Don’t forget to set your clocks back one hour this Saturday night. Reclaim that hour of sleep stolen from you in March!
Tomorrow: HomePlate Donations
We still have work slots available for tomorrow’s Random Acts of Kindness donation collection for HomePlate Youth Services. Sign up at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050B4BABAF22AB9-random
Bring your items to church tomorrow between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm:
Tents
Sleeping Bags
Backpacks
NEW Undergarments (bras, underwear of all sizes)
Beef Jerky
Granola Bars
Their General Needs list may be found at https://www.homeplateyouth.org/wish-list
You may also contribute through their Amazon wishlist or by donating cash through our website, designated for HomePlate.
If you have any questions, you may contact our own Stephanie Raether at stephanie@homeplateyouth.org or 971-978-9397.
Survey: Small Groups at Westside
Currently, there are two small groups meeting online - the weekly women’s group and a short-term study of race and Christian identity. You can find more info about both on our calendar by clicking on the event.
In addition, a men’s group will be starting soon.
Please take this short survey to help us plan future groups: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YL62FJW. Now’s the time to brainstorm and give us your ideas!
Action Assembly: Building Housing
We continue our Re-imagined Action Assemblies this week.
Join District Superintendent Tim Overton-Harris and others in a four-week series of Zooms about storytelling, dreaming, and scheming for the year ahead. Based on Bishop Elaine Stanovsky’s address* to the Greater Northwest Area.
Wed, Oct 21: Nurturing Partnerships (recording available soon)
Wed, Oct 28: Building Housing REGISTER
Wed, Nov 4: Dismantling Racism REGISTER
Wed, Nov 11: Battling Climate Change REGISTER
All events are from 7:00 - 8:30 pm. Attend any or all, but you must register to attend.
*The Bishop's three-part address can be found here: Part I, Part II, Part III.
God Sightings for 10/25
Describe when you saw God this week.
Laura – Prayers of Thanksgiving for my brother, Stephen, who finally returned to work last week after contracting Covid on Labor Day Weekend. He and his wife are feeling much better. Thank you for your prayers.
Pastor Brett – It’s Aurelia’s Birthday today, she is 11!
Jan – I want to tell you, if anybody tells you that growing old is a bad thing, tell them they are full of hot air! Because it is not true. You know that the older you get, the better it gets. You get to have grandkids, now that’s over the top; you also get to see your children become so wise and they tell you great, wise things. My daughter, yesterday, blessed me so much – I told her she was such a good grandma…She has 4 little grandchildren now. She said – Mom, that’s because I had such a good teacher! That just blessed me so much! As we pass through the different stages of life, He saves the best till last! God does all things so good. Hallelujah, Praise The Lord! We can Praise The Lord no matter how many years he gives us, Hallelujah! Praise The Lord!
Worship Video for October 25
If you were unable to attend our online worship yesterday, view it here::
Journey to Joy
Sunday, we welcome guest preacher, Rev. Todd Bartlett, the Director of Camp and Retreat Ministries for the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference to Westside to preach on our theme of Jubilee.
Journey to Joy is an exploration of what goes into our experience of Joy from a faith perspective. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit and is a natural consequence of living our lives in line with Christ’s call. Todd will argue that Joy is hard earned and more than worth the struggle.
Be sure to join us at 9:00 am on webex.com. Click ‘Join’ and enter these details:
Meeting number (access code): 294 667 249
Meeting password: GodIsGood!
Extravagant Generosity Sunday!
This Sunday is EGS! We will have a guest speaker, Rev. Todd Bartlett, the Director of Camp and Retreat Ministries for the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference. Rev Todd will speak on joy, the fruit of the Spirit that we all yearn for during these days.
There will also be a show-and-tell and a jingle that you won’t be able to forget!
If you haven’t already done so, be sure to visit https://www.westsidejourney.com/stewardship-2020 and pledge for 2021.
See you Sunday!
Re-Imagining Together
Don’t forget to join us this Sunday at 10:30 am for an open conversation about the future of our buildings and land. All are welcome to participate!
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?
Re-Imagine Together Zoom Link:
https://zoom.us/j/91376283930?pwd=a3BNcjFzN082SFhUem12czc4MW9JUT09
Meeting ID: 913 7628 3930
Passcode: reimagine
Action Assemblies Re-Imagined
Maybe 2020 is an apocalypse - an unveiling of what’s been true all along - in the biblical sense.. Or, it could be, if we join the Spirit in reimagining our life together for times such as these. Indeed, we were called as Christ's church to nothing less.
It's a life together district churches are already pioneering.
Some are finding the future of their faith as weavers of social holiness in their neighborhood.
Others are stewarding their shared real estate by building affordable housing.
Some are performing courageous moral inventories about the racism in their shared history.
Others cared for climate refugees after September's fires.
Let us celebrate these stories. And let us pair them with Bishop Elaine's summons* to courage for the year ahead, to keep reimagining what it could mean to be a people called Methodist.
Join District Superintendent Tim Overton-Harris and others in a four-week series of Zooms about storytelling, dreaming, and scheming for the year ahead.
Wed, Oct 21: Nurturing Partnerships REGISTER
Wed, Oct 28: Building Housing REGISTER
Wed, Nov 4: Dismantling Racism REGISTER
Wed, Nov 11: Battling Climate Change REGISTER
All events are from 7:00 - 8:30 pm. Attend any or all, but you must register to attend.
*The Bishop's three-part address can be found here: Part I, Part II, Part III.
Women's Bible Study
Our women are meeting every week (alternating Thursdays/Fridays) at 9:30 am on Zoom for fellowship, prayer and teaching.
If interested, email Debbie at gabeld@frontier.com and she will send a link to the meeting.
The next meeting is this Thursday, October 22, at 9:30.
God Sightings and More for 10/18
What are you doing to make this time different for worship? And/or describe when you saw God this week.
Pastor Brett – Next to me I have this little book stand and on it I have placed a glossy image of Jesus holding scripture with wood backing. This is a gift I got from one of my college friends after I was in his wedding. I am having this in front of me to distinguish this space this morning as a worship space not like a work space. I also have this candle which I am going to light. Take a moment and grab something to make your space different for worship.
Martha – Usually, when the weather was nice during the summer I would watch the service outside. Usually, I do my meetings inside the guest bedroom which I call the Woman Cave… I told Ken to go to the Woman Cave today so I could sit outside by our gas fireplace.
Sally – Nothing different…I get here and I get online and that’s my victory….I also have my coffee and my cookie.
Kari – My God Sighting is that we had a really great Church Council Meeting yesterday. We had really great conversations; we were able to agree and disagree & respect each other. I thought that was a good representation; that it would be nice if we could spread that out to others in our community and world.
I clearly have a way different work situation than a home situation. So, this is fantastic – I don’t have to wear a mask, I can sit on this soft chair and I can have a beverage right by me; it’s all good.
Michele – I was thinking that a really neat way to prepare for service is to talk to Martha - she mentioned yesterday about a prayer shawl. That would be really neat to make a prayer shawl to wear on Sundays in preparation for our service. (Bonnie – I have many simple prayer shawl patterns)
Mark – Lit a candle.
Worship Video for October 18
If you were unable to attend our online worship yesterday, view it here::
Random Acts of Kindness: HomePlate SignUp
This month’s Random Acts of Kindness spotlight is on HomePlate Youth Services.
Sign up at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050B4BABAF22AB9-random
HomePlate is Washington County's only non-profit provider of outreach for young people experiencing homelessness. They provide meals, basic supplies, and access to showers and laundry facilities.
We will be collecting the following, their High Needs list, until October 31:
Tents
Sleeping Bags
Backpacks
NEW Undergarments (bras, underwear of all sizes)
Beef Jerky
Granola Bars
Their General Needs list may be found at https://www.homeplateyouth.org/wish-list
You may also contribute through their Amazon wishlist or by donating cash through our website, designated for HomePlate.
If you have any questions, you may contact our own Stephanie Raether at stephanie@homeplateyouth.org or 971-978-9397.
Jubilee, October 18
2021 will be The Year of Jubilee - freedom from captivity, freedom from inequality, freedom from financial burdens.
This Sunday, we are exploring how Jesus takes the theme of Jubilee in the Scripture - sabbath, release, and return and re-does it in his ministry and through his own body. We will look at several Scripture passages in Luke that illustrate examples of how Jesus does this. Ultimately, Jubilee as a year is brought into the everyday by Jesus. Every day is an opportunity to experience the Spirit’s power to release us from sin, from the bondage of the evil one, and to have our relationship with God reset by the precious blood of Jesus.
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!
Microwaves Needed
Two Meals on Wheels (MoW) seniors are in need of a microwave to heat up their meals from MoW. If anyone has a good used one, or would like to donate a new one, let Bonnie know at 503.464.6914, and drop it off at the Lighthouse. She will deliver it. Thanks!
Big Thanks
Westsiders recently donated items for the evacuated migrant community near Salem, as Random Acts of Kindness for September. Here’s a note from Pastor Keren Rodriquez of Aloha UMC, who led the campaign:
Beautiful people,
I am so moved by your love, kindness and generosity. We were able to distribute all the items you brought to our church building. Pastor Zaida, at Las Naciones Salem, is very thankful for all the support you have shared with them.
The help that you have provided will be going to field workers and the Red Cross.
Your generosity gives life and I find that we, together, are surely the body of Christ. Please know that it is a blessing for me to be around all of you.
Paz en Cristo
No In-Person Worship this Sunday
Please note that the Lighthouse will not be open this Sunday for those who are unable to connect to our online worship at home.
Gayellyn has been faithfully opening the building and hosting the gathering each week. Thanks, Gayellyn!
Now it’s time to find a few other people willing to rotate Sundays with her. All you need are a laptop and a connector to the HDMI cable. Gayellyn will be happy to show you the ropes. Email the church office to volunteer!
God Sightings 10/11
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.
Worship Video for October 11
If you were unable to attend our online worship yesterday, view it here: