Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends (Quakers)

12. 11 “Loving God with the Mind”                                    November  2008

In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus’ scribal interrogator quibbled about how to fulfill the Law in loving one’s neighbor. Like Pilate, people also hedge about truth—about loving God with one’s mind. “Test me, LORD. . .examine my heart and my mind” is a insightful proverb (Prov. 26: 2 TNIV) Hear what the Apostle Paul says to us on this subject:

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. . . . And the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4: 7-9 TNIV)

Ancient philosophy named human goals the good, the true, and the beautiful. These still define areas of study. Ethics delineates the moral good, logic the tests for truth, and aesthetics the norms of beauty (“whatever is lovely”, to use Paul’s term). In subtle ways the tempter stirs people perversely to seek out or promote the bad, the false, and the ugly. Ponder Paul’s admonition: to let God’s peace guard our minds and guide them toward praiseworthy goals.

Loving God with my mind means discerning truth about myself. I am cautioned to esteem self “not more highly than I ought. . .” neither wallowing in self-pity nor swaggering in self-adulation. What’s a pitfall for educated minds? Skillful self-deception! We’re warned: “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” (1 Cor. 10: 12TNIV). We are called to rise beyond an egoistic self, beyond a social self, to become a God-filled self.

Loving God with my mind means discerning truth about others. How strong are social pressures to treat my group as superior! And equally strong to exercise no moral judgments of any kind, blinding ourselves to offenses against the true, the good, and the beautiful. We need God’s help to make compassionate and rational judgments about others, so truth is honored as well as love. Let the Spirit quicken our minds to recognize how much we depend upon the knowledge and skills of others, and how important God-touched minds are for sustaining human community. Let’s be grateful for how much the Gospel has leavened and enlightened it.

Loving God with my mind means discerning truth about the material world. Abiding in God’s peace enables us better to see and understand God’s creation as it is, and what through God-directed stewardship it may become. Ignorance and sin cause suffering. Christians are called rationally to interrogate the material world—its stuff, its creatures, its energy, using sense, reason, and intuition rightly to interpret it, and to release its bounty for all humanity and to God’s glory. As bearers of the divine image let’s use our minds to understand, plan, adapt, reconfigure, and utilize the material world for the good of all.  For Christians everyday is Earth Day. Whether it’s planting meringa trees in Africa or windmills in America, or dispensing health care, may Christians lead the world in appropriate technology. Loving God with the mind also includes intuitive wonder at the world itself.  As Walt Whitman wrote:  “I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars. . . . And a mouse is miracle enough to stagger sextillions of infidels.” (“Song of Myself”, in Leaves of Grass, Signet Classic, 1958, pp, 72-73)

Loving God with my mind means discerning truth about God. We love God because He first loved us, and demonstrated that love through Jesus Christ. Nestled in God’s peace we’re enabled to see and to rightly understand divine revelations in history and within the heart. A danger looms in doing theology, in reasoning about God. The danger is idolatry: reducing God to a professional specialty, a resource, or another art or musical genre. But another danger looms in not crafting rational constructs for spiritual experience.  The danger is idolatry: reducing God to a useful social myth.

Truly “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Friends, never lose a sense of awe before the Lord!   “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty!”

May the peace of God guard your minds!

Joy Lujan is a wife and mother of six children. She is just beginning to get serious about slowing down, simplifying her life and resting in Jesus. She hopes to share with others a more peaceful and simpler way of living. She enjoys canning and gardening, and finding resources that help her raise her family in an environmentally friendly way. Check out her blog.

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I try to incorporate my “green” thoughts into my walk with Christ because, for me, they go hand in hand. To assist me with faith-to-lifestyle integration, I often use the Friends Queries. Northwest Yearly Meeting and Spokane Friends Meeting showcase them well.

On this topic, it is helpful for me to look at Query 13.

“Is your life marked by simplicity? Are you free from the burden of unnecessary possessions? Do you avoid waste? Do you refuse to let the prevailing culture and media dictate your needs and values?”

These are four large questions to ponder and live by! This is where I find being green goes hand-in-hand with my faith.

A) “Is my life marked by simplicity?” I try. I don’t feel I’m extravagant in my dress, outward appearance, home decor, children’s lives, etc. There are many ways this could be lived out. But for those who know me, I have to ask them if they see this value being expressed in my life. If it is not being lived in a way that can be seen from the outside, it means very little and loses its ability to be a testimony that points to God’s primacy and provision in our lives.

B) “Are you free from the burden of unnecessary possessions?” Goodness no! I have more stuff than I know what to do with! But I am making progress… I think. As a family we are discussing purchases and evaluating the “need value”
versus “want value” of those things we are considering. For example: Do I need another pair of shoes? No. Do I want them? Yes. So if I get them, perhaps I will give some of my older ones to Goodwill I’ve just started this with the girls. If they get a new (read “newer”) item of clothing, they must get rid of an article of clothing. This makes them really think about how bad they want something, knowing something else is going to have to go.

C) “Do you avoid waste?” Boy, I sure think so! From leftover meals to finding a use for things beyond their intended purpose. My daughter Sky is heavily involved in recycling. Here is a picture of her taken Monday at the recycle place. This was her second trip this month. As you can see, there are MANY bags in the trailer we had to use since there were too many for my Suburban. She has 65 pounds here. Plus the 30 pounds she had before. That’s 95 pounds of cans, peoples!!! And, it’s a whopping $51.30 for Mexico! She actually made $57 but after her tithe, it’s the $51.30 and really, she only had quarters so decided to make it $5.75 so that left her with $51.25 for her fund. I’m so proud. It’s one thing for me to do this stuff but when my kids start doing it, on their own, it’s a big mommy moment.

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Back to the query: Do I avoid waste? I say, “yes, I do.” But more importantly, would you see that in my life? I need feedback to
really challenge my own perspective. It is easy to miss bad habits that are integrated into my lifestyle.
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. D) “Do you refuse to let the prevailing culture and media dictate your needs and values?” Eww, this one is tough. Aside from the Guitar Hero addiction – it really has created MANY family nights of fun and that is important, right? I know I let it dictate some of my needs – my new Pearl Blackberry for example is SO utterly awesome. But I didn’t need it. But I like it. See my quandry? I don’t believe I am adjusting my values to what media and culture are doing. We’re very modest on dress, strict on music and movies our kids see, we don’t allow the TV to just be “on.” All media must be approved, etc. But I know that I could definitely strengthen this area. Technology is grand, but it does add an element of need-versus-want to one’s life. And apart from acquiring things, there are other ways that the culture dictates my values and assumptions and self-image.

But what do you think? Respond below and let’s create some dialogue around the issue of “simple living” in the family.

Questions for Discussion:

1) In what ways is your life “marked by simplicity?” Either as an individual, or in your family situation, how do you pursue this?

2) What are some of the toughest areas to refuse to let “prevailing culture and media dictate your values?”

3) What questions regarding this query would you have for Joy or other readers of this dialogue?

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by Gene Christian, consultant for the Yearly Meeting Foundation

Monthly budgeting. Retirement planning. Stewardship. If you’re like me, you probably have spent many hours during your lifetime thinking about how to most effectively earn, save, and then give all that has been entrusted to you. It’s not an easy process and it’s certainly different for everyone!

God created this world—and everything in it—for his own pleasure. The Bible says that we are merely caretakers of the gifts and talents we have been given. So God has endowed us with certain abilities in order that we can earn and save money—and then ultimately return what we have accumulated to the one who owns the “cattle on a thousand hills.”
But how can we do that most effectively? We need the money we have saved to support us during our retirement years. We also may have educational expenses for loved ones, or costs associated with operating a business, and myriad other financial commitments we know God has called us to support.

So how can we be maximally effective stewards for the kingdom while at the same time honoring the commitments we may have to support our families as well?

For me, one of the best ways to think about stewardship is through estate planning. In fact, your estate plan will be your final act of stewardship on this earth—taking all that God has entrusted to you during life and distributing it to the people and causes you care about at death.

For those who are stewardship minded and have always wished they could do more for kingdom-building causes, one of the strategies we find most effective is what we call the “Give It Twice” estate plan. The concept is really quite simple. It works like this:
When you pass away, a trust account receives a portion, or all, of the value of your assets (your estate). Then, for a period of years, your loved ones receive an income stream from the trust. As a result, their inheritance is received in smaller amounts of money over several years, rather than a large, one-time sum all at once.

After the pre-determined number of years, the trust discontinues, and whatever remains is given outright to charitable causes. Often these “Give It Twice” trusts are set up to pay out to your loved ones about as much money as they earn each year. Therefore, when the trust’s term expires, roughly the same amount of money remains as when your estate funded it several years earlier.

So, if you’re willing to have your loved ones receive their inheritance in smaller amounts over several years (give it first to family), then you will be able to also support your favorite charitable causes when the trust expires (give it second to charity).

This is one example that has certainly gained popularity in recent years—particularly with those who are Christians. It’s just one strategy to consider as you think about taking all that God has entrusted to you during life, and ultimately turning it all back to him in death.

The Yearly Meeting Foundation has resource material and people to help you along the way. The free Estate Planning Resource Guide and the Estate Inventory Form are available here. For more information or to set up a no cost, no obligation consultation with Gene Christian, contact the yearly meeting office at (503) 538-9419.

SPOTLIGHT

We appreciated the broad guidance and helpful principles Gene gave us as we were preparing an update of our wills.  We had an idea how to help future Christian ministry and we wondered if it was practical and if it could be achieved.  He helped us think through our options of how to share our resources both with family and organizations we want to support. He helped us with details we had not known even to ask. Rather than feeling directed to pursue anyone else’s agenda, we felt enabled. We left our session ready to take the next step with our lawyer, with the confidence we had a plan that would accomplish our goals to be faithful with our estate.

Ron and Carolyn Stansell

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By Colin Saxton, NWYM Superintendent

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Mercy, mercy, mercy!

I don’t know which of God’s character traits most grabs your attention. Maybe it is God’s holiness, Light, love, or grace. Maybe it is God’s majesty, sovereignty, justice or power. For me, it is without a doubt mercy. Mercy, mercy me…

Mercy, in my experience, has been like a powerful ocean wave that knocks me off my feet and turns my life upside down. I mentioned this during this year’s annual sessions and several of you later said you knew exactly what I meant. The mercy of God is overwhelming! It swamps you and upends you with a compassion, forgiveness and acceptance that will leave you reeling…if you don’t resist it.

What I note most about God’s mercy, I suppose, is how generously God supplies it. It doesn’t come to us in a trickle but rather like a tidal wave.

But then, again, nearly my whole experience of God is one of lavish generosity. Grace is given freely—not frugally. Love flows in extravagant surplus—not stingy scarcity. Power radiates mightily—not meagerly. Especially in the self-giving of Jesus, we find One who not only gives his best…he gives his all.

I am struck these days by the abundant generosity of God, especially in contrast to my own tight-fistedness and hard-heartedness. I used to think I was pretty generous…but then I met people of real generosity. And not simply folks who were free with their wealth, but free with their forgiveness, unsparing with their acceptance, liberal in laying down their lives for the sake of others. In them I saw something more closely akin to the generosity of God and something about my own miserly nature.
Like all of the great Christian virtues, generosity is both a gift and a discipline. Past the warped nature of our human condition and beyond the barrier of our own sinful ways, the infusing presence and power of the Holy Spirit makes it possible for us to be transformed into the image of Christ. At the same time, God provides ample opportunities to choose and practice generous living.

Becoming a generous person is both a grace we are given and a lesson we learn.

Maybe the greater challenge for me is to move beyond the outward show of generosity to a truly generous heart. In my dealings with others, can I become a person who genuinely blesses others in a self-forgetful, abundant, open-handed and open-hearted way?

Over the years, I have had opportunity to do a bit of fundraising for organizations. When I do, I am always challenged by Paul’s words in II Corinthians 9—

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each person should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

That is the kind of heart I want—a cheerful one. Better yet, in the original language the word cheerful comes from “hilaron” by which we gain the word hilarious. We are to be hilarious givers!

This doesn’t mean, of course, in a laughing, goofy way—but rather with exuberance, with gracious generosity, and from a deep knowing that all we have and are belongs to God already.

I appreciate the generosity of people in NWYM. You’ve tutored me over the years in this art. I see it in your faithful, sacrificial support of local church and Yearly Meeting ministries. It is heartening, as well, to see your generosity being extended to your neighbors—in the food you distribute, as you open your buildings to support groups, by the way you care for the children in your communities, in the way you accept people who show up at worship—broken, desperate, and lost. I see you loving people with the generous love and hilarious grace of God—and it is good.

I wonder if the greater challenge to our generosity comes with those we are most familiar with? More than likely, we have been generous in the past when they have been in need, been wrong, or have let us down. We’ve had to show them patience, grace and forbearance before when they have ranted and raved about pet concerns, insisted upon their preferences, or acted in the same annoying way that pushes our particularly sensitive button.

Maybe a good year-end gift for 2008 would be to extend our generosity, once again, to those people we may have grown less cheerful toward. Maybe through prayer and the disciplined practice of hilarious self-giving acts, we can open our hearts and hands toward those individuals in our families and churches that we have unintentionally closed off.

Does anyone come to mind? Would it be possible for you to free them from familiar expectations? Instead, pray that they might continue to grow and change (just as you are growing and changing). Might you be generous with them again—as you continue to negotiate differences of opinion about the direction of the church, the style of worship, and other matters of community? Is there some gift you might give to a person or your local church that might rekindle your cheerful heart toward them and open up a renewed relationship?

Thanks for your generosity toward me! It is more than I deserve! 

Colin

But what do you think? Respond below and let’s create some dialogue around this issue.

Questions for Discussion:

1) What examples of generosity have inspired you to greater Christ-likeness?
2) What barriers to generosity do you face?
3) How can a local church better encourage generosity in their community?

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A goal of the Global Outreach Board is to highlight NWYM folks who serve with other mission or relief agencies.

Since 2002, Kim and Andrew Stave (North Valley & Eugene Friends) have been serving at LCC International University (formerly Lithuania Christian College).  LCC is an English-speaking Christian liberal arts university that educates nearly 600 students from 21 different countries with the goal of sending out moral leaders into Eastern Europe/Central Asia to be change-agents in their countries.
Like the majority of the expatriate staff and faculty at LCC, Kim and Andrew serve in their roles as volunteers—raising all funds through a variety of individuals and church partnerships.  Both serve on the Student Life staff: Kim as the Director of Community Life and Andrew as the Athletic Director. Their daughter Ieva was born in 2005 and has just entered Lithuanian preschool this fall.

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~ LCC’s website: www.lcc.lt.

~ Stave’s blog: www.kimandrewstave.blogspot.com

~ To donate toward the Stave’s ministry, you may send a check to LCC International Fund: 39 Southgate Court Suite 202, Harrisonburg, VA, 22801 and please note that it is designated to them.

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Since this issue of Connection is themed around the topics of stewardship and simplicity, I wondered what particular impact living in another country has on these issues. So I asked some questions of our overseas workers. Below are a few of their responses. Remember to pray for all our workers as they wrestle each day with how to best live out the Gospel in the places and with the people to whom they have been called. ~ Shawn McConaughey, Global Outreach

J&J, in what ways do you wrestle with the issues of ownership of things as you minister within other cultures?

I understand now how one’s possessions can defeat you. In a foreign country, one naturally begins to yearn for just a few familiar things. Bisquick pancake mixes, muffins, the feel of a football in your hands, light reading in English, Tex-Mex food, a car larger than a Ford Focus, a highway without cars driving in the break-down lane. Everyone has some hankerings when living abroad, and if kept to only one or two, it’s probably harmless to indulge in the smaller ones. But if you start feeling entitled to all of them, and turn to something American as “the better solution” or the “easiest thing,” then your apartment will look so American that local folks will find it odd and foreign. Indeed, when you leave your apartment, everything will seem to you to be different and therefore, unsafe. It’s hard to reach people when you seem very different, and you live so differently, especially in Russia, where home hospitality is everything.

– Russia

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Neiferts and Kelleys, in what ways has generosity (yours or others) impacted your ministry?

There have been many times overseas when we were astounded by others’ generosity and care for us. Once in Romania, close friends of ours invited our family as well as other family members visiting at the time to their house for an elaborate meal. Because we knew them well, we understood that they barely had enough money for rent that month, but they wanted to honor us and our guests. In Russia, one of my English classes took up a collection and bought me a beautiful samovar, or Russian tea pot, for my birthday. We have many more stories of how individuals and families have blessed our lives as they have taught us the meaning of generosity.

Patrick and Christy Neifert -Middle East

We constantly open our home to friends, and friends of friends for hospitality, sometimes with as little as two hours notice! This act can seem trivial when viewed in the wider purpose of why we are here. But we have had several people throughout the country tell us years later how sharing our home with them encouraged them at a critical time in their ministry.

Bill and Betty
Kelley -North Africa

What has simplicity come to mean for you?

Focus on the basics. Strategies and technologies are wonderful tools, but the engine which propels my spiritual life is prayer. For years I have studied about prayer. How refreshing it is just to do it without worrying about doing it correctly.

Bill Kelley
-North Africa

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by Kim Felton, North Valley Friends

It just seemed to happen.

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In January 2007, two or three people started a Bible study at Sprague River Friends Church on Tuesday nights.

Then a few more came…and food is never far behind a gathering of people; potluck dishes followed.

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By September up to 50 people, most from outside the church of 30 attendees, arrived every Tuesday. It was “an experience of ‘getting out of God’s way’ and letting it happen,” says Tim Henry, pastor at Sprague River Friends.

Tim and his wife, Tonya, prepare the main course. Everyone else brings side dishes. “Dozens of people donate food, wash dishes, clean up and make it happen,” says Tim. “It’s like a big weekly, family get-together.”

The weekly meals quickly became more than a friendly expression. In this once-upon-a-time mill town of less than 300-many of them elderly-the meal became a necessity when the only local café shut its doors.

The community approached Tim and Tonya: Would they host breakfast, as well? Three mornings a week, Tim, Tonya, and volunteers serve up the first meal of the day.

“It was very much like the feeding of the multitudes,” Tim says. “The crowds showed up first, and people were hungry. There wasn’t much to work with, but soon there was more, and more, and God is feeding the people.” Continue reading …

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Tim Burdick is father to Sierra, husband to Heather, and a bi-vocational co-pastor of McKinley Hill Friends Church in Tacoma, Washington. He is also a part-time Ph.D. student at University of Birmingham and loves to play disc golf.

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My sweet widowed grandmother lives by herself in a house with a four-car garage. She doesn’t need a four-car garage. She has only one car, and even that she really shouldn’t be driving. The remaining three bays are occupied with random stuff from garden equipment to a friend’s truck (he ran out of room at his own place). When pulling up to her house the sight is quite formidable—all you see is a wall of white panels standing guard around her charming home. Once you get past these parapets it doesn’t get better. Somewhere in the house there is a cluttered basement, several guest bedrooms with too many boxes, and a dusty attic holding the rotating supplies of seasonal decorations.

Of course, my grandmother is never going to downsize. Every time she trudges out to the hinterland areas of her home and sorts through old boxes, she gets mired down with the difficulty of letting go. Every item is a memory, connected to some part of her, and getting rid of it is like getting rid of herself. I suppose at her age she h as earned the right to protect these memories, no matter how excessive it looks, but her story is telling on how much our “things” can control and shape us.

In truth, ownership creates identity. When we buy things we are adopting a set of inherent values. Without thinking about it, those values become ingrained in who we are. The more ownership choices we make the more a prevalent pattern of overlapping principles start to appear and our sense of selfhood is formed. In the end, we risk becoming what we own.

The same can be said not just about tangible possessions, but also for those ideas and beliefs we claim to hold. Saying, “I am a Christian,” is no different in terms of identity formation than saying, “I own a single-family house in the suburbs.” Both statements are claims about possession and both come with a set of values. Both equally influence who I am.

In some ways, the whole idea of private property (intellectual, spiritual, or material) is the ultimate means people use to differentiate themselves. Saying, “I am a Christian living in a big house in the ‘burbs,” is instantly recognized by the hearer as more of a character statement than one of geography or faith. You assume things about me, both good and bad, based on that statement. In the same way I might announce, “Most of my clothes are secondhand.” Although this statement is factual, I say it because I want you to understand part of who I am in relation to my purchasing choices. Ownership is both formative and instrumental. It shapes who we are, while we use it to help influence how we are perceived. For some, the whole process becomes unhealthy and they buy into the marketing idea that you are incomplete without item X, or Y, or Z (all on sale right now). For others, like my grandmother, the psychological shaping comes from years of living in the same house with the same belongings. They slowly and unconsciously become part of us through mental and physical proximity. Whether it be a big house, a strongly held belief, or a small item of sentiment, ownership impacts our identity.

In contrast, the idea of stewardship is about what we do with possessions—intellectual, spiritual, or material. It’s different because we have none of the power that comes with legal rights of ownership, while maintaining all the responsibility. If this doesn’t sound appealing, it’s only because we are blinded by generations of free market capitalism and individualism. Ownership is sold to us as power. But with this power comes the burden of maintenance. In the end, sustaining it becomes a difficult reality to defend without slowly turning into something we resent.

Stewardship, however, is about being responsible. Again, saying, “I am a Christian,” is only a claim that helps define me. On the other hand, saying something like, “I am a steward of Christianity,” becomes an examination of how I live out my faith. If Christians are suddenly in bad repute I share the responsibility because I am a steward. I can’t escape my duty, can’t sell for a loss, and can’t try and move on. I am a caretaker.

These same dynamics work for almost every area of our lives when looking at ownership vs. stewardship. Saying something like, “I am a steward of the suburbs,” takes me away from merely being a private property owner, and makes me a participant in my neighborhood’s vitality. Saying, “I own a car,” is about status and power (regardless of the type of car we own). But saying, “I am a steward of the roadways,” suddenly makes me a responsible member in dealing with mass transit, carbon emissions, road rage, hands-free cell phones, and drive-through restaurants. Ironically, when I let go of the psychological hookups garnered through ownership, I am freed up to become a responsible custodian.

Switching our thinking from ownership to stewardship is certainly difficult. Not just because of the extra accountability it requires, but because it involves letting go of who we think we are.

But the good news in living this way is that there is great freedom in partnering with Christ in various stewardship roles. It’s a lot more fun for me to think of being a steward of the resources I have, compared to the burden of ownership and maintenance. The former is about working hard within grace and giftedness, while the latter is about the tiring efforts to protect and hold what I can, while I can, for as long as I can. If the recent turbulent economy can teach us anything, it’s that this type of futile hoarding is quite literally, crazy-making.

But what do you think? Respond below and let’s create some dialogue around the issue of “ownership” and its impact on us.

Questions for Discussion:

1) What stands out to you from this article? Any new or odd ideas? Something to “push back” on or agree heartily with?

2) Have you taken any steps to simplify your possessions? Your commitments? Your values?

3) Where have you experienced freedom in relation to this topic?

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THANKSGIVING OFFERING

Each year the churches and meetings of NWYM work together to raise funds through a special Thanksgiving Offering for projects to expand Christ’s kingdom values. The 2008 Thanksgiving Offering is being dedicated to the support of current and future Latino ministries.
NWYM has eight active Latino Friends churches in Vancouver, McMinnville, Greenleaf, Newberg, Portland, and Salem. Caldwell Friends has just approved launching a Latino church.

The growth of Latino ministries in NWYM has been supported by Angel Diaz, our Latino ministries coordinator, and the members of a sub-committee. They are working diligently to plant and nurture new ministries in cooperation with existing Friends churches. Over the past few years, we have seen the rise of congregations where Latinos and Anglos worship, fellowship and minister together in service to Christ.

As a number of other NWYM churches are exploring the possibility of Latino outreach ministries, we recognize several challenges:

• The need for adequate funding for pastoral leadership. Most of these pastors are serving bi-vocationally. We are challenged to adequately support them in ministry as they work other jobs while the local church grows to be self-sustaining.
• Funds are needed to support current local outreach efforts, including computer training, parenting classes, and other life-skills.
• We are committed to ongoing leadership development. Several potential pastoral candidates are receiving training, including education about Friends history and doctrine.

Funds from this year’s Thanksgiving Offering will be used to address these needs, as we expand as a multi-cultural community of faith. Thank you for your participation in this shared outreach. The offerings will be collected at your church on November 23.

GFU: A Swift Response to a Campus Incident

At 7 a.m. on Sept. 23, a George Fox University employee discovered a life-sized cardboard cutout of Senator Barack Obama suspended by fishing line from a tree near Minthorn Hall. A sign that read “Act Six reject” was taped to the cutout. The employee immediately removed it. It is believed that only two students saw the cutout before it was removed.

President Robin Baker met with the Act Six scholarship recipients-who are mostly students of color-that night and addressed more than 1,200 students and staff the next morning. “We will not tolerate such displays and condemn it in the strongest terms,” he said.

An internal investigation led to four students who confessed their involvement. The students expressed remorse and claimed their message was a political statement, not an attack on the Act Six scholars. After an internal judicial process, several disciplinary measures were taken-including immediate long-term suspension and community service.

The university’s swift and open response was described as “extraordinary” by Oregonian columnist Steve Duin. Excerpts of his column follow:

[President Baker] stepped up without flinching…. He took responsibility for the ugliness that unfolded on his watch.Baker later told me …”If it can be us, we need to own it. If it ends up being someone else, they were just as wrong, and we’ll own that as well, and try to express love to them.”

Sometimes, I guess, it comes down to this: If you truly believe you are called to model the love of Christ, you can’t forget that he took the sins of others on his shoulders….

If it’s surprising what can be done if you don’t care who gets the credit, imagine the miracles possible if you don’t mind taking the blame.

Read the university’s response at georgefox.edu/response.

NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Recent Pastoral Transitions:

• Mark Kelley is serving as interim pastor at Olympic View Friends, in Tacoma.
• Carole Spencer has resigned her pastoral position at Reedwood Friends in order to focus more fully on her role as Friends Center Director at George Fox Evangelical Seminary.
• Jim Fields has resigned at Talent Friends in Southern Oregon. Be in prayer for this congregation as they make decisions about future leadership.
• Newberg Friends has readjusted their ministry team and currently has openings for a three-quarter time children and family pastor, and a quarter-time pastor to seniors.

• Hood River Inn will host the Youthworkers’ Training Conference to be held November 7-9.
• Caldwell Friends Church has approved the launching of a Latino church plant. Jorge Sileoni will be working with the Friends from Caldwell and the NWYM Latino Ministries sub-committee to develop a plan for outreach and a sustainable Friends church.
• Hal and Nancy Thomas (North Valley) have just returned to the US after three months of work in Paraguay and Bolivia. They are available to visit churches. Their work with the church leadership in Latin America is significant, impacting churches throughout Central and South America. Take the opportunity to get them scheduled now to come tell about the work God is doing through them.
• It is with sadness that the staff of the yearly meeting office and our churches will be bidding farewell to Dave Hampton, director of finance and development. However, he will continue to invest in the health and vitality of NWYM by serving as the Financial Services Director for Twin Rocks Friends Camp.
• Midwinter high school retreat will be held January 16-19 at Twin Rocks Friends Camp. This annual retreat, planned by the college-aged Friends Youth Executive Committee, emphasizes ministry through service.
• Our Latino congregations are growing and NWYM is becoming more bilingual. To assist with our communication, each Connection is translated into Spanish. Doing this work for us is Sarah Stitt, member at Clackamas Park Friends church in Portland. Sarah spent time ministering in Mexico, and is the mother of two boys.
• Three young adults (Vicky Scott and Lisby Rogers of Newberg, and Kara Kluver of Sherwood) will spend three months in Dharwad, India, working with the Joyful Children’s Home which ministers to approximately 68 girls who were daughters of prostitutes. Newberg Friends Church has officially connected with this organization as a way to rescue children in the sex industry. They will be teaching English and working around the orphanage. Tami Ankeny (NFC) and Kelsey Vanden Hoek (2nd St) spent three weeks at the home last summer.

UPDATES ON MINISTRIES

• The season’s first Bible Quizwas held in Boise on October 18. Bible Quizzing has been part of the yearly meeting level youth ministry since 1990 when two churches showcased it at Yearly Meeting sessions. Now, four meets a year bring together over 200 youth representing 25-30 churches.

• Samuel School I brought together middle schoolers from thirteen churches to learn together about how they can perceive the voice of God in their lives. Based on the story and theology of Samuel hearing God as a child, Samuel Schools have been happening annually since 1984. Each participant is selected by their church’s Elders, and an adult “Eli” is named to follow up with the camper for six months following the retreat. This helps the kids bring their experience home to their everyday life.

• Young Adult Friends from across NWYM gathered for a weekend of fellowship and wet camping gear at the Bring Your Own Tent camping weekend. It was a great weekend with over 30 people (both young adults as well as older folks who are committed to staying in touch with them.) There were a lot of games, and discussions, and even kayaking between bouts of rain! The YAF community made some great strides in reconnecting and beginning to build a foundation for future ministry and relationship. Are you a young adult who didn’t hear about this event? Send your email address to our Youth Superintendent, Rachelle Staley at: rstaley AT nwfriends DOT org. Check out their website to see photos from the camping trip.

• Twenty members of the Los Amigos of Newberg came to support the opening day of Mision Amigos de Cristo in Salem on September 27. They brought clothes to share, food to sell, and children’s crafts. During the kick off day, the group walked together around the school grounds where they will be meeting, claiming this community for God. Scheduled for later in the month are events to reach out to youth and children: A basketball tournament and a children’s festival featuring clowns and activities. Please join this newest NWYM mission point in prayer as they build relationships with this Spanish-speaking community. Gerardo Ibarra is appointed as pastor, with support from Angel Diaz, NWYM Latino Ministry Coordinator.

• Cash and pledges to the Sower’s Fund total $18,420. In addition, we have received an estate gift of $28,169 that was designated for local outreach ministries which will also be added to the Sower’s Fund.

• Judy and Johan Maurer currently are in Newberg. Their visa status requires them to be outside Russia for an extended period before it can be renewed. They are booked with church visits each Sunday through mid-November when they hope to return to Russia, visas in hand. If you have a mid-week meeting that you would like them to attend contact the yearly meeting office to get them scheduled. (503/538-9419) Check out the good things they have been up to, their hopes, and adventures in their recent posts on their blog.  And be praying that a new visa status will be granted to them in the future.

Return to NWYM Connection home page

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This is the first issue of Northwest Yearly Meeting’s newest tool for connection and challenge. As Friends, we recognize the value of sharing information and ideas to create space and opportunity to hear God through each other. Your leading is important, and you need to know how God is stirring among us in order to contribute.

Each issue of Connection will share news and ministry updates. It will also feature articles around a principle or value that we have felt compelled to pursue as Friends. The always-provoking queries will be used to frame the discussion.

Connection is a publication coming to your mailbox ten times a year. Longer versions of thematic articles will appear on the website, where your interaction, thoughts, and challenges can be posted in order to create dialogue.

We would love to have you participate by submitting articles that feature real-life stories or theological considerations of these themes.  View the upcoming themes for Connection.

Questions for discussion:

1. Do you have suggestions for Connection?
2. What is your response to this first issue?

Post your comments below!