God Sightings 9/20

Where have you seen God at work this past week?

Kari – I just found out this morning that my niece, Clare who is 15, is being Confirmed today at her Presbyterian Church. This is back in Kentucky. So, very exciting, I didn’t even know she was going through Confirmation until my brother told me I could watch it online this morning. So, I’m very happy that she’s completed this.

Jan – I just wanted to share that this morning is a miracle. Because, I woke up late and looked at my watch and I said no way, there’s no way I can get there in time... Well, I had this Nudge; and I thought is God alive or not? So, I jumped out, got in the shower & did my hair; I’m here early!  I couldn’t believe it – I have never been here this early!

Susan W. – As many of you know, Jerry had a pretty serious surgery this week on Wednesday. I’m a very firm believer in the power of prayer. The power of prayer, once again, came to our assistance. His surgery went unbelievably well. The doctors were absolutely amazed at how well he did. In the surgery, they said this is probably the first time they’ve done this where there was only one little, minor glitch. They put him in the hospital overnight; usually people that have this surgery stay more than one night. He stayed one night and the next day the doctor says – you look great, your healing just fine; you can go home! So, he came home on Thursday and he’s doing extremely well; not liking the fact that he can’t go out and do some painting. But, dog-gone-it sometimes we have to sacrifice. But, he is doing well and thank you everybody for the prayers. It was a true blessing from God.

Marianne – I saw a beautiful rainbow yesterday. Rainbows always make me think of God; I thank God for rainbows – I love rainbows! And I thank God for pumpkin spice. It’s pumpkin spice season & I love pumpkin spice! Fred got me some pumpkin eggnog this week & it is so good! So, look for pumpkin eggnog at the store. Fred even likes it; he doesn’t like eggnog.

Martha – Two things: 1) Jan, there are some mornings that I am just grateful to get up at all.  2) Ada, our granddaughter, is here and even though she wasn’t very talkative this morning, which is unusual, it was a God Blessing to have her spend the night with us last night and be able to snuggle and cuddle. She’s been tested for Covid because of her preschool, and she was negative, so we know that she’s safe. It was a blessing to have her; we hope everybody has a good week – a smokeless week! We’re giving up smoking this week.

Pastor Brett – One of my God Sightings this week was - Levi is going to be 8 weeks tomorrow and he is starting to make sounds to try to engage and to talk. This happened last week during the service and Janelle told me when I got offline. She said – I had a conversation with Levi during the service! I said - what do you mean? She said – well I was looking at him and I was talking to him & he said - Goo. So, I said - Goo back. Then he said – Goo. And they had a little conversation. So, I’ve been testing that out this week and I’m happy to report that he is starting to make those sounds and to make those initial language sounds and smiling. For some reason, in my mind, I thought this happened at about 8 months not 8 weeks. So, I’m just delighted to start to get that engagement with him; this has lifted my spirit which I definitely needed this last 2 weeks. So, Praise God!

Worship Video for September 20

If you were unable to attend our online worship yesterday, view it here:

https://holtrich.my.webex.com/recordingservice/sites/holtrich.my/recording/play/bface2fb31f649b3be381de02180aa44

Christian Identity and the Racial World

Are you interested in learning more about how the racial world came into being inside of colonizing 'Christian' empires?  About how Christian faith has been distorted and captured inside of racialized desire?

Come join in an online learning atmosphere where Pastor Brett will share a modified course he took in seminary, designed by world renowned scholar on theology and race, Dr. Willie James Jennings. Jennings is the author of several books, including The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race (2010), which won the 2015 Louisville Grawemeyer Award in Religion and the 2011 American Academy of Religion Award for Excellence, Constructive-Reflective Study.

This eight week course is designed for participation leading to transformation - videos, discussion, a private course site full of resources and a shared blog for deep reflections on one's own racial and Christian formation. Come as you are - no book purchase required

When: Thursday Nights from 7:00 -8:30 PM beginning Thursday, September 24, 2020

Where: Online - Zoom Link to be provided to signed-up participants. 

Sign Up Now:  Sign up Link 

Breathing Smoke...Seeking Hope

As wildfires rage, we add to our prayers yet another crisis. Our individual prayers are crucial, but our corporate prayers are needed, too.

Join United Methodists from across the Greater Northwest Area in a time of prayer, reflection, and praise in online worship this Sunday, September 20, at 4 p.m.

Voices from across the Area will lead us through music, liturgy, and deep breaths amid the fire, smoke, ash, anxiety, and grief of this time. You will have the opportunity to offer financial support to disaster response efforts in each annual conference as you see images of our earlier commitments to be good stewards of the earth and our current efforts to love our neighbors. 

This worship service will be available on the Greater Northwest Area YouTube Channel and the Oregon-Idaho Conference Facebook page.

Opportunity to Help

Our regularly scheduled week to host Family Promise is next week, Sep 20-27. In the new normal, we are providing $50 Winco or Fred Meyer cards and $25 fast food gift cards to families housed elsewhere. If you would like to help, the cards must be delivered by noon this Friday, Sep 18, to 5625 SW Erickson, Beaverton, OR.

There is also a continuing need for non-perishable or frozen meals for 10 families in the Washington County Emergency Shelter that Family Promise coordinates. These may be taken to the Lighthouse freezer/kitchen. Contact Bonnie with any questions.

God Sightings 9/13

Where have you seen God at work this past week?

Martha – I mentioned after church service last Sunday that our dryer vent was old fashioned, and in order to hook up our new dryer we needed a new doohickey. So, Rich gave me his phone number and Ken called him after church. He came over in the afternoon and put the part in. He was such a blessing; Ken and I will always thank him for doing that for us. That was definitely a God Moment and he was our special angel last week.

Dave –  For me it’s just the amount of communication and compassion that everyone is sharing towards each other – whether that’s in a work environment or a family environment. We’re seeing a lot of it in Sally’s family on the East Coast sending their love; asking and wondering and worrying and praying. Even her brother today, on the East Coast, said “Jump in your car and drive East, we’ll take care of you; we have no smoke here!”  

Francie – We decided to pod" with another family. Essentially, this means that we all agree to the same rules of seeing people. That means we have had play dates for Sage with people her age. And her joy about going into somebody else’s house is kind of epic and disturbing. Three other kids and quiet and it was amazing! So, we’ve been having a fun week here. And Sage has been reading to Sloane almost every day; her ability to memorize books since she’s 3 and can’t read is actually epic….

Kat – We also have Podded with another family in the neighborhood that has 2 girls. One is a little older than Aurelia and the other is a little younger and that has been amazing because, Aurelia this past week, before the smoke, has been outside finally playing with kids for the first time since this all happened. She has 3 friends now that she can play with in this little pod. So, that has been amazing and helpful; Aurelia has been ecstatic about having the opportunity to play with other kids again. That’s been nice for us as well; a true blessing.

Sally – On the theme of students and teachers – I received a box that my brother sent me, after my other brother passed away, of some memorabilia. In it is this yearbook or scrapbook from my dad when he was in 7th grade and I want to read you an example of what teachers back then wrote to their students in their scrapbook: “My Dear Lawrence,  It’s been surely a pleasure to have such a brilliant student as you, my dear, in my class; such a beautiful gentleman and a good sport as well. I’m sure you will succeed in all your attempts. Good Luck & Best Wishes for everything good in the future.”  …In cursive that everyone can read because they learned cursive. And every teacher wrote these beautiful things…not like Hey, good to have you, Bye…. I’m hearing from a lot of people that have young children that teachers are really stepping it up now in their online delivery of lessons that could be very boring online, but they make it exciting so we got to say hats off to them.

Pastor Brett – We came back from Pendleton this week on Tuesday and we found that there were at least one mouse that had run rampant through our house and had left droppings everywhere. So, my God Sighting this week was actually I’m very thankful that mice leave droppings. Because, that way you can tell where they’ve been.  Instead of having to clean every single square inch of the house, which we’re almost doing anyway, we can focus on the areas where they were.   

Worship Video for September 13

If you missed worship on Sunday, catch it here:

https://holtrich.my.webex.com/recordingservice/sites/holtrich.my/recording/play/b3bd47b1697641afa55b573fba899ebe

God Provides

When I normally think about wilderness in the Scripture, what comes to mind first is usually the 40 years of wandering that the Hebrews did after coming out of Egypt, or characters like John the Baptist preaching a baptism of repentance from the wilderness or Jesus facing temptation in the wilderness. 

Hagar definitely doesn’t come to mind first, although she is the first (chronologically) person in the Scriptures to encounter God in the wilderness in Genesis 16 and 21.  This week, we will take a look at her story to learn more about how God provides for those in the wilderness.

Conference Laity Gathering

Come gather with us via Zoom on Sept. 23 for this year’s laity session! This year’s session will focus primarily on the ministry of our local churches in this time of a pandemic, confronting racism and imagining a new future for our churches.

During this extended time of physical distancing and social transformation we are all digging deep to find ways to be the “light of Christ” in our communities. Laity are crucial to making this happen! We will share short videos from all over the Conference that celebrate examples of moving the Annual Conference theme “What does Love Require?” from words to action.

You will be able to engage in worship, meet your district and conference leaders, get new ideas, and learn about opportunities for leadership development.

This laity gathering is for everyone. Since no one needs to travel to a physical location, it is easy to join us! If you are an Annual Conference member, you should definitely participate. And while you are at it, you should recruit others from your church (even clergy) who are interested in seeing what churches large and small are doing! Perhaps this will encourage you to have continued discussions with church members about the needs and possibilities for your own community and congregation.

Let’s make this gathering be the start of even more exciting ministry!

Sincerely,
Jan Nelson
Oregon-Idaho Conference Lay Leader

God Sightings 9/6

Where have you seen God at work this past week?

Pastor Brett – This is the first time we have been really face to face with people without masks on. Our family quarantined for a couple of weeks & my cousins did the same. One of my God moments this week was watching my son, Kyrie be able to hug his cousins – who are 5 & 4. And just watching them being able to embrace each other without masks on was pretty special; just a reminder of how special it is to be able to hug one another. So, that was a special moment for me. Uplifted my soul.

Rich - Last night we went and had a socially distant dinner with 3 other couples. Some people we have traveled around the world with in the past. Whose lives are somewhat entwined with ours by way of the things that interest us in life; progression of our families & the ages of our children. And it was fantastic, really amazing to get some time in person with people again that just don’t live in my household. Not that I mind the people that live in my household but, I haven’t had that close connection to people outside very much over the last 6- 7 months. So, that was a true blessing.

Merry – It is wonderful to watch the season changing and to spend time looking at the sky every evening.

Kari –  I had a dream this past week that I was in an airport and I was looking around and people weren’t wearing masks. Then I realized that I didn’t have a mask on. I went in to use the restroom and when I came out I and I kept looking around and there were people not wearing masks. So God didn’t give me a time frame or anything like that but, it was just a reminder that this too shall pass and that we will be able to travel & move about the cabin at some point. So, it was kind of a cool dream.

Morgan – I went camping last weekend and got stung by a hornet for the first time...between my toes. But thank God I’m not allergic! Because we had no cell service or Epipen.

Reflect on the Message

Here are some followup questions to Sunday’s message:

What do you think God is doing when you face life’s transitions and wildernesses?

Journal about a time in your life where you experienced transformation.  What in your life up to that point had to die? How did God bring life and resurrection out of death?

Worship Video for September 6

If you missed worship on Sunday, catch it here:

https://holtrich.my.webex.com/recordingservice/sites/holtrich.my/recording/play/9497ba2b6e764d1d854226bfab263f4c

Wilderness

When God delivered the Hebrews of old out of Egypt by a mighty hand and outstretched arm, there was only one thing separating them from entering the land God promised to Abraham.  That one thing was the wilderness.  The wilderness is a place of transition, a place in between the old reality and the new reality. This week, come ready to explore and share the dynamics of life transitions and how our current state of the world may or may not be a wilderness of sorts.

God Sightings 8/30

Where have you seen God at work this past week?

Kari – I had a fantastic day this past week. I was talking to one of my little 4 year old patients. And he goes – How old are you? And I go -well how old do you think I am? And he goes – oh, 14. So, that really made my day; this is why I work with kids – that was fun. I got to have another Hummingbird experience too so that was another good morning.

Debbie – Thanks Brett for the video showing us the church; I just like everyone to remember what it felt like and we can do that on Zoom as well. We need to remember this is not a TV and we are touching each other and worship just like you would in that space; I encourage you to do so; even sing – Chris & I sing a lot.  

Bonnie – This week Friends of the Emmaus Community had a fire & lost their house. I just praise God that they and her father, who has cancer, got out of the house alive as well as their animals. I saw her this week and she’s just thanking God that they were all able to get out. And as devastating as it was to her in the beginning, it is becoming less devastating to her because people have reached out to them and set up gofund me page and our prayers. So God has been working in their lives as well.  

Kat  – Two God Sightings this week: 1) Parents have made it home safely from their trip to Michigan; I picked them up at the airport last night. 45 minutes late, but they’re safe and they’re sound in their home.  2) A friend of ours - her 17 yo daughter was in an accident several weeks ago; the final diagnosis is permanent paralysis from (inaudible). Not the news they were hoping for but, this girl is an amazing Spirit in Christ and she has taken the news and this change of her life really well. She has actually started visiting other kids in the hospital who have been paralyzed and praying with them and offering them support to help them get through their diagnosis & their challenges as well. So…it’s a sad case, but I think from this terrible tragedy we are going to see the emergence of a wonderful spiritual leader for a group of people that need extra help. 

Paige – We came in late, so I don’t know if anyone mentioned it…Dear friends from the Emmaus Community, Dixie & Terry Walter, last Sunday evening their house burned completely. They successfully, by the Grace of God, got out just fine. Terry had a minor burn on his foot. Dixie successfully made it out of a second story window with 2 dogs, which is no feat when they are little dogs. One of them is a Mastiff. So getting down a ladder with the help from a neighbor; they are safe and in a hotel now. And the Emmaus Community has just really rallied around them. And they have already been able to exceed what was asked for on their gofund me to start to raise funds to be able to rebuild what they need to rebuild because the house is a total loss. We have set up a drive by drop off for supplies for as soon as they get into their rental house. It’s amazing to see the light of Christ at work even in this tragedy.

Amy – Dixie was able to get into her house and by the Grace of God she was able to salvage most of her photos. Which was quite a miracle.

Martha – Sarah completed the first week at the YMCA Academy in Bloomington, IL for 160 children at different school sites. The unfortunate thing was that the college students that they hired to tutor the children – some of them have come down with Covid because so many students have returned to college and have not recognized the fact that you can’t party safely. However, she said it went well; the nice thing about it is that a church had reached out to her asking how they could help. There was a family from Ethiopia who just moved to the Bloomington area and had nothing, literally had nothing. The lady sat down from the church people, I don’t know which one of the churches in Bloomington, and wrote Sarah out a $1,700 check for this family for schooling and anything else. God is working there; I just praise Him for supporting her so much.

Laura – God is sharing His compassion with me for people who are suffering and Westsiders are inspiring me to know what to do with those emotions. As a result, I’m taking baby steps to help serve people by volunteering at Free Food Ministries and bringing food to a sick parishioner.

Kevin – The Friday night WUMC Prayer Vigil was certainly filled with people being affected by the Spirit.

Pastor Brett – One of my God Sightings, I had a couple this week; Janelle, Kyrie, Levi & I were able to take a walk by & around the Tillicum Bridge. Both our boys slept the whole time we were on the walk so we not only got exercise and got to see the city of Portland; Janelle and I had a little time to connect. So that was a nice refreshing time. God Sighting behind me – Kyrie is singing!

Susan Weaver – Arizona has been going through some real record breaking heat and a dry spell for the last few months. And where we’re at we have been watching the storms go all around us but miss our area. Last week we had a really amazing lightning and thunder storm that dropped a lot of rain; then last night we had another one that was pretty incredible – standing out on the patio watching the entire heavens light up and hear the rumble of the thunder. The downside of it is that for the rest of today and part of tomorrow we are under a flood watch which means that if you’re out on the roads you have to be aware that there may be a lot of water come through. But the rain is the major Blessing and just the Glory of seeing God’s power last night in the lightning and thunder.  

Worship Video for August 30

If you missed worship on Sunday, catch it here:

https://holtrich.my.webex.com/recordingservice/sites/holtrich.my/recording/play/31f84341c0534eff8b3713c11de52548

Disciple or Tweeter? Or Both?

Have you ever taken the bait and engaged in an online argument on Facebook or Twitter? Feels good, doesn’t it? 

This week, we welcome guest preacher Rev. Ethan Gregory of First Portland UMC and get his take on how to practice discipleship in an online world made for hate theater.

Changes to Website (revised)

A reimbursement form has been added to our website under the Resources tab. If you need to be reimbursed for a church-related expense, download the file, then:

• Print, complete, and email/mail form and receipts. Email to finance@westsidejourney.org or mail to the church -or-

• Open in Acrobat Reader, complete using “Fill and Sign”, save, and email your saved file and receipts to finance@westsidejourney.org or mail to the church

The Prayer Request form is also under the Resources tab now.

And don’t forget that the church directory is also available online at westsidejourney.com/directory. This one isn’t under the Resources tab — you must enter the URL — for privacy reasons.

Let us know if you have other things you’d like to be able to access online.

Prayer Vigil Tonight

From Pastor Brett:

Dear Westsiders, 

I am calling for a Prayer Vigil tonight, Friday August 28th at 8:30 PM on Zoom to lament and pray for an end to violence against unarmed black people, and for God to grant repentance to those who resort to violence.

As you may know, Jacob Blake, a black man, was shot in the back at point blank range seven times earlier this week, in front of his children, as he readied to step into his vehicle in Kenosha, WIsconsin. This unacceptable act was followed by protests the following nights in the streets.  During those protests, a 17 year old white civilian youth named Kyle Rittenhouse murdered two people and injured another after bringing an assault rifle with him to the streets. 

As your pastor, and as a Jesus follower, this centuries-old pandemic of violence against black flesh is deeply disturbing.  We serve a God, Jesus the Jewish Messiah, who was violently murdered in the first century by the Roman Empire, in coordination with the religious authorities, for being perceived as a threat to the established religious and imperial order of the day.  Even though the Pontius Pilate, the religious leaders, and the crowds put the Prince of Peace to death, Jesus and his Father were working to destroy death once and for all.  Since Jesus, no one needs to die as a sacrifice for anyone or anything. I'm summarizing the book of Hebrews here. Indeed, Jesus is the end of sacrifice, once and for all.  He died for "law and order" (aka Rome) once and for all.  Our faith tells us there should be no more bodies upon any altar, to any god or ideal, or system, and yet we still see a disproportionate amount black bodies sacrificed in the streets, sacrificed in the prisons, or sacrificed at home doing nothing (Breonna Taylor), just to name a few and say nothing of the countless black bodies sacrificed in the Atlantic slave trade.  

This vigil will not be about stoking divisions on ideological sides, demonizing people out of the redemptive frame, it won't be about gaining attention for ourselves as individuals or for Westside as a church to post to social media about how 'woke' or righteous we are. In other words, it won't be about us.  Instead, we will focus giving witness to Jacob Blake's life being shattered and his body paralyzed, his children and the greater black community (re) traumatized and terrorized, to give witness to those who were murdered on the streets during the ensuing protests, and to pray for the police officer Rusten Sheskey, who shot Jacob Blake, and to pray for Kyle Rittenhouse who shot three people, murdering two. 

So, as you feel led, let's bring a candle, our griefs, our laments, and most importantly our prayers for tomorrow night. May the love of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you and remain with you today and forevermore. Amen. 

Click link below to join, or copy and paste into your browser the following: 

https://zoom.us/j/93451906873?pwd=WVdkaXdlQjlxK0hPK1o3QWplQkhvQT09

Meeting ID: 934 5190 6873

Passcode: vigil

Changes to Website

A reimbursement form has been added to our website under the Resources tab. If you need to be reimbursed for a church-related expense, download the file, then:

• Print, complete, and email/mail to the church, or

• Open in Acrobat Reader, complete using “Fill and Sign”, save, and email/mail your saved file to the church

The Prayer Request form is also under the Resources tab now.

And don’t forget that the church directory is also available online at westsidejourney.com/directory. This one isn’t under the Resources tab — you must enter the URL — for privacy reasons.

Let us know if you have other things you’d like to be able to access online.

Online Worship

We worship online every Sunday morning at 9:00 am.

To join us online, click here. You will be prompted to install the Webex application if you haven’t done so already. The link should go directly to the worship service at 9:00 am on Sunday. If the link doesn’t work for you, go to webex.com, click ‘Join’ and enter these details:

• Meeting number (access code):  294 667 249

• Meeting password: GodIsGood!

You may also join using a smartphone by calling 408-418-9388.

Remember to “mute” your audio when you’re not speaking, to cut down on background noise.

See you there!