Newsletter, Community of Pilgrims, June 13, 2021

HIS SUNDAY: The Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, June 13, 2021, Third Sunday after Pentecost, Gather and Devotion on Zoom. If you have any questions, or are interested in a conversation, contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com and visit www.communityofpilgrims.com. 

Dear Discerning Pilgrims,

Amid the splendor of spring blossoms and now and then some rain in the Pacific NW, along with warmer weather, and some rise in humidity for some of us across this country, we are all entering summer months quickly, wherever we may live. With the rise in the number of people getting vaccines, the other change in this season is the opportunity to hug one another. I am rejoicing in this opportunity to hug one another again outside of our usual, wonderful, quarantined bubble of COVID 19 pandemic groupies.

The theme for this Sunday, and the focus Scripture this week is 1 Samuel 15:34—16:13, is discernment. The situation: Saul had died, and Samuel was sent by God to find the next ruler of Israel. I have always loved this story, for what will be known as obvious reasons. Samuel was sent by God to meet up with Jesse, the father of the one we know as King David. But the beauty of the story is the selection process. Jesse shows off and brings out all his sons, to see if they had “it” which God wanted in the next ruler of the struggling state of Israel. All the sons were big and bright men. After going through all the sons Jesse thought were presentable, Samuel and God had not found the right one yet. Jesse was asked: “Don’t you have one more son?” Well, yes, he did! Young David, who was taking care of the sheep! Ruddy in complexion, smaller than the rest, youngest of all, this was the one that God was looking for. This was the chosen one of God. While we may have chosen other people for a variety of reasons to lead the people of Israel, God chose David! And what a choice that was. Join us this Sunday as we discuss the process of discernment in our lives today.

**

In the latest mid-year “appeal” by Human Solutions—a nonprofit we support that feeds those who are hungry and provides shelter for those who are homeless—I was struck by a story they shared about a couple who moved from one of the tents we see around Portland, to a shelter, and on to their own apartment in time for a new baby to arrive. As the Mom said, ‘They really believed in us. It makes all the difference in the world.” I am glad that we are supporting a nonprofit that provides such assistance in the Portland area, from tent to shelter to an apartment.  Thank you, all, for your support of Human Solutions and SnowCap! 

_____

Events!

June 11 & 12, Stated Meeting of the Presbytery of the Cascades

June 13, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

June 20, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

June 27, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

July 4, Gather and Devotion and Holy Communion on Zoom.

____

Prayers of Celebration and Concern

· LGBTQIA+ Pride month of June.

· More people are vaccinated and we pray other countries will get more vaccines.

· Roxanne and her husband as he recovers from two surgeries this past week.

· Marge Stockwell to find a safe living situation.

· Linda's brother Gary who needs to move into assisted living.

· Linda's friend Lynne who is going through cancer treatment.

· Celebrations for Ray and Lorinda's Mariners' Group which started 30 years ago. They met last night and 19 people attended.

· Winston Barham's pastor Ken Henry's mother died last week. The family has been experiencing difficult times.

· Prayers for President Biden’s trip abroad. 

· Prayers for help for those on our Southern border.

· Prayers for Marty Cauley, one of Brett’s former students.

_____

Poem

A Rondeau for Leonard Cohen, by Malcolm Guite

Like David’s psalm you named our pain,

And left us. But the songs remain

To search our wounds and bring us balm,

Till every song becomes a psalm,

And your restraint is our refrain;

Between the stained-glass and the stain,

The dark heart and the open vein,

Between the heart-storm and the harm,

Like David’s psalm.

I see you by the windowpane,

Alive within your own domain,

The light is strong, the seas are calm,

You chant again the telling charm,

That names, and naming, heals our pain,

Like David’s psalm.

____

Buen Camino!

Pastors Brett & Karen Cornwell F

Newsletter, CoP, June 6, 2021

THIS SUNDAY: The Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, June 6, 2021, Second Sunday after Pentecost, Gather and Devotion on Zoom. If you have any questions, or are interested in a conversation, contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com and visit www.communityofpilgrims.com. 

Dear Community of Pilgrims, 

In an article in The Oregonian this past week, the reporter covered five or six “good things” we learned from the COVID 19 pandemic. What was fascinating was how most of the “good things” we learned had to do with relationships. If we learned anything in the last almost-year and a half is the art and practice of being in relationships. For some, new lessons were learned with our partners and spouses. For others, we learned that maintaining a relationship takes effort. Still, for others, we learned the art of establishing clear boundaries, and gave ourselves permission to forgive not only others, but sometimes, even more importantly, ourselves, when we really were our own lousiest enemy. Finally, we remembered that, now and then, we all exemplify the word, “fun” in dysfunctional in our families, among our friends, and in a Zoom meeting with complete strangers. 

Good, healthy relationships are one of the pillars of a good, healthy community life. The significance of healthy relationships was central to last week’s reading from Paul’s Letter to the Romans, as well as this week’s passage from Mark 3: 20-35. In the eyes and ears of the disciples, it appears that Jesus is going off the script they had written for Jesus’ life. Concerned about his rantings, the disciples call his mom, and siblings, to come and get Jesus and take him home. But Jesus, again, off their script tells them the following: “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you (say the disciples). And Jesus replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ And looking at those who sat around him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother’”(my emphasis; vv. 32-35). Wow! Jesus is such a trouble-maker. Mercy. Jesus puts the word “fun” in “dysfunctional” too. Imagine telling our mothers (and fathers) that whoever does the will of God is part of our household. Blood is not thicker than water in this passage, nor in the Christian life. My regrets. Jesus upsets the “apple cart” of life again. What’s down is up, and what’s up is down. Being part of the realm of God means we are related to one another in mysterious and surreal, yet real, practical, ways. Dear moms, dads, brothers, sisters, siblings in and of Christ: Join us this Sunday as we continue to explore the nature of being community with one another.

** A big shout out to all who participated in our clothes drive for SnowCap. There were between 25-27 bags of clothing, which roughly equals 205 pounds (which is what matters most in SnowCap’s mind). And a big thanks to Kathy for organizing it, and Kathy and Shu for taking the clothes over today to SnowCap. So impressive!

Bravo and brava, and THANKS! 

_____

Events!

June 6, Gather and Devotion and Holy Communion on Zoom.

June 13, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

June 20, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

June 27, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

____

Prayers of Celebration and Concern

·      Those who have served this country through military service, or the Peace Corps, or AmeriCorps.

·      Thankfulness for safe trip by granddaughter Eliza and friend to Pasadena

·      Also for Eliza’s mom and Linda’s daughter, who  visited Linda and had a nice time.

·      Thankfulness for increased response at Hillsdale corner where on Fridays Chuck carries a sign saying honk for peace, truth, dignity, climate protection.

·      Thanks for increased availability of COVID 19 vaccinations.  

·      As COVID 19 restrictions subside, may people still act responsibly.

·      To solve the enigmas and riddles around homelessness. 

·      Concern for Bend, OR, hospitals and  ICUs encountering capacity from COVID 19 cases and having to transfer cases to other regions.

·      For our nation, and how to study Jan. 6 demonstrations.

·      Appreciation of state and city of New York investigations of justice.

·      For the family of George Floyd and Tulsa Riots Remembrances.

·      For all who are adopted and for those who are in foster homes.

_____

Poem

God of the Living, by Jan Richardson

When the wall

Between the worlds

Is too firm,

Too close.

When it seems

All solidity

And sharp edges.

When every morning

You wake as if

Flattened against it

Its forbidding presence

Fairly pressing the breath

From you 

All over again.

Then may you be given 

A glimpse

Of how weak the wall

And how strong what stirs

One the other side

Breathing with you

And blessing you 

Still

Forever bound to you

But freeing you

Into this living

Into this world

So much wider

Than you ever knew. 

____

Buen Camino!

Pastors Brett & Karen Cornwell Fortlander.

Newsletter, May 30, 2021

THIS SUNDAY: The Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, May 30, 2021, Trinity Sunday, Gather and Devotion on Zoom. If you have any questions, or are interested in a conversation, contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com and visit www.communityofpilgrims.com. 

Dear Pilgrims of the Holy Trinity,

This weekend we celebrate three events in our lives, two secular and one sacred. The secular one is Memorial Day weekend, in which on Monday, May 31, we honor and remember those who served their country in one of the military services. US flags will adorn many gravesites this weekend as a reminder of those who served. 

On another note, this weekend is the unofficial first day of summer, even though the calendar says we are now in late spring, and summer comes later in June. Nevertheless, we are all ready for summer.

It is also a holy Sunday. One of the last if not the last “official holy days” until we come towards All Hallow’s Eve, aka Halloween. This is Trinity Sunday, which always follows Pentecost. Trinity Sunday is based upon John 3:1-17 and Romans 8:12-17. I’ll focus upon the Romans passage this Sunday, in which Paul writes about God’s household of faith. The idea behind Trinity Sunday is a celebration of our Triune God. Religious scholar Stephen Prothero calls Christianity a “mushy, squishy monotheism,” unlike those who are Jewish and Muslim, who practice a radical monotheism, believing in one God. Period. We believe in one God but in three Persons, “blessed Trinity” (or so goes the hymn, “Holy, Holy, Holy.”) There is God, the Creator of all things seen and unseen. There is Jesus, God’s son, or as some would say God’s Holy Child, sent to us by God. God with us. And then there is the Holy Spirit, or as many of learned as the Holy Ghost, or Spirit, in which referring to the Holy Spirit as “she” would be quite right, in terms of biblical interpretations. As one Anglican priest constantly reminds me, the Triune God is a perfect example of Christian community, a model of which we, as The Community of Pilgrims, can aim to model ourselves after. Each person in the Trinity plays a role and function in how we understand and know God.  Join us this Sunday as we explore the Trinity in the Household of God.

** A big shout out to all who participated in our clothes drive for SnowCap. And a big thanks to Kathy for organizing it, and Kathy and Shu for taking the clothes over today to SnowCap. Bravo and brava, and THANKS!

_____

Events!

May 30, Trinity Sunday, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

June 6, Gather and Devotion and Holy Communion on Zoom.

June 13, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

June 20, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

____

Prayers of Celebration and Concern

· Linda's granddaughter Eliza and her friend as they continue their drive down to Occidental College in LA.

· Linda's good friend Lynne who was recently diagnosed with colon cancer and has started treatment.

· Christine Tilton and her son Victor. Christine had to make the decision to remove lift support for her son who had been hospitalized after a drug overdose.

· Brett's friend Martin Collie who is dying of cancer.

· Caroline who is dying of cancer

· Thanksgiving that eight states have already reached President Biden's goal of vaccinating 70% of American adults with at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine by July 4 and prayers for other countries to get the vaccine out to citizens.

· Peaceful protests on the anniversary of George Floyd's death, May 25th.

· Safe travels for Ron returning from Indiana on Tuesday.

· Happy Birthday to Kathy on May 30. 

· A two-state solution in the Palestinian conflict.

· Relief in Latin America where millions of Venezuelan people have left their country and migrated to Colombia, Peru, Chile, Brazil, and other parts of the world.

· Celebrations for Luke and Dayna who are getting married in September.

_____

Poem

Trinity Sunday, by Malcolm Guite

In the Beginning, not in time or space,

But in the quick before both space and time,

In Life, in Love, in co-inherent Grace,

In three in one and one in three, in rhyme,

In music, in the whole creation story,

In His own image, His imagination,

The Triune Poet makes us for His glory,

And makes us each the other’s inspiration.

He calls us out of darkness, chaos, chance,

To improvise a music of our own,

To sing the chord that calls us to the dance,

Three notes resounding from a single tone,

To sing the End in whom we all begin;

Our God beyond, beside us and within.

____

Buen Camino!

Pastors Brett & Karen Cornwell Fortlander.

Newsletter, May 23, 2021

THIS SUNDAY: The Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, May 23, 2021, Pentecost, Gather, Holy Communion, and Devotion on Zoom. Please wear something red, or in the "red" family." If you have any questions, or are interested in a conversation, contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com and visit www.communityofpilgrims.com. 

_____

Dear Pilgrims of Pentecost,

And here we are! Pentecost! I just asked Siri about Pentecost and got this, from Wikipedia (not a source I usually rely upon for accuracy): “The Christian holiday of Pentecost is a moveable feast, which is celebrated on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) from Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks, as described in the Acts of the Apostles” (Acts 2:1-31). It is also called Whitsunday in Ireland and the United Kingdom. I love the idea that Pentecost is a “moveable feast,” a feast day, in the life of the Church universal. Let the celebration begin! And please wear red or something in the "red family" on Sunday!

As I wrote and have said to many of you throughout the years, since I first heard it from a Benedictine monk at St. Benedict’s Monastery in St. Joseph, MN, Jesus had to ascend in order for the Holy Spirit to descend. In truth, the Spirit of God, or God as Spirit is as old as the Hebrew Scriptures. For example, in Genesis 1:2, with the creation of earth, and the waters, a “wind sent from God” has often been construed to be Spirit. In Hebrew, the word for Spirit is “ruach,” and we find “ruach” in Ps. 51, referring to “Your holy spirit (ruach kodschecha) and Isaiah refers twice to “His holy spirit” (ruach kodsho). God as Spirit is nothing new. However, what is new is the role and function of Spirit—or Holy Spirit, or as I and some of us learned it as Holy Ghost—in the life of the living, risen, body of Christ, by which I mean us. You and me. Ya’ll. As I write these words, I believe I am not alone, but that the Spirit is in me, watching me mispronounce and misspell words each step of the way of this newsletter. And here’s the thing: we began The Community of Pilgrims with several months of readings from The Acts of the Apostles. Why? Because it is the very same Spirit that started the early church as recorded in Acts by Luke who is the very same Spirit who prompted us to begin meeting in Portland, almost four years ago, and continues to be with us today, and into the future days to come. And it is that same Spirit who calls us, O People of the Way, to continue to meet, to Zoom together, worship together, serve together, learn together, pray together, and be in fellowship together, this very day. Join us this Sunday as we discuss the presence of the Spirit today in our lives, in our Fellowship, and in our world.

** Reminder: Kathy Fukuyama is working with SnowCap on a special summer project that The Community of Pilgrims can participate in as a community of faith. We will deliver our clothes’ bags to Kathy before 12 noon on May 28, 2021! Thank you, all, in advance!

** This summer we are looking at doing one service just watching “Nomadland,” a film about modern-day sojourners and pilgrims. We will also begin, in earnest, a reading series on Wisdom Distilled from the Daily, by Joan Chittister, a look at life in community through Benedictine life.

** This is a small article I was asked to write for the Presbyterian Church (USA) Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy on "Queering the Family." This is where I wrote about hand holding as gestures of love as well. Enjoy! https://justiceunbound.org/queering-the-family/

_____

Events!

May 23, Pentecost! Wear something red! Gather, Holy Communion and Devotion on Zoom

May 28, Gather clothes for SnowCap (see above)

May 30, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

June 6, Gather and Devotion and Holy Communion on Zoom.

____

Prayers of Celebration and Concern

Thanks to modern medicine, vaccines are happening and we pray the entire world can be vaccinated.
Lives lost to suicide and other illnesses besides COVID.
Cessation of arms and peace in Israel, Palestine, and that region of the world.
A unified public campaign against Fentanyl.
Celebrations for travel reopening and Ray and Lorinda's friend is flying up from California.
Norway Day, May 17th, and their freedom.
Helena who got her vaccination yesterday.
Continued caution and being smart.
Safe travels for Eliza to Occidental.
Linda's brother Gary who is not doing well and is very week.
Social and political recovery from COVID.
Those suffering in Yemen, Syria, and Ukraine.
Peace at the Ukraine-Russia Border. 

_____

Poem

WHEN WE BREATHE TOGETHER
A Blessing for Pentecost Day

By Jan Richardson

This is the blessing
we cannot speak
by ourselves.

This is the blessing
we cannot summon
by our own devices,
cannot shape
to our own purposes,
cannot bend
to our own will.

This is the blessing
that comes
when we leave behind
our aloneness,
when we gather
together,
when we turn
toward one another.

This is the blessing
that blazes among us
when we speak
the words
strange to our ears,

when we finally listen
into the chaos,

when we breathe together
at last.

____

Buen Camino!

Pastors Brett & Karen Cornwell Fortlander.

Newsletter, CoP, May 16, 2021

THIS SUNDAY: The Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, May 16, 2021, Seventh Sunday of Easter, Gather and Devotion on Zoom. If you have any questions, or are interested in a conversation, contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com and visit www.communityofpilgrims.com. 

_____

Dear Pilgrims of the Ascended One,

Happy Ascension Day! I checked in with Google, Alexa, and Siri, and they all affirmed that in the Western Church, today is Ascension Day. This is the day that Jesus ascended into the heavens. Or as Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove wrote, “The Ascension is when God’s earthbound people look to heaven to remember that Christ’s body has no feet on the ground but ours. It’s why our Scriptures say, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.’” Indeed, our feet are Christ’s feet on earth today.

The Scripture reading this week is Luke 24:44-53. It is central to the Ascension story. I am reminded in this period of the COVID 19 pandemic, that we have been “out of touch,” literally with each other. But figuratively, we’ve been connected with one another via Zoom and phone calls and texts. And we believe that the person we see and hear on the screen is the person we wanted to be in touch with. Same thing with Jesus in this story. While Jesus has ascended, because God had no more body on earth per se anymore, God chose to make us, collectively, the body of the risen, ascended Christ on earth. We are the feet of Christ, taking people where they need to be in order to get assistance in terms of homelessness. We are the hands of Christ, making meals and providing clothes to those who are hungry, thirsty, and needing clothes. And what I also remember about this day is what a Benedictine monk once reminded me: Jesus had to ascend into the heavens in order for the Holy Spirit to descend and be among us as the body of the risen Christ. Join us this Sunday as we consider the relevance of Ascension Day in our lives as the body of Christ today. 

** Kathy Fukuyama is working with SnowCap on a special summer project that The Community of Pilgrims can participate in as a community of faith. We will deliver our clothes’ bags to Kathy before 12 noon on May 28, 2021! Thank you, all, in advance!

_____

Events!

May 16, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

May 23, Pentecost! Wear something red! Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

May 28, Gather clothes for SnowCap (see above)

May 30, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

June 6, Gather and Devotion and Holy Communion on Zoom.

____

Prayers of Celebration and Concern

·      Linda requests prayers for her brother Gary.  Also safe travels for granddaughter Eliza to do research with college prof at Occidental.

·      For St. Andrew’s and other churches who are about to offer personal in addition to virtual church worship services.

·      For Sister Valerie –  that her family situation sorts itself out (Lorinda and Ray);

·      Hopeful that Brett’s mom’s Trust will be settled soon.

·      For the people of India and Yemen, who are suffering terribly from the COVID 19 pandemic.

·      For the people and government of Ukraine.

·      For democracy in the US.

·      Remembering the hands across America campaign.  We need a unifying gesture again.

·      For all mothers in the world.  Our mothers, and daughters. Granddaughters. Nieces.  Mothers caught in drugs, sex trades, abuse, oppression, refugees. Single moms. Moms who struggle with addiction. Thankfulness for stories of families reuniting on our Southern border. For mothers able to spend time at home to care and educate children.  For adoption of laws providing maternity and paternity leave. And for universal healthcare in the US.

·      For Jim and Anne Wallace’s infant granddaughter’s health and well-being.

_____

Poem

A Poem for Ascension Day, by Denise Levertov

Stretching Himself as if again,

Through downpress of dust

Upward, soil giving way

To thread of white, that reaches

For daylight, to open as green

Leaf that it is…

Can Ascension

Not have been 

Arduous, almost,

As the return 

From Sheol, and

Back through the tomb

Into breath?

Matter reanimate

Now must relinquish

Itself, its

Human cells,

Molecules, five

Senses, linear

Visions endured

As Man—

The sole

All-encompassing gaze

Resumed now,

Eye of eternity.

Relinquished, Earth’s broken Eden.

Expulsion,

Liberation,

Last self-enjoined task

Of incarnation.

He again

Fathering Himself.

Seed-case

Splitting,

He against

Mothering His birth: torture and bliss.

____

Buen Camino!

Pastors Brett & Karen Cornwell Fortlander.

Newsletter, Community of Pilgrims, May 9, 2021

THIS SUNDAY: The Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, May 9, 2021, Sixth Sunday of Easter, Gather and Devotion on Zoom. If you have any questions, or are interested in a conversation, contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com and visit www.communityofpilgrims.com. 

_____

Dear Chosen, Beloved Pilgrims in Christ,

This talk about grapes, vines, and branches in John’s gospel is so fitting for this season of spring growth. Every day we all walk out of our respective homes, abodes, apartments, and townhouses, and there seems to be some kind of new blossom busting wide open, and the smell of wisteria and other blossoming trees and flowers…intoxicating. A feast for eyes and nose, alike! (with apology to those who suffer from allergies) Enjoy!

The Scripture focus this week is John 15:9-17. As I implied in the sermon/message last week, the “fruit” of the vine is love. And this “love” message—the command to love one another—is carried on in John 13:34,35; 15:12, 17; Rom. 12;10; 1 Thess. 3:12; 1 Peter 1:22; 1 John 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11, 12; and 2 John 5. It seems that “love one another” is a core practice and habit of the heart of Christian people. But there is also a very interesting line that I'd like us to discuss: "You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name" (John 15:16). Commentary writer Meda Stamper wrote: “Jesus does the choosing and appointing. And for those of us who wish to abide in Jesus’ love, this is surely good news, that we do not carve out a position as Jesus’ branch-friend and that our abundance does not depend on us; we might not even be able to imagine precisely what it will look like since we aren’t the ones doing the pruning and can only see our part of the vine. We merely choose to abide in the love that has drawn us in, and then we blossom.” This understanding, that God first chooses us, has been a core tenet of Reformed theology. We didn't choose God in Christ first. First, we are chosen, destined, or pre-destined to be part of God’s vineyard. Indeed, before John Calvin, there was the Gospel writer John. Join us this Sunday as we discuss this thing called “love” and being chosen by Jesus.

** Kathy Fukuyama is working with SnowCap on a special summer project that The Community of Pilgrims can participate in as a community of faith. We will deliver our clothes’ bags to Kathy before 12 noon on May 28, 2021! Thank you, all, in advance!

_____

Events!

May 9, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

May 16, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

May 23, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

May 30, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

____

Prayers of Celebration and Concern

· Celebrations for today when many Christians observe Orthodox Easter.

· Celebrations that Richard Donald's surgery to remove his kidney went smoothly and he may not need chemo.

· Kate's arm to heal properly.

· Continued momentum in closing Brett's mother's estate and transfer ownership of her house. 

· This country where over 30% of the population has been fully vaccinated and may that percentage increase.

· People in India and Brazil where COVID is surging.

· Oregon residents to practice prevention measures as the UK variant of COVID is present in our state.

· Celebrations for springtime and flowers.

· Marg Stockwell to be able to move into a home where she can get help.

· The City of Portland, which is challenged by homelessness, COVID, trash, property damage, and more.

_____

Poem

From Meister Eckhart’s Book of the Heart…

Don’t thank God

For loving you.

God could do no other.

Don’t thank God

For a soul that’s noble.

It simply is.

Thank God for 

This pulsing divine life

And pray God to throb it.

____

Buen Camino!

Pastors Brett & Karen Cornwell Fortlander.

Newsletter, Community of Pilgrims, May 2, 2021

THIS SUNDAY: The Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, May 2, 2021, Fifth Sunday of Easter, Gather and Devotion on Zoom. If you have any questions, or are interested in a conversation, contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com and visit www.communityofpilgrims.com. 

_____

Dear Nomads of Christ,

On Sunday night, for the second time, I watched the movie “Nomadland,” which would also win the Academy Award for “Best Film,” “Best Director,” and “Best Actress” awards later that night. For those who have not heard or read of the film, in short the film is about Fern, a woman in her sixties who, upon becoming a widow and losing her job when the entire US Gypsum Plant in Empire, Nevada closes, including the dismembering of the town of Empire, during the Great Recession of 2008, embarks on a journey, a pilgrimage, through the American West, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad or secular pilgrim. It is a well-made movie, with a tender heart at the center of it. There are lessons galore in this film about being able to pick up and move at a moment’s notice; the importance of relationships and community, as well as time apart; creating rituals that tie us together. Maybe we can watch this movie as a Fellowship this summer, or read the book together. Stay tuned!

This Sunday’s Scripture focus is, once again, John’s Jesus, John 15:1-8, well- or better known as the vine-grower illustration. The line that sticks out to me as we continue to grow as a community of faith is this one: “I (Jesus/God) am the vine, you (all of us) are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing” (15:5). This metaphor of a vine and branches and fruit is a helpful way for us to think of Christian community. As my friend Pastor Jim Wallace (Rise Church, Tigard) said to me a few weeks ago, one way that some Christian communities think and act is as if they were a collection of marbles in a bowl. While they were all in the same, common, bowl, they weren’t necessarily connected together but bumping into each other, and easily rolling away and out of the bowl. Instead, a Christian community should consider and reach for the metaphor or image of being and becoming more like grapes and branches on a thick, healthy grapevine, connected to one source of life, namely God in Christ, and connected to one another via the small connectors between us, the grapes. Join us this Sunday as we continue to talk about marbles, as well as the vine, branches, and God’s grape harvest!

** Kathy Fukuyama is working with SnowCap on a special summer project that The Community of Pilgrims can participate in as a community of faith. We are going to gather clothes to take to SnowCap on Friday, May 28, 2021. Start gathering or purging clothes from our closets and bureau drawers. More instructions to follow!

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Events!

May 2, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

May 9, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

May 16, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

May 23, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

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Prayers of Celebration and Concern

· Grace and mercies for the family of Angela Darnell, who completed her 15-year battle with cancer this past week.

· People in India where the COVID crisis is out of control and thanks that our country and other countries are giving much needed help and vaccine surpluses.

· Thanksgiving that Brett's brother is more open to moving forward with closing their mother's estate.

· Celebrations that all of Lorinda's family has been vaccinated.

· Celebrations that Chuck's children in Norway have been vaccinated.

· Roxanne who can now return to volunteering with Home Plate Youth Services, working with youth in Washington County.

· Happy Birthday to Shu on April 29.

· The Lake Oswego United Methodist Church's invitation to Brett to preach and share his video "We Are Called To Love One Another" and that the church may become a reconciling congregation.

· Rulyn and Tom as they drive back cross country after delivering a dog to their son in Los Angeles and thanksgiving that they got to visit Chimayo, NM.

· Karen's sermon on the good shepherd.

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Poem

I am the Vine: A Sonnet, by Malcolm Guite

How might it feel to be part of the vine?

Not just to see the vineyard from afar

Or even pluck the clusters, press the wine,

But to be grafted in, to feel the stir

Of inward sap that rises from our root,

Himself deep planted in the ground of Love,

To feel a leaf unfold a tender shoot,

As tendrils curled unfurl, as branches give

A little to the swelling of the grape,

In gradual perfection, round and full,

To bear within oneself the joy and hope

Of God’s good vintage, till it’s ripe and whole.

What might it mean to bide and to abide

In such rich love as makes the poor heart glad?

____

Buen Camino!

Pastors Brett & Karen Cornwell Fortlander.

Newsletter, Community of Pilgrims, April 18, 2021

THIS SUNDAY: The Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, April 18, 2021, Third Sunday of Easter, Gather and Devotion on Zoom. If you have any questions, or are interested in a conversation, contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com and visit www.communityofpilgrims.com. 

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Dear Easter Pilgrims,

It has been fun connecting with the members of The Community of Pilgrims in NY, VA, CA, and NM lately, before and after Easter Sunday. It is a lovely reminder of how our ties with one another go beyond physical space to cyber space via Zoom. To share the stories of our lives with one another is a priceless treasure! Thank you!

This Sunday’s Gospel reading is from Luke, and focuses a little bit on what happened around the story of the disciples we know as Thomas. This Sunday, Jesus continues to show us who he still is—Jesus of Nazarth, of course—and Jesus, the risen one the prophets told of, lo, these many centuries. To begin, to reinforce the idea that he is, indeed, Jesus, he asks them, “Have you anything to eat?” So, they gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence (Luke 24:41-43). This story comes right after Jesus had walked with two disciples who were on their way to Emmaus, and the “stranger” (Jesus), walks with them and reveals who he is when they sat down and broke bread together. But Jesus doesn’t stop there: he reminds them that he is also the Messiah: “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses (Torah), the prophets, and the psalms (most of Hebrew Scripture) must be fulfilled” (v. 44). But it doesn’t stop there: “Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures” (v. 45). This is key! Reading Scripture as literature is one thing. It is an artful and literary pursuit. But to read the Scriptures with the searching questioning mind, heart of faith, and a body that yearns for community with the Holy One… that is a wholly, and holy, different experience. Join us this Sunday as we discuss this story among a Christian community with hearts of faith. 

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Events!

April 18, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

April 25, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

May 1, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

May 8, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

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Prayers of Celebration and Concern

· Thanks and gratitude for vaccines as well as concerns about those doubting the efficacy of the vaccines.

· Other parts of the world including South Africa and Italy where the roll out of the vaccine has not been easy.

· People to keep on or get back on track to control the spread of the virus.

· People suffering from mental illness especially young people among whom suicide is up.

· Mental health workers, lawyers, and all professions working in these stressful times, that they get through it all.

· Celebrations for birthdays for little boys like Obie and Sayer.

· Olivia and all those involved in her application to go to a Christian boarding school in Colorado, and for the right outcome.

· This country and for the immigrants and refugees at our southern border.

· Daylin, an adolescent Mexican undocumented immigrant who is being bullied at school.

· For justice in the trial of Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd.

· Parts of the world such as Syria and Yemen which have no infrastructure to fight COVID and are caught in civil strife.

· Myanmar where civil strife escalates following the military takeover.

· The Buddhist temple and monastery in West Linn hosting a festival next week, may it be peaceful with the help of volunteers to welcome people and avoid hate crimes.

· Those in the transgender community targeted by state legislatures, latest being North Carolina. Leaders of the main line denominations have not spoken against attacks on transgender people.

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Poem

Which Comes First, the Fish or the River? By Malcolm Guite

Since every gift comes down from the All-Giver,
How can I choose between the Giver’s gifts
Or say which should come first, the fish or river?

He scatters first, and then calls us to gather,
To lavish on his work our smaller crafts
And sail our praise upstream, back to the Giver.

He gives His gifts when we are met together,
Not in our splits, our schisms, and our rifts:
We cannot prize the Fish and not the River,

Divide the two and say ‘which would you rather?’
We float through time on fragile little rafts,
But time and life alike flow from the Giver.

Away upstream, it all flows from the Father:
The stream is His own Spirit, giving gifts;
His Son, our brother, joins us in the River.

He is our ‘both-and’ God, not ‘or’, or ‘either’;
He gives full measure: steady, heady draughts!
The Giver must come first, always the Giver,
We prize alike His gifts: both Fish and River.

____

Buen Camino!

Pastors Brett & Karen Cornwell Fortlander.

Newsletter, CoP, April 4, 2021

THIS SUNDAY: The Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, April 4, 2021, Easter Sunday, Gather and Devotion on Zoom. If you have any questions, or are interested in a conversation, contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com and visit www.communityofpilgrims.com. 

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Dear People of the Way,

In Acts 9:2, Saul was asked about people “who belonged to the Way, men or women.” Saul was not a friend to the people who belonged to the Way at that point. Instead, he was one who persecuted people of the Way. And then Saul met the risen Christ and, as they say, the rest is history.

What is the Way? In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Via, veritas, vita. 

The earliest Christians were called people of the Way. Jesus is the living, breathing, Way. And throughout the four Gospels, Jesus is showing, telling, demonstrating, living out, telling parables about, laughing, weeping, healing, praying, sleeping, calming the waters, pointing to the Way to God. Jesus is the living sign post of the way to God. 

Part of that way is also being lived out this week by Jesus. This is probably the hardest, holiest, self-sacrificing “way” of life, shown to us by Jesus of Nazareth. There is nothing easy about this week, emotionally, relationally, psychologically, sociologically, or intellectually, let alone physically. 

But year after year, we honor and remember this week. We bring up bits and pieces of it throughout the year. Especially around someone who is dying, we bring Easter's message of life after death, of resurrection hope, as we sit by the side of one whose earthly pilgrimage is drawing to an end, with the promise of a new pilgrimage with the risen Christ.

After beginning this week with Palm Sunday, tonight we remember Jesus’ last supper with his disciples and friends. Pilgrimages always include a night of good cheer and friendship. The people of the Way had their feet washed, broke bread together, followed by all sharing a cup of wine. 

By the end of the evening, Jesus would be betrayed by one of his own, one of his disciples. Judas, who just broke bread and drank with Jesus a few hours earlier, betrayed his friend.

Tomorrow is Good Friday. That was the pilgrimage path that Jesus had to follow. That was the Way, as well. No one will ever be able to forget the cross.

Holy Saturday is a day in which many of the Christian faith believe that Jesus descended into hell.

And Sunday, a promise kept. Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. “Christ our Lord is risen today” will be upon our lips, and our hearts, minds, and bodies will be full of love. The Way continues, and grows. 

And on that day, we, the people of the Way will shout: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.

** Remember: our Lenten service project is providing parts of a breakfast program for Human Solution’s Gresham Emergency Women’s Shelter. Items are to be dropped off at Kathy’s house on April 3, and she will deliver the items on April 4.

· Cold cereals & granola

· Instant oatmeal

· Jams and peanut butter

· Granola bars

· Dried fruits and nuts

· Ground coffee & creamer

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Events!

April 1, Maundy Thursday, 7 pm on Zoom. Bring a cup of juice or wine, and bread.

April 2, Good Friday.

April 4, EASTER! 8:30 am! Gather and Devotion on Zoom. Bring a flower to our gathering on Zoom.

April 11, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

April 18, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

April 25, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

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Prayers of Celebration and Concern

· The border crisis.

· The refugee crisis.

· Gun control and an end to the on-going tragedies.

· Our democracy which is under attack by Georgia's new voting restrictions.

· The COVID crisis, especially devastating in Brazil, and prayers for empathy and international cooperation.

· Abortion rights.

· Thanksgiving that Virginia has banned the death penalty.

· Winston's two pastors--Ken Henry who is donating his bone marrow to his brother; and the Associate Pastor in his church as her family lost a home and others struggle with COVID.

· Those who provide a safety net including mental health workers and pastors.

· Alabama and other parts of the South being hit by deadly tornadoes. 

· Winston's cousin Michael and his two congregations in California which are experiencing an unusual amount of death.

· The Church as we go through Easter week.

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Poem

A Prayer for Maundy Thursday, from the Corrymeela Community

God who washes our feet

God who commands us to love:

Before the prayers in the garden,

And the stations of the cross;

Before the tomb and the spices

And the stone they put in place,

There was this moment

When you showed us what it meant

To be divine.

May we not forget that the power to defeat death

Was not what you wanted us to imitate.

It was to lay aside all other things 

And to love.

Amen.

____

Buen Camino!

Pastors Brett & Karen Cornwell Fortlander.

Newsletter, CoP, March 28, 2021

THIS SUNDAY: The Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, March 28, 2021, Palm Sunday, Gather and Devotion on Zoom. If you have any questions, or are interested in a conversation, contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com and visit www.communityofpilgrims.com. 

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Dear Palm Sunday Pilgrims,

Welcome, O season of spring!

As we welcome spring, we also welcome our Holy Week in the coming week. They always come together as a pair: spring and Holy Week. While we aren’t necessarily sure if Jesus was born in winter or spring (spring), we do have a kind of ready guide for knowing it was sometime, during Passover, which is celebrated and honored in the spring, when Jesus went to his death. Thankfully, spring is also a celebratory time of new life. And we celebrate the gift of grace that saves us, and the new life that embraces all of us in the body of Christ. And that new life in Christ sweeps us off our feet, and carries with us into a love affair that knows no boundaries or limits or ends. 

But that is to get ahead of myself. I just needed to reminds us of this new life and love because of the atrocities that we witness daily: the rise of mass killings by people with too easy access to guns; voting laws in Georgia that are blatantly racist; the increasing surge of COVID infections in Europe and soon, here; and the ongoing civil wars in Asia, the African continent, and the Middle East that knows no end. Perspective matters. Context matters.

Love wins.

Holy Week begins with a lot of noise and new sights, because it begins with a celebratory parade. As a child, Palm Sunday was a great Sunday because we children were given palm fronds that we then turned into swords, playfully swatting after each other, hitting one another on the shoulder or on the head. And of course, as a young chorister in the children’s choir, there was the joy of parading down the center aisle of Morrow Memorial Methodist Church where I was raised as a child in Maplewood, NJ. In encyclopedia.com, the definition or description of a parade is as follows: “Since antiquity, processions, pageants, and parades have been one important way of making communal bonds visible, and children have always played a significant though changing role in these celebrations, in which communities say who they are and where they are going.” This is a very apt description of the parade for Palm Sunday. During Palm Sunday, the day in which we recognize that Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey, we, as a Church (universal) act as a community, showing off our communal bonds, with children having great fun in celebrating this storied-heir of King David. Both in the first community to celebrate Jesus as he rode into town, as well as the Church today, we are telling the world around us who we are, and where we are going. And where is it we are going? At first blush, we are going to celebrate this Messiah-like figure. And yet, the reality is (knowing how quick crowds can turn and love stories go awry), we are going to Golgotha. Palm Sunday is part of our holy pilgrimage, the way of the cross. Join us this week as we share stories of our life in parades! Bring a branch of some kind to our Zoom gathering on Sunday. And let us welcome Holy Week with a shout of "Hosanna!"

** Remember: our Lenten service project is providing parts of a breakfast program for Human Solution’s Gresham Emergency Women’s Shelter. Items are to be dropped off at Kathy’s house on April 3, and she will deliver the items on April 4.

· Cold cereals & granola

· Instant oatmeal

· Jams and peanut butter

· Granola bars

· Dried fruits and nuts

· Ground coffee & creamer

_____

Events!

March 28, 4 pm. Palm Sunday, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

April 1, Maundy Thursday, 7 pm. Bring a cup of juice or wine, and bread.

April 4, EASTER! 8:30 am! Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

April 11, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

April 18, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

April 25, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

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Prayers of Celebration and Concern

· Thanksgiving that our prayers are helping Brett's friend, Tom Donegan, who has esophageal cancer.

· Thanksgiving that our prayers are helping Richard Rodriguez.

· The COVID vaccine to be available to all parts of the world.

· The family of Jim Ruggles who died last Monday.

· Larry Kelly's daughter-in-law Maria who has a recurrence of thyroid cancer

· The family of Ethan, a 12 year old who committed suicide this past week.

· The family of Matthew, a 16 year old who suffers from chronic heart issues.

· People of Asian descent who are victims of hate crimes that are more real than we want them to be. 

· Craig Stein who lost his job at Eagle Creek Presbyterian Church. 

· This country to become the paradigm for decency that we seek.

· People in Yemen caught in a civil war for the past six years and with COVID-19 spreading, the humanitarian crisis worsens. 

· Thanksgiving that Adrianne, Scott, and Edie have settled in their new home in North Carolina.

· Thanksgiving for all the help Brett is getting in his job search.

· Celebrations for hand-written notes that can make a huge difference in a person's life.

· Happy Spring!

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Poem

Palm Sunday, by Malcolm Guite

Now to the gate of my Jerusalem,

The seething holy city of my heart,

The savior comes. But will I welcome him?

Oh crowds of easy feelings make a start;

They raise their hands, get caught up in the singing,

And think the battle won. Too soon they’ll find

The challenge, the reversal he is bringing

Changes their tune. I know what lies behind

The surface flourish that so quickly fades;

Self-interest, and fearful guardedness,

The hardness of the heart, its barricades,

And at the core, the dreadful emptiness

Of a perverted temple. Jesus come

Break my resistance and make me your home.

____

Buen Camino!

Pastors Brett & Karen Cornwell Fortlander.