her fifth week of chemotherapy and will hopefully have surgery by the end of September to remove her liver.
· People in our own community who are facing stress that impacts their lives.
· Tom, Mark, and others who are looking for employment.
· Prayers of thanksgiving for Adrianne who found a job.
· Our sisters and brothers in the United Methodist Church around the world as they work together to listen with open hearts.
· John McCain's family following his death and prayers that people of integrity may prevail to re-establish stabilization in our government.
· Those affected by fires, hurricanes, and volcanoes.
· Mary's friends going through a divorce and their two year old child.
· Children, the homeless, and immigrants. Our government has stopped separating children from their families at the border but families continue to be arrested and detained.
· Our first year as a community and for funding for the next 18 months, starting January 1, 2019.
· Our political leaders, prayers for more responsible action and wisdom.
· Transitions in relationships in Brett’s life.
___

Poem

September Night, by Sara Teasedale

Lyric night of the lingering Indian Summer, 
Shadowy fields that are scentless but full of singing, 
Never a bird, but the passionless chant of insects, 
Ceaseless, insistent. 

The grasshopper’s horn, and far-off, high in the maples, 
The wheel of a locust leisurely grinding the silence
Under a moon waning and worn, broken, 
Tired with summer. 

Let me remember you, voices of little insects, 
Weeds in the moonlight, fields that are tangled with asters, 
Let me remember, soon will the winter be on us, 
Snow-hushed and heavy. 

Over my soul murmur your mute benediction, 
While I gaze, O fields that rest after harvest, 
As those who part look long in the eyes they lean to, 
Lest they forget them.

____

Buen Camino!
Pastors Brett & Chris
Rev. Dr. Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com Rev. Chris Dungan (503) 724-7060; chrisdungan1@msn.com

Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship Newsletter, Aug. 26, 2018

THIS SUNDAY: August 26, 4 p.m. Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church 1907 NE 45th Avenue – Portland, OR.
Questions? Contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com
_____

Dear Wheel Chair Dancers, Perambulators, Hikers, Pedestrians, Family, and Friends,

Greetings from smoky Portland, Oregon. Earlier in the week, I was in Seattle, and my car was lightly coated with ash from distant fires, remnant of trees destroyed by fire. We are all wondering if smoky skies are the new “norm” for the Pacific Northwest, a reminder of the global-size change in our climate.

A few weeks ago, I started to “unpack” our mission statement, which begins with the bold claim that the Community of Pilgrims is an intentional Christian community. We are not a worship community only. We are not a service community only. We are not an educational community only. Again: we are an intentional Christian community, an “us”, a “we”, a “them.” We follow in the lineage of Benedictine communities, L’Arche communities, Catholic Workers community, Koinonia Farms, New Creation Presbyterian Church, and Church of the Savior communities, to name a few of our predecessors.

What is striking about the focus Scripture this week from Ephesians 6:10-20—which is otherwise known as the “armor of God” passage—is that the writer was writing to communities such as ours: intentional body of believers, who are called to put on the metaphorical “armor” of God as one community; together, put on the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. The writer urged the church to pray as a united community of faith, together, like we do weekly. And the writer encouraged the community of faith, like ours, to remain alert, to persevere, and to pray for “all the saints,” meaning believers not just in Portland, but in other cities, states, and countries. Join us this Sunday as we further explore what it means to be an intentional Christian community of faith.
___

Events!

Friday, Aug. 24, Pastor Chris returns from vacation;

Sunday, Aug. 19, 4-6 pm, Community of Pilgrims meets at Rose City Park Presby. Church.

Fri., Aug. 24-Wed., Aug. 29, Pastor Brett will be staff for “Listening with Open Hearts” Conference for the United Methodist Church at Collins Retreat Center. Again, we will gather together on Aug. 26 for worship.

Aug. 26, 4-6 pm, Gathering and Worship with Community of Pilgrims at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church.

Sept. 2, 4-6 pm, Gathering and Worship with Community of Pilgrims at Rose City Park PCUSA;

Sept. 9, 4-6 pm, Gathering and Worship with Community of Pilgrims at Rose City Park PCUSA

Sunday, Sept. 2-14, Pastor Brett leaves for India for Continuing Ed. Pilgrimage.

**Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018, we are excited about celebrating the first anniversary of the Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship on Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018! On our first Sunday, 31 people joined us! Come join us again for a special anniversary Sunday, when we hope to have 32 people join us!**
____

Requests

*Regarding the t-shirts: Please pick up your t-shirt this Sunday, and bring cash or a check made out to Community of Pilgrims, in the amount of $8 for adult M, L, and XL, and youth; and $12 for adult 2XL. Thank you!
____

Poem

August Moon, by Bonnie Collins
August moon echoes of katydids and
the aroma of the lake that summer not
any special aroma, but somehow that
will always be in my heart along with
the first kiss the evening had in store

Hot summer days, and summer nights
with all the mysterious wonders that
lied ahead of my life each one of them
has left its impact on me till this very day

Being young, and turning into a young lady
from a tom boy certainly had its adjustments
in store for me

Remembering how to dive, wear lipstick, and
falling in love all in one summer's august moon
____
Buen Camino!
Pastors Brett & Chris
Rev. Dr. Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com Rev. Chris Dungan (503) 724-7060; chrisdungan1@msn.com

Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, Aug. 19, 2018

Dear Adventurers, Commuters, Passengers, Voyagers, Family members, and Friends:

In our “elevator speech” for Community of Pilgrims—We are an intentional Christian community, in which we practice service and fellowship, worship and prayer, and education and discipleship, as we follow Jesus, and embrace all—I unpacked “as we follow Jesus” a little bit.

 

This week, I will unpack, “embrace all." The focus Scripture this week is John 6:51-58, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever, and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” When we read Jesus talk this way in the Gospels, we think of Holy Communion, gathering around the table, receiving spiritual food we need to survive in this world while living, by grace, in God’s presence. I read this passage quickly as I sat at the front desk of the free medical clinic at Outside In shelter. No one is turned away from health care at Outside In. Through the open doors walked all kinds of people—the older man addicted to meth who hasn’t showered for weeks, alongside the showered and shaved young gay man dressed in white Polo shirt and pink shorts; the young tattooed woman who broke her arm the day before and now her left arm is swollen as she scratches a head full of lice, crying the entire time; and the attractive middle-aged transgender male-to-female client with peroxide blonde hair—and everyone needed something. We were giving out clean socks, hygiene kits, directions to needle exchange programs, and shelter advice. Reading the Bible in the context of Outside In, I was reminded that God cares not only for our spiritual needs, but also for everyone's physical needs, as I watched the Gospel unfold before my very eyes. We embrace all because Jesus embraces all. How have you seen the Gospel unfold before your eyes this week, in which we witness God's Spirit meet and embrace the needs of all of us?

____

Events!

 

Wed., Aug. 15, Pastor Chris leaves for vacation;

 

Thur., Aug. 16-Sunday, Aug. 19, Pastor Brett will be theologian-in-residence at Camp Hope on the OR Coast (Camp Magruder), which is a camp for people with intellectual disabilities. Worship will still “happen”, from 4-6 pm at Rose City Park on Aug. 19.

 

Sunday, Aug. 19, 4-6 pm, Community of Pilgrims meets at Rose City Park Presby. Church.

 

Fri., Aug. 24-Wed., Aug. 29, Pastor Brett will be staff for “Listening with Open Hearts” Conference for the United Methodist Church at Collins Retreat Center. Again, we will gather together on Aug. 26 for worship.

 

Sunday, Sept. 2, Pastor Brett leaves for India for Continuing Ed. Pilgrimage.

 

**Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018, we are excited about celebrating the first anniversary of the Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship on Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018! On our first Sunday, 31 people joined us! Come join us again for a special anniversary Sunday, when we hope to have 32 people join us!**

____

 

Requests

 

*Regarding the t-shirts: Please pick up your t-shirt this Sunday, and bring cash or a check made out to Community of Pilgrims, in the amount of $8 for adult M,L, and XL, and youth; and $12 for adult 2XL. Thank you!

____

 

 

 

Poem

 

“Late Summer” by Jennifer Grotz

 

Before the moths have even appeared

to orbit around them, the streetlamps come on,

a long row of them glowing uselessly

along the ring of garden that circles the city center,

where your steps count down the dulling of daylight.

At your feet, a bee crawls in small circles like a toy unwinding.

Summer specializes in time, slows it down almost to dream.

And the noisy day goes so quiet you can hear

the bedraggled man who visits each trash receptacle

mutter in disbelief: Everything in the world is being thrown away!

Summer lingers, but it’s about ending. It’s about how things

redden and ripen and burst and come down. It’s when

city workers cut down trees, demolishing

one limb at a time, spilling the crumbs

of twigs and leaves all over the tablecloth of street.

Sunglasses! the man softly exclaims

while beside him blooms a large gray rose of pigeons

huddled around a dropped piece of bread.

____

Buen Camino!

Pastors Brett & Chris

Rev. Dr. Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com Rev. Chris Dungan (503) 724-7060; chrisdungan1@msn.com

Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship Newsletter, Aug. 12, 2018

THIS SUNDAY: August 12, 4 p.m. Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church 1907 NE 45th Avenue – Portland, OR.
Questions? Contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com
_____

Dear Trekkers, Saunterers, Pathfinders, Asylum Seekers, Friends, and Family:
At the Community of Pilgrims’ Steering Team meeting Wednesday night, we figured out our “elevator speech”. We are an intentional Christian community, in which we practice service and fellowship, worship and prayer, and education and discipleship, as we follow Jesus, and embrace all.” There is much to unpack here, but it is a beginning!

So let the unpacking begin. By saying “as we follow Jesus,” what does that mean? In the focus Scripture this week, Eph. 4:25-5:2, there is this wonderful challenge to the Christian community in Ephesus, and us today: be imitators of God! In Jesus, we see and hear and feel God’s love. In this passage, a new standard has been set, setting the “bar” high as we are called out to imitate the love of God in Christ in the world, which hungers for such love. This is the love of neighbor as Jesus called us to love, or “live in love” (5:2), and that the love of Christ dwell in our hearts (3:17). This love of God makes a big difference as we make our way in the world that does not know such love. Join us this Sunday as we explore the art and practice of being imitators of God in the world today!
____

Events!

Sunday, Aug. 12, 2018, 9:30 and 11:00 am, Pastor Brett will be preaching at First Presbyterian Church, Salem, OR. 

Sunday, Aug. 12, 4-6 pm, we will gather and worship and share a potluck together at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church!

Thur., Aug. 16-Sunday, Aug. 19, Pastor Brett will be theologian-in-residence at Camp Hope on the OR Coast (Camp Magruder), which is a camp for people with intellectual disabilities. Worship will still “happen”, from 4-6 pm at Rose City Park on Aug. 19.

Fri., Aug. 24-Wed., Aug. 29, Pastor Brett will be staff for “Listening with Open Hearts” Conference for the United Methodist Church at
Collins Retreat Center. Again, we will gather together on Aug. 26 for worship.

**Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018, we are excited about celebrating the first anniversary of the Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship on Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018! On our first Sunday, 31 people joined us! Come join us again for a special anniversary Sunday, when we hope to have 32 people join us!**
____

Requests

*Regarding the t-shirts: Please pick up your t-shirt this Sunday, and bring cash or a check made out to Community of Pilgrims, in the amount of $8 for adult M,L, and XL, and youth; and $12 for adult 2XL. Thank you! 
____

Poem

“As Imperceptibly As Grief” by Emily Dickinson

As imperceptibly as Grief
The Summer lapsed away –
Too imperceptible at last
To seem like Perfidy –
A Quietness distilled
As Twilight long begun,
Or Nature spending with herself
Sequestered Afternoon –
The Dusk drew earlier in –
The Morning foreign shone –
A courteous, yet harrowing Grace,
As Guest, that would be gone –
And thus, without a Wing
Or service of a Keel
Our Summer made her light escape
Into the Beautiful.
____

Buen Camino!
Pastors Brett & Chris
Rev. Dr. Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com Rev. Chris Dungan (503) 724-7060; chrisdungan1@msn.com

Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship Newsletter, Aug., 5, 2018

THIS SUNDAY: August 5, 4 p.m. Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church 1907 NE 45th Avenue – Portland, OR.

Questions? Contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com
_____

Dear Folks who Stroll, Hike, Bike, Paddle, Use Canes & Walkers, Bus Riders, Drivers, Friends, and Family Members,

Thank you, Pastor Chris Dungan, and all who gathered at Chris’ air-conditioned home on Sunday, July 29! You’re flexibility in moving locations is amazing. What a wonderful relief on a hot summer’s day in Portland, OR, with the promise of more sunshine in the coming week. We are back in our home in the Chapel at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church this Sunday.

The focus Scripture for this Sunday is from the Letter to the Ephesians (which may or may not have been written by Paul), 4:1-16. The writer is exulting over the incredible work of being a Christian community, which is possible by the gift of grace, embodied in the risen Christ, and made real in the never-a-dull-moment of being the body of Christ on earth. The Benedictine writer John Chittister wrote, “In community we work out our connectedness to God, to one another, and to ourselves. It is in community where we find out who we really are…It is easy to talk about the love of God; it is another thing to practice it.” As we, the Community of Pilgrims, continue the work of our calling—to be an intentional Christian community, in which we practice service and fellowship, prayer and worship, and education and discipleship as we follow Jesus and embrace all—may we always be open to what the Spirit is calling us to be and do as we practice and grow into being the body of Christ in Portland, OR!

____

Events!

Sunday, Aug. 5, 2018, 10:00 am, Pastor Brett preaching at Calvin Presbyterian Church in Tigard, OR.

Sunday, Aug. 5, 2018, 4-6:00 pm, Gathering and worship of Community of Pilgrims at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church.

Wed., Aug. 8, 7 pm, Steering/Guide Team, Chris’ home.

Sunday, Aug. 12, 2018, 9:30 and 11:00 am, Pastor Brett will be preaching at First Presbyterian Church, Salem, OR.

Thurs., Aug. 16-Sunday, Aug. 19, Pastor Brett will be theologian-in-residence at Camp Hope on the OR Coast (Camp Magruder), which is a camp for people with intellectual disabilities. Worship will still “happen”, from 4-6 pm at Rose City Park on Aug. 19.

Fri., Aug. 24-Wed., Aug. 29, Pastor Brett will be staff for “Listening with Open Hearts” Conference for the United Methodist Church at Collins Retreat Center. Again, we will gather together on Aug. 26 for worship.
____

Requests

*Regarding the t-shirts: Please pick up your t-shirt this Sunday, and bring cash or a check made out to Community of Pilgrims, in the amount of $8 for adult M,L, and XL, and youth; and $12 for adult 2XL. Thank you!

*Opportunity to discuss and act: From Pastor Linda at Colonial Heights Presbyterian Church: “If your folks would be interested in fixing a dinner for the kids from Warm Springs as they are here in the NW College of Construction program-- let me know. Opportunities will be S-Th dinners from July 8-August 8.” Let’s discuss Sunday.

____

Poem

Things of August, by Wallace Stevens

These locusts by day, these crickets by night
Are the instruments on which to play
Of an old and disued ambit of the soul
Or of a new aspect, bright in discovery--
____
Buen Camino!
Pastors Brett & Chris
Rev. Dr. Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com Rev. Chris Dungan (503) 724-7060; chrisdungan1@msn.com

Community of Pilgrims Newsletter, July 22, 2018

THIS SUNDAY: July 22, 4 p.m. Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church 1907 NE 45th Avenue – Portland, OR.

Questions? Contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com
_____

Dear Rovers, Barnstormers, Commuters, Displaced Persons, Friends, and Family Members,

A big “THANK YOU” to the Community of Pilgrims for your gift of toys, balls, crayons, markers, paper, coloring pens, pencils, erasers, coloring books, and incredible books for the young children who have been taken away from their moms and dads on our southern border. housed at the Morrison Child and Family Services Center. As I write this newsletter, Linda and Kathy of our Community are delivering these gifts to Sean at the Morrison Center, and other churches have asked for this contact and opportunity to provide for others.

This leads to the focus Scripture for this Sunday, Ephesians 2:11-22, which is a very “pilgrim” centered passage, because the words “aliens” and “strangers” that are strewn throughout the passage can also be translated to “pilgrim.” However, what is even more striking amid the talk of “securing the border and “making America safe again,” the building of walls, and the fortification homes in gated communities, is that God is all about doing the exact opposite. In Christ, God is breaking down “the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us” (vs. 14), “creating one new humanity, making peace” (vs. 15), and calling us to “be citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone” (vs. 19). In Christ, there is no talk of borders and walls, only longer tables and more chairs in the household of God, for there is plenty for all. Two completely different metaphors and visions of life. As for us, we belong to God, and are participants in the One who is the cornerstone of a whole new world.
____

Events!

Sunday, July 22, 2018, 4-6 pm, Gathering and Worship with Community of Pilgrims, Rose City Park Presbyterian Church;

Thursday, July 26-28, 2018, Pastor Brett will be at the national Reconciling Convocation, with many of my LGBTQ and allies UMC friends in St. Louis, MO;

Sunday, July 29, 2018, Pastor Brett will preach at Trinity UMC in Toledo, OR in the morning.

Sunday, Aug. 5, 2018, 10:00 am, Pastor Brett preaching at Calvin Presbyterian Church in Tigard, OR.

Wed., Aug. 8, 7 pm, Steering/Guide Team, Chris’ home.

Sunday, Aug. 12, 2018, 9:30 and 11:00 am, Pastor Brett will be preaching at First Presbyterian Church, Salem, OR.

*Possibility: seeing “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot,” the life of John Callahan, a Portlander, filmed by Gus Van Sant, another Oregonian, at Cinema 21. Any interest in seeing this Monday night, July 23, 7 pm? San Sai afterwards?
____

Requests

*Regarding the t-shirts: Please pick up your t-shirt this Sunday, and bring cash or a check made out to Community of Pilgrims, in the amount of $8 for adult M,L, and XL, and youth; and $12 for adult 2XL. Thank you!

*Opportunity to discuss and act: From Pastor Linda at Colonial Heights Presbyterian Church: “If your folks would be interested in fixing a dinner for the kids from Warm Springs as they are here in the NW College of Construction program-- let me know. Opportunities will be S-Th dinners from July 8-August 8.” Let’s discuss Sunday!
____

Poem

The Forsythia Bush, by Brian Doyle

One morning this summer I was basking in the sun
With the brother closest to me in age. We had been
Brought up almost as twins but then took disparate
Roads, as twins do. He was sobbing and I was near
Tears and the ocean was muttering. I heard a heron.
We had been having the most naked open talk we’d
Had in many years. I wanted to tell him how deeply
I loved him but words are just so weak and shallow.
So I talked about the forsythia bush we used to hide
Under together. It was the safest place on the planet.
The light was always amazing in there and it wasn’t
Ever muddy somehow and you were draped in gold.
It was a hut a huddle a tent a canopy a cave a refuge.
Sometimes you have to use a thing to say something
Else. We do this all the time. We talk sideways, yes?
But sidelong is often the only road that gets to where
You know you need to go. So much means lots more
Than it seems like it could mean. Tears, for example.

____
Buen Camino!
Pastors Brett & Chris
Rev. Dr. Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com Rev. Chris Dungan (503) 724-7060; chrisdungan1@msn.com

Toys and Books for Children of Asylum Seekers at Morrison Child and Family Services

At a recent rally on World Refugee Day, Kathy Fukuyama and Brett Webb-Mitchell discovered that some of the children of asylum seekers are living and being taken care of at the Morrison Child and Family Services in Portland, OR.  Through Sean Buchanan, who works at the Morrison Center, we learned that the Center would appreciate toys, books, crayons, and the like for children 12-17 years of age.  On Sunday we collected bags upon bags of toys, books, crayons, markers, coloring books, and balls for the children. What an amazing gift of love!

Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, July 15, 2018

THIS SUNDAY: July 15, 4 p.m. Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church 1907 NE 45th Avenue – Portland, OR.
Questions? Contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com
_____

Dear Gallivanter, Jaywalkers, Gadabout, People of the Way, Family Members and Friends:

Willamette Week’s “Best of Portland” came out the other day, and while we are not listed under the “Best New Presbyterian Fellowship that Began in 2017” category (no one is, phew), we have been around for almost a year (yeah!), and all of you are marvelous and lovely in supporting this new movement of God’s Spirit in Portland, OR! Yes!

The focus Scripture of this newsletter today is this week’s lectionary passage from the Epistles, Ephesians 1:3-14. The writer lays out before us God’s plan for us and all creation, in a trinitarian fashion, calling out God and “Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us,” while also reminding us that are marked “with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit.” In other words, not to sound too eerily like televangelists, God has a plan that is unfolding right before our very eyes, if we take the time to notice, in which we are part of the marvelous unity in Christ Jesus. The plan may be an ancient one, rooted long before the earth was created, but it stretches forward too, far into the future, and we have a place within it, in this time and moment of God’s story. So, when I read this comment by Stephen Mattson on Facebook, “Sometimes, being a good Christian meant being a bad Roman. So before you accuse people of being unpatriotic, ask yourself which empire they’re actually serving,” I was reminded that, first, we are heirs who have received the blessings of God as part of God’s realm of love. That’s who we serve. And, secondly, we are ancestors with an eye on all that will come after us in the Spirit’s grace-filled purpose for all of creation. Or as Bob Dylan reminds us, “You’ve got to serve somebody.” Just know which empire we are serving…
____

Events!

Sunday, July 15, 2018, Pastor Chris will preach in Estacada in the morning.

Sunday, July 15, 2018, 4-6 pm, Gathering and Worship with Community of Pilgrims;

Thursday, July 26-28, 2018, Pastor Brett will be at the national Reconciling Convocation, with many of my LGBTQ and allies UMC friends in St. Louis, MO;

Sunday, July 29, 2018, Pastor Brett will preach at Trinity UMC in Toledo, OR in the morning.

Sunday, Aug. 5, 2018, 10:00 am, Pastor Brett preaching at Calvin Presbyterian Church in Tigard, OR.

Wed., Aug. 8, 7 pm, Steering/Guide Team, Chris’ home.

Sunday, Aug. 12, 2018, 9:30 and 11:00 am, Pastor Brett will be preaching at First Presbyterian
Church, Salem, OR.

*Possibility: seeing “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot,” the life of John Callahan, a Portlander, filmed by Gus Van Sant, another Oregonian, at Cinema 21. Stay tuned!
____
Requests

*For the Children of Asylum Seekers, housed at the Morrison Center in Portland, OR: Last Sunday, July 8, we chose to purchase items for the young people, between the ages of 12-17, and let the Center distribute them. They would like Spanish books, board games like dice, dominoes, balls, arts and craft supplies, yarn, and beads. Bring the “stuff” with you on Sunday, July 15, 2018! And thanks!

*Regarding the t-shirts: Please pick up your t-shirt this Sunday, and bring cash or a check made out to Community of Pilgrims, in the amount of $8 for adult M,L, and XL, and youth; and $12 for adult 2XL. Thank you!

*Opportunity to discuss and act: From Pastor Linda at Colonial Heights Presbyterian Church: “If your folks would be interested in fixing a dinner for the kids from Warm Springs as they are here in the NW College of Construction program-- let me know. Opportunities will be S-Th dinners from July 8-August 8.” Let’s discuss Sunday!
____

Poem

Vacation, by Rita Dove

I love the hour before takeoff,

that stretch of no time, no home

but the gray vinyl seats linked like

unfolding paper dolls. Soon we shall

be summoned to the gate, soon enough

there’ll be the clumsy procedure of row numbers

and perforated stubs—but for now

I can look at these ragtag nuclear families

with their cooing and bickering

or the heeled bachelorette trying

to ignore a baby’s wail and the baby’s

exhausted mother waiting to be called up early

while the athlete, one monstrous hand

asleep on his duffel bag, listens,

perched like a seal trained for the plunge.

Even the lone executive

who has wandered this far into summer

with his lasered itinerary, briefcase

knocking his knees—even he

has worked for the pleasure of bearing

no more than a scrap of himself.


____
Buen Camino!
Pastors Brett & Chris
Rev. Dr. Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com Rev. Chris Dungan (503) 724-7060; chrisdungan1@msn.com

Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship Newsletter, July 8, 2018

THIS SUNDAY: July 8, 4 p.m. Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church 1907 NE 45th Avenue – Portland, OR.
Questions? Contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com
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Dear Festival Goers, Paddlers, Strollers, Bicyclists, Car Travelers, Family, and Friends,
As many of you already know, this is the prime time to live in Portland, OR! The weather is out-of-this world. And over this holiday, there was no shortage of things to do and see in the area, from the Waterfront Blues Festival to fireworks. There were also places in which our rights as citizens were given ample room to be expressed, from Sheridan’s Federal Detention Center to some of the protests rallies that keep springing up in Portland, in which we have ample opportunity to do justice (see Micah 6:8).

The focus Scripture is Mark 6:1-13: Jesus returns to his hometown of Nazareth. The problem? Nobody wanted to listen to a hometown “boy”, especially one whose parentage is questionable (to say the least). There was some push back, some questioning from a people who are named after Israel, aka, Jacob, “the one who wrestles with God.” Having been rebuffed by his kith and kin, Jesus turns around and sends out his disciples to continue to expand his ministry, and to be God’s agents at work in the world, traveling light, and depending on God to provide all that they would need. In other words, they are, like us, a community of pilgrims! And we, like our forbearers before us, are sent out, as delegates, envoys and pilgrims, to preach Jesus’ message, in Jesus’ name, and, to quote St. Francis, “if necessary, use words.” We are sent out to heal, to attack the demons of injustice that plague our society and the world God loves, and to share and be the good news. Join us this Sunday as we explore being Gospel bearers as a Community of Pilgrims!
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Events!
Sunday, July 8, 2018, 4-6 pm, Gathering and Worship with Community of Pilgrims;

Sunday, July 15, 2018, Pastor Chris will preach in Estacada in the morning.

Sunday, July 29, 2018, Pastor Brett will preach in Toledo, OR in the morning.

Sunday, Aug. 5, 2018, 10:00 am, Pastor Brett preaching at Calvin Presbyterian Church in Tigard, OR.

*Possibility: seeing “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot,” the life of John Callahan, a Portlander, filmed by Gus Van Sant, another Oregonian, at Cinema 21.
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Requests

*Regarding the t-shirts: Please pick up your t-shirt this Sunday, and bring cash or a check made out to Community of Pilgrims, in the amount of $8 for adult M,L, and XL, and youth; and $12 for adult 2XL. Thank you!

*Opportunity to discuss and act: From Pastor Linda at Colonial Heights Presbyterian Church: “If your folks would be interested in fixing a dinner for the kids from Warm Springs as they are here in the NW College of Construction program-- let me know. Opportunities will be S-Th dinners from July 8-August 8.” Let’s discuss Sunday!
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Poem

“Bed in Summer”, Robert Louis Stevenson
In winter I get up at night
And dress by yellow candle-light. 
In summer, quite the other way, 
I have to go to bed by day. 

I have to go to bed and see
The birds still hopping on the tree, 
Or hear the grown-up people's feet
Still going past me in the street. 

And does it not seem hard to you, 
When all the sky is clear and blue, 
And I should like so much to play, 
To have to go to bed by day?


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Buen Camino!
Pastors Brett & Chris
Rev. Dr. Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com Rev. Chris Dungan (503) 724-7060; chrisdungan1@msn.com

Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, July 1, 2018

THIS SUNDAY: July 1, 4 p.m. Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church 1907 NE 45th Avenue – Portland, OR.
Questions? Contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com
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Dear Wayfarers, Drifters, Searching Souls, Sauntering Lives, Friends, and Family Members,

We are knee deep in Portland summer. The weather (so far) is just right for a summer’s stroll, a swim in a pool or lake, walking along the water line of the Pacific Ocean on the Oregon coast, and taking a gentle nap after a long, hot day.

On dictionary.com, there is a “Word of the Day.” On June 28, 2018, the word of the day is “transmundane”. It is an adjective, meaning “reaching beyond or existing outside the physical or visible world.” It is literally “beyond” and “mundane”, brought together.

The focus Scripture—Mark 5: 21-43—is a re-telling of two miracles: the healing of Jairus’ daughter—who was at the point of death—and the woman who had been hemorrhaging, who touched Jesus’ cloak. Both of these miracle stories reflect the transmundane reach of the realm of God’s love for humanity. Indeed, these miracle stories, and every miracle around us, is a reflection of the transmundane nature of God in Christ, and these are stories we need to be reminded of today. On the southern border of this country, Jairus’ daughter lies dying today in little girls jeopardized by illness. Little boys and girls lack of food and water, and the necessities of life, the safety and security they—and we all—deserve, and are not permitted. How can we be the “miracle” in the lives of these young girls and boys teetering on the edge of life and death? How can our actions reflect the transmundane nature of the Spirit in the world today?
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Events!

Friday and Saturday, June 29 and 30, Stated Meeting of the Presbytery of the Cascades; First Presbyterian Church of Salem;

Friday, June 29, 2018, 12 noon, Pastor Brett will be on a panel addressing LGBTQ+ issues and Faith Communities at Portland City Club. Go to this site for more info: https://www.pdxcityclub.org/calendar/?eid=9008

Saturday, June 30, there is a “Families Belong Together” rally in Portland, OR: https://act.moveon.org/…/families-belong-together_a…/search/

Sunday, July 1, 4-6 pm, Gathering and Worship with Community of Pilgrims;

Wednesday, July 25, 7 pm, Steering/Guide Team, Chris Dungan Home;

Sunday, July 29, Pastor Brett will be preaching at Trinity UMC in Toledo, OR;

Sunday, Aug. 5, 2018, 10:00 am, Pastor Brett will be preaching at Calvin Presbyterian Church in Tigard, OR.
____

Requests

* Regarding the t-shirts: Please pick up your t-shirt this Sunday, and bring cash or a check made out to Community of Pilgrims, in the amount of $8 for adult M,L, and XL, and youth; and $12 for adult 2XL. Thank you!

*Opportunity to discuss and act: From Pastor Linda at Colonial Heights Presbyterian Church: “If your folks would be interested in fixing a dinner for the kids from Warm Springs as they are here in the NW College of Construction program-- let me know. Opportunities will be S-Th dinners from July 8-August 8.” Let’s discuss Sunday!
____


In honor of the refugees in the world today: 

Learning to Love America, by Shirley Geok-Lin Lim

because it has no pure products

because the Pacific Ocean sweeps along the coastline
because the water of the ocean is cold
and because land is better than ocean

because I say we rather than they

because I live in California
I have eaten fresh artichokes
and jacaranda bloom in April and May

because my senses have caught up with my body
my breath with the air it swallows
my hunger with my mouth

because I walk barefoot in my house

because I have nursed my son at my breast
because he is a strong American boy
because I have seen his eyes redden when he is asked who he is
because he answers I don’t know

because to have a son is to have a country
because my son will bury me here
because countries are in our blood and we bleed them

because it is late and too late to change my mind
because it is time.

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Buen Camino!
Pastors Brett & Chris
Rev. Dr. Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com Rev. Chris Dungan (503) 724-7060; chrisdungan1@msn.com

 

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