Faith That Changes Minds

This week we will catapult ourselves ahead in the Scripture to the book of Matthew to pick up a story of when the Gentile woman approached Jesus to ask for his help. 

His initial response is to explain to the woman that his mission as the Messiah was not to help Gentiles, but the lost sheep of Israel.  But she positions herself on her knees in front of him and begs for his help.  After initially ignoring her request, Jesus grants it to her because of her faith in him. 

What are we to make of this encounter? Is Jesus being (what we would call) a racist here?

Come Worship in the Lighthouse!

Are you tired of worshipping online? Do you long to see some of your friends in person on Sunday morning? Need to switch up your routine?

If so, come and worship in the Lighthouse on Sunday.  We are approved to have ten people in the building, watching and participating in the service, wearing masks and sitting at least 6 feet from one another. 

If you would like to attend in-person, please contact Gayellyn Jacobson (gayellyn@gmail.com), to make sure there aren't more than 10 already planning to attend. We would hate to have to turn you away! First priority will be given to those who have been unable to connect through Zoom.

God Sightings 8/9

Where have you seen God at work this past week?

Kari – I was able to go to Allie Kenfield’s Wedding last night. Brett & Kristin’s daughter. I saw Frank & Karen Strahaul there which many of you may remember from early on Westside days. It was good to catch up on things with them. It was a beautiful Wedding.

Michele – My 12 year old poodle had to have 7 teeth extracted this last week, but he’s doing just fine.

Amy F. – All the wonderful people who stepped up to help me. I have to wait until the 17th to see if I do need surgery on my hip…..so I just appreciate everything from everyone

Jan – My Husband and I were at (mostly inaudible) and saw parade & streets with people lined up with signs and flags. Signs that said Thanks for the Vets & God Loves America. One lady’s name was Betsy – Like Betsy Ross - she headed up this event with her husband…. Very uplifting and glorious to see this.  

Wendy F. – We helped WFWA move things in our big silver van. They had a big bed with tall parts. We weren’t sure we had the muscle to really load it…. Sawyer and I took an hour to load it and then we had to locate the destination by GPS. GPS took us on some strange road under construction where the road turned into gravel and then had an abrupt edge. God gave us funny jokes as the tall parts were swaying in the back of the van. The bed survived the trip and 45 minutes to unload it. God gave us a good laugh on our journey and we are grateful!

Lisa B. – God Sighting is that it is great to be able to join in with Westside! All the way from Missouri! And see everyone!  I miss Westside so much!  Gayellyn – We all miss you!  Wendy F. – Lisa, we hope to see you every week!!  Sally – So great to see your face and hear your voice, Lisa.

Merry – I was able to bring 90 lbs. rice and 24 bottles of cooking oil from Westside over to the Farm Workers, thank you.

Laura  - Kevin – I got to see the tenderness of my son, Bruce, in full bloom this week.

Gerry – My God Sighting was at the Lighthouse building yesterday, seeing Bonnie loading so much food into her car.  Don’t know how she does it. I was able to help a little with that.  Bonnie – Thanks Gerry, I was so grateful you were there!!

Kari – Volunteering on the mobile dental van and helping get people out of pain.

Worship Video for August 9

If you missed worship on Sunday, catch it here:

https://holtrich.my.webex.com/recordingservice/sites/holtrich.my/recording/play/0f8457f5bb924e1aa7cfc4ba147f65b0

Gleaning

With modern agricultural machinery like the combine, virtually all parts of a crop are harvested from fields with the emphasis being on leaving nothing behind and maximizing yield for profit. 

However, in ancient Israel, the people of God were instructed not to harvest every single crop, leaving behind an amount for the vulnerable and destitute that would go behind the reapers and glean the remaining crop.  Boaz practiced holy restraint in his fields, not harvesting all his grain during the famine. 

Join us this Sunday for a conversation with Pastor Brett and Pastor Bo Sanders from Vermont Hills UMC on the practice of gleaning.

Paying It Forward

Workin’ Dream Farm

Remember way back in 2019, when we met in person at church? You generously donated your loose change for KIVA, the non-profit that makes small business loans to marginalized people.

As the original $750 worth of loans is being repaid, we are reinvesting in more small businesses. To date, we have loaned $975 to 15 groups in the Dominican Republic and the US.

The latest loan helps a small regenerative farm in Langley, Washington, feed their community during the COVID-19 crisis. Read their story here.

Thank you!

God Sightings 8/2

Where have you seen God at work this past week?

Kari – Yesterday at Help Build Hope – I saw all the people join in together to build the wall units.

Bonnie – I agree with Kari, great time yesterday building walls.

Francie – The girls have started to play together…….it’s amazing!

Kristin – 25 years ago today I was blessed with my daughter Emily! She has grown to be a wonderful mother herself and she helps me a lot with her Grandmother.

Stephanie – My oldest son turned 23 Friday!

Merry – We celebrated our 25th Anniversary on Thursday!

Kat – A friend in Seattle tested negative for COVID; I also tested negative for COVID – Praise God! So, my friend was able to come down and visit here in Portland. It was so good to have her come during this time when we are so isolated.

Morgan Holt – We Celebrated my Grandma’s 92nd Birthday yesterday!!!

Pastor Brett – Kyrie & I were able to join in with Hope Build Hope yesterday for a short time. This was good to join in with the group.  My God Sighting this week was on Monday when my son, Levi, was born at 11:45 am. 9 lbs. & 21 ½” long. Janelle & I felt the prayers and presence of God with us through the whole experience; we are so blessed! I wish all of you could hold him! If you come to our house with a meal, you can see him through the window. Or perhaps I will put him into a Zoom meeting….

Janelle – (mostly inaudible)…..Feeling good and recovery is going well with no complications.

Paige – My Goddaughter’s Wedding on Saturday went very well; thank you for all the prayers. I was able to stand at a distance while officiating the ceremony.  Gwen got to be Flower Girl and did an excellent job. It turned out to be a small crowd instead of being too large, so everything was easier and more relaxed. This was my First Wedding officiating the ceremony!

Michele M. – My Brother in law is having his 93rd Birthday! And this is no small feat!

Baby Stuvland Arrives!

Levi Houston Stuvland was born on Monday, July 27, at 11:45 am! Congratulations to Pastor Brett, Janelle, and big brother Kyrie!

You can still sign up to take them a meal. All of the dates in August are taken, but September will be here before you know it. Not a cook? You can also donate a GrubHub gift card on the website!

Meal Train Link: https://mealtrain.com/3g18rw

Contact Francie if you have questions or would like her to sign you up.

Shop at Freddy's?

If you shop at Fred Meyer, you could be donating to Westside without spending an extra cent! Simply link your Rewards Card at https://www.fredmeyer.com/i/community/community-rewards (you will need an online account.)

Kroger/Fred Meyer donates a portion of your transactions. You still get all your usual benefits (gas discount, etc.) It is easy and Westside gets the benefits of your shopping.

Email Becky Walker at beckywalker19@msn.com with any questions.

God Sightings 7/26

Where have you seen God at work this past week?

Martha – I attended that community meeting online yesterday. Multidenominational – Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians and so on…I never thought I would see the day that Methodists & Lutherans would merge happily together. It’s quite interesting. All the Presbyterians & Methodists groups can join together – I knew that would work. But for the Lutherans (UCC?) people they were delighted to be in with us! 

Sally – This man (Dave) has a Heart! And Martha, just like Ken, his heart is now in normal sinus rhythm lub dub, lub dub, lub dub. It was a very long day, it was about 10 hours before I could pick him up; everything went very well. It was a good procedure & actually a very positive experience at OHSU….

Martha – This is definitely a God Sighting and Dave it’s good to know that you finally got a Heart!

Bonnie – Dave has a Big heart. So glad you are doing well. Pastor Brett – Dave has a heart! Who knew? PTL! (Praise the Lord)

Laura – Hallelujah. Thank you for your service!

Kevin – I got to be present to a person who grew up with a vengeful, vindictive god. After decades with that, they found a new way to look at the situation. Now they can see a path back.

Paige – I had a super fun God connection. We have friends that I grew up with, I became friends with his wife; our girls dance together. She did a mission trip to Haiti & she made a really cool connection with a friend whose husband is Haitian. They were going back to visit the village; they have no running water, very little electricity. She works in the healthcare field, so she was quite nervous about going… She sent out a plea for masks, hand sanitizer & sanitizing wipes. With Gwen helping we made 100 masks, both adult & kids sizes. 2 bags of adult masks & 1 bag of kid masks – when we gave them to my friend she said they didn’t have any child masks so this was really cool…Also, Liam will be getting together this week with some friends that he has been playing games online with. Some from Las Vegas are traveling up to Bend, Oregon; then coming over to Portland to meet up with Liam on Wednesday. There are still good things going on!

Family Promise Needs

Family Promise of Beaverton is requesting food and supplies for homeless individuals and families being housed in 10 hotel rooms.

The hotel rooms have a microwave and small refrigerator.  This is their only way to cook, so the food needs to be microwaveable.  Also needed are covered glass bowls to cook it in.  The items can be brought to Westside and Bonnie will deliver them on Friday mornings, or you may deliver them directly to Sunset Presbyterian on Fridays between 9 and 11 am, OR if ordered online, packages may be sent to the FPB Day Center at Sunset Presbyterian Church. Sunset is located at 14986 NW Cornell Rd, Portland, OR 97229.

Besides microwaveable food, here is a list of other items needed.

Thank you for your continued support of Family Promise and their guests!

Reflections on Message, 7.26.20

Are you prepared for God to do extraordinary things? Or are you banking on God showing up in the normal things?  

If Ruth and Boaz are Jesus’s ancestors, pray for God’s leading in your life to mark out the next step or steps in becoming more like Jesus. 

Worship Video for July 26

If you missed worship on Sunday, catch it here:

https://holtrich.my.webex.com/recordingservice/sites/holtrich.my/recording/play/3193a650e13f401d8131563c4c2f4fca

MealTrain to Bless Baby Stuvland

Baby Boy Stuvland will be joining the family at the end of July!  During this time we want to bless the family with lots of love…..and of course FOOD! 

Given they have so many baby (and specifically baby boy) items from big brother Kyrie, the best way we can help is to provide them meals, something we always do well!

We’ve set up a meal train so that they can know when food is coming.  It includes lots of details about logistics, food preferences, and more.  Contact Francie if you have questions or would like her to sign you up.

Meal Train Link: https://mealtrain.com/3g18rw

Living the Extraordinary Life

There are a lot of sharp contrasts in the book of Ruth, perhaps none sharper than the contrast between Ruth and Orpah and Boaz and the unnamed kinsman redeemer in chapter four. 

Both Orpah and John Doe (or ‘Ploni Aloni’ in Hebrew) do the normal thing: Orpah returns to her people in Moab after her husband dies and John Doe passes up the opportunity to be Ruth and Naomi’s redeemer, worried about his estate. 

On the other side stand Ruth and Boaz, who do extraordinary things throughout the story.  Come join us as we explore these differences between the normal and the extraordinary in the book of Ruth.

Please Watch

Please take less than a minute, and watch this video from Elizabeth at Christ UMC:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tCHvvYnUhry0MRufvGgPZt9-lNucWoYB/view?usp=drivesdk

If so led by the Spirit, you can follow up here:

https://crossroadsmissions.breezechms.com/form/cumc20

Reflections on Message, 7.19.20

Pastor Brett’s message on Sunday was about Ruth and Boaz, and desire. Here are some ways you can incorporate the message into your own life:

1. Reflect on who you’ve been taught to desire.   Does your desire for people move only in one direction - towards people in your own racial group or does it move towards all people? 

2. Identify where this discipline of desire comes from in your life 

3. Pray for God to give you God’s desire - the holy desire not of the world - and for God to break any strongholds in your life that work against God’s will and God’s plan.

God Sightings 7/19

Sharing a story from Choosing to Be like Jesus or other God Sightings:

Kari – I had 2 Hummingbird experiences this past week. One last Sunday and also one on Monday. They came right up really close to me and that was really special because the Hummingbird is my spiritual animal that reminds me to keep seeking all the time. So, I felt like God was giving me a little special message.

Martha – Kari…That’s wonderful! I love hummingbirds! We are getting them in our yard also! What a blessing!

Paige – We definitely got to see the little tiny glimpse of the big picture by going on a drive with the kids and seeing the comet. Just this idea of there is this massive thing; we had to get out the spotting scope - get in just the right spot to be able to actually see it. It was a really cool experience, but man does it make you feel small! And really see there is just an amazing amount that we don’t know & we can’t see; it’s just all happening around us…and… He’s got it!  (Neowise Comet is visible in the Northwest sky an hour before sunrise and an hour after sunset)

Merry – The comet reminds us of the immense power in our tiny world.

Paige - Gwen was excited to go adventuring with Neil on Free Comic Book Day…

Gwen – I got a comic book, Moon Girl: Devil Dinosaur… She is 8 years old and the smartest person on the planet & she has a pet dinosaur!

Krista – We had an amazing day at the beach Friday.

Pastor Brett – I am getting ready for a Holy Spirit Sighting, in being able to witness a birth that’s coming to our family. So that is on the horizon for me. In just the first couple of weeks at Westside, I have seen God move in my conversations with people. Transition seems to be going very well, which is a God thing in my estimation. I feel that all of us being together online and in person when we are able to; I can sense that the Holy Spirit is moving among us. So, this is very encouraging for me. 

Worship Video for July 19

If you missed worship on Sunday, catch it here:

https://holtrich.my.webex.com/recordingservice/sites/holtrich.my/recording/play/e697ab60b2ad419f855895053af4b6a9

Forbidden Desire

Who do we desire?

Though we don’t often reflect on this question enough, our desires are often disciplined and co-opted in powerful ways that we cannot see. The ban against interracial marriage across the nation and in our state lasted late into the twentieth century.  Though the laws were lifted, we’ve inherited, generationally, a sense of who we should desire, and it’s often members of our own racial group.

What does our faith have to say to us about our desires? Does it move in tandem with our racialized condition? Or does it cut against the smooth grain? This Sunday we explore these dynamics through what happens when an Israelite (Boaz) and a forbidden Moabite (Ruth) spend the night together on the threshing floor.