Newsletter, Community of Pilgrims, Sept. 20, 2020

THIS SUNDAY: Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, Sept. 20, 2020, Proper 20, and Zoom; Contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com and visit www.communityofpilgrims.com. 

_____

Dear Pilgrims of September Smoke,

I hear from our pilgrim family and friends on the east coast that there is a kind of veil of smoky sky hanging over them, in which the sun there, too is but a pin prick in the brown-and-orange fog-like sky. Our prayers for the family and friends of those who died during this epic forest fire blaze up and down the west coast, as well as with those who have lost homes and livelihoods. Prayers as we re-build and re-plant, in which forest management does make a difference. And prayers for the earth, in which the evidence of global climate change is startling clear, that we may, as a community and society, do a better job of taking care of the creation. On Sunday we can talk about which organizations are asking for contributions of clothes, furniture, and food, and our communal response. 

The focus Scripture this Sunday is Matthew 20:1-16, and it is the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. It is a fascinating passage, in which what we think, at first read, isn’t necessarily what it may be about. It is, "open for interpretation," and that is what we will do. For example, at first read, many assume it is God who is the vineyard owner, who pays all the people who work in the vineyards for the same pay, no matter what time the workers begin their work for the day. And it ends with this interesting moral point: “the last will be first, and the first will be last.” So, is this a parable about God’s boundless love for the world, especially when it is lavished upon others we would think as not worthy of receiving such a gift? Is it a view of our own labor as a gift from God? Or is this a story about the joyful fulfillment of our created purpose? Perhaps it is simply a story about the mere endurance of scorching heat on a hot day when working in the “vineyards of God?” Join us this Sunday as we consider the lessons from the parable of the laborers, and consider who is among the last who will be first, and the first who will be last in our community and world today.

**

Thank you for joining us this past Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020 for a three-year anniversary. I especially thank you for your reflections upon what the Community of Pilgrims has meant for you and your family. Please write a sentence or two about being part of the Community of Pilgrims, so that I may add it to the website. Please email it to me at the email address provided above. This is a way of sharing with those who go to the website and are looking for a community of faith in the Portland-Vancouver area, to see what is happening among those of us who live and are part of this community. Who knows?! They may want to join us! 

Also, please consider making a special contribution to the Community of Pilgrims for the third-year anniversary, like 30 cents, $3.00, or $30.00, or more. While we are not meeting in person, the Community of Pilgrims still welcomes your financial contribution. We still have bills to pay as a community of faith, with Zoom, etc. Please make a check out to Community of Pilgrims, and mail it to Community of Pilgrims, c/o Brett Webb-Mitchell, 9460 SW Martha St., Tigard, OR 97224, or use “Give Now” button on Community of Pilgrims website, www.communityofpilgrims.com. Many thanks for considering this request.

____

Events!

Sept. 20, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!

Sept. 27, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!

Oct. 4, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!

Oct. 11, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!

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Prayers of Celebration and Concern

· The West Coast is suffering from fires, smoke, property damage, and deaths.

· Thanksgiving that the Donald's home and cabin in Detroit both survived the fires.

· Thanksgiving that Linda's brother is moving to a retirement community and will be near his family.

· Thanksgiving that her brother's youngest grandson is doing well in rehabilitation for alcoholism.

· Roberta's friend Sonya and prayers that the long-standing estrangement can heal.

· Celebration for Winston's church and the rite of passage ceremony it offers to help young teens understand themselves as they enter adulthood.

· Peace and comfort for Ken Miller who is in great pain.

· Improved vision for Lorinda following her eye doctor appointment tomorrow

· Celebrations that Kathy's sister Jan will have her breast cancer surgery on September 23.

· Those who have lost property and lives in the fires.

· George Doolittle who suffers after the death of his wife.

· Happy Birthday to Chris on September 14!

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Poem

God Letter, by CM Burroughs

Do I have to dress up or can I wear jeans? Dear Joaquin,

casual Sunday is a plus! Can a woman be fully present in heels?

Remember the other day at the shops, we saw the T-shirt that

read “Blessed” across the front? I know

you picked it up for me as a joke, but it made me pause. I think

I am blessed in the way I understand people to mean it: having

good fortune. But this is where faith messes with my clean concept,

because practicing Christians don’t believe blessings come

out the clear blue sky. So here’s God again, all up in the Kool-Aid.

I’m dating myself, but I mean that He gets in the way of

spiritual minimalism. He is at once contained and uncontainable,

which, intellectually, is hard to understand. So being blessed

must require that one acts in such a way that presses God to bestow

blessings, which isn’t the same thing as good fortune, but I want

to believe that people are saying, “You have such good fortune,

I hope for good fortune, too,” because it means that no one is

preaching at me like, “You have good God-God,” “Father

God I hope He Gods for us, too,” “You got God?” Et cetera.

____

Buen Camino!

Pastors Brett & Karen Cornwell Fortlander.

Newsletter, Community of Pilgrims, Sept. 13, 2020

THIS SUNDAY: Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, Sept. 13, 2020, Proper 19, and Zoom; Contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com and visit www.communityofpilgrims.com. 

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Dear Pilgrims of Christ’s Light,

From under the orange and yellowish brown smoke that hovers over many of us who are receiving this newsletter in Portland, Oregon and vicinity today, we pray for those who have lost homes, livelihoods, and loved ones in this epic western firestorm. The devastating forest fires are but one more sign of the global climate change our part of the world is impacted by, and reminds us of the need to do all we can to try to reverse course as we tend to the earth. Our response? May it be a prayer that, first, the blazes will be contained, and second, in response, we may be the light of Christ in someone’s life who needs care and assistance at this time. Finally, may we work hard towards caring for God's creation.

The focus for this Sunday is forgiveness, as well described in story form by Jesus in the Parable of the Unforgiving Slave, Matthew 18:21-35. Short synopsis: as an introduction to the Parable, Matthew begins with this question by Peter, who asked Jesus how many times he had to forgive someone who sins repeatedly against him. As many as seven times? And Jesus explodes Peter’s incredible offer with “not seven, but seventy-seven times, mirroring a boast that comes from Gen. 4:23-24. The parable then dives into the short story of a wealthy corporate CEO, who forgives the debt of an employee, the CFO of the corporation, who then turns around and quickly demands repayment from an underling who is unable to pay what is owed, and thus the CFO has the underling thrown into prison, much to the shock of the wealthy employer. The moral of the story? Well, there are many morals, of course—it is a parable, which is always open to many interpretations—but for our purposes, the moral theme of this Sunday is forgiveness. Or as Henri Nouwen wrote about forgiveness: "Forgiveness is the name of love practiced among people who love poorly. The hard truth is that all people love poorly. We need to forgive and be forgiven every day, every hour increasingly. That is the great work of love among the fellowship of the weak that is the human family." Join us this Sunday as we talk about the practice of forgiveness.

**

Happy 3 Year Anniversary to Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship! As the Organizing Pastor, I am thankful to all of you who have joined us once, or joined us Sunday after Sunday, and walked your pilgrim walk with Christ with each other on our everyday pilgrimage of life. This is one of my longest tenures as a pastor with a church or fellowship, so I am deeply grateful for your gift of presence, and, along with God’s Spirit, for making this community what it is, and who we are today. While it would’ve been nice to welcome some folks to our home along with our Zoom gathering, given the forecast with the prevailing winds and smoke, we will simply Zoom. However, bring a piece of bread and a cup of juice or wine this Sunday, Sept. 13, and we will share Holy Communion/the Lord’s Supper with each other via Zoom!

**

While we are not meeting in person, the Community of Pilgrims will still welcome your financial contribution. We still have bills to pay as a community of faith, with Zoom, etc. Please make a check out to the Community of Pilgrims, and mail it to Brett Webb-Mitchell, 9460 SW Martha St., Tigard, OR 97224, or use “Give Now” button on the Community of Pilgrims website, www.communityofpilgrims.com. Many thanks!

____

Events!

Sept. 13, Gather and Devotion and Zoom! Celebrating our 3-year anniversary of the Community of Pilgrims! 

Sept. 20, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!

Sept. 27, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!

Oct. 4, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!

____

Prayers of Celebration and Concern

· The City of Portland as we enter 100 consecutive nights of protests and violence in and around our city.

· Thanksgiving for the great clean-up of downtown neighborhoods.

· Portlanders to "stand down" and not participate in demonstrations that do nothing to change minds, reform police, or improve Black lives.

· Police to commit to a reconciliation process to work to heal the relationship between law enforcement and black Americans.

· Sue and Mary to find a new home.

· A good shift for Katy as she leaves for work at QFC

· Firefighters fighting wildfires precipitated by these times of global climate change.

· All those who have served our country.

· The workers we honor this Labor Day and those doing jobs that put their own lives at risk to benefit us.

· Earl and Carol's niece Rebecca whose latest exams show no recent spread of her bladder cancer.

· David as he grieves a recent breakup and the loss of his dog.

· Return to good eye-sight for Lorinda following cataract surgery.

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Poem

The Hardest Blessing, by Jan Richardson

If we cannot

Lay aside the wound

Then let us say

It will not always

Bind us.

Let us say

The damage

Will not eternally

Determine our path.

Let us say

The line of our life

Will not forever follow

The tearing, the rending

We have borne.

Let us say

That forgiveness

Can take some practice,

Can take some patience

Can take a long

And struggling time.

Let us say

That to offer

The hardest blessing

We will need

The deepest grace

That to forgive

The sharpest pain

We will need

New strength

For every day.

Let us say

The wound

Will not be

Our final home;

That through it

Runs a road,

A way we would not 

Have chosen

But on which

We will finally see

Forgiveness

So long practiced,

Coming toward us

Shining with the joy

So well deserved.

_____

Buen Camino!

Pastors Brett & Karen Cornwell Fortlander.

Newsletter, Community of Pilgrims, Sept. 6, 2020

THIS SUNDAY: Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, Sept. 6, 2020, Proper 18, and Zoom; Contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com and visit www.communityofpilgrims.com. 

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Dear Pilgrims of the Way:

Here’s your weather report for the opening paragraph of this newsletter: for the pilgrims in Portland, the weather is incredibly hot, especially for September. It is in the 90s, with humidity around 40%! As we walk along on our everyday pilgrimage, we are enjoying this extended summer, with flowers still blooming, fresh produce at all the farmers’ markets, and still able to wear sandals, shorts, and short sleeve shirts. We pray, wherever you live, O Pilgrims, your weather is phenomenal today.

The Gospel focus this Sunday is Matthew 18:15-20. One can tell in this passage that it is actually written by someone called “Matthew” some years after Jesus’ life, because the writer has Jesus use the word, “church” (v. 17), and Jesus wasn't referring to churches in his living ministry. What is most pertinent to us, in this COVID 19 pandemic, in which we are keeping a safe social distance and not meeting in sanctuaries, is this example of being “church” with each other: “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (v. 20). Jesus doesn’t talk about having to physically meet in a physical sanctuary to know God, though sanctuaries are a testament to this love of God. We don’t have to sing hymns, though that is a nice way to express the faith. We don’t have to read anything. Pay anything. We can meet on Zoom, on a phone call, with a text, email, or letter, and be “church” with one another. We don’t have to hold hands or hug, though I like doing both of those gestures. For example, in my role as a chaplain with one who is sick or dying, I’ve held a hand and mentioned these words more times than I can count. This is a simple yet fabulous passage on the power of numbers. Where two or three are together is Christ. Is love. Is peace. Is hope. Is joy. Is calm. Is happiness. It’s simplicity makes it as radical as it is. Wherever two or three are gathered, no matter how they are gathered, Jesus lives. God dwells there. Spirit is alive. When two siblings or three pilgrims of the faith concur, along an actual pilgrimage road or everyday path of life, so does God. Spirit is that close. Please join us this Sunday, the Sunday of Labor Day no doubt, and spend some time with other pilgrim siblings of Christ, and let us be with God and God’s Spirit by being with one another, even if it is just two or three of us.

**

Happy 3 Year Anniversary to the Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship! As the Organizing Pastor, I am thankful to all of you who have joined us once, or joined us Sunday after Sunday, and walked your pilgrim walk with Christ with each other on our everyday pilgrimage of life. This is one of my longest tenures as a pastor with a church or fellowship, so I am deeply grateful for your gift of presence, and, along with God’s Spirit, for making this community what it is, and who we are today. In light of the passage from Matthew (above), we have gone from being “two or three” on a Sunday afternoon, to up towards 31 people. Join us on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020, in which we will meet at 9460 SW Martha St, Tigard, OR, 97224 (wear a mask, 6 feet social distancing, in the driveway or back yard) for light snacks and a beverage of your choice for a celebration, along with being on Zoom! Choose whichever way you wish to join us, but do join us. With a heart of thanksgiving to God, let us raise a glass of (name your fave beverage), let us celebrate being a growing community of faith in the Portland-Vancouver metro area, thanks be to God! 

**

While we are not meeting in person, the Community of Pilgrims will still welcome your financial contribution. We still have bills to pay as a community of faith, with Zoom, etc. Please make a check out to the Community of Pilgrims, and mail it to Brett Webb-Mitchell, 9460 SW Martha St., Tigard, OR 97224, or use “Give Now” button on the Community of Pilgrims website, www.communityofpilgrims.com. Many thanks!

**

The Presbytery of the Cascades gave each church and fellowship $1,000 to make a change in the world. Combining our m$1,000 with Moreland PCUSA, the stimulus check blossomed to over $9,000. We will be able to share the money with Street Roots, Emerge, Meals on Wheels, and Human Solutions! With a spirit of gratitude, we say, “Amen.”

____

Events!

Sept. 6, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!

Sept. 13, Gather and Devotion and Zoom and Join Us at Our Home! Celebrating our 3-year anniversary of the Community of Pilgrims!

Sept. 20, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!

Sept. 27, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!

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Prayers of Celebration and Concern

* Prayers for Portland-the divisiveness in our city;

* Sense of hope-partnership of Fridays for Freedom (youth organization) and NAACP;

* Lorinda-double vision; cataract surgery did not go well. Safe travels to MT;

* Linda Fuqua-Anderson’s brother Gary-will he decide to move or not move to assisted living; She hopes he will let go;

* Christian’s friends, Dan and Tom, just bought a house in Vancouver, WA;

* Rev. Fitz and Rev. Laurel Neal—retiring and moving to Colorado;

* Tom Miller-in a group home for paraplegics; He spiked a high fever, in the ER, not Covid but don’t know what it is;

* Ken Miller-severe pain from broken vertebrae;

* Sue and Mary need a house!

* Global climate change and its impact upon the Gulf Coast;

* COVID 19 pandemic here in the States and around the world;

* Safe elections here and abroad; 

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Poem

Where Two, Where Three, a Blessing, by Jan Richardson

Take my hand

And you will see

How this blessing 

Finds its way

To us

Not as if

We each held 

A piece of 

Its puzzle

But as if

It cannot resist

This space that opens

Between us,

This place that is made

Where we two meet

Where we three touch

Where we gather

With our eyes

Open

With our hearts

Open

With our hands

Open

One to another

And on our lips

The name of Love

All the blessing

We need ever

Know.

_____

Buen Camino!

Pastors Brett & Karen Cornwell Fortlander.

Newsletter Community of Pilgrims, Aug. 30, 2020

THIS SUNDAY: Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, Aug. 30, 2020, Proper 17, and Zoom; Contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com and visit www.communityofpilgrims.com. 

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Dear Pilgrims of Summer Bliss,

It is said that August is like the Sunday of summer. The sun now sets before 8 pm here in the Pacific NW. The mornings are cooler than they were a month ago. Yet there is ripe fruit and vegetables from our gardens to enjoy. In the Pacific NW there are black berries ready to be picked on the side of the road. Flowers and trees are still full of life. Taking a walk in the park, sitting on the grass, walking along a shoreline of the ocean or a river, eating a meal outside-- with social distancing and masks when needed--feeling the warmth of the sun on our face, our arms, our legs, are all to be savored as fall and winter approach. Let us enjoy this Sunday of summer months, this August, and with deep gratitude embrace the beauty of each day.

The reading this Sunday is about the relationship between Peter and Jesus, according to Matthew 16:21-28. Well, it is more about Peter, and how his relationship with Jesus gives us some breathing and wiggle space in terms of growing in faith. There are some moments in which Peter “got” the relationship with Jesus right, and other times he totally misses, much like us. For example, Peter, who started out as one who fishes for an occupation, was one of the first called by Jesus to “follow me.” We also know that Jesus gave him the name, Cephas, which translates to “the rock,” and that he could stop fishing for fish, and instead fish for people. In other words, he was called to be an evangelist. Peter got it right when Jesus asked, “Who do you say I am?” and Peter answered, “You’re the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:15-16). Correct! Peter was even given the keys to the realm of God (Matt. 16:17-19). Well-done! But after Jesus told the disciples that not everything was going to be a bed of roses in the upcoming portion of the pilgrimage of faith, and that he, Jesus, would be going to Jerusalem, to his death, Peter couldn’t handle this truth, saying, “God forbid, this should never happen,” even though Jesus knew it had to happen because that was part of his earthly pilgrimage. Jesus then openly rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind me, Satan,” of all people (Matt. 16:21-28). After this, there were more starts and stops, obstacles and hurdles, in his relationship with Jesus. But in the end, grace prevailed, as it always does. One of the first people to see the risen Christ was none other than Peter. And in the end, before his ascension to God, Jesus gave Peter the future job of feeding the risen One’s lambs and sheep (John 21:9-19). Join us this Sunday as we also discover that, throughout our entire relationship with Brother Jesus, we are always saved by God’s grace, just like Brother Peter. 

**

We are providing a dinner meal for the Gresham Women’s Emergency Shelter on Friday, August 28, to be delivered at 5:30PM at The Chestnut Inn in Gresham. 

Thank you, everyone, for coming together for our community.

**

While we are not meeting in person, the Community of Pilgrims will still welcome your financial contribution. Please make a check out to Community of Pilgrims, and mail it to Brett Webb-Mitchell, 9460 SW Martha St., Tigard, OR 97224, or use the “Give Now” button on the Community of Pilgrims website, www.communityofpilgrims.com. Many thanks!

**

One last time: There is one more chance to add to the stimulus check that was received by churches and fellowships in the Presbytery of the Cascades giving us $1,000 each to make a change in the world. We are joining up with the folks at Moreland Presbyterian Church, and with our combined stimulus checks, and other donations, we will support four groups: Street Roots, Emerge, Meals on Wheels, and Human Solutions! Let me, Brett, know if you would like to give to give more to this growing fund, and I will be sure that our funds are included. Currently, we have collected over $7,000! Send the check by Sunday, Aug. 30, 2020.

____

Events!

Aug. 30, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!

Sept. 6, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!

Sept. 13, Gather and Devotion and Zoom and Join Us at Our Home! Celebrating 4-year anniversary of the Community of Pilgrims!

Sept. 20, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!

____

Prayers of Celebration and Concern

· The family of Roger, friend of Christian, who recently died.

· Thanksgiving that Christian's brother and sister-in-law are recovering after 10 days of being sick with COVID.

· Tracy and her family who lost their mother and father recently.

· Barbara in North Carolina whose church has lost staff, her husband lost his job, and she has come down with singles.

· Lyn, Chuck's son-in-law who has cancer throughout his body.

· Well-being for Delphine who just moved into a memory care apartment.

· Shirley Tormey's sister who is dying from ALS and is in hospice.

· Kathy's sister Jan who has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

· Thanksgiving that our country has reason for hope in our political system.

_____

Poem

When This is Over

By Laura Kelly Fanucci

When this is over,
may we never again
take for granted
A handshake with a stranger
Full shelves at the store
Conversations with neighbors
A crowded theater
Friday night out
The taste of communion
A routine checkup
The school rush each morning
Coffee with a friend
The stadium roaring
Each deep breath
A boring Tuesday
Life itself.

When this ends
may we find
that we have become
more like the people
we wanted to be
we were called to be
we hoped to be
and may we stay
that way — better
for each other
because of the worst.

_____

Buen Camino!

Pastors Brett & Karen Cornwell Fortlander.

Newsletter Community of Pilgrims, Aug. 23, 2020

THIS SUNDAY: Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, Aug. 23, 2020, Proper 16, and Zoom; Contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com and visit www.communityofpilgrims.com. 

_____

Dear Zoom Pilgrims ... or Zooming Pilgrims,

After five months of gathering together via Zoom, I must admit that I am thankful for this communication tool to meet with “us” every week. While we can’t meet in one place physically, the added bonus of seeing each other, as well as hearing from one another, is a gift. As we take time off of our pilgrimage path, sit down, greet and meet one another where we are on Sunday afternoons, experience the presence of God’s Spirit through the reading of Scripture, and share celebrations and concerns, is a true joy for me weekly. Thank you, all, for your gift of stick-to-it-tiveness every week, faithfully showing up at 4, or 5:00 pm, or 7:00 pm, on whatever computerized device you have at hand. And, of course, the added joy is staying connected with the Community of Pilgrims in CA, VA, NM, SC, and NY! What a community God in Christ has created! I am grateful for all of you.

This talk of community, and the nature of Christian community, is part of this week’s reading from Romans 12:1-8. The Apostle Paul wrote a “manual” or “rule book” of what it means to be the body of Christ, aka, the Church, or a community of faith, with one another in Romans, 1 Cor., Colossians…well, in much everything he wrote. And we still use this manual or “rule book” today. Consider this passage from Romans: “For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.” I’ll come back to this passage this Sunday, pulling on these two parts: 1) “individually we are members one of another.” In other words, we are connected to each other. There is a bond between us. Using the metaphor of a body, each one of us are part of the sinew, tendon, flesh, and muscle fiber that makes up the greater body of Christ. We are connected not only with those we can see and hear on a Zoom message, but with all people of faith around the world. 2) We all have gifts, talents, and services, given to us by God our Creator. They differ according to the gift, talent, and service, depending on our place in the body of Christ. For example, I am a teacher in the body of Christ. I find great joy in teaching, whether in my writing, in a sermon, a workshop, a lecture, or hands-on, Montessori activity. And each of us also have a gift, given to us by God. Our task is discovering what it is, and then using it for the greater good of the body of Christ. What joy!  What a ride! What a hoot! Once one finds what their gift is, watch out world! God is going to do amazing things, for the greater, common good of the body of Christ. Join us this Sunday for more discussion upon this incredible passage. 

**

Let us also celebrate the gift of giving, with so many boxes and bags of clothes and linens that were collected from the Portland Pilgrims and given to SnowCap, a non-profit we work with in Portland, who provides clothes and linens for individuals and families in need. 250 pounds of clothing and linens were collected! Wow! Thank you, Community of Pilgrims, for this gift! 

**

Providing a meal for the Gresham Women’s Emergency Shelter. From Kathy: 

The Community of Pilgrims will provide dinner for 60 women, including five vegetarians, on Friday, August 28, to be delivered at 5:30PM to Human Solutions’ new women's shelter at The Chestnut Inn in Gresham. Sign-ups thus far are:

Lorinda - baked chicken for 60

Kathleen Madden - pasta-vegetable salad for 30

Kathy - macaroni & cheese for 30

Linda F-A - dessert for 60

Brett - salad for 10~12

Still needed:

Fruit, salads (can be salad kits, but need to be in a bowl, ready to add dressing), and-or side green vegetable dish to serve a total of 48-50 people

Paper plates

All contributions will need to be ready to serve, in containers not to be returned, and delivered no later than 4:45PM on Friday August 28 to Kathy Fukuyama, 6221 SW Tower Way, Portland, OR 97221, 503-793-4758. Call, text, or email me if you can help or have questions.

Thank you everyone for coming together for our community.

**

While we are not meeting in person, the Community of Pilgrims will still welcome your financial contribution. Please make a check out to Community of Pilgrims, and mail it to Brett Webb-Mitchell, 9460 SW Martha St., Tigard, OR 97224, or use the “Give Now” button on the Community of Pilgrims website, www.communityofpilgrims.com. Many thanks!

**

Again: The Presbytery of the Cascades chose to give $1,000 to churches and new faith communities to make a change in the world. We are joining up with the folks at Moreland Presbyterian Church, and with our combined stimulus checks, and other donations, we will support four groups: Street Roots, Emerge, Meals on Wheels, and Human Solutions! Let me, Brett, know if you would like to give more to this growing fund, and I will be sure that our funds are included. Currently, we have collected over $7,000!

____

Events!

Aug. 23, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!

Aug. 30, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!

Sept. 6, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!

Sept. 13, Gather and Devotion and Zoom and Join Us at Our Home! Celebrating our 4-year anniversary of the Community of Pilgrims!

____

Prayers of Celebration and Concern

· Linda's brother Tim and his wife Jill who both have the coronavirus, and are slowly healing! 

· A safe gathering for Linda's family.

· Linda's brother Gary who lives with Parkinson's and it is getting worse.  

· Kathy who is rapidly declining with ALS.

· Students, faculty, and staff at UNC Chapel Hill where in the first week of classes at least four clusters in student housing reported outbreaks of the coronavirus.

· Education systems here and in other countries dealing with COVID.

· Karen's daughter who wishes to go to an upcoming in-person event for school.

· Pat and Marilee Quinel's daughter who is recovering from the coronavirus.

· Lorinda and Ray's granddaughter Anna and her family who are coming up to Portland to take Anna to Lewis & Clark.

· Our elections, including the post office.

· Celebrations for Ric's friends George and Lori. George successfully completed chemotherapy for brain tumors.

· Ken Miller who lives in pain in a medical facility.

· Birthday celebrations for Linda's son, Linda, Mary, and Sue.

· Roberta who will give a sermon next week

· Patience for Alan and Penny as they prepare for their upcoming move cross-country.

_____

Poem

An American Sunrise, by Joy Harjo, 2019 US Poet Laureate

(It is important to hear other voices and perspectives of life, and Joy Harjo offers just that)

We were running out of breath, as we ran out to meet ourselves. We

were surfacing the edge of our ancestors’ fights, and ready to strike.

It was difficult to lose days in the Indian bar if you were straight.

Easy if you played pool and drank to remember to forget. We

made plans to be professional — and did. And some of us could sing

so we drummed a fire-lit pathway up to those starry stars. Sin

was invented by the Christians, as was the Devil, we sang. We

were the heathens, but needed to be saved from them — thin

chance. We knew we were all related in this story, a little gin

will clarify the dark and make us all feel like dancing. We

had something to do with the origins of blues and jazz

I argued with a Pueblo as I filled the jukebox with dimes in June,

forty years later and we still want justice. We are still America. We

know the rumors of our demise. We spit them out. They die

soon.

_____

Buen Camino!

Pastors Brett & Karen Cornwell Fortlander.

Newsletter Community of Pilgrims, Aug. 16, 2020

THIS SUNDAY: Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, Aug. 16, 2020, Proper 15, and Zoom and in-person; Contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com

_____

Dear Pilgrims of Everyday Life!

Fernweh.

This word popped up among my Facebook postings, and I was instantly drawn to it: Fernweh. It is a noun, from Germany. It means farsickness. “An urge to travel even stronger than wanderlust: That feeling you get when you’ve been home too long and you ache to be out into the world again. Sometimes you don’t know where you want to be, but you know that it’s away. Sometimes you know where, and you want to get there as quickly as possible. This is that feeling” (from migratingmiss.com). Many of us have been feeling fernweh lately. And our hope is that a vaccine is found soon for COVID 19, and that travel will become much easier in the months and year to come. But for the time being, we are all feeling a little bit of fernweh.

I want to call to your attention the changes that have been made on our website: www.communityofpiglrims.com! First, Christian Halstead, my in-home technical "wunderkind" and partner (thank you, Christian), installed the “Donate” button, or “Give Now” button on the “Take Action” page of our website. That means you can now donate funds to the Community of Pilgrims on the website itself. We are working in conjunction with the Presbyterian Foundation, which takes 2% for administering this donation function. Of course, you can still send money via a check to the Community of Pilgrims, c/o Pastor Brett. Even in this COVID 19 pandemic, we need your financial support! So, feel free to try the Give Now button https://www.communityofpilgrims.com/take-action.

The second change has to do with an update of the information and pictures on the website, and this is where you come in. On the “What We Do” page, I’d like to post paragraphs that you, dear Pilgrims, write about being part of the Community of Pilgrims. You could write about the meaningfulness of one of our projects, our Zoom gatherings, something funny that happened with the Community of Pilgrims, how you found the Community, a sermon that was meaningful, what it means to “be Chuck” in the world today, or the symbolic power of having the Lord’s Supper and the potlucks every Sunday, for just a few ideas. The reason for this? So that the website isn’t all about what I think we do, or Karen thinks, or Kathy or Bill think we do within the Community of Pilgrims. This is a chance for community members to tell their stories, and our stories. Please write a short (short) paragraph, and send it to me in the coming week (the week of Aug. 17, 2020), and I’ll update the website with stories from the Community! Thanks! 

And last: The Scripture focus this week is Matthew 15:(10-20), 21-28. This is a rich exchange between the Canaanite woman and Jesus, in which Jesus is caught kind of flat footed in his conversation with this very smart and witty person. This passage reminds us that Jesus was a boundary crosser, crossing the boundaries of talking not only to a Canaanite, but to a woman! It also reveals that the God of creation does love a good conversation, and that the God of creation is open to suggestions from all of us who are created in God’s image. Join us this Sunday as we explore the dynamic, changing nature of our relationship with the Holy One.

**

Let us also celebrate the gift of giving, with so many boxes and bags of clothes and linens that were collected from the Portland Pilgrims and given to SnowCap, a non-profit we work with in Portland, who provides clothes and linens for individuals and families in need. Thank you, Community of Pilgrims, for this gift!

**

Time to make some good food for the Women’s Emergency Shelter in Gresham, sponsored by Human Solutions. We are looking at cooking and gathering the food together on Aug. 28th. Lorinda Moholt is making the entrée dish, and we will fill in the rest.

**

While we are not meeting in person, the Community of Pilgrims will still welcome your financial contribution. Please make a check out to Community of Pilgrims, and mail it to Brett Webb-Mitchell, 9460 SW Martha St., Tigard, OR 97224, or use the “Give Now” button on the "Take Action" page on the Community of Pilgrims website, www.communityofpilgrims.com. Many thanks!

**

Again: The Presbytery of the Cascades chose to give $1,000 to churches and new faith communities to make a change in the world. We are joining up with the folks at Moreland Presbyterian Church, and with our combined stimulus checks, and other donations, we will support four groups: Street Roots, Emerge, Meals on Wheels, and Human Solutions! Let me, Brett, know if you would like to give to give more to this growing fund, and I will be sure that our funds are included. Currently, we have collected over $7,000!

____

Events!

Aug. 16, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!

Aug. 23, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!

Aug. 28, feeding the women at the Gresham Women's Emergency Shelter!

Aug. 30, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!

Sept. 6, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!

Sept. 13, Gather and Devotion and Zoom and Join Us at Our Home! Celebrating 4-year anniversary of the Community of Pilgrims!

____

Prayers of Celebration and Concern

Prayers for Roberta’s friend who is struggling with addiction and is in a dark place right now.

Karen’s back hurts. Pray that it feels better.

Karen's friend who attempted suicide, is hospitalized. Pray that she is open to treatment.

Happy birthday, Linda and Sue.

Prayers for Lorinda’s friend, Mickie, who is near death, and for her husband.

Bill’s step-mom, Delphine, moving from assisted living to a higher level of care.

Sally—she has taken a major step in her life, and faith has held her up. She could use a bit more faith.

Winston-For the Federal election; may we have confidence in our federal election process and outcome.

Brett-for college teachers and students alike who are going back to school and in-person classes.

North Carolina-has experienced an earthquake after the hurricane.

_____

Poem

Beloved is Where we Begin, by Jan Richardson

If you would enter 

Into the wilderness,

Do not begin

Without a blessing.

Do not leave

Without hearing

Who you are: 

Beloved,

Named by the One

Who has traveled this path

Before You.

Do not go

Without letting it echo

In your ears.

And if you find 

It is hard

To let it into your heart,

Do not despair.

That is what

This journey is for.

I cannot promise 

This blessing will free you.

From danger,

From fear,

From hunger

Or thirst,

From the scorching

Of sun,

Or the fall

Of night.

But I can tell you

That on this path

There will be help.

I can tell you

That on this way

There will be rest.

I can tell you

That you will know

The strange graces

That come to our aid

Only on a road

Such as this

That fly to meet us,

Bearing comfort

And strength,

That come alongside us

For no other cause

Than to lean themselves

Toward our ear

And with their 

Curious insistence,

Whisper our name:

Beloved,

Beloved,

Beloved.

_____

Buen Camino!

Pastors Brett & Karen Cornwell Fortlander.  

Newsletter, Community of Pilgrims, Aug. 9, 2020

THIS SUNDAY: Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, Aug. 9, 2020, Proper 14, and Zoom and in-person; Contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com

_____

Dear Pilgrims of August Days,

No matter where we live, Pilgrims of August, it is summer time in our part of the world!  And one of the things we can do is open doors and windows and let fresh air in, or sit outside and enjoy a meal, a good read, a board or card game, working in a garden, taking our laptop outside and working on this newsletter outside in the garden, a hike, or enjoying time in a pool, taking a walk along the shoreline of the Oregon coast, savoring a glass of wine at a nearby winery, or beer at a pub’s outdoor sitting venue. Even with sitting at least 6 feet apart, it is OK at some point to take off our masks, and take a deep breath in and exhale out slowly.

The focus passage this week is Matthew 14:22-33, in which Jesus does the unimaginable, again. This time, Jesus went on a solo pilgrimage for prayer and contemplation, while the disciples were out in a boat on the Sea of Galilee. The wind and the waters suddenly picked up on the waters, and the disciples in their boat were tossed all around by the power of the water and wind. Reading this story at this time makes all the difference in the world. There are times that, individually or collectively, we experience life alone or together in and as the church, rocked fearsomely by the wind and water of life, filled with nights of terror and doubt. Yet, as the preacher Fred Craddock reminds us, there is an epiphany of sorts, in which, in time, Jesus appears, not unlike a resurrection appearance: "On a dark night of fear and helplessness, Christ comes to his disciples." The one thing we can always count on is that, as Pilgrims of the Pilgrim God, we are never alone. Christ always comes to pilgrims on our way. Join us this Sunday, via Zoom, as we explore the reassurance of this blessing.

**

Portland Pilgrims! SnowCap awaits our bags of clothes and linens! Please bring your bags of stuff to Kathy Fukuyama’s home, 6221 SW Tower Way, Portland, OR 97221, by 12:30 on Friday, August 7, 2020. Thanks for your Lenten offering!

**

While we are not meeting in person, the Community of Pilgrims will still welcome your financial contribution. Please make a check out to Community of Pilgrims, and mail it to Brett Webb-Mitchell, 9460 SW Martha St., Tigard, OR 97224. Many thanks!

**

Again: The Presbytery of the Cascades chose to give $1,000 to churches and new faith communities to make a change in the world. We are joining up with the folks at Moreland Presbyterian Church, and with our combined stimulus checks, and other donations, we will support four groups: Street Roots, Emerge, Meals on Wheels, and Human Solutions! Let me, Brett, know if you would like to give to give more to this growing fund, and I will be sure that our funds are included. Currently, we have collected over $7,000!

____

Events!

Aug. 9, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!

Aug. 16, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!

Aug. 23, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!

Aug. 30, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!

Sept. 6, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!

Sept. 13, Gather and Devotion and Zoom and Join Us at Our Home! Celebrating 4-year anniversary of the Community of Pilgrims!

____

Prayers of Celebration and Concern

· Linda's two daughters and their families in households where parents work from home and schools are closed so parents teach their children.

· Linda's brother Gary who has Parkinson's and is having more difficulty getting around and will be moving to be closer to family.

· Chris's friend Nanette Johnson in Augusta GA who has been diagnosed with coronavirus.

· Mickey Doolittle who is dying from pancreatic cancer.

· Tribes in Warm Springs who are without any clean water for drinking or hand-washing.

· Thanksgiving for the life of John Lewis.

· Birthday celebrations for Sue Lekas who celebrates her birthday on Tuesday.

· Quieter nights in the streets of Portland.

· Downtown businesses which are being forced to close because of the coronavirus.  

· Birthday celebrations for Linda and her daughter, brother, and grandson who all celebrate birthdays in August.

· Friend Cici who died this week at age 51. Winston and others remember her as a lovely influence who showed middle school kids it is OK to be different.

_____

Poem

Burning Island by Gary Snyder

O Wave God      who broke through me today   

    Sea Bream

    massive pink and silver

    cool swimming down with me watching   

                      staying away from the spear

Volcano belly Keeper who lifted this island

    for our own beaded bodies adornment

    and sprinkles us all with his laugh—

                      ash in the eve

    mist, or smoke,

    on the bare high limits—

               underwater lava flows easing to coral

                      holes filled with striped feeding swimmers

O Sky Gods      cartwheeling

    out of   Pacific

    turning rainsqualls over like lids on us   

    then shine on our sodden—

               (scanned out a rainbow today at the   

                      cow drinking trough   

                            sluicing off

            LAKHS of crystal Buddha Fields   

            right on the hair of the arm!)

Who wavers right now in the bamboo:   

   a half-gone waning moon.

                  drank down a bowlful of shochu   

                           in praise of Antares

                  gazing far up the lanes of Sagittarius

                           richest stream of our sky—

   a cup to the center of the galaxy!   

                  and let the eyes stray

   right-angling the pitch of the Milky Way:   

                  horse-heads   rings

                  clouds      too distant to be

                  slide free.

                              on the crest of the wave.

Each night

O Earth Mother

   I have wrappt my hand

   over the jut of your cobra-hood

                               sleeping;   

   left my ear

All night long by your mouth.

O   All

Gods   tides   capes   currents   

Flows and spirals of

      pool and powers—

As we hoe the field

   let sweet potato grow.

And as sit us all down when we may   

To consider the Dharma

   bring with a flower and a glimmer.   

Let us all sleep in peace    together.

Bless Masa and me as we marry   

   at new moon         on the crater   

This summer.

_____

Buen Camino!

Pastors Brett & Karen Cornwell Fortlander.

Newsletter, Community of Pilgrims, Aug. 2, 2020

THIS SUNDAY: Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, Aug. 2, 2020, Proper 13, and Zoom and in-person; Contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com

_____

Dear “Woke” Pilgrims, 

To our friends who are not currently living in Portland, let me assure you that we are all well in Portland. And we are "woke" to the challenges facing the Rose City in particular, and the nation as a whole. Our prayers for the city and nation go on, without end. 

Pastor Karen and I participated in a solemn Jewish ceremony at Portland City Hall on Wednesday evening, remembering our collective history as largely white privileged people in Portland and the good work of justice in the Black Lives Matter protests, and then walked over to the Justice Center and witnessed the called to action by leaders of Black Lives Matter. For some time, we stood (with 6-foot social distancing) next to a black family, children as well, who were recording it all. We left before the Federal troops came out at around 10:50 pm. The good news is that, as of last night (July 30, 2020), all was quiet around the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Building, now that the Federal troops are no longer there. The protestors policed themselves, and all was quieter, and the focus is now on Black Lives Matter.

**

The Scripture focus this Sunday is on Matthew 14:13-21. The story of Jesus feeding the 5,000! How appropriate to remember and re-learn the steps that Jesus took to feed the masses, and that we have that same creative power to do the same: to feed the people, all the people, if we combine our resources. We are kind of living out this parable, as we saw with the actions taken with the Presbytery’s stimulus check: the two congregations brought some pots of money together, $2,000 to be exact, and this has, miraculously, now become over $7,000! And it will be used to feed the hungry, house the homeless, and provide care and comfort to those in need. Let us continue to live out the story of Jesus and the feeding of the 5,000! And join us Sunday to talk about the ways Jesus' vision of feeding the 5,000 and more continues to be a story of abundance and synergy in an age clinging to the scarcity paradigm. 

**

SnowCap is ready for us! It is time to let go of your 40 items of clothing from Lent, and we can take these items to SnowCap on either August 7 or 8! Let’s talk about how to get the clothes to Kathy and Brett this Sunday.

**

While we are not meeting in person, the Community of Pilgrims will still welcome your financial contribution. Please make a check out to Community of Pilgrims, and mail it to Brett Webb-Mitchell, 9460 SW Martha St., Tigard, OR 97224. Many thanks!

**

Again: The Presbytery of the Cascades chose to give $1,000 to churches and new faith communities to make a change in the world. We are joining up with the folks at Moreland Presbyterian Church, and with our combined stimulus checks, and other donations, we will support four groups: Street Roots, Emerge, Meals on Wheels, and Human Solutions! Let me, Brett, know if you would like to give to give more to this growing fund, and I will be sure that our funds are included. Currently, we have collected over $7,000!

____

Events!

Aug. 2, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!

Aug. 9, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!

Aug. 16, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!

Aug. 23, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!

____

Prayers of Celebration and Concern

· The family of Ray Corwin who died July 19th. His family, friends, and former patients and colleagues remember him as a kind and loving person.

· Finding resolution to family challenges.

· Our city which has been damaged and for getting federal police out of here and other cities.

· Protests to stay on message of racial equality and to avoid violence.

· Continuing postal service. 

· Those who have to go back to work in buildings.

· Students, teachers, and administrators.

· A vaccine.

· Countries which lack the infrastructure to deal with the pandemic.

· Celebrations for Linda who will celebrate her birthday August 9.

· Celebrations for our beautiful Oregon summer weather.

_____

Poem

When I Am Among the Trees, by Mary Oliver

When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.
I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.
Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, “Stay awhile.”
The light flows from their branches.
And they call again, “It’s simple,” they say,
“and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine.”

_____

Buen Camino!

Pastors Brett & Karen Cornwell Fortlander.

Newsletter, Community of Pilgrims, July 19, 2020

THIS SUNDAY: Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, July 19, 2020, Proper 11, and Zoom and in-person; Contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com

_____

Dear Pilgrims of July,

What a glorious day we are having in the Pacific Northwest! Our everyday pilgrimage is made lighter and brighter on such summer days. Our day packs of life are lighter without need of rain gear. We are into our third week of July, and we are celebrating summer. Coffee outside in the morning, when it is still in the 60s before the temperature inches up towards the high 80s. To our friends and pilgrim members in other parts of the country, who have lived in the Pacific Northwest or visited now and then, this is as good as it gets in this part of the country, and it is sweet…as you know.

The Scripture we will focus on this week is from Paul’s letter to the Romans 8:12-25. What Paul gets “right” is our relationship to one another in terms of being Christ’s household, Christ’s body with one another, which is part of the reading today from Paul’s letter: “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him” (vv. 14-17). In Romans, 1 Corinthians, Colossians, and in Ephesians, we read of this same sentiment: that by God’s actions, God’s grace, we are brothers and sisters with one another because we are daughters and sons of God, through a divine adoption plan. That means when we are hurt, challenged, happy, or celebrating, we can call upon God as a child would a parent, even to the point of freely using the family phrase, “Abba,” or “Dad” or “Mom.” That’s how close God in Christ is to us: as close as a child is to a parent. This always reminds me that, first, like a parent, God knows me better than I know myself, and that, second, we are joint-heirs, with Christ, in our relationship with God, freely sharing in all that God has given creation. Sometimes on life's pilgrimage, we just need to know that we can turn to Abba, both in good times and the times that are challenging us to the core of our being. And we, in turn, have the joy of sharing this good news with others who doubt or are uncertain as to their identity, and sense of who and whose they are. That is the gift we hold out to the world: a place to call home, where love is core to our beings, with an incredible Abba who loves us for who we are, and kith and kin from around the planet. Join us this Sunday as we explore the contours of our relationship with Abba as members of Christ’s household of faith.

_____

Requests and Opportunities

Hold on to your 40 items of clothing from Lent, in which, when the pandemic “shelter in place” order will be lifted, and we can take these items to SnowCap.

**

While we are not meeting in person, the Community of Pilgrims will still welcome your financial contribution. Please make a check out to Community of Pilgrims, and mail it to Brett Webb-Mitchell, 9460 SW Martha St., Tigard, OR 97224. Many thanks!

**

For those who want to volunteer some more in the Portland-metro area, here’s a list of volunteer opportunities: https://www.opb.org/news/article/coronavirus-help-oregon-washington-volunteer-donate-give-blood/.  And here’s a neat calligraphy project that Lorinda Moholt participated in, with proceeds to Oregon Food Bank: https://give.oregonfoodbank.org/CCC

**

The Presbytery of the Cascades chose to give $1,000 to churches and new faith communities to make a change in the world. We are joining up with the folks at Moreland Presbyterian Church, and with our combined stimulus checks, and other donations, we will support four groups: Street Roots, Emerge, Meals on Wheels, and Human Solutions! Let me, Brett, know if you would like to give  more to this growing fund, and I will be sure that our funds are included. Currently, we have collected over $4500.

____

Events!

July 17-18, Stated Meeting of the Presbytery, via Zoom. Contact me for my info.

July 19, Gather and Devotion, Zoom!

July 26, Gather and Devotion, Zoom!

Aug. 2, Gather and Devotion, Zoom!

Aug. 9, Gather and Devotion, Zoom!

____

Prayers of Celebration and Concern

Thanks for getting us together on Sunday and we shared prayer requests and concerns for

Strength for Winston's friend who lost his job of 14 years and has a young family to support.

Birthday celebrations for Helene who turns 15 on the 15th.

Birthday celebrations for Ray who celebrated his birthday on Wednesday.

Birthday celebrations for Ray and Lorinda's granddaughter Anna who turns 18 on July 16th. 

Safety and safe travels for Anna and her parents when they bring her to Portland next month to attend Lewis & Clark.

Pastors and their families at churches which have re-opened and outbreaks of the coronavirus are surging.

Modern science that a vaccine can be found sooner than projected and made available to all.

Linda's friend Judy whose husband died on July 3rd.

The family of Ann Thompson who recently died.

Justice for all.

The rule of law.

Our City which has been damaged.

Our children as we debate the reopening schools.

Countries such as Syria and Yemen which already have great suffering and are now experiencing coronavirus outbreaks. 

_____

 Poem

The Peace of Wild Things, by Wendell Berry

When despair for the world grows in me

And I wake in the night at the least sound

In fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

Rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things

Who do not tax their lives with forethought

Of grief. I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

Waiting with their light. For a time

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

_____

Buen Camino!

Pastors Brett & Karen Cornwell Fortlander.

Newsletter, Community of Pilgrims, June 12, 2020

THIS SUNDAY: Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, July 12, 2020, Proper 10, and Zoom and in-person; Contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com
_____
Dear Mid-Summer Pilgrims, 

What a joy it is to be almost 30 days into summer, especially for us in the Pacific Northwest. The weather is about pitch perfect here, and we send cool mornings and a gentle glow of the sun in the afternoon into the late evenings, to our friends in California, Virginia, New Mexico, New York, and beyond!

The sower and seeds is the parable this Sunday (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23). It is one of those parables, like the Prodigal Child, in which, every time you read it, depending on the season of one’s life and context, you read and learn something new. As one can well imagine, there are an abundance of biblical commentaries on this passage. For example, there is the patience of the sower, who has sown the seeds and has to wait for the seeds to produce. There are also the conditions of the soil, and the kind of sun that the seed gets. Then there is the question of who is the sower: is it God who is the sower, sowing Jesus, the seed? What amazes me this time that I read it, in this age and day of scarcity, is the amount of seed that is being thrown willy-nilly. And abundance of seed. No end to how much is being thrown out “there,” upon all kinds of soil. What some folk understand is that the seed is grace, and the action of the sower is to liberally throw seeds around even in potentially unfruitful places. In other words, these seeds show that there is an abundance of grace, of forgiveness, of justice, peace, and joy, even in this age which declares such gifts to be scarce and to be hoarded. We shall wait and see what the harvest looks like, and the harvest is an essential mark of the realm of God. After all, the plant is not enough. Join us this Sunday as we explore this parable and how it applies to the world in which we live today!

**

For those who would like, we are offering our time together in two ways, simultaneously, this Sunday! One way: we will meet via Zoom on Sunday, July 12th, come rain or shine. And the other, or number two way: For those who want to meet up and wear masks and be socially distant (6 feet apart), we will gather at Lorinda and Ray Moholt’s home. No hymns to be sung. Bring a chair, or Lorinda and Ray will provide a chair. Bring something to drink. Given our numbers each Sunday, there will be, at most, 10 people in the backyard, so we are meeting the Governor's request of "no more than 10 people can gather together." We will still Zoom from their backyard. Their address is 3531 SW 57th Ave., Portland, OR 97221. See you either on Zoom or in person this Sunday. 
_____

Requests and Opportunities

Hold on to your 40 items of clothing from Lent, in which, when the pandemic “shelter in place” order will be lifted, and we will take these items to SnowCap.

**
While we are not meeting in person, the Community of Pilgrims will still welcome your financial contribution. Please make a check out to: Community of Pilgrims, and mail it to Brett Webb-Mitchell, 9460 SW Martha St., Tigard, OR 97224. Many thanks!

**

For those who want to volunteer some more in the Portland-metro area, here’s a list of volunteer opportunities: https://www.opb.org/…/coronavirus-help-oregon-washington-v…/. And here’s a neat calligraphy project that Lorinda Moholt participated in, with proceeds to Oregon Food Bank: https://give.oregonfoodbank.org/CCC

**

The Presbytery of the Cascades chose to give $1,000 to churches and new faith communities to make a change in the world. We are joining up with the folks at Moreland Presbyterian Church, and with our combined stimulus checks, and other donations, we will support four groups: Street Roots, Emerge, Meals on Wheels, and Human Solutions! Let me, Brett, know if you would like to give more to this growing fund, and I will be sure that our funds are included. Currently, we have collected over $4500.

____

Events!

July 12, Gather and Devotion, Zoom and in-person at Ray and Lorinda’s home.
July 19, Gather and Devotion, Zoom!
July 26, Gather and Devotion, Zoom!
Aug. 2, Gather and Devotion, Zoom!

_____

Poem

The Summer Day, by Mary Oliver

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean--
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down --
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
With your one wild and precious life?

_____

Buen Camino!
Pastors Brett & Karen Cornwell Fortlander.
Rev. Dr. Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com