God Sightings 10/11

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Where have you seen God at work this past week?

Martha – I enjoyed last Sunday’s Communion. It was nice to be in communion with others in person even though we certainly adhered by the safety rules, which was wonderful. Not only were we receiving communion from Christ but also we were in communion with one another.

My daughter, Sarah, has been nominated in Bloomington, IL for YWCA Woman of Excellence Award. She is 1 of 20 women nominated in that area. This week they have the Awards Ceremony and she doesn’t know if she will win or not. All that matters is that someone nominated her. Her staff is going to have a big party for her as they watch the Awards online.     

Wendy F. – Tomorrow is Barrett’s 15th Birthday! My God sighting has been happening for 18 years now, because Sawyer is 18. My 2 kids every single day. This week was fun and special because on Friday we went to Edgefield to play golf. It’s just a putter and wedge course, so many of us could not play golf very well and it didn’t matter. The sun was out and it just felt normal to be doing something safe and normal and happy and it was just a wonderful day.

Pastor Brett – My God sighting (one of them) this week was being able to spend Friday with my son, Kyrie, he goes by Ky, and Levi. Janelle had a conference that was all day Friday for her work as a therapist and getting that business up and running. So, I had the boys Friday. If you don’t know me very well, I can be a little bit of an anxious presence & anxious parent at times. I get a little bit overwhelmed with more than one child. But it went very well and Levi had multiple naps and Kyrie and I were able to spend the whole day together and it was a day that I was not on the computer; wasn’t doing meetings or anything like that. So, it was just a wonderful time to be with the boys on Friday.

Martha, I echo your sentiments about being able to have communion last Sunday. It was awesome... I think we’re going to do that the first Sunday of every month - meet outside at the church rain or shine…. We can bring an umbrella and we can bundle up… I don’t want us to miss out on another communion together, so that’s my personal commitment to do this the first Sunday of every month. And so we will be looking forward to that.

Kari – We got to celebrate my Dad’s 75th Birthday on Saturday. Because it was raining we met in my parent’s garage and left the garage door open so we could kind of be “outside”. It was really great to see my sister and her family and then my mom & dad. We had pizza and salad & time to celebrate my dad. I wish we could have done something a little bigger for turning 75, but it was all good. So, it was fun.

Rich – It’s not truly a God Sighting or maybe it’s a God Sighting…This week I had a conversation with some Mormon friends, one of them who happens to work for me and one who appeared. They have been experimenting with online services and how to make it feel more worshipful. My friend Todd said – I went on Craigslist and found this podium from an office that had closed down. So, he went out and bought this podium because they do something called the 3rd hour which is sort of like a small group after church. He has a little corner in his office set up with an actual podium with a crucifix behind him. He has this little space in the view of this one camera where he does church in a more churchlike setting. Todd said - You know it’s all the same to me, but my son who is still in Utah, called me immediately afterwards and said – Dad, that was great, I felt like we were in church again.  So, I agree with the whole notion that we might be able to visually set up our space to feel more like a worship service.  

Laura – Prayers of thanksgiving for my sister-in-law, Gillian, who is 90% better recovering from Covid. My brother is no longer in pain after Covid, but is off work for 3 more weeks.

Neil – Just finished my first week as a Lead and Trainer for the entire Apple Oregon/Alaska Market Business Team!

Gerry – I was blessed this past week having my son who lives nearby, and my daughter from Colorado visit, to say goodbye to my cat who Sandy found abandoned as a little baby 12 years ago.

Jubilee, October 11

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2021 will be The Year of Jubilee - freedom from captivity, freedom from inequality, freedom from financial burdens.

This Sunday, Wendy will present the Step Up and Giving Charts during worship. Perhaps you have the financial ability to give just a little more and “step up” to the next level.

You can pledge your prayers, presence, gifts, and service for 2021 at https://www.westsidejourney.com/stewardship-2020. The website also has the popular Step-by-Step chart and a brief description of various service opportunities, including the new Random Acts of Kindness.

Our annual Extravagant Generosity Sunday will be October 25.

We praise God that we can continue to be His hands and His feet, and are able to financially support the ministries at Westside!

Re-Imagining Together

Don’t forget to join us this Sunday at 10:30 am for an open conversation about the future of our Children and Youth Ministries. All are welcome to participate!

Re-Imagine Children and Youth Ministries Together:  With a growing handful of children and youth in the church, come workshop some ideas for how to implement children's time during the online service and ministry once in-person worship resumes.

Re-Imagine Together Zoom Link: 
https://zoom.us/j/91376283930?pwd=a3BNcjFzN082SFhUem12czc4MW9JUT09

Meeting ID: 913 7628 3930
Passcode: reimagine

Charge Conference

Save the date for our annual Charge Conference, Sunday, November 22, at 10:45 am.

During this online meeting with our District Superintendent, Tim Overton-Harris, we will be doing the yearly business of the church (voting and such) and discussing Bishop Elaine Stanovsky’s challenge to dismantle racism. If you plan to attend, please read this part of her address.

All are invited to attend. Watch your weekly emails and/or our website for the Zoom link.

Re-Imagine Children and Youth Ministries

This Sunday at 10:30 am, we will have an open conversation about the future of our Children and Youth Ministries. All are welcome to participate!

Re-Imagine Children and Youth Ministries Together:  With a growing handful of children and youth in the church, come workshop some ideas for how to implement children's time during the online service and ministry once in-person worship resumes.

Re-Imagine Together Zoom Link: 
https://zoom.us/j/91376283930?pwd=a3BNcjFzN082SFhUem12czc4MW9JUT09

Meeting ID: 913 7628 3930
Passcode: reimagine

God Sightings 10/4

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Where have you seen God at work this past week?

Francie – Yesterday, we did the pick-up & drop off for Salem food ministries. Gayellyn was there & Bonnie was there. We dropped off what had filled up the cars. Sally texts me a half hour or hour later and had 9 more bags to drop off. I got home and logged in and there was another $125 donated. So, Bonnie is going to go work her magic on providing more items, because, you know Bonnie – she finds the deals. So, we just had a huge outpouring of support for the migrant workers in Salem & more stuff just happened; it just kept coming! Aloha & everyone helped and paid it forward. Everybody here doing a little bit helped a lot.

Pastor Brett – Praise God for the outpouring! So glad too that Aloha was able to share in our ministry - Aloha UMC, we partnered with them. God Sighting for me is to see Jane Williams, up and on the couch; joining us for worship after a period of time in the hospital. We have been praying for you Jane and it’s so great to see you this morning, praise God!   Thank you Jane, for reminding us just how strong our God is & being present with us this morning.

Jan – I’m here in the Lighthouse. You know that song that comes to me about Earth to God, Come in God. That’s what I feel when I come in here. It’s like Earth to God, are You there? We can’t really touch but, we can see your faces. Dianne and I coming in here – God surrounds us! Michael W. Smith sings this glorious song – When I fight my battle, I’m surrounded….You know everything comes at us and we think we’re surrounded with problems…God is so incredibly good! And I got a new phone, guys, and don’t ever get a new phone…..Anyway, when we fight our battles, the world says you’re surrounded, like Michael W. Smith’s song...You’re surrounded and you can’t get loose but, we’re surrounded by Him! Not only is He with us guys, He is in us. And the Spirit of the living God witnesses with each of us that we’re His children. Have you not been hugged by Paige? Nothing is right until you get a hug from Paige. She encircles you and you feel so loved. That’s what we need and that’s what we miss – is each other. Anyway, I love you all!

Stephanie – I talked to my brother for the first time in 5 months yesterday! We both apologized and are going to plan a hike for just the 2 of us next weekend to finish our conversation.

Merry – I was able to help fifty people with voting information in Georgia.

Kari – Stephanie asked me to help her with a fundraiser for Homeplate and I’m hoping she can update us a little on that…(not yet, next week) It was super fun and we got to meet some neat people. It was with the Beaverton Chamber of Commerce; they were golfing out at Pumpkin Ridge. So we had a little table set up with the Homeplate information. Stephanie was great at giving all the people coming through the information. Some of them mentioned it and we got some hat donations and some cash. It was really fun and an honor to be a part of.

This Sunday at 11:00 am

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This Sunday, October 4, at 11:00 am, we will have a parking lot communion!

The church will provide sealed and pre-packaged elements for people to come physically to the church, get out of their car, pick up their own pre-sealed package, take it back to their car (or stand at a distance if it is not raining) and we will attempt to have communion together. The communion elements are gluten free bread and grape juice to accommodate the most people. 

The bread and juice are sealed at the factory with the bread on the bottom. No one will touch them except Pastor Brett, when he sets them out for pick-up. These have been in use at other churches for months so you can trust their safety.

Join us on this special day when Christians of all denominations, all over the world, share their bond as brothers and sisters in Christ.

2021: The Year of Jubilee

We have begun our Stewardship Campaign!

2021 will be The Year of Jubilee - freedom from captivity, freedom from inequality, freedom from financial burdens.

You can pledge your prayers, presence, gifts, and service for 2021 at https://www.westsidejourney.com/stewardship-2020. The website also has the popular Step-by-Step chart and a brief description of various service opportunities, including the new Random Acts of Kindness.

Our annual Extravagant Generosity Sunday will be October 25. More details to follow.

We praise God that we can continue to be His hands and His feet, and are able to financially support the ministries at Westside!

God Sightings 9/27

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Where have you seen God at work this past week?

Jan – Did you see 50,000 people in Washington, DC – did anybody see it on TV? 50,000 people, guys! Shouting and voices lifted high unto God. Franklin Graham had that Prayer March in Washington, DC, yesterday. And Fred – that new song “Earth to God” come in God, you have to get it. Has anybody heard it? It’s awesome - it’s a prayer to God by John Rich. Just Google it - Prayer by John Rich, Earth to God, come in God. It is positively awesome. The Lord is moving! He is alive and well! And we ought to be too! We should rise up & shout to the Lord with our voice of crying.

Wendy F. – I had a God moment yesterday. I went in to the hospital and I’m fine. This is not about me or my illness, I have some underlying heart issues that we’re figuring out. But, my God moment is when I was in the ER, just realizing how much goodness we have. That I or anyone can have a problem. Think that hearts are sensitive things, you’re anxious and worried; you can go in and get immediate feedback. Yes, your heart is amazing and it can do all these things and you are totally fine. And just to think about that. Because, I think for me and for many of us we are surrounded by all the badness and all this stuff we’re worried about...So, that makes me miss these types of things until they smack me in the face. So that was a really grateful God moment, yesterday, that both things can be true. Not to underestimate the difficult stuff that’s going on but, sometimes my limited brain only sees one or the other.  So, it was such a wonderful God moment, let’s look for all the good things and be grateful for those too because they are all around. And sometimes it’s just more about us not seeing them; missing them. It was such an encouragement that I needed, especially right now. So, my prayer is that we all get all of those good ah-ha moments with the stuff that we’re grateful for every day.

Bonnie – This week I had to take Tami Ely to Urgent Care. Things haven’t gone real well, please pray for her – she has a lot of issues that need to be resolved. But, when I got there and I was quite upset about her condition, Debbie Gabel was sitting there in the chair and it was just so comforting to me to have someone else that knows Tami and knows me. We got some testing done and further testing needs to be done. So, please pray for Tami.  

Martha – Jan, I love the faith enthusiasm that you show!   This is Martha again; we have just had 3 strong God moments. We had Jan professing her faith which is so strong. We had Wendy – the doctors may say – oh, you have a good heart but, they don’t know what kind of good heart you really have. Bonnie, if you don’t do God’s work every day, I don’t know who does.

Stewardship 2020

We began our Stewardship campaign this morning!

2021 will be The Year of Jubilee - freedom from captivity, freedom from inequality, freedom from financial burdens.

You can pledge your prayers, presence, gifts, and service for 2021 at https://www.westsidejourney.com/stewardship-2020. The website also has the popular Step-by-Step chart and a brief description of various service opportunities, including the new Random Acts of Kindness.

Our annual Extravagant Generosity Sunday will be October 25. More details to follow.

We praise God that we can continue to be His hands and His feet, and are able to financially support the ministries at Westside!

World Communion Sunday on October 4

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Next Sunday, October 4, at 11:00 am, we will have a parking lot communion!

The church will provide sealed and pre-packaged elements for people to come physically to the church, get out of their car, pick up their own pre-sealed package, take it back to their car (or stand at a distance if it is not raining) and we will attempt to have communion together. The communion elements are gluten free bread and grape juice to accommodate the most people. 

The bread and juice are sealed at the factory with the bread on the bottom. No one will touch them except Pastor Brett, when he sets them out for pick-up. These have been in use at other churches for months so you can trust their safety.

Join us on this special day when Christians of all denominations, all over the world, share their bond as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Re-Imagine Worship

This Sunday at 10:30 am, we begin our conversations about Re-imagining the future of Westside. First up:

Re-Imagine Worship Together - The pandemic has altered the way we meet together to worship God, and we need to be prepared to have an online presence remain deep into 2021 and maybe beyond. Come brainstorm ways to do worship both in person and online in 2021. What should worship look like visually? What should it sound like? How will we engage the people in person and help the people online feel like they are also in the sanctuary?

Join us!

Re-Imagine Together Zoom Link: 
https://zoom.us/j/91376283930?pwd=a3BNcjFzN082SFhUem12czc4MW9JUT09

Meeting ID: 913 7628 3930
Passcode: reimagine

Last Chance: Christian Identity and the Racial World

This course begins this Thursday at 7:00 pm. Don’t miss your chance to register!

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 NowSign up Link 

Re-Imagining Convos

This is something new, starting this Sunday at 10:30 AM after church. These will be 8 conversations that everyone is invited to participate in, around 4 themes. This is a chance for the people of Westside to shape the future of the church. Each session will be a 45 minute creative brainstorming session after church every other week (10:30 - 11:15 AM) through the end of the year into 2021.

Mark your calendars!

a. Re-Imagine Worship Together - The pandemic has altered the way we meet together to worship God, and we need to be prepared to have an online presence remain deep into 2021 and maybe beyond. Come brainstorm ways to do worship both in person and online in 2021. What should worship look like visually? What should it sound like? How will we engage the people in person and help the people online feel like they are also in the sanctuary? Sep 27 & Nov 22 

b. Re-Imagine Children and Youth Ministries Together:  With a growing handful of children and youth in the church, come workshop some ideas for how to implement children's time during the online service and ministry once in-person worship resumes. Oct 11 & Dec 6 

c.  Re-Imagine Building, Land & Place Together: How are we utilizing our buildings and land during normal times? During Covid times? How are we using our land to give glory to God and to witness to His creation? Are there budding ministries that need a place to thrive on our land? What is going on in our neighborhood and in the churches around our neighborhood? How are we connected to our place in Beaverton?  Why do we exist here and not in Hillsboro or downtown Portland? Oct 25 & Dec 20 

d. Re-Imagine Outreach Together: Come learn more about the outreach ministries of Westside UMC and how we are adapting during Covid. Who are we becoming through our outreach? What are the themes of our outreach and who God is calling us to be? Nov 8 & Jan 3 

Re-Imagine Together Zoom Link: 

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/91376283930?pwd=a3BNcjFzN082SFhUem12czc4MW9JUT09

Meeting ID: 913 7628 3930
Passcode: reimagine