It is with great joy that the Church is becoming ever more so a recognized expert on matters of environmental stewardship – and more importantly – that the Church has found its voice in expressing ecological concerns within a unique divine paradigm. Because Christ has called us into a covenantal relationship, we get the opportunity [...]

When Zachariah Dicks visited Friends in Georgia in 1803, he predicted that the house in which they met – only five years old at the time – would soon stand empty. “O Bush River! Bush River! How hath thy beauty faded away and gloomy darkness eclipsed thy day.” Only five years later, what Dicks foretold [...]

May God bless you, dear brothers and sisters—you ministers of the Word. May He bless you with… A renewed and passionate love for the people in your care. Let it be a deep and relentless love…one that enables you to see through the present to catch a glimpse of the people they can become by [...]

The Administrative Council of Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends and George Fox University administrators have completed negotiations to return ownership of Tilikum to the Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends, effective January 1, 2012. Though this change is new, the relationship between NWYM and Tilikum is not new. In 1970, the Russell Baker family donated the [...]

This year we celebrate the 40th anniversary of our missionary service with Northwest Yearly Meeting. On January 20, 1972, Hal and I took our one-year-old son David, and left for Bolivia. God was calling us to a lifetime of cross-cultural service. We knew the decision would affect every part of our lives, including our finances. [...]

Altar  A central biblical theme is sacrifice. Picture a lamb slain at a stone altar to atone for sins in an ancient tribal society.  Fast forward to the 19th century.  Picture Iowa Quaker farmers, moved by passionate preaching, penitently weeping at revival benches, dying out to sinful self in gratitude to Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb [...]

Hello Friends. Pastor Kevin Gilbert was a strong supporter for the Latino Ministries in Clackamas Park Friends Church for about 3 years, although only 4 Latino people were attending there. The Latino Ministries Coordination recommended to close that group after 2 years of existence because the expectations were not accomplished, but Kevin continued supporting his Latino Ministries [...]

Looking back… Mary Harmon, mother of Howard, Philip and Leona Lyda, was born April 24, 1910, and passed away December 23, 2011, at 101 years of age. In writing to one of her great, great granddaughters when she turned 100, she said, “My hope for you is that you will love the Lord, let Him [...]

I leaned into the rain. It was an epic Texan downpour, the kind of sudden, intense rain the old folks call a gully-washer because it could turn Austin’s creeks into floodwaters in the blink of an eye. I was on foot, soaked to the skin, no coat, a mile and a half from home… How [...]

In the parables, Jesus frequently talks about stewards. Key to understanding the steward’s role is recognizing that he or she acts to benefit the property of the real owner. We have stewardship committees in our churches. This committee prepares the budget, supervises the church treasurer, makes sure the books are audited, helps people with estate [...]