Living Life in Abundance
by Melody George, RiversWay Friends Community
In our fast paced culture we are easily burdened down with the busyness of life’s demands. As a social worker I often find myself getting off balance. I could easily crash and become wounded by conflict, loss, and the pain of those I work with. As Friends, thoughtful questions, known as “queries” often guide our reflection. Query 12 (to the right) speaks of ways to practice serving from a place of abundance by refreshing the spirit, building mind and body, expressing creativity, practicing hospitality, and being grounded in a peaceful home. How do we pursue these things when life throws us difficult circumstances?
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Hospitality at the Table
by Myrna Tuning, Homedale Friends“Hospitality: Showing God’s love by opening one’s heart and home to God’s children.” My definition, not Webster’s. We entertain friends and family. But strangers? When did you last invite someone home (or out to eat) after church? “But this is family time!” You can’t imagine how much richer that time becomes when shared. Our children grew up with people being invited to dinner spur of the moment.
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Community Gardens: Refresh, Benefit, Reach Out
By Ron Mulkey, Metolius Friends
Seven years ago, close friends came together with a dream of starting a community garden on unused church property at Metolius Friends Church. Their hope was to give back to the community something tangible and God-breathed, a community garden that would eventually be embraced and sustained by the community of Metolius.
Today, the garden has become a place of conversation, of building relationships with children discovering their very first taste of a freshly dug carrot, and families from the community celebrating in the harvest with laughter, singing and the joy of fresh vegetables.
- Read the rest of this story about Metolius’ Community Garden
- Enjoy a “garden blessing” written by Karen Oberst for the garden at Klamath Falls Friends
- Klamath Falls planted a garden and created “Garden Camp”!
- Reedwood’s community garden integrates the housing complex next door.
- Netarts’ garden has born a fruitful list of ministries
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Out of My Mind… Reflections on Living Deeper
by Colin Saxton, NWYM Superintendent“Deeper…”
During Yearly Meeting sessions, I mentioned that the word of Christ to me has been clear and consistent over the past several months…“Deeper!” From the notes, phone calls and discussions I’ve had with many of you since that hot week in July, it does sound as though we are being led into a deeper place together.
It is easy work to criticize the shallowness of the culture we inhabit. But…
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Going Deeper – a metaphor on Colin’s keynote
By Gary Fawver, Newberg FriendsColin Saxton chose “Going Deeper” as the theme for his Yearly Meeting keynote message this year. His dream is for all of us, in the coming year, to increase the quality and effectiveness—the depth—of our relationship with Jesus. Several times he suggested that there was no single way to accomplish this. As I looked around Bauman Auditorium that night, I saw people of all ages and life experiences and, of course, people living at various levels of spirituality. I wondered if there was a metaphor that would help folks visualize the implications of their actual and potentially deepening relationship with the Lord.
For me, going deeper could be best explained by one’s gradual immersion in the ocean….
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Keeping Current with Local Outreach ~ RiversWay: Working at Being Like Jesus
by Darla Samuelson, RiversWay Friends Community
How can we “be like Jesus”? What would it look like for us to demonstrate God’s love and truth (as in John 4) in southwest Portland? These were the questions that RiversWay Community, a mission point of NWYM, was discerning in 2008.
At the same time we were developing relationships with a group of people without homes in Tigard. We decided to offer shower and laundry services once a month.
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Keeping Current with Global Outreach – Developing Latin American Leadership
by Nancy Thomas, NWYM Friend Serving AbroadThe evening of August 13, 2009, the Latin American Leadership Development Program (PRODOLA in Spanish) passed a milestone. PRODOLA was accredited in 2007 to meet the need for adequate training for Christian leaders. Made up of a multi-denominational community of Latin American scholars, the program offers a Ph.D in theology and is accredited by Evangelical University of the Americas in San Jose, Costa Rica. It is the only evangelical doctoral program of its kind in Latin America.
On that momentous evening, Horacio Raúl Picardo, a student from the first cohort group, successfully defended his doctoral dissertation before a legally constituted jury and a public audience of his peers. I serve as Associate Director for Instruction, helping supervise the on-site seminars.
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Announcements and Updates
- Green Plow Coffee, a NWYM ministry point, has a grand opening
- The Peace Education Subcommittee makes plans
- “Grad Camp” for graduated seniors is held at Twin Rocks
- GFU increases the number of Friends students and its investment in them
- Nominating Committee collects names of passionate people
- Pastoral transitions
- Spokane Friends deals with roof repair
- Workshop for writers at Newberg Friends
- Local Outreach Intern in the YM office
- Young Adults plan a Blazer game night.
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Download a PDF copy of the Oct/Nov 2009 Connection
