Slots are filling quickly for our Welcome Party for Pastor Brett, this Sunday, July 12.
There are three timeslots available. Each slot can accommodate 24 persons. Be sure to enter the quantity you need for your family, including chilcdren.
Click here for more info and to sign up.
Habitat for Humanity ReStore is hiring. They currently have two open positions in Beaverton, and they are also hiring a Director of Procurement. Those interested can apply online. Here's a link to the job posts: https://pdxrestore.org/jobs
Sharing a story from Choosing to Be like Jesus or other God Sightings:
Debbie – Yesterday at work having lunch in a park area, I was sitting there and watched this jogger come by. I heard a commotion and turned around and the jogger had stopped to help this older man lift up a wheelbarrow into this large dump truck. He said thank you and continued on running. It was remarkable that he stopped his jogging to help this man! I was looking at the step stool this man was using to try to get the wheelbarrow into the truck himself and there was no way he could have done this! It was really cool to watch.
Melody – “The World” is her God sighting.
Kari – Yesterday afternoon, my mother in law, Roberta, who lives in an independent living place and they have really been quarantined. The staff went above and beyond to have a July 4th BBQ with tables spread apart and they were taking orders and bringing people food & drinks. It was just really neat. There were a lot of teenagers that were servers at their place and the cooks and everything. It was really nice to see these people doing something special for these older people who have been isolated for so long. So we really appreciated them doing this on the 4th.
Michele – My sister and her husband have been quarantined for quite a long time (since March) because my brother in law has been quite ill for some time. He is considerably older than my sister. Yesterday, their next door neighbors brought over hamburgers and potato salad. My sister was so surprised; she texted me & I got teary eyed. My sister has lived in a small town for many years and is still surprised whenever people think of her. She was really quite touched by this. It’s good that people who are quarantined for a long time can remember that they are not forgotten!
Martha – Ken & I spent 4 ½ hrs. in the ER at St. Vincent’s last night. Ken got home from golfing and his heart was racing and his pulse wouldn’t slow down. So we raced over to the hospital and it was a God moment because they got him right in. Did testing and diagnosed that he had A-Fib and they ended up shocking his heart back into rhythm, actually, to slow down his heart rate. He’s home, he’s okay; he has to go to a cardiologist this week. This was totally unexpected but, God put all these wonderful nurses and these doctors & techs in place. We sat there and laughed with the techs while we waited for the procedure. We were all in masks - but not to worry about COVID because this was not a section of the hospital they bring COVID patients into. It was a God moment because he got taken care of right away & there was no waiting!
Sally – Martha – that’s great, is that the first time he’s had a heart issue? Welcome to the Cardiac Club! We’re with you!
Sally – What resonates with me in being the hands & feet of Jesus: “Take the time to____________.” Our friend, Sally, who has MS and is in a wheelchair had her Birthday on the 4th of July. Her husband’s name is Brian..….Nobody needs more stuff these days…so I took one of my fans from Bali that unfolds to fan yourself. Sally gets hot frequently because she has MS. I gave it to her with a note that said we were part of her “Fan Club”. Plus, I put together some recipes I made copies of in a small book. She was so touched! It was not much, but it meant everything to her! So I think just doing the little things….it doesn’t have to be major stuff for people. I think that’s what this quarantine is bringing out for us because we have more time & we just have to figure out what to do with that time to make it a blessing for others.
Kristin W. – Our church has been praying for several months for my coworker, Trenna, who was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. She had genetic test for breast cancer and it was positive for the gene. So she had a double mastectomy this week. Testing of lymph nodes showed no signs of cancer! Probably no radiation will be needed – praise God! Prayers are getting them through this tough time with her health. Thank you guys so much!
Share your “God Sighting” in the comments!
If you missed worship on Sunday, catch it here:
I’ve chosen to begin my time at Westside by preaching through the book of Ruth, perhaps preaching through Galatians alongside Ruth. I’m hoping to preach about Ruth being both our ancestor, as Gentiles, and the ancestor to King David. The book addresses all sorts of relevant topics including the anxiety of racial loss (anxiety of/in Israel of a Moabite, an enemy at the time to the people of God) and Ruth’s becoming (identity and assimilation). Where I’m hoping to land in the preaching is to sketch Ruth’s journey to join Naomi as a mirror to our journey to join Jesus and echo Ruth’s words (below) back to Jesus.
“Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me”
We’re happy to report that it continues to look like our Help Build Hope event will be able to happen on August 1st.
It’s an opportunity for Westside to partner with Christ UMC and other friends and family to construct all the walls of a house that Habitat for Humanity will build for a family in need.
We have a proposal submitted to the UMC District Superintendent for a low risk event abiding by the Washington county criteria. Examples of extra protocol that we’ll be following are: staying completely outdoors, wearing masks the entire time, having fewer people participate, maintaining 20 feet between wall-building groups, bringing your own hammer, and temperature checks for all who participate. Groups will be kept small, 4-8 people in each. There will be a limit of 13 wall-building groups to ensure we adhere to gathering and distancing requirements, so please make sure to sign up soon!
The sign-up link (below) is active. Contact Wendy Fedderly (wendy.fedderly@comcast.net) or Stephanie Raether (slraether@yahoo.com) if you have questions.
Link for more info: http://cedarmillchristumc.org/serve/help-build-hope
Link to sign-up: https://crossroadsmissions.breezechms.com/form/cumc20
On Sunday, July 12, we will have a Welcome Party for Pastor Brett. There are three timeslots available. Each slot can accommodate 24 persons. Be sure to enter the quantity you need for your family, including chilcdren.
Click here for more info and to sign up.
Goodbye.
May 27, 2010 Jesus asked, “Is it okay if I do what I want with Westside?” I said yes, and since then Jesus has been working to help me take my hands off the controls and let him really do it. I think, together, we have let Jesus work. He has created a strong, discipling community of people making a difference in the world through their willing hearts, their bold service, their dynamic sacrifice. You guys are incredible.
This has been an incredible 11 years of my life. You have been the church I longed to serve since I was called in February 1983 into pastoral ministry. You were the place I longed to be. A place where music was freed to serve God and bow the people down in experiences before God that nurtured the heart and changed the mind. This was the place.
I first envisioned this kind of church when pastoring in San Jacinto back in 1992. It was on a rare stormy, rainy day when I went to see Sister Act at the Hemet Theater -- a place where they only showed one movie at a time -- and was swept away by the great joy, the music, the story of forgiveness and reconciliation between races, and the transformation of a life. For me, it said all that and more. From that I carried away the desire that music could carry away a congregation and make them into a vehicle of the hand of God.
The next Sunday our 6-member choir sang. I couldn’t see how that dream could be fulfilled through them. The two men sang whatever they liked no matter the song. The women used to be good but could not hold the key. It was painful, truly. That day, John the choir director came and told me he quit. There was nothing he could do. Seriously, I didn’t blame him. Where was Whoopi when we needed her???
For years Laura Geiser had told me, “Tell me when it is time to quit and I will.” She’d been a fabulous singer in her day, but her voice was failing, truly. But she still didn’t appreciate it when I told her. Even with the end of the choir, I still held to the dream that music could be used by God for such transformation.
Westside was still 17 years in my future, but when I arrived, and you were singing songs I had dreamed to hear a church sing with a band to support, I felt like I had arrived in heaven! I knew it was where I was called to be. Thank you Susan and Sandy for your great leadership and for the bands supporting you these years! What magnificent praise you have led us in and how frequently we have entered into the courtroom together as you led us into that Sovereign place.
We have been together in this for these 11 years. It has taken work and commitment to grow together, hasn’t it! Sometimes what feels like heaven is different than we might imagine! :-) We had to walk through some really difficult places. But God did what he wanted in my life and in yours.
Thanks for letting me be your pastor, for trusting me, for entrusting your tears and hearts to my care, for being willing to walk with me in places where I felt less than confident. Thank you. It has been a growing season. The church council has been using Brené Brown’s book Dare to Lead for two years and have found in it great tools for developing our ability to work as a team in ministry. Thank you church council for your courage to lead!
Thank you for your giving hearts, for your willingness to give of your time, talents, finances into the work of God’s church through Westside to see the Gospel reach people it hadn’t until you gave. Thank you for reaching into the lives of those who came in through the back door of counseling, through the side door of Family Promise and the migrant camps, through the front door of worship. Thank you for being available to invest your time for God in so many, many ways. Because of your giving hearts so many have experienced Jesus impacting their lives.
I will miss you immensely, friends and family. I will look forward to connecting with you on future Walks to Emmaus or in other opportunities if you contact me. I cannot call you. But that does not mean that I don’t love you. For, you know I do. Love, Pastor Brian
Here’s an important message from Rich:
Hi Westside Peeps!
Some of you have been asking about a Notice from WebEx that informs you your free account will be changing on July 01. For most people, this is nothing to worry about.
If you schedule and/or host meetings in WebEx, you may need to upgrade your account.
However, the free version is perfect for attending meetings… there is no need to upgrade or pay for WebEx *unless you are a meeting host*. And even then, you will still be able to host meetings, subject to the new limits.
So rest assured that you may still attend Sunday morning worship for free. See you Sunday!
From the Zoom chat during Sunday’s worship service:
Share a story from this week when you Chose to be Present:
Dianne – Not feeling brave, but seeking to be fearless by the faith built up in me by his Holy Spirit. That’s when I feel like I am more brave.
Sally – Dave is going through a ton of health issues...and he does it with a smile on his face & joy in his heart. We all need to say Go Dave!!! He’s being Brave Dave!!! – facing challenges with courage.
Aurelia – I was Brave this week, some people were moving in down the street from us – the house was vacant for a long time; I went up and said “Hi” to them and made friends, even though they were new.
Martha – I was brave and ventured out to the audiology clinic to get my hearing aids and to support the Pacific Ear Clinic! I have feared going into any clinic.
Krista – Sawyer was brave this week by first climbing a ladder to cut the branches on the tree then climbed on top of Ivan’s truck to get higher up in order to cut the branches.
Cosgrove family – I was brave when I gently confronted someone who posted something on Facebook that was unkind to a non-English speaker.
Merry – I continue to bring hand sewn masks from a new friend to the Western Farm Workers, and baby formula from Sally. Thank You!! I’m not feeling brave, but continuing to do the work that needs to be done.
Neil – Gwen was brave by venturing into a new way of performing with dance. 6 weeks on Zoom and then a new venue for everyone.
Gayellyn for Jan – She met a man at Dutch Bros who needed food. She met him at McDonalds, got him food and then took him in her car to the park so he had a place to eat. She shared that Jesus loved him. His name was Nathaniel.
Add your story to the comments…
If you missed worship on Sunday, catch it here:
Here are the Next Steps for your faith journey:
Take some time away to just BE WITH JESUS. Read. Pray. Journal. Listen.
Align yourself with Jesus’ passion for those who don’t have the privileges you do and take one step into another’s world.
Ask yourself or ask others about yourself: “Are there areas of hypocrisy in my life?” Align them.
Ask God to prepare you for the next opportunity you will have to be a vessel of healing in someone else’s life.
Everything comes to an end. Life. Seasons. Baseball and Basketball games. Good meals. Dessert. Sex. Games. Journeys. Vacations. Quarantine (we hope!). And my time to be your pastor. Everything. Everything except Jesus. He never ends. You cannot exhaust his wisdom. You cannot understand all he knows. You can never get to the end of his love. You cannot plumb the depths of his compassion. You cannot fathom his thoughts. You cannot praise enough the majesty of his Person. You will never know him better than he wants to know you. So, for this last Sunday -- let’s focus on Jesus. Let’s pay attention to Him. Let’s thank HIM for this amazing walk together and celebrate this privilege - that even with all that is true about Jesus, still his intention is to make us like himself. Exactly. God has “...predestined (us) to be conformed to the image of His Son” (Ephesians 1). God predetermined that everyone would be made into a “little Christ.” That’s what the word Christian means. Pretty fabulous.
So, I want you to know, I’ve learned so much about Jesus through all of you. So much. I give thanks for every moment we have shared, the joyful and the tearful ones. God used it all for such great good. And how cool to hand the baton to a great pastor in Brett Stuvland. We will do this on Sunday. Come, join worship. 9 am.
Westsiders, the pocket change that you donated last year to KIVA continues to help small businesses!
As the loans are repaid, we are able to re-invest the money.
As the pandemic threatens small businesses all over the world, we chose two People of Color in the US for loans this month.
Yaminah, a lawyer and mediator in Georgia, received $50. Lee, a caterer in California, received $25. Both are struggling to keep their businesses alive.
Thanks to God, we are blessed to be able to be a blessing.
Did you take photos last Saturday at Pastor Brian’s send-off? Please upload them to the Shutterfly album, for everyone’s enjoyment. Thanks to all who attended for making this such a lovely and memorable event!
Here’s the Shutterfly link: https://brianssendoff.shutterfly.com/
And, once again, here’s the YouTube link for the slideshow that was presented at the party: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce0rQq92Zu8
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” Teddy Roosevelt, April 23, 1910
Think on this. It is not the critic that counts. The critic usually stands on the sidelines. This is the heckler. The troll who disrupts posts. The one who rails against the one fighting the battles on his or her behalf. This is not the one who counts. It is not the one who yells against those seeking to help. Yet, all of us, almost without fail, give too much credence to the voice of the heckler, the critic, the one sent to “steal, kill and destroy.”
How many of us respond to the one negative comment not the ten positive that happen in a day? How often do we wilt at a critique instead of blossoming before the words of praise? Too often.
Roosevelt, who was a president much like our current one, just as unbridled and outspoken, knew much about critics. Maybe he was speaking from experience in this 1910 speech. But these are worthwhile words to remember.
Stay in the arena. Continue to dare greatly.
We need those who will continue to fight for a culture where people remember that our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly realms. Such forces are not fought with angry diatribes but best fought upon our knees. Best fought by actions characterized by love.
It made me wonder who are the ones today “striving valiantly” who are “in the arena?”
Are they Amy Fiederowicz and Bonnie Becker and those helping with food and housing insecurities?
Are they Debbie Gabel, Lisa Theriot, Kat Tollefson and others working in the health fields?
Are they those standing, praying, being present in the middle of the rioters as someone who is standing for another Way in the middle of mayhem?
Are they the police who do not support the brutality, but support and love people who want to see life made possible for others by their protection? Like the sheriff who came to check in with us after my car was stolen -- he was such a gift to us that morning.
Are they the ones working to make PPE supplies available for those needing them?
Are they others? The truck drivers transporting goods we would not see without them? The delivery drivers? The workers in grocery stores and other markets? You and me as we reach out to those around us fearful in this season? Are these those in the arena?
Are they the moms and dads who while juggling work have sought since March to homeschool their children with limited supplies and direction at first? Are these the heroes striving valiantly in the arena?
Are they the ones who cannot sleep because God continues to stir them from slumber to pray for the hurting, the lost, the lonely, the broken, the abused, the hurting, the desperate?
Are they the workers seeking to serve the migrant community, transporting workers to the fields, taking food, delivering masks, helping with dental clinics?
Yes.
Anyone who is seeking to serve God, who is seeking to offer his or her life to Jesus in this season, anyone who is seeking to love others like he or she has been loved, these are those IN THE ARENA.
Thank you for your courage and bravery and willingness to dare greatly in this season for the sake of many in need. Remember, it is not the critic that counts.
From the Zoom chat during Sunday’s worship service:
Share a story from this week when you Chose to be Present:
Amy F. – 2 friends had fires this week, one had a dryer fire in their home. She was able to provide food & clothes for these families.
Pastor Brian – Yesterday we were able to be present to each other in real time, bodies in the same space. It was just beautiful. A few times when no one was talking to me, I was able to witness it. You were all talking in little groups which was beautiful and hilarious and lovely. It is such a testimony of how you desire to be together and the connection you have with each other has not been severed.
Kari – We were able to join on Zoom with Joe’s cousin in hospital from horseback riding accident. She was able to take mini iPad over to Roberta’s and Joe joined in with his phone. It was really great to all be together with the family. Presence. Roberta was really happy to be able to see and talk to her sister and her nieces. Maureen is in good spirits but has a serious neck injury and will have surgery on Monday, 6/22.
Ivan – It was a blessing to see the joy and excitement in Finn as he was with me on the road this week.
Dianne – Everyone say Happy 40th Wedding Anniversary to Debbie & Chris Gable. It’s really nice to see all you guys here from the Lighthouse; I wish we could all be together in the same place.
Dave – Thanks to all who came by to celebrate my birthday. I still can’t wipe the smile off my face from the joy in hearing the band in the garage, singing and followed by the barbershop quartet. Love you all. Giving thanks to my dad (rest his beautiful soul) for demonstrating what it is to be a father
If you missed worship on Sunday, catch it here:
Here are the Next Steps for your faith journey:
Pray five times a day; turn to God at awakening, before bedtime, and at every meal.
Give something away: You can’t take it with you, so let go.
Care more about others than how you are perceived.
Talk: With whom do you need to have a brave, careful conversation?
After binge-watching Downton Abbey for 7 hours, Brene Brown started to look up the time period of the series and stumbled upon a quote from Teddy Roosevelt. She calls it her Jesus moment. In the middle of a shame meltdown, overwhelmed by the countless words of criticism, she read his words about daring greatly. Here’s the quote:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
Awakened, Brene stood up to “dare greatly,” choosing courage for one of her life values. It is not the critic that counts. We would do well to remember those words.
Jesus knew critics berated him from the sidelines. He knew what it was to come against literally impossible odds. He knew what it was, along with all those who were “types of Christs” before him, to stand in the midst of battle, to fight wrong, and uplift the downtrodden. Jesus knew and practiced bravery.
Sunday we will visit one beautiful scene, in which, contrasted between immense compassion and powerful confrontation, Jesus dared greatly and shows us how to do so as well. We are a people who are called to great things, take stands against evil, uphold the right and make a difference in a society marred by critics, not by those who are actually “in the arena.”
As we are looking at the brief encounters Jesus had, we are looking for ways we too can choose bravery that looks like Jesus’ not like an angry mob, smashing windows and burning police cars. Courage like the Flint, MI white sheriff who without his weapons, vest, or armor, offered hugs and love, marched with a beautiful mosaic crowd of every race remembering George Floyd. Dare greatly to stand courageously with Jesus. 9 am Sunday.