THIS SUNDAY: Sept. 23, 2018, 4 p.m. Gathering and Worship at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church 1907 NE 45th Avenue – Portland, OR.
Questions? Contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com
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Dear Wayfarer, Itinerant One, Explorer, Migrant, Family members, and Friends,
We are now into our second year of being a Fellowship, after a great celebration last week! We continue to welcome everyone who is interested, suspicious, nosy, questioning, and fascinated with the idea of what does a group of people look like who are aspiring to creating and being an intentional Christian community that practices service and fellowship, worship and prayer, and education and disciples as we follow Jesus and embrace all!
This week’s Scripture focus is going to be on children. When the disciples were arguing about who was going to be first or greatest among them, Jesus sat them down and said to them” Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Then he took a child and placed the child among them. And then he picked up the child and held the child in his arms, saying, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me”(Mark 9:30-37). I just read this passage as I watched and listened to the recent news, about the fact that this country is placing children found along our southern border in cages. In other words, we are placing Jesus in a cage. We are taking Jesus away from the arms of one’s mother or father. We are scaring Jesus. We are abusing Jesus. We are holding Jesus hostage. Again: Jesus said, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” Let’s explore this more on Sunday afternoon, and find a way for us to act proactively in caring for all children, in the name of and because of Jesus.
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Events!
Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018, Gathering and Worship, Rose City Park Presbyterian Church;
Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018, Gathering and Worship, Rose City Park Presbyterian Church;
Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018, Brett leading Men’s Retreat from First Presby. Church, Portland, OR
Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018, Gathering and Worship, Rose City Park Presby. Church;
Sunday, Oct. 14, 2018, Brett preaching at First UMC, Beaverton, OR,
Sunday, Oct. 14, 2018, Gathering and Worship, Rose City Park Presby. Church.
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Poem
To the Light of September, by M.S. Merwin
When you are already here
you appear to be only
a name that tells of you
whether you are present or not
and for now it seems as though
you are still summer
still the high familiar
endless summer
yet with a glint
of bronze in the chill mornings
and the late yellow petals
of the mullein fluttering
on the stalks that lean
over their broken
shadows across the cracked ground
but they all know
that you have come
the seed heads of the sage
the whispering birds
with nowhere to hide you
to keep you for later
you
who fly with them
you who are neither
before nor after
you who arrive
with blue plums
that have fallen through the night
perfect in the dew
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Buen Camino!
Pastors Brett & Chris
Rev. Dr. Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com Rev. Chris Dungan (503) 724-7060; chrisdungan1@msn.com