CONNECTIONS UPUMC • All-Church potluck and forum, Sunday, September 30, potluck at 11:30am, forum on the proposal for a Peace Tax, Pam Alee, at Noon. • Outreach Committee meets Sunday, September 30, after potluck. • World Communion Sunday, October 7, 2007, with Festival of Breads. • Education Committee meets Sunday, October 7, 2007, 12:45pm, Errol Stephenson Hall. • Staff-Parish Relations Committee meets Monday, October 15, 6:30pm, Errol Stephenson Hall. • Administrative Council meets Monday, October 15, 7:30pm, Errol Stephenson Hall. • Lunch Bunch meets at Madison Bar and Grill, on Madison, between 11th and 12th, Tuesday, October 16, 12:30pm. Bev Read makes reservations. • Trustees meet Tuesday, October 16, 6:30pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.
THE LARGER CHURCH • Catholic tradition worship service, Second Saturdays, 5pm, Sanctuary, UPUMC. • George Baldwin speaks at Micah’s Village, Sunday, September 30, 2-4:30pm. • Church Women United meet Thursday, October 4, 9am-Noon, Errol Stephenson Hall. • Three Pastoral Events in Pendleton October 8-11: Healthy Boundaries, Healthy Ministry; Sacred Spaces Conversation; Bishop’s Symposium. • Fall Connectional Ministries Convocation, Saturday, October 20, 8:30am-4pm, Portland First UMC.
THE COMMUNITY • Game Days, First and Third Sundays, 2-5pm, University Park Coffee Shop. • Morrison Center Training Event, Wednesday-Friday, October 10-12, 8am-5pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.
FUTURE EVENTS, FOR YOUR CALENDAR • Women’s Beach Trip, October 19-21, 2007, Neskowin. • All-church Charge Conference, Sunday, November 18, 5:30pm. • Celebration Sunday, November 25, 2007
WEEKLY AT UPUMC • Choir practices Sundays at 9:30am, Tuesdays at 6:30pm, Sanctuary. • Alcoholics Anonymous, Narthex, Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays at 8pm, weekly. • Overeaters Anonymous, Wednesdays at 7pm. STAYING IN TOUCH Edna Riddle, Sunrise Adult Care Center, 11945 SW Butner Rd., Portland OR 97225; 503-841-1295.
Harriet Bonhorst, Pioneer Tower, 515 P Street #202, Sacramento, CA 95814; phone: 1-916-446-4863.
Erica Martinez, 182 E Nevada St. Ashland, OR 97520. Cell phone: 1-503-791-3680.
Jeanne Pulliam, 8603 SE Causey Ave, Apt 202; Happy Valley, OR 97086-2604, Telephone 503-594-2539.
Aleena Sologar, 775 Cascade St. #1316, Oregon City, OR 97045, her son Jonathan’s home. Phone, 503-387-3813.
PLEASE DON’T GO HUNGRY. WE HAVE FOOD IN OUR PANTRY, LOCATED IN THE HALLWAY LEADING TO ERROL STEPHENSON HALL. TAKE WHAT YOU NEED.
THE NURSERY IS STAFFED DURING WORSHIP FOR CHILDREN YOUNGER THAN SCHOOL AGE. CELEBRATIONS FUND-RAISER It’s a new thing. Each Sunday, after church and during the coffee and fellowship time we will celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and other celebrations by putting pennies, dimes, quarters, dollars or whatever you choose into a Celebrations bank. Let’s make it fun!
WOMEN’S BEACH TRIP For over a decade, women of UPUMC have been going to the beach together each October and April. The trips started as a part of a Women’s spirituality Group that first met when Dee Dee Walters was the pastor and have continued ever since. The house in Neskowin, Oregon will sleep 10. What do we do? Walk the beach, talk, watch movies, talk deep and long, support one another, share cooking and care, refresh ourselves and grow closer to one another and to our faith. The next trip will be October 19-21. Talk to Judy Griffen, 503-283-4331, for more information or to sign up.
WHERE IN THE WORLD? September 30, 2007 Jeanetta already has her Christmas lights up. Can you believe it? It is not even October yet, and the colored, blinking lights are up. She has them hanging on an inside wall of her home, a small, inner city apartment. Oh she knows it is early, but she keeps hoping that with the coming season someone might come and visit and share in the cheer. Sure it is three months away, but Jeanetta reasons, it is never too soon to find joy in the twinkling lights. Maybe, just maybe, those little orbs of color will push back the loneliness she feels as summer moves into fall. Since she turned 90, no one comes to visit her much, anymore. Her walks down to the corner grocery take longer than they used to take, and she gets more nervous about going out in public. Her heart and soul long for days gone by when tinsel and family gatherings marked her life. Sure it is too early for Christmas, but her hope knows no calendar. What Jeanetta does not know is that you have been busy the past few months setting up the visit she is going to get later this afternoon. She has no idea that your financial support of World Service has funded a young woman in ministry who is going to knock on her door today at three and sit down with Jeanetta and look at old photos, and admire the twinkling lights, and ask her how it is with her soul. Christmas in September? Too early! Companionship, prayer and a warm embrace in the name of Jesus? Very, very timely. Thank you for arranging the visit. The United Methodist Church funds ministry in every corner of the world. Even in that tiny little corner where a Christmas light twinkles in a lonely woman’s apartment just down the street. Thank you for caring for Jeanetta, no matter what the season!
WESTERN JURISDICTION MEETS HERE The Oregon-Idaho Conference will host the 2008 Western Jurisdictional Conference from Wednesday, Jul. 16 to Saturday, Jul. 19, 2008. We need at least 100 willing volunteers from congregations in the Metro area and throughout our region to set up, assist with registration, be available for other tasks as needed, and for "breaking down" the conference. If you can help or find others to share these duties, please contact Jaime Hurst, Metro District Office,
or 503-249-1851.
FESTIVAL OF BREADS Sunday, October 7 is World Communion Day, the one time of the year when Protestant churches all over the world choose to remember that we are one church, celebrating one communion, no matter where we are in the world. Since bread is a mainstay of communion, we choose to follow worship with a Festival of Breads. Please plan to bring and share a bread—or staple grain dish —from your heritage, so that we might taste and see the goodness of our diversity in the midst of unity.
CORRESPONDENCE Jeanne— Hope all is well with you and the gang. I am plugging along. The church we have been attending, First Congregation Church of Lincoln City (First UCC) has begun the process of becoming an open and affirming congregation! It would appear that God has a plan for the Moseley's--indeed, we cannot outrun God. God's love and grace will find us. Give my love and blessings to everyone. --Deb Moseley
Jeanne & Marcia, I bought the following books from Amazon. Over time I‘d like to read all of them but I want to donate them to the church. So maybe we can pass them around a bit.—Scott Jensen 1 “Strength for the Journey: A Pilgrimage of Faith in Community" Diana Butler Bass 1 "Asphalt Jesus: Finding a New Christian Faith Along the Highways of America" Eric Elnes 1 "The Practicing Congregation: Imagining a New Old Church" Diana Butler Bass 1 "Tribal Church: Ministering to the Missing Generation" Carol Howard Merritt
CONNECTIONS UPUMC • Rev Allen Reike will preach today. • All-Church potluck and forum, Sunday, September 30, potluck at 11:30am, forum on the proposal for a Peace Tax, Pam Alee, at Noon. • Outreach Committee meets Sunday, September 30, after potluck. • Education Committee meets Sunday, October 7, 2007, 12:45pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.
THE LARGER CHURCH • Catholic tradition worship service, Second Saturdays, 5pm, Sanctuary, UPUMC. • George Baldwin speaks at Micah’s Village, Sunday, September 30, 2-4:30pm. • Three Pastoral Events in Pendleton October 8-11: Healthy Boundaries, Healthy Ministry; Sacred Spaces Conversation; Bishop’s Symposium. • Fall Connectional Ministries Convocation, Saturday, October 20, 8:30am-4pm, Portland First UMC.
THE COMMUNITY • Game Days, First and Third Sundays, 2-5pm, University Park Coffee Shop. • Morrison Center Training Event, Tuesday-Thursday, September 25-27, 8am-5pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.
FUTURE EVENTS, FOR YOUR CALENDAR • Women’s Beach Trip, October 19-21, 2007, Neskowin. • All-church Charge Conference, Sunday, November 18, 5:30pm. • Celebration Sunday, November 25, 2007 • General Conference April 23-May 2, 2008, Fort Worth, TX. • Western Jurisdictional Conference, July 16-19, 2008, Portland.
WEEKLY AT UPUMC • Choir practices Sundays at 9:30am, Tuesdays at 6:30pm, Sanctuary. • Alcoholics Anonymous, Narthex, Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays at 8pm, weekly. • Overeaters Anonymous, Wednesdays at 7pm. • Morrison Center Program, Thursdays 5-9pm, STAYING IN TOUCH Edna Riddle, Sunrise Adult Care Center, 11945 SW Butner Rd., Portland OR 97225; 503-841-1295.
Harriet Bonhorst, Pioneer Tower, 515 P Street #202, Sacramento, CA 95814; phone: 1-916-446-4863.
Erica Martinez, 182 E Nevada St. Ashland, OR 97520. Cell phone: 1-503-791-3680.
Jeanne Pulliam, 8603 SE Causey Ave, Apt 202; Happy Valley, OR 97086-2604, Telephone 503-594-2539.
Aleena Sologar, 775 Cascade St. #1316, Oregon City, OR 97045, her son Jonathan’s home. Phone, 503-387-3813.
THE NURSERY IS STAFFED DURING WORSHIP FOR CHILDREN YOUNGER THAN SCHOOL AGE.
PLEASE DON’T GO HUNGRY. WE HAVE FOOD IN OUR PANTRY, LOCATED IN THE HALLWAY LEADING TO ERROL STEPHENSON HALL. TAKE WHAT YOU NEED.
CELEBRATIONS FUND-RAISER It’s a new thing. Each Sunday, after church and during the coffee and fellowship time we will celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and other celebrations by putting pennies, dimes, quarters, dollars or whatever you choose into a Celebrations bank. Let’s make it fun!
WOMEN’S BEACH TRIP For over a decade, women of UPUMC have been going to the beach together each October and April. The trips started as a part of a Women’s spirituality Group that first met when Dee Dee Walters was the pastor and have continued ever since. The house in Neskowin, Oregon will sleep 10. What do we do? Walk the beach, talk, watch movies, talk deep and long, support one another, share cooking and care, refresh ourselves and grow closer to one another and to our faith. The next trip will be October 19-21. Talk to Judy Griffen, 503-283-4331, for more information or to sign up.
SANCTUARY SOUND SYSTEM Dear Friends, I received some very good news and want to share it with you. As you know, we are in need of a new sound system for the sanctuary. I got a quote from one company who designs multimedia systems for churches and they estimate nearly $5,000 for what we need. That’s the basic equipment that we need. I have written a couple of grant applications to cover the cost and we have $1,100 set aside for the project. This past week, I learned that the Metropolitan District Church Extension Society (MDCES) is willing to give us a $1,750 matching grant for the project. That means that we (almost) have $2, 850 of the $5,000 we need—‘almost’ because we need to raise that much ourselves. That means that we need to raise $2,100.
At the last Administrative Council meeting, we agreed to the goal of having the new system installed by Pentecost, next May. With the now lower estimate of what we need, I think we can get the job done before that time. When I get back from Alaska, I’ll put together some visual aids so we can track our progress. In the meantime, think about what you and/or a group of you can do to make this happen. Be creative. We have options besides taking money from our personal bank accounts. --Marcia
NEW NAMES AND ADDRESSES Jennifer Reiss, Julian, Penelope and Solomon, 9037 N St. Louis Ave, Portland, OR 97203. Andrew Thurman, 341 NE Bryant, Portland OR 97211; telephone: 503-459-3270
WHERE IN THE WORLD? September 23, 2007 There is just the faintest chill in the air this morning. Mostly it is in the high country, in places like Joseph, Oregon, or Ashton, Idaho, or at the Sawtooth United Methodist Church Camp, or in Lakeview, Oregon. Just a nip that reminds us that seasons change. There are those United Methodist churches in Oregon and Idaho that are turning their furnaces on this morning for the first time since May. The air may have a chill, but the fellowship inside is warm. Souls are aglow with the delight of shared worship and singing. You have a stake in those churches. There are United Methodist churches where a portion of the support of their pastor is funded, in part, by the Ministerial Support apportionment, one of our church’s Shared Ministries. These are alive, vital congregations that make a huge difference in the lives of their members and their communities. It is just that they are in small, isolated settings where it is too far between churches to yoke them into larger parishes. Given the choice of helping fund ministry in such locations or abandoning people who find hope and comfort and spiritual growth in United Methodism, the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference has opted to keep ministry active and lively in these settings. We take the fact that we have brothers and sisters in faith all around Oregon and Idaho seriously. And we share with our brothers and sisters. And they share with us. So along with the financial support you give today to Ministerial Support, say a prayer for those who wakened to a chill. The air may be chilly, but souls are glowing in the warmth of your fellowship and grace! –Jim Monroe
LIBERATION THEOLOGIAN TO SPEAK "Jesus' Life--A Model for Political Action" by liberation theologian the Rev. Dr. George Baldwin will be presented Sunday, Sept. 30, 2-4:30 p.m. The Institute is a new ministry of Micah's Village. Donations accepted; no one turned away. Television journalist and commentator Bill Moyers had this to say about Baldwin: "...one of the memorable people I have met in my work and one for whom I have the utmost admiration." The event will be at Micah's Village, Sunnyside Grange Hall, SE 132nd and SE Sunnyside Rd., Damascus. For information, call 503-348-7214 or visit Micah's Village website.
WESTERN JURISDICTION MEETS HERE The Oregon-Idaho Conference will host the 2008 Western Jurisdictional Conference from Wednesday, Jul. 16 to Saturday, Jul. 19, 2008. We need at least 100 willing volunteers from congregations in the Metro area and throughout our region to set up, assist with registration, be available for other tasks as needed, and for "breaking down" the conference. If you can help or find others to share these duties, please contact Jaime Hurst, Metro District Office,
or 503-249-1851.
CONNECTIONS UPUMC • Rev Allen Reike will preach on September 16 and 23. • Lunch Bunch meets Tuesday, September 18, 12:30pm, at Lung Fung, 2025 N Lombard St. Bev Read makes the reservations, 503-289-6921. • All-Church potluck and forum, Sunday, September 30, potluck at 11:30am, forum on the proposal for a Peace Tax, Pam Alee, at Noon. • Outreach Committee meets Sunday, September 30, after potluck. • Education Committee meets Sunday, October 7, 2007, 12:45pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.
THE LARGER CHURCH • Catholic tradition worship service, Second Saturdays, 5pm, Sanctuary, UPUMC. • George Baldwin speaks at Micah’s Village, Sunday, September 30, 2-4:30pm. • Three Pastoral Events in Pendleton October 8-11: Healthy Boundaries, Healthy Ministry; Sacred Spaces Conversation; Bishop’s Symposium. • Fall Connectional Ministries Convocation, Saturday, October 20, 8:30am-4pm, Portland First UMC.
THE COMMUNITY • Game Days, First and Third Sundays, 2-5pm, University Park Coffee Shop. • Meet with Commissioner Jeff Cogen to discuss a new North Portland Library, 6-7:30pm, Thursday, Sept. 20, University Park Community Center, 9009 N. Foss. • Morrison Center Training Event, Tuesday-Thursday, September 25-27, 8am-5pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.
FUTURE EVENTS, FOR YOUR CALENDAR • Women’s Beach Trip, October 19-21, 2007, Neskowin. • All-church Charge Conference, Sunday, November 18, 5:30pm. • Celebration Sunday, November 25, 2007
WEEKLY AT UPUMC • Choir practices Sundays at 9:30am, Tuesdays at 6:30pm, Sanctuary. • Alcoholics Anonymous, Narthex, Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays at 8pm, weekly. • Overeaters Anonymous, Wednesdays at 7pm. • Morrison Center Program, Thursdays 5-9pm, STAYING IN TOUCH Edna Riddle, Sunrise Adult Care Center, 11945 SW Butner Rd., Portland OR 97225; 503-841-1295.
Harriet Bonhorst, Pioneer Tower, 515 P Street #202, Sacramento, CA 95814; phone: 1-916-446-4863.
Phil Herbach, Care Center East, 11325 NE Weidler, Portland, OR 97220.
Erica Martinez, 182 E Nevada St. Ashland, OR 97520. Cell phone: 1-503-791-3680.
Jeanne Pulliam, 8603 SE Causey Ave, Apt 202; Happy Valley, OR 97086-2604, Telephone 503-594-2539.
Aleena Sologar, 775 Cascade St. #1316, Oregon City, OR 97045, her son Jonathan’s home. Phone, 503-387-3813.
THE NURSERY IS STAFFED DURING WORSHIP FOR CHILDREN YOUNGER THAN SCHOOL AGE.
PLEASE DON’T GO HUNGRY. WE HAVE FOOD IN OUR PANTRY, LOCATED IN THE HALLWAY LEADING TO ERROL STEPHENSON HALL. TAKE WHAT YOU NEED.
CELEBRATIONS FUND-RAISER It’s a new thing. Each Sunday, after church and during the coffee and fellowship time we will celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and other celebrations by putting pennies, dimes, quarters, dollars or whatever you choose into a Celebrations bank. Let’s make it fun!
WOMEN’S BEACH TRIP For over a decade, women of UPUMC have been going to the beach together each October and April. The trips started as a part of a Women’s spirituality Group that first met when Dee Dee Walters was the pastor and have continued ever since. The house in Neskowin, Oregon will sleep 10. What do we do? Walk the beach, talk, watch movies, talk deep and long, support one another, share cooking and care, refresh ourselves and grow closer to one another and to our faith. The next trip will be October 19-21. Talk to Judy Griffen, 503-283-4331, for more information or to sign up.
SANCTUARY SOUND SYSTEM Dear Friends, I received some very good news and want to share it with you. As you know, we are in need of a new sound system for the sanctuary. I got a quote from one company who designs multimedia systems for churches and they estimate nearly $5,000 for what we need. That’s the basic equipment that we need. I have written a couple of grant applications to cover the cost and we have $1,100 set aside for the project. This past week, I learned that the Metropolitan District Church Extension Society (MDCES) is willing to give us a $1,750 matching grant for the project. That means that we (almost) have $2, 850 of the $5,000 we need—‘almost’ because we need to raise that much ourselves. That means that we need to raise $2,100.
At the last Administrative Council meeting, we agreed to the goal of having the new system installed by Pentecost, next May. With the now lower estimate of what we need, I think we can get the job done before that time. When I get back from Alaska, I’ll put together some visual aids so we can track our progress. In the meantime, think about what you and/or a group of you can do to make this happen. Be creative. We have options besides taking money from our personal bank accounts. --Marcia
NEW NAMES AND ADDRESSES Jennifer Reiss, Julian, Penelope and Solomon, 9037 N St. Louis Ave, Portland, OR 97203. Andrew Thurman, 341 NE Bryant, Portland OR 97211; telephone: 503-459-3270
YOUR FAVORITE HYMNS The General Board of Discipleship (GBOD) invites every UM to participate in a survey of favorite and least favorite hymns. This information will help in planning future the next United Methodist hymnal. To take the survey, go on-line to: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=JqqQD9anWCmmPk9oc6QApg_3d_3d.
WHERE IN THE WORLD? September 16, 2007 Football! Here in America that means touchdowns, eventual bowl games and early assurances of “just wait until next year!” In much of the world, however, it means soccer. Two soccer games were played in early August in Meru, Kenya. Both by the same group of kids. The first game was played with the ball they had. It was made out of wadded up rags, tied into a tight, almost round knot. It took a heck of a kick to get it airborne, and it did not bounce at all, but it was what this group of secondary school students had to play with. Two days later, courtesy of a United Methodist Volunteer In Mission group, that same group of school kids played with a bright red and black soccer ball with real air in it! The shouts of excitement and joy as the new ball actually bounced along the ground filled the field! The Volunteer In Mission team did not go to Kenya to deliver soccer balls. They went to do construction and support the work of Methodists in northern Kenya. The trip was not about soccer. But it sure was a nice side benefit to see the smiles, hear the squeals of delight, and watch the sea of school uniformed kids chase something as simple as a ball across a field. In a world where people seem all too often willing to do violence to one another, isn’t it nice to know that there are ways to bring joy instead of tears? In the team photo of those kids holding that ball, those smiles are for you. Because it is through your gifts to World Service that programs such as Volunteers In Mission are funded. Smile! Smile because that is what you brought last month to children in Kenya! Smiles…
LIBERATION THEOLOGIAN TO SPEAK "Jesus' Life--A Model for Political Action" by liberation theologian the Rev. Dr. George Baldwin will be presented Sunday, Sept. 30, 2-4:30 p.m. The Institute is a new ministry of Micah's Village. Donations accepted; no one turned away. Television journalist and commentator Bill Moyers had this to say about Baldwin: "...one of the memorable people I have met in my work and one for whom I have the utmost admiration." The event will be at Micah's Village, Sunnyside Grange Hall, SE 132nd and SE Sunnyside Rd., Damascus. For information, call 503-348-7214 or visit Micah's Village website.
CONNECTIONS UPUMC • Staff-Parish Relations Committee meets Monday, September 10, 6:30pm, Errol Stephenson Hall. • Administrative Council meets Monday, September 10, 7:30pm, Errol Stephenson Hall. • Finance Committee meets Tuesday, September 11, 7:30pm, Errol Stephenson Hall. • United Methodist Women meet Wed., September 12, 10am, Errol Stephenson Hall. Bring a sack lunch. • UPUMC FUNd-raising Cruise, September 16-23, 2007. • Rev Allen Reike will preach on September 16 and 23. • All-Church potluck and forum, Sunday, September 30, potluck at 11:30am, forum on the proposal for a Peace Tax, Pam Alee, at Noon. • Outreach Committee meets Sunday, September 30, after potluck. • Education Committee meets Sunday, October 7, 2007, 12:45pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.
THE LARGER CHURCH • Catholic tradition worship service, Second Saturdays, 5pm, Sanctuary, UPUMC. • Three Pastoral Events in Pendleton October 8-11: Healthy Boundaries, Healthy Ministry; Sacred Spaces Conversation; Bishop’s Symposium. • Fall Connectional Ministries Convocation, Saturday, October 20, 8:30am-4pm, Portland First UMC.
THE COMMUNITY • Game Days, First and Third Sundays, 2-5pm, University Park Coffee Shop. • Meet with Commissioner Jeff Cogen to discuss a new North Portland Library, 6-7:30pm, Thursday, Sept. 20, University Park Community Center, 9009 N. Foss. • Morrison Center Training Event, Tuesday-Thursday, September 25-27, 8am-5pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.
FUTURE EVENTS, FOR YOUR CALENDAR • Women’s Beach Trip, October 19-21, 2007, Neskowin. • All-church Charge Conference, Sunday, November 18, 5:30pm. • Celebration Sunday, November 25, 2007
WEEKLY AT UPUMC • Choir practices Sundays at 9:30am, Tuesdays at 6:30pm, Sanctuary. • Alcoholics Anonymous, Narthex, Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays at 8pm, weekly. • Overeaters Anonymous, Wednesdays at 7pm. • Morrison Center Program, Thursdays 5-9pm, STAYING IN TOUCH Edna Riddle, Sunrise Adult Care Center, 11945 SW Butner Rd., Portland OR 97225; 503-841-1295.
Harriet Bonhorst, Pioneer Tower, 515 P Street #202, Sacramento, CA 95814; phone: 1-916-446-4863.
Phil Herbach, Care Center East, 11325 NE Weidler, Portland, OR 97220.
Erica Martinez, 182 E Nevada St. Ashland, OR 97520. Cell phone: 1-503-791-3680.
Jeanne Pulliam, 8603 SE Causey Ave, Apt 202; Happy Valley, OR 97086-2604, Telephone 503-594-2539.
Aleena Sologar, 775 Cascade St. #1316, Oregon City, OR 97045, her son Jonathan’s home. Phone, 503-387-3813.
HOLDING IN PRAYER Carolyn Hammett—living with cancer—at home. Phil Herbach—recovering from hip surgery on 7/17—at home.
THE NURSERY IS STAFFED DURING WORSHIP FOR CHILDREN YOUNGER THAN SCHOOL AGE. WOMEN’S BEACH TRIP For over a decade, women of UPUMC have been going to the beach together each October and April. The trips started as a part of a Women’s spirituality Group that first met when Dee Dee Walters was the pastor and have continued ever since. The house in Neskowin, Oregon will sleep 10. What do we do? Walk the beach, talk, watch movies, talk deep and long, support one another, share cooking and care, refresh ourselves and grow closer to one another and to our faith. The next trip will be October 19-21. Talk to Judy Griffen, 503-283-4331, for more information or to sign up. CORRESPONDENCE Dear UPUMC, Thank you very much for the laptop. I typed a paper about my summer, and printed it.
Sincerely, Mariah Herbach ______ August 31, 2007 Dear Rev. Knepper, My husband and I wish to express our gratitude to you and your congregation for allowing Toni Tortorilla’s sacred space to celebrate the Lord in worship.
Your witness to he truth of Jesus’ teaching is a hopeful light to us who hope to reform the Roman church. May God bless you abundantly for your graciousness.
Most sincerely, Renée and Andrew Lippay From St. Francis Catholic Church
SHARED WORSHIP SPACE UPUMC will host a worshipping community in the Catholic tradition on second Saturdays at 5pm in our sanctuary. The services will be led by Rev. Toni Tortorilla. People from UPUMC are welcome to attend the new service if they are interested.
PLEASE DON’T GO HUNGRY. WE HAVE FOOD IN OUR PANTRY, LOCATED IN THE HALLWAY LEADING TO ERROL STEPHENSON HALL. TAKE WHAT YOU NEED.
DIRECTORY CORRECTIONS Tia and Tina A’au, 5312 SE Park St. Milwaukie, OR 97222. 503-969-9351.
NEW NAME AND ADDRESS Andrew Thurman, 341 NE Bryant, Portland OR 97211; telephone: 503-459-3270
CELEBRATIONS FUND-RAISER It’s a new thing. Each Sunday, after church and during the coffee and fellowship time we will celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and other celebrations by putting pennies, dimes, quarters, dollars or whatever you choose into a Celebrations bank. Let’s make it fun!
YOUR FAVORITE HYMNS Survey of favorite and least favorite hymns of UMs The General Board of Discipleship (GBOD) invites every UM to participate in a survey of favorite and least favorite hymns. This information will help in planning future the next United Methodist hymnal. To take the survey, go on-line to: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=JqqQD9anWCmmPk9oc6QApg_3d_3d.
WHERE IN THE WORLD? September 9, 2007 It was a primordial stew of disease. And it came in the form of slowly seeping water at the base of a hill in Mutuati (Moo-too-‘ah-tee), Kenya. The primary source of drinking water for several thousand people was a dripping spring. Rather than bubbling out of the ground, a variety of dripping outlets at the base of the mountain were the avenues of escape for the groundwater. Dozens of people every night would position themselves at these various outlets and fill their water containers one drop at a time. And sometimes the water was straight from the aquifer. But mostly the outlets contained water that had coursed its way downhill through bogs, pastures, and backyards. When a Methodist missionary with an engineering background finally took at look at the various outlets, he knew that he had discovered the reason for the unusually high mortality rate due to cholera, typhus, and a myriad of other waterborne diseases. And so he pulled the community together, helped secure the shovels, and organized the digging of a new well deep enough to tap into the aquifer, and with enough water that all could be served! That was twenty years ago, and that well still provides clean, clear drinking water in Mutuati. You helped dig that well. Just like you are helping dig new wells this week in dozens of sites around the globe. Apportionments make a difference. Apportionments bring fresh water to a thirsty world. So dig deep and give the water of life!—Jim Monroe
AROUND GOD’S TABLE Deuteronomy 25:4; Jeremiah 22:13-16; Luke 14:1, 7-14 September 2, 2007
Children’s time: talk about family tables. What do we do around them? [eat, do home work, prepare meals, play together, do projects]. Tables are important for families. Can you see the table near where we are? Do you see the white cloths covering dishes? What is under there?
That food is part of a meal we eat together every month. That meal is called communion. And eating it together is so important that we put the table right up here at the front of the church.
Today, we are going to do things differently. You won’t go to Sunday School time. Instead, you get to stay here for the worship service. Later in the worship service, I am going to ask you to come up to this row, to sit right here in front while I tell you the story of communion and why we do it.
Once upon a time, about 2000 years ago, there was a man named Jesus. Jesus was a very good man and he had a very important thing to do. God sent him to tell all the people how much God loved them. You see, the people couldn’t see God, or touch him, or sit on her lap, and sometimes, the people would start to forget that God loved them. So God sent a special person, Jesus, to show people of God’s love.
Jesus went everywhere to tell people that God loved them. Sometimes, he said it in church. Sometimes, he said it while he was walking down the road with people. Sometimes he said it when he sat down on the top of a hill and people gathered around to hear what he had to say. Sometimes, he told people about God’s love while he was in a boat at the edge of a very big lake, called the Sea of Galilee. Everywhere he went, he told people that God loved them. And people were glad to hear that. They wanted to know that God loved them, that they were special to God. It felt good to them, just as it feels good to us to have someone tell us that they love us.
But then, Jesus did something that made a lot of the people not so happy with him. Besides telling them that God loved them, which they all wanted to hear, he told them that God loved the people who were different from them, that God loved the people they didn’t like. Jesus taught the people that he had come to tell them about God’s love for everybody. He taught them that God loved children and old people. The children loved to hear that God loved them. Some of the older people thought Jesus should tell the children to be quiet or go away. Jesus taught them that God loved women and men. Some of the people thought Jesus shouldn’t talk that way about women. They thought that God loved men best.
Jesus taught the people that God loved people from different countries. At that time, soldiers from Rome had conquered Jesus’ country, and lots of people hated the Roman soldiers. But Jesus healed the servant of a Roman soldier and said that the Roman soldier was a good man. He said that God loved people from all countries. That made some people mad at him.
Jesus taught the people that God loved people who were healthy and people who were sick. He said that God loved people who had problems, like not being able to walk, or not being able to see. Many of the people thought that people couldn’t walk or see because God was mad at them, but Jesus said that wasn’t so. He told the people who were blind or lame that God loved them. Some people didn’t like it that he said that.
Jesus taught the people that God loved people who were poor, who didn’t have enough to eat, who didn’t have money or warm homes. The people who were poor loved hearing that, because most of the people didn’t like them very much. But then, Jesus made them angry by saying that God also loved people who were rich, although he also told the people who were rich that God didn’t love them because they were rich. God just loved them, the same as everyone.
Now, all the people who heard Jesus liked some of what he was saying, but not other parts. The rich people were glad that he would come to their houses to eat with them; but they thought he was stupid to eat with poor people. The people who went to church were glad that he came to church with them, but they thought he was wasting his time to hang out with people who didn’t go to church. The people who hated the Romans were very glad that Jesus didn’t like Roman rule either, but they got very angry when he was nice to Roman soldiers.
And so, Jesus had a problem. It was easy to teach people that God loved them; but much harder to teach people that God loved the other people too. And, he had a second problem, one that was even bigger than the first one. Some people were so angry about the parts of what Jesus was teaching that they didn’t like that they had decided that he was a very dangerous man. They had decided to have him killed. And he knew it.
Well, Jesus could have said, “Oops, God, I guess you didn’t know that it would make people angry if I told people that you love everyone. I think I have to stop doing that now. “ But, Jesus knew God very well, and he knew that God really did want him to keep teaching the people that God loves everyone. And he knew that God would want the people to remember this, even if Jesus was killed. So, Jesus started to teach some of his closest friends all about how important it was to God that they keep telling everyone that God loves all the people.
His friends were good people, but sometimes they didn’t understand it all. Sometimes they would even quarrel with each other about who God loved best. Even though Jesus told them and told them, it wasn’t really sinking in. They seemed a bit like children, wanting to believe that Mom really likes me better than you. Have you ever felt that way? Well, Jesus could see that even the people closest to him wanted to believe that they were God’s favorites.
So Jesus thought and thought. What could he do? If he died, who would teach the people that God loved them all? How could he show his best friends, the ones who would have to keep telling about God’s love when he died, that God loved them all, everyone of them, everyone in the whole world.
Now, it happened that, in the country where Jesus loved, people never ate food with strangers. There were rules about what kinds of foods you could eat, and who could prepare it, and how you had to wash your hands, all kinds of rules, so people only ate with people who did things just the same ways as their own families. Sometimes, in fact, people were mad at Jesus because he didn’t follow those rules. He ate with everyone, even if they didn’t follow the same rules as his mom had taught him.
And then Jesus had a great idea. He would help the people see that they were all one family by asking them to eat together. He would say that God’s rules of love were more important for bringing people together that any of the other rules they had learned. And so, not long before Jesus was captured and killed—he was right, some people were so angry about his teachings of God’s love for everyone that they decided that he had to be killed—Jesus ate his last meal with his friends.
He had them all gather around a big table. They talked about all kinds of things at first, but then Jesus asked for them to pay attention. He took the loaf of bread, a big loaf, and he said grace over it, and then he started to break it into pieces to give some to everyone. He told them, “I am going to die soon. But from here on out, every time you eat bread, think of me and what I taught you. Remember, God loves everyone.” And as they took the bread, they remembered that bread was the most common part of a meal in those days, and that everyone could eat the bread.
At the end of the meal, Jesus took the pitcher of grape juice that had been made into wine and he passed it around, telling them that he would die soon, but that he would be back among them every time they gathered to eat and drink around the same table. He said it was important, most important, that they eat this meal with each other, over and over, and with everyone else who believed in him and what he was teaching about God’s love. He told them that the bread they would eat together was the bread of life, and that the cup they would drink together was the cup of his promise for their lives, his promise that God would always love them. He told them that eating this meal together was very, very important, and that they must keep doing it and teaching all of the people who cam e to them to eat the same meal together.
Jesus started this meal, which we call communion, almost 2000 years ago. We eat it together every month, and sometimes more than once a month. Every time we eat it, we remind ourselves that we eat this meal to teach us about God’s love for us and for everyone. Every time we eat it, we believe again what Jesus said about God’s promise for our lives and for the lives of all people. This meal is very simple—only bread and juice, and just a taste of each of them—but it is very important. For this is the meal that reminds us, just like your own kitchen tables remind you, that we are all part of one big family, the children of God, everyone of us. When you take the bread and dip it in the juice, you will hear us saying words like, “This is the bread of life and the cup of God’s promise for your life and for all.” When we eat the bread, when we taste the bread and juice on our tongues, we hope that we will understand that God’s love, for everyone, is as real as this food.
Do you remember, I told you that Jesus said that we should remember him when we eat this meal. Now I’m going to ask you to go back to sit with your families, and to look at the words in The Faith We Sing while we all sing the song, “In Remembrance of Me.” And then, when it is time, come forward with your families to share in the meal that Jesus has made for all of us.
University Park United Methodist Church (UPUMC) is located at 4775 N Lombard, Portland Oregon 97203. UPUMC is small, diverse, growing, laughing, committed, caring, serious, warm and REAL! We are a community that encourages each other as we grow in faith, in knowledge, in service, and in love of self, God and neighbor. At University Park we not only respect but welcome diversity in race, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical and mental ability, economic status and profession. We believe all people are equal before God and entitled to Gods grace and abundance. Pastors: Rev. Dr. Jeanne Knepper & Rev. Marcia Hauer http://www.upumc.net
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