Pastor David's Message this Sunday...
"Wisdom From Above"

Scripture Reading: 

James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a

Two Kinds of Wisdom

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. ¹⁴But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. ¹⁵Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. ¹⁶For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. ¹⁷But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. ¹⁸And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.

Friendship with the World

4Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? ²You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. ³You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures.
⁷Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Nehalem Bay State Park...
          All Church Camp Out Recap!

The weekend was wet for our camping excursion to Nehalem Bay, but we’ve come to expect nothing less for ChristChurch outdoor events this year.  Also expected, God was at work in mighty ways.  Friday dinner was a time of wandering to another’s table to catch up with friends, including several families who have moved away yet were able to slip back into fellowship with us for the weekend.   Later, people readily helped each other pitch tents, especially those who arrived after dark – held up on the highway by a bad accident.  Saturday dinner was potluck in famous Lutheran style with groaning tables followed by holy worship which included joyful singing, preaching from un-Lutheran verses about scorching tongues and holy communion. It particularly gladdened my heart all weekend to see the kids playing: siblings busy at their campsites, bike riders following the loop in packs, exploring the woods for dead branches to build a fort and, of course, singing and roasting marshmallows at the campfires. 

And then there were the other campers on Loop A who asked “why do you have name tags and site markers and we don’t?” – an opportunity to explain who we are and what we do.  I stopped by the site next to ours to greet a couple who was surrounded by our campers, asked them about themselves and invited them to approach any of us for any help they might need.  Throughout the weekend we talked and before I left the wife asked if we always camp that weekend because she’d like to co-ordinate their stay next year with ours!  She also mentioned wanting to join us at worship when she visits a friend in Hillsboro so I gave her my card so we can stay in touch.  And, down on Loop D a horse camper signed a Scavenger Hunt paper and had an opportunity to share his story and listen to ours.  Yes, it was quite a weekend of inreach and outreach.

These are just a few of our stories from a damp weekend to demonstrate how God appears in all places and circumstances to delight us with His creation and to magnify the significance of sharing Him with those around us in casual ways.  We are a community.  Thank you Front Porch team for thoughtfully preparing this event and thank you campers and day trippers for being His witnesses as you enjoyed yourselves.  These actions were noticed to God’s glory.

P.S.  Do you know what the Front Porch team is up to next?  As a thank you to Lenox School for hosting our Easter breakfast and egg hunt the past few years a group of adults and Opus young adults are going to paint their kitchen before school starts!  Halleluja for this opportunity to reciprocate goodness in the larger community.

Check out the displays in the Entry this Sunday showcasing all the opportunities in Faith Conversations this Fall!

Fall Kickoff at ChristChurch:

Worship and Faith Conversations for All Ages

 We invite everyone to join us for the kickoff of our new Sunday morning schedule on Sunday, September 9th. On that day our worship schedule will change to two worship services. The first will be at 8:30am and the second at 11:00am. Our 11:00 worship service will incorporate more child friendly components, like a children's message and musical instruments. Between these two worship services, starting at 9:45, will be an hour of learning and fellowship for all ages called Faith Conversations. What are Faith Conversations? Just check out all the possibilities:

Faith Conversation Opportunities for Children:

ChristKids (3 yr olds through 3^rd Grade): Holy Moly

Our new ChristKids curriculum this year is called Holy Moly. Holy Moly captures the imagination of kids by bringing the Bible to life. Kids walk away from class excitedly retelling the stories they just learned and eagerly awaiting what’s next.

Each lesson invites kids into the story with animated Bible story retellings, reinforces the lesson through the colorful pages of the Holy Moly Bible Storybooks and the Bible, and encourages creativity and imagination with activities that bring the stories to life.

Registration forms are available on our website.

 Friendship Club (4^th and 5^th Grades): Connect

Our new Friendship cClub curriculum this year is called Connect. With Connect, our. 4th and 5th graders will explore the Bible’s greatest stories, uncover major biblical themes, and discover how the Bible relates to their own lives. It’s Bible-centered church school with just enough quirky tween humor to get them hooked.

Registration forms are available on our website.

Faith Conversation Opportunities for Youth:

 CREW (Middle School): re:form

Middle School youth will meet on Sunday mornings with Pastor David and small group leaders to learn about God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), the Bible, and what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. We will be using re:form, a totally new approach to youth faith formation that trusts youth to wrestle with the historic Christian faith and theology. re:form features hilarious animated short films that frame the theological questions that youth really ask, and an Anti-Workbook that’s chock full of individual and group activities.

 OPUS 9 (9^th Grade): Transitions                                           

Brent Masterson will meet with our High School Freshmen for Transitions where we will walk through the first year of high school together. It will be a place where we can discuss the challenges of transitioning from middle school to high school. We will also concentrate on writing our own faith story.

 OPUS 10-12 (10^th through 12^th grade): Bible Backstage

Our sophomores, juniors, and seniors will be meeting with Robby Rittenhouse and Dylan Baker for Bible Backstage, where they unravel the mystery behind the Bible, concentrating on the current issues at the time the books were written to discover how they are ever so relevant in our lives today.

Adult Faith Conversation Opportunities:

 Learning to Forgive

Chris Moore will facilitate this conversation based on the book, Forgive & Forget by Lewis Smedes. Forgiving someone who hurt you isn’t easy.  It can be even harder to forgive yourself for hurting someone else.  But giving and receiving forgiveness are at the heart of the Christian life. If you struggle to forgive yourself and others, YOU ARE NOT ALONE.  Take a step toward learning to forgive in this seven week series.

The suggested donation to cover the cost of the book is $10.(Participation in this conversation is limited to 10 people, so be sure to sign up soon!)

Front Room, 7 sessions beginning September 16th

Sign up in the Entry starting on August 26th.

Making Sense of Scripture

Bill Severson will facilitate this conversation, using the book, Making Sense of Scripture: Big Questions About the Book of Faith by David Lose. This book “is a dialogue that encourages readers to bring their questions or doubts to the table when reading Scripture. During this conversation, there are different opportunities for the reader to interact with the Bible, ultimately leaving room for personaltransformation of the heart and mind.”

 The suggested donation to cover the cost of the book is $13. (Participation in this conversation is limited to 20 people, so be sure to sign up soon!)

Nursery Annex, 7 sessions beginning September 16th.

Sign up in the Entry starting on August 26th.

Daily Faith(formerly known as Topic of the Day)

Ray Oeltjen and Rhonda Eppelsheimer will co-facilitate weekly discussions centered on issues of faith and daily life. What are the faith questions you wrestle with? What does it mean to live every day from a Christian perspective? Grab a cup of coffee or tea and join in with other adults on Sunday mornings to discuss current topics and reflect on Emmanuel (Christ with us.) These lively conversations will focus on a new topic each week.

This conversation has an open door policy and you are warmly invited to come spend time getting to know your brothers and sisters in Christ! You are encouraged to come every week but you can also join in for any discussion on any Sunday. There is no homework and guest and
visitors are always welcome!

Worship Center, 7 sessions beginning September 16th.

No sign up necessary.