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Community of ChristChurch
Faith News 5.20.21 |
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Online Interactive Worship with
Holy Communion
Pentecost Sunday
May 23, 2021 at 9:30am
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Sunday Online Worship Logistics:
- The online doors to our Zoom worship will open at 9:00am.
- From 9am to 9:30am, the worship space will be open for folks to gather and get settled in. Our worship service will begin at 9:30am.
- Holy Communion is part of our online worship. We encourage you to prepare by putting together your own communion set from whatever you have handy in your kitchens and pantries - bread, crackers, tortillas, wine, juice, etc. Please have these items nearby when you join us online.
- Stay for coffee/tea and community fellowship after online worship. ☕
- Pentecost Sunday: Wear RED🟥🔥 for our online worship.
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Joining by phone:
If you are not able to join worship via your personal computer, tablet or
smartphone you are welcome to join using your phone.
- Call this number: 1-669-900-6833
- Use the meeting ID: 669 927 281
- Enter password 080114
You will find yourself in our Zoom worship space.
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New Announcements & Reminders |
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Summer Worship Series: the FRUIT of the SPIRIT
22 By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23gentleness, and self-control.
There is no law against such things.
Galatians 5:22-23
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Beginning on Sunday, June 6th, we will enter into a ten-week Summer Worship Series based on the Apostle Paul’s list of the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) which he shares with the Galatian church in Galatians 5:22-23.
We will explore how these nine ways of being in the world can be beneficial not only for those who practice them, but also for the communities in which they live, work, worship and play.
As I have been preparing for this series, one thing that continues to stand out for me is that none of these behaviors, or virtues (or whatever we want to call them) is particularly Christian. Or, to put it another way, Christianity has not cornered the market on these nine ‘fruits’. It seems rather clear to me that they are universally valued across cultures, religions and geographical regions— which then begs the question: Can the Holy Spirit move and work beyond our limited expectations and perceived constraints to accomplish the Creator’s will inside and outside the bounds of Christianity, or even organized religion in general?
How we answer this question has profound implications for how we think about ourselves as Christians in a religiously diverse and pluralistic world. To assist us in exploring this idea, I will attempt to draw wisdom and insights from a variety of sources, including theologians, poets, artists, and deep thinkers inside and outside of the Christian tradition.
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One of the sources I plan to use is a book entitled Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others by Barbara Brown Taylor. I invite you all to consider joining me in adding this book to your summer reading list. In Holy Envy, the author reflects on her years teaching world religions in a college setting.
Quoting Father James Martin from the back of the book:
“By turns inspiring, enchanting, and provocative, Taylor reminds us that God is bigger than any one religion. Prepare to be surprised and, best of all, to come to know God in a new way.”
Let’s think of Holy Envy as a companion piece to our summer exploration of the fruit of the Spirit. If there is interest, we will provide opportunities outside of Sunday mornings for folks to gather on occasion for discussion about the book and the ideas, questions and insights contained within.
I am looking forward to going on this summer journey together with all of you!
Peace (one of the fruits!),
Pastor David
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Annual Congregational Meeting Information
Our upcoming online annual congregational meeting, which will be held via Zoom on Sunday, June 6, 2021 at 10:45am.
At the meeting, we will be voting on:
- 2021 - 2022 Fiscal Year Budget
- 2021-2022 Church Council slate (full details below)
- A proposal to become a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) congregation (more information visit this website)
The 2021 - 2022 Fiscal Year Budget is available electronically
for your review prior to the meeting. If you did not receive a copy of the budget via email contact Admin@comchristchurch.org
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Church Council Nominees:
After meeting with two nominees, our Council Nominations Team (Denise DeMarre, Suze Engbretson, and Pastor David) approved both and brought their names to the
Church Council on May 12, 2021. The Council unanimously voted to approve both
nominees and are recommending them to the congregation for approval. They are Steve Delamarter and Jane Jackson. Jane's biography will be in Faith News at a later date.
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About Steve Delamarter:
I have been an Old Testament scholar (Ph.D. Claremont Graduate School) and a theological educator since 1979 and taught at a number of Christian colleges and seminaries. I was a fellow of the John Templeton Oxford Seminars on Science and Religion (’03-‘05) and have a deep interest in the integration of science and faith. I taught a course on “Spirituality and Creation” for several years.
Beth and I love to think and talk about the study of God's two books -- scripture and creation. I have long-standing hobbies in astronomy and music recording. I was a music major in college.
I have worked extensively on the issue of technology in teaching and learning in theological education. In recent years I spend time with colleagues working on projects related to the manuscripts of the Ethiopian Orthodox tradition.
Recently we installed solar panels on our home and have been generating up to 31 kWh per day! |
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Church Council Slate:
The slate of officers being brought forward for 2021 - 2022:
Suze Engbretson – President (left)
Violet Thetford – Secretary (middle)
Richard Radford – Treasurer (right)
Status of current Church Council members:
- Mark Henderson and Violet Thetford have been nominated for a 2nd
two-year term.
- Council members Cindy Kinnie, Larry Wade, and Suze Engbretson will continue to serve the second year of their first two-year term.
- Tracy Litterer will continue to serve the second year of her second
two-year term.
- Departing Church Council members are Anke Brandstater and Council President, Denise DeMarre. Thank you for your years of service!
We are so thankful to all of these volunteers for their commitment to serve
our congregation!
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Mission and Vision Conversation
Thursday, May 27 at 7pm - 8pm
Zoom link:
Church Council members Suze Engbretson and Larry Wade invite you to continue the conversation on mission and vision for ChristChurch. All are welcome, even if you have not attended previous sessions. |
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Community Event Queer Trivia Night
POSTPONED - DATE TBD
The Queer Trivia Night has been postponed. A new date will be forthcoming.
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Recurring monthly
online gatherings open to all:
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Sacred Circles - A Community Service Ministry of ChristChurch
Summer 2021 Meeting Update
The Sacred Circles team is on a summer hiatus for June and July. The team will communicate to the congregation if they have any special meetings during those months.
Stay tuned for more information mid-summer for an August meeting, project updates, and ways to get involved! |
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Crafts. Coffee. Connection.
Every Saturday
10am - noon
A weekly online opportunity to share in fellowship, hear how other folks are doing, a chance to share crafts, home improvement projects, cooking tips/recipes, book recommendations, whatever you would like!
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Reconciling in Christ Exploratory Team
Upcoming online meeting:
Thursday, June 3, 2021 @ 6:30pm
What is RIC?
Reconciling in Christ (RIC) is a program for Lutheran congregations that want to publicly welcome people of all sexual orientations, gender identity, and gender expression into their communities.
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Community of ChristChurch
This is Christ's church. There is a place for you here.
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Mailing address:
Community of ChristChurch
3300 NW 185th Ave #224
Portland, OR 97229
(503) 617-9526
www.comchristchurch.org
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Online Directory
If you need someone's contact information it's a great place to start.
Electronic Giving
Since we can't pass our offering basket during online worship, we encourage you to automate your giving. Online giving reduces staff and volunteer processing time. Electronic giving also offers an easy way to give on a recurring basis.
THANK YOU to everyone that has signed up!
Go to https://app.easytithe.com/App/Giving/comchristchurch and select the checkbox ‘Make this gift recurring’.
You will be walked through the steps for setting
up an account with Easy Tithe.
Submissions for Faith News:
Do you have an article or piece of news to
share with the congregation?
Email your submission for Faith News by 2pm on Wednesday via email.
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