CONNECTIONS
UPUMC
• Baby Shower for Jennifer Herbach and Darrell DuShane, today, 12:45pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.
• Education Committee meets Monday, April 3, 7pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.
• Finance Committee meets Sunday, April 9, 12:45pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.
• Staff-Parish Relations Committee meets Monday, April 10, 6:30pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.
• Administrative Council meets Monday, April 10, 7:30pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.
• Outreach Committee meets Tuesday, April 11, 7:30pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.
• Maundy Thursday meal, service and Easter eggs, Thursday, April 13, 6:30pm, Errol Stephenson Hall and sanctuary.
• Easter Breakfast, Sunday, April 16, 8:30am, Errol Stephenson Hall.

THE LARGER CHURCH
• Community Food Security gathering, Wednesday, April 12, 5-6:30pm, Ainsworth United Church of Christ, 2941 NE Ainsworth.
• Interfaith Service for Peace in Iraq, 4pm, Sunday, April 23, St. Andrew Catholic Church, 806 NE Alberta.

THE COMMUNITY
• Portsmouth Neighborhood Association Forum meets Tuesday, April 4, 7pm, Columbia Cottage.
• Roots and Wings Celebration of Families and Community, Saturday, April 8, 9am-1pm, World Forestry Center, 503-988-4008.
• Children’s Relief Nursery Open House, Thursdays, April 13 and 27, 5-7pm, 8425 N Lombard.
• Easter Egg Hunt for children at Expressions of Faith, Saturday, April 15, 10:30am, 8326 N Lombard. Reservations: 503-289-7887.


FUTURE EVENTS, FOR YOUR CALENDAR
• North Portland Candidate Forums co-hosted by UPUMC and the Portsmouth Neighborhood Association, Tuesdays, April 18, 25, and May 2, 7-9pm, UPUMC sanctuary. Childcare will be provided.
• All-church potluck and forum, featuring Rev. Ron and Diane Ray, former pastoral family and missionaries in Kenya, Sunday, April 30, 11:30am, Errol Stephenson Hall.
• The Laramie Project at Southridge High School, May 26, 27 and 28, $7. www.southridgetheatre.org
• Third Annual All-Church Retreat at Camp Magruder on the Oregon Coast, Friday-Sunday, September 15-17, 2006.

WEEKLY AT UPUMC
• Choir practices Sundays at 9:30am, Tuesdays at 6:30pm, Sanctuary.
• Morrison Child and Family Center program, Mondays, 4-6pm.
• Men’s Group, Tuesdays, 10am, Narthex.
• Alcoholics Anonymous, Narthex, Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays at 8pm, weekly.
• Overeaters Anonymous, Wednesdays at 7pm, Saturdays at 3pm.
PLEASE DON’T GO HUNGRY. WE HAVE FOOD IN OUR PANTRY, LOCATED IN THE HALLWAY LEADING TO ERROL STEPHENSON HALL, TAKE WHAT YOU NEED.

STAYING IN TOUCH
Edna Riddle, Sunrise Adult Care Center, 11945 SW Butner Rd., Portland OR 97225; 503-841-1295 [a new number]

Harriet Bonhorst, Pioneer Tower, 515 P Street #202, Sacramento, CA 95814; cell phone: 503-330-6915

Elmina Nath is staying with her son. She can be reached at her previous phone number, 503-285-1973, which will ring there.
THE NURSERY IS STAFFED DURING WORSHIP FOR CHILDREN YOUNGER THAN SCHOOL AGE. SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN ARE INVITED INTO THE SANCTUARY UNTIL THE ‘PASSING OF THE PEACE’; THEN THEY GO TO SUNDAY SCHOOL.

PICTURES TAKEN ON APRIL 17
Soon we will have a new church directory with pictures. A photographer from Olan Mills will come on April 17 to take pictures of everyone. There will be no cost to have your picture included in the directory, and you will get a free portrait and a directory if you have your picture taken. You will also be offered the opportunity to purchase whatever pictures you want to have, but there is no obligation. Please sign up for a sitting time. We'll need some people to help on the day of the shoot. Let Marcia know if you could volunteer some time that day. Thanks.--Marcia

FOOD SECURITY IN N/NE PORTLAND
Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon invites UPUMC to send representatives to a gathering on April 12 from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. to address community food security in N/NE Portland. The meeting will be held in Michael Hall at Ainsworth United Church of Christ, 2941 NE Ainsworth. The goals of this meeting are: to involve more congregations in an assessment to identify barriers residents face in accessing nutritious local food, to share resource materials for educating your congregation on community food security and to identify practical methods of raising hunger awareness, supporting small farmers, and feeding low-income families in our congregations and neighborhoods. If possible, please RSVP by calling 503-221-1054 ext. 278.

ATTENDANCE IS GROWING!
Attendance, March 26: 57
Attendance, March average: 47
Attendance, 2006 year average to date: 42
Attendance, 2005 year average: 37

OUR BUDGET, IN BRIEF
Budget, 2006, total: $112,469.00
Needed monthly, all sources: $ 9,373.00
Received March, to date: $ 6,448.85
Received 2006, to date:
donations $ 13, 615.00
building use $ 2,878.34
investments $ 3,190.83
fund-raisers $ 77.53
Conference support $ 3,080.00
other $ 345.52
Total received to date: $ 23,187.22

INTERFAITH PEACE
The next Interfaith Service for Peace in Iraq is scheduled for Apr. 23, at 4 p.m. at St. Andrew Catholic Church. The church is located at 806 NE Alberta St. in Portland. The service is sponsored by many churches, faith organizations, and peace groups. For more information, contact Jan Elfers at EMO, 503-221-1054, or Wes Taylor at 503-692-1820. This is the fourth of five monthly services to pray for peace. The following service will be held on May 21.
RON AND DIANE RAY ON APRIL 30
Former pastor Ron Ray and Diane Ray will be here on April 30 to speak of their experiences and work in mission work in Africa. They will be our guests during the pot-luck—wouldn’t it be nice to include ethnic dishes from our many backgrounds?—and will talk during the forum time of their work in missions and with HIV/AIDS. Let’s welcome them warmly.

CORRESPONDENCE
Dear Jeanne,

I visited your church on March 5th. I enjoyed the service and your class on prayer. I have sent you a small book on praying for healing that might be of interest to your prayer class. Let me know what you think of the book.

When I walked into church I was immediately struck by the large cross in the pews. My first thought was "it is lent after all". I have a tendency to get "too intellectual" with regard to God and Jesus. Having a rather large symbol in the middle of the worship space rivets ones perception to
the awesome sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf. Gazing on the cross during service drew me into a greater awareness of the Spirit and the total connection that Jesus had with the Spirit. What will my life yield if I can
make only a fraction of the connection with the Spirit that Jesus had?

A thought on your sermon. I have listened many times to sermons about the Transfiguration and each time I have missed the symbolism of the mountain. Thanks for pointing it out in your sermon. I was struck by how obvious it is (to me) but I have never before made the connection. I wonder why this is. It has added a who new perspective for me on the Transfiguration.

I really do enjoy University Park UMC and will always come to service when I am in town.

In Christ's Love,
Greg Basile
Plano, Texas

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