Newsletter, CoP, Dec. 2, 2018

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

Dear Advent Pilgrims!

Here we go! And we are off! Our new year as a Fellowship, part of the universal Church, has begun! We have switched our readings from Mark to Luke as we follow the Revised Common Lectionary. And coming up first in our pilgrimage of faith is the first Sunday of Advent, in which we light the candle of hope.

The Scripture focus is Jeremiah 33:14-16. Six hundred years before Jesus’ birth, the people of Israel were carried off to exile in Babylon, after many warnings to do justice, practice loving kindness, and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8). As one can imagine, the future prospects were not bright. Yet Jeremiah the prophet speaks to the people of Israel a word of hope even in the midst of despair and destruction. It is a hope that even dwells deep in the hearts, bodies, and minds of the people of God. It is a hope that is stirring that they—and we—may not be aware of quite yet or at times when we are overwhelmed by the gloom of the moment. It is said by many in the Church that Advent is not only a time of waiting, filled with hope, as we await the celebration of the birth of the embodiment of hope, the Christ-child. The writer Edward Hays calls Advent a “winter training camp for those who desire peace.” Join us this Sunday as we explore and discuss in what ways hope is present amidst the brokenness of this world.

In being hope for the world, I also want to call your attention to two of the attachments: 1) the Reverse Advent Calendar, which is how we have chosen to celebrate Advent this year as a Community of Pilgrims; and 2) Pledge Cards for time, talent, and financial contributions to the growth of the Community of Pilgrims. Your support in sharing your time, talent, and financial contribution made it possible for us to exist, let alone flourish, this past year, making a difference in so many lives. Thank you! Let us be a light of hope for the world, following Jesus and embracing all, as we continue to use the gifts given to us to spread the love of God in the world today. We will collect these Pledge Cards this Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018, as our gift of hope, so bring the cards with you! Or email them to Bill Kinsey, our Treasurer, whose email address is part of this email.
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Events!

Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018, First Sunday of Advent! Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church’s Chapel;
Sunday, Dec. 9, 2018, Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park;
Sunday, Dec. 16, 2018, Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park;
Sunday, Dec. 23, 2018, Our Christmas Eve Service, Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park;
Sunday, Dec. 30, 2018, Breakfast and Worship, Moholt’s home, Time TBD;
Sunday, Jan. 6, 2018, Epiphany! Pastor Brett preaching at First Presbyterian Church, Salem.
Sunday, Jan. 6, 2018, Epiphany! Gathering and Worship, place TBD!
____

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!
* We also have plenty of beautiful leather bracelets for each member of the community! Pick one up this Sunday!
* In the coming months, Pastor Chris and I will be quoting from and referencing sections from the book, Wisdom Distilled from the Daily by Joan Chittister, a Benedictine monk, who, in this book, focuses on the nature of living life in an intentional Christian community, which is our aim as Community of Pilgrims. We can either order books for those interested and sending in a request for so-many copies, or feel free to order it or buy it from your favorite book distributor. Wisdom Distilled from the Daily, Joan Chittister, San Francisco: Harper One.
_____

Poem

December, by Michael Miller

I want to be a passenger
in your car again
and shut my eyes
while you sit at the wheel,

awake and assured
in your own private world,
seeing all the lines
on the road ahead,

down a long stretch
of empty highway
without any other
faces in sight.

I want to be a passenger
in your car again
and put my life back
in your hands.
____

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, Nov. 25, 2018

THIS SUNDAY: Nov. 25, 2018, 4 p.m. Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church’s Chapel. 1907 NE 45th Avenue – Portland, OR.Questions? Contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com 

_____

Dear Pilgrims,

With Thanksgiving before us all, we are reminded of pilgrims on a pilgrimage in the 1600s. Funny thing about the name of our Fellowship: I remember being asked (tongue in cheek) if we were but a group of people who liked to re-enact the early settlers called “Pilgrims.” The name “Pilgrim” came from one of the settlers, William Bradford, in which the settlers were first called “Old Comers” but Bradford called the name to “Saints” and “Pilgrims.” 

As a Community of Pilgrims, let us remember those who are still seeking a homeland and home among the 68.5 million refugees who are roaming around the earth on our Thanksgiving. The caravan crisis along our southern border continues on Thanksgiving Day and beyond, as does the Syrian crisis, along with the civil war in Yemen, and other hot spots around the world.  As we give thanks to God for the love of family and friends alike, let us also be mindful of those who are without such assurance of love and life, and dedicate ourselves to making a difference in their lives in the coming year. In the name of Jesus, the Pilgrim God we pray. Amen.

_____

Events!

Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018, the Reign of Christ Sunday! Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church’s Chapel;

Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018, First Sunday of Advent! Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church’s Chapel.

Sunday, Dec. 9, 2018, Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park

Sunday, Dec. 16, 2018, Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park

Sunday, Dec. 23, 2018, Our Christmas Eve Service, Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park

____

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!

* We also have plenty of beautiful leather bracelets for each member of the community! Pick one up this Sunday!

* In the coming months, Pastor Chris and I will be quoting from and referencing sections from the book, Wisdom Distilled from the Daily by Joan Chittister, a Benedictine monk, who, in this book, focuses on the nature of living life in an intentional Christian community, which is our aim as Community of Pilgrims. We can either order books for those interested and sending in a request for so-many copies, or feel free to order it or buy it from your favorite book distributor. Wisdom Distilled from the Daily, Joan Chittister, San Francisco: Harper One. 

____

Prayer Concerns and Celebrations

·      Prayers of thanksgiving for Bill Kinsey’s good report on his heart;

·      Prayers for Chuck White’s health;

·      Prayers for those who are roaming the world as refugees this day;

·      Prayers for traveling mercies who are on the road;

·      Prayers for those without family and friends this Thanksgiving;

_____

Poem

Letting Go, by Meister Eckhart

I don’t like the dark.

I’d rather be clothed

Than naked.

Yet You tell me

I must let go of all that 

Clothes me—

My joys and fears

My worries and even

My imaginings—

And give myself

To the dark emptiness

Where You wait

To be born in me.

_____

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 

Newsletter of the Community of Pilgrims Nov. 18, 2018

Dear Wanderers, Searchers, Bicyclists, Unicyclists, Stilt Walkers, Friends, and Family members,

Hard to imagine, but we are coming to the end of our church calendar! Next Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018, is The Reign of Christ Sunday, or our way of saying “Happy New Year” in the life of the Church. This is followed by the first Sunday of Advent on Dec. 2, 2018, and off we begin with a new year on the Church calendar.

The focus Scripture this week is Hebrews 10:25: “Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” This verse is encouraging to those of us in the Community of Pilgrims, as modeled by Benedictine communities, in which we are called to be an intentional Christian community of faith. There are two things that are being said here: first, don’t neglect to get together with each other. The second? To “provoke” or encourage one another with love and good deeds. Sometimes, acts or deeds of love are more powerful than words. Yet what is most powerful about this instruction is the sense of how mutual it all is. In other words, we are to love one another, through the practice of good deeds with one another, as we encourage or “provoke” one another in acts of love. What a lovely charge to Christian communities of faith. May we practice this not only weekly, but daily.

_____

Events!

Sunday, Nov. 18, 10:30 am, Pastor Brett will be preaching at First UMC in Seattle, WA;
Sunday, Nov. 18, 4 pm, Colonial Heights Presbyterian Church, Portland, OR, Thanksgiving Memory Bags.
Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018, the Reign of Christ Sunday! Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church’s Chapel;
Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018, First Sunday of Advent! Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church’s Chapel
____

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!
* We also have plenty of beautiful leather bracelets for each member of the community! Pick one up this Sunday!
* In the coming months, Pastor Chris and I will be quoting from and referencing sections from the book, Wisdom Distilled from the Daily by Joan Chittister, a Benedictine monk, who, in this book, focuses on the nature of living life in an intentional Christian community, which is our aim as Community of Pilgrims. We can either order books for those interested and sending in a request for so-many copies, or feel free to order it or buy it from your favorite book distributor. Wisdom Distilled from the Daily, Joan Chittister, San Francisco: Harper One.
____

Poem

In November, by Lisal Mueller

Outside the house the wind is howling 
and the trees are creaking horribly. 
This is an old story 
with its old beginning, 
as I lay me down to sleep. 
But when I wake up, sunlight 
has taken over the room. 
You have already made the coffee 
and the radio brings us music 
from a confident age. In the paper 
bad news is set in distant places. 
Whatever was bound to happen 
in my story did not happen. 
But I know there are rules that cannot be broken. 
Perhaps a name was changed. 
A small mistake. Perhaps 
a woman I do not know 
is facing the day with the heavy heart 
that, by all rights, should have been mine.
_____

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

Newsletter, Community of Pilgrims, Nov. 11, 2018

Nov. 11, 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 Moms, Dads, Aunts, Uncles, Siblings, Cousins, Nieces, Nephews, In-Laws and Out-Laws, and Family of Choice!

I write this note to you from an easy chair in Hudson, NH, where my granddaughter’s dad, Scott, is at work; mom Adrianne is taking a nap; granddaughter Edie is in a bouncy chair sound asleep, and for a moment, all is quiet and at peace in a household that grew significantly in one week’s time.

This week’s Scripture focus is Mark 12:38-44. There are two parts to this living parable. Part One has to do with a loud display of giving and serving. Jesus warns about the self-serving Scribes who will be condemned for their simultaneous love for “show” and cynical lack of mercy—specifically to widows. Part Two is about the well-known story of the widow’s mite or offering. It is the story of the widow who gave all that she had into the treasury, while all others gave from their abundance. We will explore in what ways the widow’s offering suggests that faithful giving and faithful living, which is not for the sake of the recipient, but rather for the sake of the life of the giver. Join us this Sunday as we explore this act of faithfulness.

_____

Events!

Friday and Saturday, Nov. 9-10, Stated Meeting of the Presbytery of the Cascades, Columbia Presbyterian Church, Vancouver, WA.
Sunday, Nov. 11, 10:30 am, Brett preaching at First Presby. Church, Woodburn, OR;
Sunday, Nov. 11, 4 pm, Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park Presby. Church’s Chapel.
Sunday, Nov. 18, 10:30 am, Pastor Brett will be preaching at First UMC in Seattle, WA;
Sunday, Nov. 18, 4 pm, Colonial Heights Presbyterian Church, Portland, OR, Thanksgiving Memory Bags.
Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018, Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church’s Chapel;
____

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!

* We also have plenty of beautiful leather bracelets for each member of the community! Pick one up this Sunday!
* In the coming months, Pastor Chris and I will be quoting from and referencing sections from the book, Wisdom Distilled from the Daily by Joan Chittister, a Benedictine monk, who, in this book, focuses on the nature of living life in an intentional Christian community, which is our aim as Community of Pilgrims. We can either order books for those interested and sending in a request for so-many copies, or feel free to order it or buy it from your favorite book distributor. Wisdom Distilled from the Daily, Joan Chittister, San Francisco: Harper One.
____

Prayer Concerns and Celebrations

For refugees and migrants throughout the world;
For candidates awaiting results of ordination exams, and the readers charges with evaluating them;
_____

Poem

November, by Maggie Dietz
Show's over, folks. And didn't October do
A bang-up job? Crisp breezes, full-throated cries
Of migrating geese, low-floating coral moon.

Nothing left but fool's gold in the trees.
Did I love it enough, the full-throttle foliage,
While it lasted? Was I dazzled? The bees

Have up and quit their last-ditch flights of forage
And gone to shiver in their winter clusters.
Field mice hit the barns, big squirrels gorge

On busted chestnuts. A sky like hardened plaster
Hovers. The pasty river, its next of kin,
Coughs up reed grass fat as feather dusters.

Even the swarms of kids have given in
To winter's big excuse, boxed-in allure:
TVs ricochet light behind pulled curtains.

The days throw up a closed sign around four.
The hapless customer who'd wanted something
Arrives to find lights out, a bolted door.

_____

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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Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship Newsletter, Nov. 4, 2018

THIS SUNDAY: Nov. 4, 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 Faithful Descendants of Emilech, Naomi, Mahlon, Orpah, Chilion, and Ruth,

The words of Ruth (1:1-8) will be the focus of this Sunday’s homily. To say the least, these words are timely and timeless: they are timely, because we need to be reminded of these words in a time where there is the largest migration of people in human history. There are 68.5 million forcibly displaced people in the world currently. While there is plenty of room to welcome them into our countries, cities, towns, villages, churches, mosques, and synagogues, nonetheless, they roam. The passage from Ruth is timeless, because it was written thousands of years ago, and reminds us that, even when on the open roads of life, we are not alone, and are not to travel alone. When Naomi urges Ruth to go to her homeland, Ruth counters her plea with these prescient words: “Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die—there will I be buried. May the Lord do thus and so to me, and more as well, if even death parts me from you.”

In a world in which so many people are wandering in search of community and relationships, the Community of Pilgrims—as an intentional Christian community—is given an opportunity and challenge to welcome those who wander, the modern-day Ruths and Naomis. We are to emulate the practice of providing hospitality to all, based on the Rule of Benedict and the gospel, in which it is written: “Let all guests who arrive be received like Christ, for he is going to say: I was a stranger and you welcomed me (Matt. 25:35). And to all let due honor be shown, especially to those who share our faith (Gal. 6:10), and to pilgrims…In the reception of the poor and pilgrims the greatest care and solicitude should be shown, because it is especially in them that Christ is received” (Rule of Benedict 53:1-2, 15).

Come this Sunday as we struggle to listen, learn, and apply the lessons from these ancient words to our modern lives and conundrum!

_____

Events!

Sunday, Nov. 4, Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church’s Chapel;

Friday and Saturday, Nov. 9-10, Stated Meeting of the Presbytery of the Cascades, Columbia Presbyterian Church, Vancouver, WA.

Sunday, Nov. 11, 10:30 am, Brett preaching at First Presby. Church, Woodburn, OR;

Sunday, Nov. 11, 4 pm, Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park Presby. Church’s Chapel.

Sunday, Nov. 18, 10:30 am, Pastor Brett will be preaching at First UMC in Seattle, WA;

Sunday, Nov. 18, 4 pm, Colonial Heights Presbyterian Church, Portland, OR, Thanksgiving Memory Bags.

Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018, Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church’s Chapel;

____

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!

* We also have plenty of beautiful leather bracelets for each member of the community! Pick one up this Sunday!

* In the coming months, Pastor Chris and I will be quoting from and referencing sections from the book, Wisdom Distilled from the Daily by Joan Chittister, a Benedictine monk, who, in this book, focuses on the nature of living life in an intentional Christian community, which is our aim as Community of Pilgrims. We can either order books for those interested and sending in a request for so-many copies, or feel free to order it or buy it from your favorite book distributor. Wisdom Distilled from the Daily, Joan Chittister, San Francisco: Harper One.

_____

Poem

In honor that today, Nov. 1, 2018, is All Saints Day, this poem is beautiful.

All Saints by Malcolm Guite

Though Satan breaks our dark glass into shards

Each shard still shines with Christ’s reflected light,

It glances from the eyes, kindles the words

Of all his unknown saints. The dark is bright

With quiet lives and steady lights undimmed,

The witness of the ones we shunned and shamed.

Plain in our sight and far beyond our seeing

He weaves them with us in the web of being

They stand beside us even as we grieve,

The lone and left behind whom no one claimed,

Unnumbered multitudes, he lifts above

The shadow of the gibbet and the grave,

To triumph where all saints are known and named;

The gathered glories of His wounded love.

_____

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, Oct. 28, 2018

THIS SUNDAY: Oct. 28, 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 Faithful Descendants of Bartimaeus, Joanna, Matthew the Tax Collector, and Mary Magdalene,

Let us welcome fall weather! While it was the mid-70s last weekend, a shift occurred the other day, and rainy Portland came to town. I am still daft enough to wear shorts (on a day like today, with the promise of going up to the 60s), it is nevertheless fall weather!

Bartimaeus, or “Blind Bartimaeus” is the exemplar of the faith this coming Sunday as we focus on Mark 1:46-52. He gets much attention by commentary writers because Mark has Bartimaeus shouting out not only Jesus name, but the connection with the Jewish people: “Jesus, Son of David!” shouts Bartimaeus. This is also a pilgrimage story. Bartimaeus was minding his own business, on his own pilgrimage journey, when who should show up alongside him on his pilgrimage journey but Jesus! On the side of the pilgrim road they have a quick but intense conversation, "faith makes you well," miracle healing occurs, and soon, Bartimaeus—who now sees—leaves all behind and is following Jesus on the pilgrimage of faith...just like the other disciples! This raises the question: when did we see a modern day Bartimaeus on our pilgrimage of life, who reveal to us in surprising ways the nature and Creator of our faith? Let’s explore this question this coming Sunday!

_____

Events!

Sunday, Oct. 28, Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church’s Chapel;
Sunday, Nov. 4, Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church’s Chapel;
Friday and Saturday, Nov. 9-10, Stated Meeting of the Presbytery of the Cascades, Columbia Presbyterian Church, Vancouver, WA.
Sunday, Nov. 11, 10:30 am, Brett preaching at First Presby. Church, Woodburn, OR;
Sunday, Nov. 11, 4 pm, Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park Presby. Church’s Chapel.
Sunday, Nov. 18, 4 pm, Colonial Heights Presbyterian Church, Portland, OR, Thanksgiving Memory Bags.
____

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!
* We also have plenty of beautiful leather bracelets for each member of the community! Pick one up this Sunday!

_____
Poem
An October Garden - 
Poem by Christina Georgina Rossetti

In my Autumn garden I was fain 
To mourn among my scattered roses; 
Alas for that last rosebud which uncloses 
To Autumn's languid sun and rain 
When all the world is on the wane! 
Which has not felt the sweet constraint of June, 
Nor heard the nightingale in tune. 

Broad-faced asters by my garden walk, 
You are but coarse compared with roses: 
More choice, more dear that rosebud which uncloses 
Faint-scented, pinched, upon its stalk, 
That least and last which cold winds balk; 
A rose it is though least and last of all, 
A rose to me though at the fall.
_____

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, Oct. 21, 2018

THIS SUNDAY: Oct. 21, 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 Mountaineer, Beachcomber, Bohemian, Backpacker, Family, and Friends,

First, I begin with the good news that our Investment Grant for the Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship was submitted and approved for $25,000 from the Presbytery of the Cascades, and has gone forward to be considered by the national 1001 New Worshiping Communities folks at the Presbyterian Center/Presbyterian Mission Agency in Louisville, KY. Prayers that we receive matching funds from the national PCUSA!

Second, as I prepare for a Benedictine retreat with the men of First Presbyterian Church, Salem, I refreshed my understanding of hospitality in the Rule of St. Benedict. The Rule is a small book written by Benedict of Nursia (480-550 CE), meant to provide rules for a community of monks living together. One of the practices that the Benedictine community is well-known for is the practice of hospitality, which is a core practice of Community of Pilgrims. In the Rule, it is written that “any guest who happens to arrive at the monastery should be received just as we would receive Christ himself, because he promised that on the last day he will say: I was a stranger and you welcomed me. Proper respect should be shown to everyone while a special welcome is reserved for those who are of the household of our Christian faith and for pilgrims.” What does it mean to practice such hospitality? It doesn’t mean bringing out the best china, lace napkins, and crystal wineglasses. The real meaning of hospitality has to do with making room inside ourselves for another person, in small and big ways. Let’s practice that kind of hospitality within the Community of Pilgrims!
_____

Events!

Friday, Oct. 19-21, Brett leads Men’s Retreat for First Presby. Salem men at Suttle Lake;
Sunday, Oct. 21, Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church’s Chapel;
Sunday, Oct. 28, Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church’s Chapel;
Sunday, Nov. 4, Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church’s Chapel;
Friday and Saturday, Nov. 9-10, Stated Meeting of the Presbytery of the Cascades, Columbia Presbyterian Church, Vancouver, WA.
Sunday, Nov. 11, 10:30 am, Brett preaching at First Presby. Church, Woodburn, OR;
Sunday, Nov. 11, 4 pm, Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park Presby. Church’s Chapel.
____

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!

* We also have plenty of beautiful leather bracelets for each member of the community! Pick one up this Sunday!
____

Poem
After Apple-Picking, by Robert Frost

My long two-pointed ladder's sticking through a tree 
Toward heaven still, 
And there's a barrel that I didn't fill 
Beside it, and there may be two or three 
Apples I didn't pick upon some bough. 
But I am done with apple-picking now. 
Essence of winter sleep is on the night, 
The scent of apples: I am drowsing off. 
I cannot rub the strangeness from my sight 
I got from looking through a pane of glass 
I skimmed this morning from the drinking trough 
And held against the world of hoary grass. 
It melted, and I let it fall and break. 
But I was well 
Upon my way to sleep before it fell, 
And I could tell 
What form my dreaming was about to take. 
Magnified apples appear and disappear, 
Stem end and blossom end, 
And every fleck of russet showing clear. 
My instep arch not only keeps the ache, 
It keeps the pressure of a ladder-round. 
I feel the ladder sway as the boughs bend. 
And I keep hearing from the cellar bin 
The rumbling sound 
Of load on load of apples coming in. 
For I have had too much 
Of apple-picking: I am overtired 
Of the great harvest I myself desired. 
There were ten thousand thousand fruit to touch, 
Cherish in hand, lift down, and not let fall. 
For all 
That struck the earth, 
No matter if not bruised or spiked with stubble, 
Went surely to the cider-apple heap 
As of no worth. 
One can see what will trouble 
This sleep of mine, whatever sleep it is. 
Were he not gone, 
The woodchuck could say whether it's like his 
Long sleep, as I describe its coming on, 
Or just some human sleep. 

_____

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, Oct. 14, 2018

THIS SUNDAY: Oct. 14, 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 Imitators, Disciples, Seekers, Doubters, and Followers of Jesus, the Pilgrim God,

The salutation I begin with this week is far different than the creative ones I have used in past newsletters. That’s because this week’s Scripture passage speaks to one of the core themes or visions of Community of Pilgrims, this intentional Christian community we are part of, in which we have focused in on the practice of following Jesus as we embrace all. Indeed, we embrace all because that what Jesus did in his ministry: embraced all. What a brave statement we have put out there in the world for all to see and hear! And it takes nothing less than courage and patience to follow Jesus, along with being willing to sacrifice all for the greater good of following the way of Jesus, the Pilgrim God.

This powerful message is central to this week’s reading from Mark 10:17-31. The passage opens up with the story of the rich young ruler, an outsider to the band of folks following Jesus. The rich young man is searching for the next step in his pilgrimage of faith. He has followed the 10 Commandments, and wants to know what else there is to do or be in order to reach the next step in his pilgrimage of faith. Jesus says to sell everything, give it to the poor, and “Come, follow me.” The young man, unable to do that one thing, leaves the company of the disciples and Jesus. In this passage, Jesus tells the disciples then—and now—what we are to do in following Jesus. It begins with the practice of putting Jesus first or as the highest priority in all parts of our lives, even over family, friends, and national loyalties. Second, it is to ask the question, “What would Jesus do?” not as a bumper sticker motto, but asking it in real-life scenarios, in which, to follow Jesus, may cost one one’s livelihood, home, status in society, or life. In this passage, the disciples finally got this correct, as they left home, family, and occupation to follow Jesus, the Pilgrim God. Join us this Sunday as we explore this passage and its application to our daily lives and lives as a community of faith.

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Events!

Oct. 13, 9-12 am, Brett will participate in local Reconciling UMC event in Toledo, OR;
Sunday, Oct. 14, 10 am, Brett preaching at First UMC, Beaverton;
Sunday, Oct. 14, 4-6 pm, Rose City Park Presby. Church.
Friday, Oct. 19-21, Brett leads Men’s Retreat for First Presby. Salem men at Suttle Lake;
Friday and Saturday, Nov. 9-10, Stated Meeting of the Presbytery of the Cascades, Columbia Presbyterian Church, Vancouver, WA.
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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!

* We also have plenty of beautiful leather bracelets for each member of the community! Pick one up this Sunday!

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Poem
October, by Bobbi Katz

October is
when night guzzles up
the orange sherbet sunset
and sends the day
to bed
before supper
and
October is when jack-o’-lanterns
grin in the darkness
and
strange company crunches
across the rumple of dry leaves
to ring a doorbell.
October is
when you can be ghost,
a witch,
a creature from outer space…
almost anything!
And the neighbors, fearing tricks,
give you treats.

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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 Newsletter Oct. 7, 2018

THIS SUNDAY: Oct. 7, 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 
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Dear Evacuee, Migrator, Emigrant, Rover, Nomad, Friends, and Family members,

As I write this email, we are witnessing the moving of thousands if not millions of lives of people on a forced-pilgrimage from their homes and homelands because of natural disasters and wars. In Indonesia, earthquake and a related tsunami destroyed homes and lives. Those who were those people in the pathway of Hurricane Matthew in NC and SC who will have much work to do as they try to recover some semblance of normality in their lives. We pray for those caught in the pathway of destruction.

The focus Scripture is Mark 10:2-16, in which there are two parts of the message: first, Jesus is asked a question about marriage and divorce, in which he proposes that divorce should rarely happen, if it all. The second message is about children, in which we are instructed to receive the realm of God just like a child would welcome good news: with enthusiasm and happiness. What do these two passages have in common? Grace. When a couple’s communication is in sync, both are free to talk and are heard by the other, that is grace. When the “lowly” child accepts the Good News, God’s reign of love, unearned, it is a pure gift of God’s grace. Like the child, Jesus asks those of us who are older to submit ourselves humbly to God’s sovereign grace, in which we know all will be well. We will talk more about relationships and grace this Sunday.

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Events!

Saturday, Oct. 6, Brett leading men’s retreat for First Presby. Church, Portland, at Menucha;
Sunday, Oct. 7, 4-6 pm, Gathering and Worship, Rose City Park Presby. Church.
Wed., Oct. 10, 1-4 pm, Brett leads spiritual retreat on LGBTQ+ People on a Spiritual Pilgrimage, Franciscan Center, Milwaukie, OR.
Sunday, Oct. 14, 10 am, Brett preaching at First UMC, Beaverton;
Sunday, Oct. 14, 4-6 pm, Rose City Park Presby. Church.
Friday, Oct. 19-21, Brett leads Men’s Retreat for First Presby. Salem men at Suttle Lake;
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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!
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Poem

For the Chipmunk in My Yard, by Robert Gibb
I think he knows I’m alive, having come down 
The three steps of the back porch 
And given me a good once over. All afternoon 
He’s been moving back and forth,
Gathering odd bits of walnut shells and twigs, 
While all about him the great fields tumble 
To the blades of the thresher. He’s lucky 
To be where he is, wild with all that happens. 
He’s lucky he’s not one of the shadows 
Living in the blond heart of the wheat.
This autumn when trees bolt, dark with the fires 
Of starlight, he’ll curl among their roots, 
Wanting nothing but the slow burn of matter 
On which he fastens like a small, brown flame.
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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 Newsletter, Sept. 30, 2018

Dear Jet-Setter, Road Tripper, Vacationist, Family Members, and Friends,

After howling at the first full harvest moon this past Monday with a group of paddlers from Golden Dragons in the middle of the Willamette, my hunch is that we are all glad and welcoming late-September and October’s weather. True relief after a hotter-than-usual summer.

The focus Scripture that always fascinates me has to do with Jesus and salt, Mark 9:50: “Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another!” Salt has an association with holy living, as it was part of the ancient grain offerings (Lev. 2:13). Salt was and is also important as a preservative and a seasoning. And it can never lose its saltiness. Salt cannot become un-salt. As a preservative, this points to the revelation that Christians are supposed to be persistent, and live the life of faith with a kind of constancy and stick-to-itiveness. As a seasoning, Christians are called to enhance the flavor of life in this world, enriching its goodness and making God’s work stand out from the so-called “normal” way of doing things and being in the world. Finally: salt makes an impact. God is using us to have an impact upon the world around us. So how are we either slowing down the moral decay of the world in which we live, or how are we enhancing the spiritual “flavor” of the world that God has created? In all ways, we are called to make a difference, for the good, in the world in which we live.
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Events!

Sunday, Sept. 30, 10 am, Pastor Chris preaching, Eagle Creek PCUSA
Sunday, Sept. 30, 4-6 pm, Gathering and Worship, Rose City Park Presbyterian Church;
Saturday, Oct. 6, Brett leading men’s retreat for First Presby. Church, Portland, at Menucha;
Sunday, Oct. 7, Gathering and Worship, Rose City Park Presby. Church.
Sunday, Oct. 14, 10 am, Brett preaching at First UMC, Beaverton;
Sunday, Oct. 14, 4-6 pm, Rose City Park Presby. Church.
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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!

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Poem

Remembering Summer, by W. S. Merwin

Being too warm the old lady said to me
Is better than being too cold I think now
In between is the best because you never give it a thought but it goes by too fast
I remember the winter how cold it got
I could never get warm wherever I was
But I don’t remember the summer heat like that
Only the long days the breathing of the tress
The evenings with the hens still talking in the lane
And the light getting longer in the valley
The sound of a bell from down there somewhere
I can sit here now still listening to it.
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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