Newsletter, CoP, April 10, 2022

THIS SUNDAY: The Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, Sunday, April 10,  2022, Palm Sunday. Zoom! If you want the link, let me know. 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. 

_____

Greetings, Community of Pilgrims!

This Sunday is Palm Sunday! It is the beginning of Holy Week, or Passion Week, as some denominations call it. There are a host of readings that are listed in the Revised Common Lectionary, with a choice between the Liturgy of the Palms, or the Liturgy of the Passion. I always choose the Liturgy of the Palms on Palm Sunday, because I enjoy a parade. And Palm Sunday was always a parade of sorts when I was growing up as a child.

There are really only two kinds of parades or large, happy throngs of people showing up en masse, in the Bible. One is with King David, 2 Sam. 6:14-22: “And David danced before the Lord with all his might, wearing a priestly garment. So David and all the people of Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouts of joy and the blowing of rams’ horns.” The second example of a kind of parade is this passage from Luke 19:28-40: As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!” Bring on the parade! What is interesting about a parade is that they are usually communal events, in which the whole community shows up and celebrates, whether one is marching or on the side-lines. They are a uniquely human invention, meant to celebrate, or show strength, or to provide people a display of musical talent or creative artistic skill in a float design or large balloons floating over our heads. And yet what always amazes me about this story on Palm Sunday, in which the people “turned out” to celebrate Jesus, is how the crowd turned on Jesus later in the week. Join us this Sunday as we celebrate Palm Sunday, and begin our Holy Week together.

_____

Service Project

Our Lenten/Easter Service Project.  From Kathy Fukuyama:

For the past several years, the Community of Pilgrims has donated to Human Solutions and SnowCap in East Multnomah County.  We will continue to support these organizations and also support HomePlate Youth Services for this year's Lenten/Easter Donation.  Please check out their website https://www.homeplateyouth.org.  They operate two centers, one in Beaverton and one in Hillsboro, and they are Washington County's only non-profit provider of drop-in centers and street outreach for young people experiencing homelessness.  Their immediate needs include:

· Athletic shoes, boots, and long-sleeve t shirts - new or gently-used 

· Men's boxer shorts - new

· 2-person tents and tarps - new or gently-used

· High-protein snacks, individually wrapped

· Applesauce and fruit snacks, individually wrapped

We ask everyone to collect items from this list starting Ash Wednesday March 2nd and to drop them off at Kathy Fukuyama's house before Thursday April 14th.  We hope to deliver everything to the Beaverton drop-in center on Good Friday, April 15th or the following week. Please contact Kathy if you have any questions and thank you for your support.

_____

Events!

April 10, Palm Sunday, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

April 14, Maundy Thursday. 

April 15, Good Friday.

April 17, Easter Sunday, 10 am, Portsmouth Trinity Lutheran Church!

April 24, 2 pm, Bobby Jo Valentine, Portsmouth Trinity Lutheran Church!

May 1, Second Sunday in Easter, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

____

Prayers of Celebration and Concern

We pray to the Creator of all creation:

Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Ethiopia, and all countries in civil strife.

Mass shooting in Sacramento. 

Laws restricting voter suppression in the US.

Approval of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as a US Supreme Court Assoc. Justice.

Get booster shots for COVID 19, and COVID 19 in other parts of the world

Yarrow Halstead and her pain in experiencing cancer. 

Christian’s brother in law, Jules, for prostate surgery.

Thankful for Spring. 

Ukraine, in light of horrific impact, especially in light of the mass killings in towns like Bucha.

Climate change, drought especially in the SW US.

Gun safety.

Violence in the streets of Portland.

For family healing.

Roberta: “Britany had COVID vaccine reaction, was unable to walk, in pain.  Slowly back able to walk and mostly pain free.

God in your love, attend our prayers. Amen.

___

Poem

Palm Sunday, by Malcolm Guite

Now to the gate of my Jerusalem,

The seething holy city of my heart,

The saviour 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.

Newsletter, CoP, April 3, 2022

THIS SUNDAY: The Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, Sunday, April 3,  2022, Fifth Sunday of Lent. On Zoom! Contact Pastor Brett if you want the link. 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. 

_____

Greetings, Community of Pilgrims!

How quickly this pilgrimage of Lent is drawing to an end. We began five weeks ago, with a cool and wet March day in Portland, though it was snowy for others of you in the Community, and sunny still for others. Each week we have followed Jesus’ pilgrimage to Jerusalem from Luke’s Gospel, or “good news” story, of Jesus. We have found ourselves passing through Daylight Saving Time, as well as welcoming Spring. In the coming weeks, we will pass through Holy Week, to our wonderful celebration of Easter. It is the hope of resurrection that keeps us hopeful in a day and age that knows war and civil strife around the globe, along with anxieties about global climate change, the never-ending and increasing refugee crisis, and a pandemic that still haunts this world. Yet God is here, in the midst of it all, encouraging us, through the Holy Spirit, to be ambassadors of Christly love. 

One of the passages from the previous week that speaks eloquently about this role and service of “ambassadorship” that we are part of is from 2 Cor. 5:20. After being told previously that we are part of God’s new creation, reconciled with God through Christ, Paul writes this affirmation: “So we are ambassadors from Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” What does it mean to be an ambassador? It means to be an “accredited diplomat sent by a country as its official representative to a foreign country, promoting a specified activity” (dictionary.com). In other words, we, as followers of Jesus, the Pilgrim God, are sent out by God, as an “official representative” to a “foreign country,” which means the world in which we live, “promoting a specified activity.” And what is that activity? “To do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God” (Micah 6:8). And we don’t do the work as ambassadors as a solo activity, but as part of the mysterious yet real one body of Christ. I look forward to being with all of you “ambassadors” this coming Sunday. 

**

Community of Pilgrims! We got a “mention” in Brian Heron’s blogpost this week. Brian is the Presbyter for Vision and Mission of the Presbytery of the Cascades. Here’s the link to his blogpost: www.holybreadcrumbs.org/2022/03/30/church-camp-2-0/

_____

Service Project

Our Lenten/Easter Service Project.  From Kathy Fukuyama:

For the past several years, the Community of Pilgrims has donated to Human Solutions and SnowCap in East Multnomah County.  We will continue to support these organizations and also support HomePlate Youth Services for this year's Lenten/Easter Donation.  Please check out their website https://www.homeplateyouth.org.  They operate two centers, one in Beaverton and one in Hillsboro, and they are Washington County's only non-profit provider of drop-in centers and street outreach for young people experiencing homelessness.  Their immediate needs include:

· Athletic shoes, boots, and long-sleeve t shirts - new or gently-used 

· Men's boxer shorts - new

· 2-person tents and tarps - new or gently-used

· High-protein snacks, individually wrapped

· Applesauce and fruit snacks, individually wrapped

We ask everyone to collect items from this list starting Ash Wednesday March 2nd and to drop them off at Kathy Fukuyama's house before Thursday April 14th.  We hope to deliver everything to the Beaverton drop-in center on Good Friday, April 15th or the following week. Please contact Kathy if you have any questions and thank you for your support.

_____

Events!

April 3, Fifth Sunday of Lent, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

April 10, Palm Sunday, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

April 14, Maundy Thursday. 

April 15, Good Friday.

April 17, Easter Sunday, 10 am, Portsmouth Trinity Lutheran Church!

April 24, 2 pm, Bobby Jo Valentine, Portsmouth Trinity Lutheran Church!

____

Prayers of Celebration and Concern

We pray to the Creator of all creation:

· Continued prayers for Linda to heal.

· Yarrow, Christian's sister, whose cancer is progressing.

· Jules, Christian’s brother-in-law, who had prostate surgery.

· Friend Guy who will have surgery for melanoma cancer on his back.

· People in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, Myanmar, and other countries where conflict is shattering lives.

· People in the developing world, who are experiencing shortages and inflation.

· Smooth sailing as the confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court start next week.

· The US Congress to pass voting rights legislation.

· An end to anti-LGBTQIA2S+ legislation being adopted by states across the country including anti-trans bills, youth healthcare bans, youth sports bans, and other legislation. 

· An end to legislation restricting abortion as passed in Texas and recently passed in Idaho.

· Peace in our world.

· Adopting actions to slow global climate change.

· Women’s reproductive rights, and birth control, which are being attacked in this country.

___

Poem

Christos, by Ahmad Almallah

 

Jesus: a prophet or a god

Because in the shop, he

Made, as every carpenter

Of the time:

            Tables and chairs—

Out of wood came the

                                Word,

As the original impulse

            Was to hide

Behind an act. One can’t

Be a prophet or a god with-

Out a cover. Something to

Do

            Till the word

            Gets around—

So to speak—and as metal

Was not a thing for laymen

To play around with, it had

To be wood,

   The only dry thing

That could catch

Fire, and lead—like the

Word—peoples, animals

And angels—off course,

            Toward the light.

___

Buen Camino! Pastors Brett & Karen Cornwell Fortlander.

Newsletter, CoP, March 27, 2022

THIS SUNDAY: The Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, Sunday, March 27, 2022, No Meeting! Holy Holiday! Fourth Sunday of Lent. 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. 

_____

Greetings, Community of Pilgrims!

I am writing this newsletter note in Palm Springs, California, on a beautiful, open, airy porch, surrounded with the sounds of birds, gorgeous flowering plants, trees, and bushes, a large ceiling fan moving around the desert heat, sitting on a comfy chair, having taken not one but two naps outside on the patio couch, sipping iced water. Tomorrow I leave for three days in Tempe, Arizona for a dragon boat festival, and then back here to continue the “down time.” Thank you, all, for giving me the space to vacate a little bit. Trust me. This is all restorative.

The Scriptural focus this fourth Sunday of Lent is the story or parable of the Prodigal Son, Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32. We know this parable like the back of our hand. As I get older what I like most about this story is the term, “prodigal,” which means “Spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant” (dictionary.com). Herein lies the fun and thought-provoking part of this story. At first glance (when I was younger), I was sure that the Prodigal Son was, well, the younger son who had gone out and spent all he had on the “fun” parts of life, making merry with whatever, and with whomever, he could find for a day or night. But as I grow older, the title “prodigal” can be passed around to all the members of the family. The dad could be the “prodigal,” and was in the eyes of the older son, who thought his dad was recklessly spending his money on the errant younger brother. But the older brother was also “prodigal,” recklessly spending his hate and distrust of his younger brother, letting these feelings pile “higher and deeper” on and in him, with no desire to let them go and seek repair of relationships. He savored and fed the hurt and hate he felt deep in his bones towards his family and himself. If I were a commentary writer, I would call this story, “The Prodigal Family.” And here’s the question for us in our families and friendships: in what ways are you and I “prodigals” in our daily lives? Who knows? And how do we practice the art of forgiveness and understanding? I just may have to preach a sermon on this text next week. 

_____

Service Project

Our Lenten/Easter Service Project.  From Kathy Fukuyama:

For the past several years, the Community of Pilgrims has donated to Human Solutions and SnowCap in East Multnomah County.  We will continue to support these organizations and also support HomePlate Youth Services for this year's Lenten/Easter Donation.  Please check out their website https://www.homeplateyouth.org.  They operate two centers, one in Beaverton and one in Hillsboro, and they are Washington County's only non-profit provider of drop-in centers and street outreach for young people experiencing homelessness.  Their immediate needs include:

· Athletic shoes, boots, and long-sleeve t shirts - new or gently-used 

· Men's boxer shorts - new

· 2-person tents and tarps - new or gently-used

· High-protein snacks, individually wrapped

· Applesauce and fruit snacks, individually wrapped

We ask everyone to collect items from this list starting Ash Wednesday March 2nd and to drop them off at Kathy Fukuyama's house before Thursday April 14th.  We hope to deliver everything to the Beaverton drop-in center on Good Friday, April 15th or the following week. Please contact Kathy if you have any questions and thank you for your support.

_____

Events!

March 27, No Meeting! Holy Holiday! Fourth Sunday of Lent.

April 3, Fifth Sunday of Lent, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

April 10, Palm Sunday, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

April 17, Easter Sunday, 10 am, Portsmouth Trinity Lutheran Church!

April 24, 2 pm, Bobby Jo Valentine, Portsmouth Trinity Lutheran Church!

____

Prayers of Celebration and Concern

We pray to the Creator of all creation:

· Thanksgiving that Linda is healing and for modern medicine after her trip to the emergency room.

· Karen to feel better.

· Celebrations that Lorinda and Ray are enjoying time at the coast with family.

· Yarrow, Christian's sister, whose cancer is progressing.

· Friend Gary who will have surgery for melanoma cancer on his back.

· Bruce and Steve's friend Sally who had breast cancer in the past but a recent scan found new cancer.

· Galena's family hiding in a basement in northeastern Ukraine.

· People in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, Myanmar, and other countries where conflict is shattering lives.

· People in Cuba where inflation has driven up prices.

· Smooth sailing as the confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court start next week.

· The US Congress to pass voting rights legislation.

· An end to anti-LGBTQIA2S+ legislation being adopted by states across the country including anti-trans bills, youth healthcare bans, youth sports bans, and other legislation. 

· An end to legislation restricting abortion as passed in Texas and recently passed in Idaho.

· Former classmate Pam's in-laws who are caught in Ukraine.

· Peace in our world.

· Hebron Presbyterian Church near Chris which is going through difficult transition

God in your love, attend our prayers. Amen.

___

Poem

Blessing that Waits to Come to Your Aid (Based on Luke 15: 1-3, 11-32), 

Jan Richardson

When I have become

so reliant on myself

that I cannot see

the need that gnaws

so deep

in my soul,

open my eyes,

open my heart,

open my mouth

to cry out

for the help

that you do not ration,

the deliverance

that you delight to offer

in glad and

generous measure.

___

Buen Camino! Pastors Brett & Karen Cornwell Fortlander.

Newsletter, CoP, March 20, 2022

THIS SUNDAY: The Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, Sunday, March 20, 2022, 4 pm, Third Sunday of Lent. 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. 

_____

Greetings, Community of Pilgrims!

Happy Purim! And Happy St. Patrick’s Day! What is Purim? It is the celebration of the people of Israel who, in the 5th century (BCE), were marked for death by their Persian rulers, in which they were saved by Queen Esther, as related to the biblical Book of Esther. As for St. Patrick’s Day, this is the feast day of St. Patrick of Ireland in the Roman Catholic Church. It commemorates St. Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, and in the US celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general in grand parades and all kinds of shenanigans, like what color to wear on this day, food and drink choices, and music choices.

This week’s Scripture focus is on Luke 13:1-9. The specific focus for us this Sunday is going to be on a lonely fig tree that has not produced in three full years. Luke’s Jesus talks about fruit in Luke 3:7-14 with interpersonal dealings as the “fruit of repentance.” In the Beatitudes, Jesus states that a good tree produces good fruit, like a good person produces goodness in their heart (Luke 6:43-45). And in Luke 8:4-15, Jesus explains that those with good hearts hear the word of God, hold fast to it, and patiently produce fruit. Clearly, the fig tree represents the human heart. In this passage, the owner of the fig tree wants to cut it down, but the gardener wants to give it another year, tending to it carefully. The owner gives the tree one more year to bear fruit. Jesus’ message is clear. Do not be like the fruitless tree. Rather than focus on the gravity of others’ transgressions, make sure you are producing good. Instead of assigning causality to others misfortune, ensure that you are not ignoring your own missing fruit. Jesus’ words suggest that tending to one’s own life and positively changing one’s mind is often the best strategy to prevent or even persevere through unexpected misfortune. If one refuses to do that kind of work, they are slated to have a hard time in life. Join us this Sunday for fruits on trees and hearts of love.

_____

Service Project

Our Lenten/Easter Service Project.  From Kathy Fukuyama:

For the past several years, the Community of Pilgrims has donated to Human Solutions and SnowCap in East Multnomah County.  We will continue to support these organizations and also support HomePlate Youth Services for this year's Lenten/Easter Donation.  Please check out their website https://www.homeplateyouth.org.  They operate two centers, one in Beaverton and one in Hillsboro, and they are Washington County's only non-profit provider of drop-in centers and street outreach for young people experiencing homelessness.  Their immediate needs include:

· Athletic shoes, boots, and long-sleeve t shirts - new or gently-used 

· Men's boxer shorts - new

· 2-person tents and tarps - new or gently-used

· High-protein snacks, individually wrapped

· Applesauce and fruit snacks, individually wrapped

We ask everyone to collect items from this list starting Ash Wednesday March 2nd and to drop them off at Kathy Fukuyama's house before Thursday April 14th.  We hope to deliver everything to the Beaverton drop-in center on Good Friday, April 15th or the following week. Please contact Kathy if you have any questions and thank you for your support.

**

We will have a “Holy Holiday” on Sunday, March 27!

_____

Events!

March 20, Third Sunday of Lent, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

March 27, Holy Holiday! Fourth Sunday of Lent.

April 3, Fifth Sunday of Lent, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

April 10, Palm Sunday, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

April 17, Easter Sunday, 10 am, Portsmouth Trinity Lutheran Church!

April 24, 2 pm, Bobby Jo Valentine, Portsmouth Trinity Lutheran Church!

____

Prayers of Celebration and Concern

We pray to the Creator of all creation:

Thanks, that Covid-19 infection rate has declined in this nation and other parts of this world, yet prayers for places where a new variant of Omicron and Deltar variants are surging but does not seem to mean hospitalization for those vaccinated and boosted.

Roberta:  Kay Hope Gold, long time member of Valley, whose husband died of cancer recently.

Ukraine

Roxanne’s daughter graduates with a masters' degree this year!

Christian had a good trip to the Netherlands.

For Christian’s sister Yarrow who is fighting cancer.

Karen: For college students in spring break, and in upcoming college exams.

Linda:  Safety for college students and others in time when mask requirement discontinues.

Churches: for providing care in their respective communities.

City of Portland, and the increase violence in city streets.

Grateful for all who are healthy.

Thankful CoP members have not gotten Covid-19. But members’ family members have gotten Covid-19.  Prayers for those with illness.

Prayers for “brooding hens” who protect others.

Deborah: For a friend who has had a rough time after heart ablation.

Deborah: For a friend who identifies as transgender, after gender-affirming surgery. 

For LGBTQIA2S+ people in states discriminating against them/us, especially in ID, FL, TX.

Protection against voter suppression laws.  

Protection against abortion suppression laws.

Prayers for the first black woman as an Associate Justice on the US Supreme Court.

Roberta: For friend Barbara living in Hamburg Germany, daughters in Kenya and Australia, concern about proximity to Ukraine conflict.

God in your love, attend our prayers. Amen.

___

Poem

Welcoming Blessing, by Jan Richardson

When you are lost 

In your own life.

When the landscape

You have known

Falls away.

When your familiar path

Becomes foreign

And you find yourself

A stranger

In the story you had held

Most dear.

Then let yourself

Be lost.

Let yourself leave

For a place

Whose contours

You do not already know

Whose cadences

You have not learned

By heart.

Let yourself land

On a threshold

That mirrors the mystery

Of your own bewildered soul.

It will come

As a surprise,

What arrives

To welcome you 

Through the door,

Making a place for you

At the table

And calling you 

By your name.

Let what comes,

Come.

Let the glass be filled.

Let the light be tended.

Let the hands 

Lay before you

What will meet you

In your hunger.

Let the laughter.

Let the sweetness

That enters

The sorrows.

Let the solace

That comes as sustenance

And sudden, unbidden,

grace.

For what comes,

Offer gladness.

For what greets you

With kindly welcome,

Offer thanks.

Offer blessing

For those

Who gathered you in

And will not 

Be forgotten—

Those who,

Where you were

A stranger,

Made a place for you

At the table

And called you 

By your name.

___

Buen Camino! Pastors Brett & Karen Cornwell Fortlander.

Newsletter, CoP, March 13, 2022

THIS SUNDAY: The Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, Sunday, March 13, 2022, 4 pm, Second Sunday of Lent. 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. 

_____

Greetings, Community of Pilgrims!

First things first. Don’t forget to set your clocks ahead one hour on March 13. Daylight Savings Time it is! And on Sunday, March 20th, Spring will be “officially” here, though the daffodils and budding trees have already given me indication that it is already here. Hope you are enjoying the day, all things considered.

The focus Scripture this week is Luke 13:31-35. Luke’s Jesus here uses a unique description for his care of the people of Jerusalem, which I kind of like: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings” (v. 34). And earlier in this passage, Jesus refers to Herod as “that fox” (v. 32). Lots of barnyard imagery here. Is this fox “wily and clever,” or is it untrustworthy and to be feared? And what of the mother hen, Jesus? Is mother hen here soft and gentle as she gathers her brood of chicks? Or will she be ready to fight to save her chicks? As many of you have told me before when we’ve come to this passage, mother hens can be ever so protective, and will fight for their chicks. After all, chicken’s biological lineage goes back to dinosaurs. And then there is Jerusalem’s role in this drama, a place and a people who have killed prophets and other religious leaders. All of this is to be read in the season, and reason, for Lent, namely Jesus’ pilgrimage to Jerusalem, to his own death and sacrifice for the greater good not only of humanity, but of creation itself. Join us this Sunday as we contemplate the metaphorical give and take of this passage in today’s current events in this world. 

_____

Service Project

Our Lenten/Easter Service Project.  From Kathy Fukuyama:

For the past several years, the Community of Pilgrims has donated to Human Solutions and SnowCap in East Multnomah County.  We will continue to support these organizations and also support HomePlate Youth Services for this year's Lenten/Easter Donation.  Please check out their website https://www.homeplateyouth.org.  They operate two centers, one in Beaverton and one in Hillsboro, and they are Washington County's only non-profit provider of drop-in centers and street outreach for young people experiencing homelessness.  Their immediate needs include:

· Athletic shoes, boots, and long-sleeve t shirts - new or gently-used 

· Men's boxer shorts - new

· 2-person tents and tarps - new or gently-used

· High-protein snacks, individually wrapped

· Applesauce and fruit snacks, individually wrapped

We ask everyone to collect items from this list starting Ash Wednesday March 2nd and to drop them off at Kathy Fukuyama's house before Thursday April 14th.  We hope to deliver everything to the Beaverton drop-in center on Good Friday, April 15th or the following week. Please contact Kathy if you have any questions and thank you for your support.

_____

Events!

March 13, Second Sunday of Lent, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

March 20, Third Sunday of Lent, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

March 27, Fourth Sunday of Lent, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

April 3, Fifth Sunday of Lent, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

April 10, Palm Sunday, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom.

April 17, Easter Sunday, 10 am, Portsmouth Trinity Lutheran Church!

April 24, 2 pm, Bobby Jo Valentine, Portsmouth Trinity Lutheran Church!

____

Prayers of Celebration and Concern

We pray to the Creator of all creation:

· Thanksgiving for abuse investigators like Karen who help families and individuals who may be unable to help themselves.

· Traveling mercies for Hunter coming to visit Chris.

· Traveling mercies for Christian returning from his business trip next week.

· Celebrations for Lorinda's Aunt who is dying and wants to throw a big party for all her family and friends.

· Rosanne's foster nephew Jason who has kidney stones but not cancer.

· Marleen and her husband Scott. Scott's health has improved.

· Cousin Debbie who is raising three young children.

· Thanksgiving that Brittany Patterson's husband Jessie is recuperating well following heart valve replacement surgery.

· Kay Hope Gold's husband Richard who died from cancer

· The Russian conscripts who are forced into killing Ukrainians.

· People of Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Yemen, Poland, Moldova, and other parts of the world caught in violent conflict. 

· Russians who are being led into this conflict against their will.

· Thanksgiving the COVID rate is declining. Thanksgiving that we can start meeting in-person effective March 12.

· That we do not get COVID.

· People in Oregon and other places who are suffering the effects of inflation and cannot afford basic necessities.

· Continued prayers for Linda's brother Gary.

· Christian's sister Yarrow who has asked for prayers as she fights cancer.

· The United Methodist Church, the Southern Baptist Church, Roman Catholic Church, and the Orthodox Churches, and other denominations which discriminate against LGBTQ people.

God in your love, attend our prayers. Amen.

___

Poem

I Cannot Dance, O Lord, by Mechthild of Magdeburg, trans, Jane Hirshfield

I cannot dance, O Lord,

Unless You lead me.

If You wish me to leap joyfully,

Let me see You dance and sing—

Then I will leap into Love—

And from Love into Knowledge,

And from Knowledge into the Harvest,

The sweetest Fruit beyond human sense.

There I will stay with You, whirling.

___

Buen Camino! Pastors Brett & Karen Cornwell Fortlander.

Newsletter, CoP, Feb. 27, 2022

THIS SUNDAY: The Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022, 4 pm, Transfiguration Sunday. 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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Greetings, Community of Pilgrims!

This Sunday is that “hinge” Sunday I wrote about last week, in which we are now leaving this season of Epiphany, of the increasing light upon the nature of who is Jesus, into our time of Lent and Easter, a pilgrimage of life, in which we take a closer, deeper look into the movement and stages of our life-long pilgrimage. Gone during the next few weeks of Lent will be the word “Alleluia!” uttered in worship as an expression of rejoicing. We will not sing that word until Easter Sunday morning as we reflect on our storied lives in the grander narrative of God’s realm of love.

The story of Transfiguration in Luke's Gospel has a word in it that I’ve always liked in my studying and writing of pilgrimage: exodus, which is truly a pilgrimage term. Jesus tells his disciples, and the world, that he has set his feet to the direction of Jerusalem, which is where he will die (depart) and rise again. In Luke 9:28-43, there is this one line: “They appeared in glory and were speaking of his (Jesus’) departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem” (v. 31). The word for “departure” is the same word for “exodus,” a leaving; a mass migration in some contexts. After all, Moses was a figure of exodus from slavery to freedom in the “Promised Land;” Elijah was a figure of exodus by ascension to God without dying. And Jesus is a figure of exodus, in his death and subsequent resurrection. With these words spoken on the top of Mt. Tabor, Jesus now points his life, and plants his feet, towards his pilgrimage headed to Jerusalem. He should get there around the time of Passover, which is a celebration and remembrance of the exodus of God’s people when they left Egypt. Join us this Sunday as we discuss Jesus’ pilgrimage, and our pilgrimage with Christ’s Spirit in the world today.

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Service Project

Our Lenten/Easter Service Project 2022.  From Kathy Fukuyama:

For the past several years, the Community of Pilgrims has donated to Human Solutions and SnowCap in East Multnomah County.  We will continue to support these organizations and also support HomePlate Youth Services for this year's Lenten/Easter Donation.  Please check out their website https://www.homeplateyouth.org.  They operate two centers, one in Beaverton and one in Hillsboro, and they are Washington County's only non-profit provider of drop-in centers and street outreach for young people experiencing homelessness.  Their immediate needs include:

· Athletic shoes, boots, and long-sleeve t shirts - new or gently-used 

· Men's boxer shorts - new

· 2-person tents and tarps - new or gently-used

· High-protein snacks, individually wrapped

· Applesauce and fruit snacks, individually wrapped

We ask everyone to collect items from this list starting Ash Wednesday March 2nd and to drop them off at Kathy Fukuyama's house before Thursday April 14th.  We hope to deliver everything to the Beaverton drop-in center on Good Friday, April 15th or the following week. Please contact Kathy if you have any questions and thank you for your support.

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Events!

Feb. 27, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom!

March 2, Ash Wednesday, 7:30-8:30 am, Ash and Dash at Portsmouth Trinity Lutheran Church.

March 6, First Sunday of Lent, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom!

March 13, Second Sunday of Lent, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom!

March 20, Third Sunday of Lent, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom!

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Prayers of Celebration and Concern

We pray to the Creator of all creation:

· The people of Ukraine and peace in Ukraine. God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

· People in Afghanistan, Syria, Myanmar, the Sudan, Yemen, and other hot spots and war-torn areas around the world.

· Covid-19 rates are going down and the second variant is not as severe in OR.

· Happy Birthday to Karen and Lorinda.

· Traveling mercies for Linda's Portland children.

· Churches in the typical brick and mortar tradition as they figure out how to move forward and to build bridges with people.

· Strength for Karen as she starts eight days of training to become a back-up social worker.

· Bill who reports for jury duty this week.

· Traveling mercies for Christian who departs March 4th on a business trip to Europe.

· Linda's brother Gary who has moved from independent to assisted living.

· Cessation of truck convoys, which will needlessly hurt the economy and people’s lives.

· Voting rights.

· Stop “Don’t Say Gay” bill in Florida.

· Stop harassment of transgender children in TX by the TX government.

· Build Back Better legislation passes.

God in your love, attend our prayers. Amen.

___

Poem

Transfiguration, by Malcolm Guite

For that one moment, ‘in and out of time’,
On that one mountain where all moments meet,
The daily veil that covers the sublime
In darkling glass fell dazzled at his feet.
There were no angels full of eyes and wings
Just living glory full of truth and grace.
The Love that dances at the heart of things
Shone out upon us from a human face
And to that light the light in us leaped up,
We felt it quicken somewhere deep within,
A sudden blaze of long-extinguished hope
Trembled and tingled through the tender skin.
Nor can this blackened sky, this darkened scar
Eclipse that glimpse of how things really are.

___

Buen Camino! Pastors Brett & Karen Cornwell Fortlander.

Newsletter, CoP, Feb. 20, 2022

THIS SUNDAY: The Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, Sunday, Feb. 20, 2022, 4 pm, Seventh Sunday after Epiphany. 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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Greetings, Community of Pilgrims!

How time flies when we are having fun! Our season of Epiphany will be drawing to a close soon. Next Sunday is Transfiguration Sunday, a “hinge” Sunday, in which we will close the door to Epiphany and open the door to Lent, and soon, Easter. And Spring! 

The focus Scripture this week is Luke 6:27-38. In this passage, Jesus gets downright practical in showing the ways we are to love one another, which, of course, includes our enemies. In the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, this section is marked/titled with “Love for Enemies.” It comes with the hard task: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also” (vv. 27-29). And the list goes on. Of course, there is a reason for all of this: there is a reward at the end of it all when we love our enemies, doing good and lending to them, expecting nothing in return: “Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for God is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your God is merciful” (vv.35-36). I’ll be the first to admit that this passage is hard. I, like others, have people who have been unkind towards me in the past. I would call them enemies. But this is clearly an example of grace, in which God’s grace is made possible, available, known, to those whom I love, to those we all love, as well as to those I have a hard time loving. I’m just thankful I’m not God. And I’m thankful for hands-on lessons for how we are to live as followers of Jesus, the Pilgrim God. Join us this week as we re-learn the lesson of walking the talk of love, and of our faith.  

**

Our Lenten/Easter service project focus will be collecting clothes for HomePlate, a place of refuge and sanctuary for houseless young people in Beaverton, OR that Roxanne Ushman works with as a volunteer. Go to www.homeplateyouth.org for more information. 

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Events!

Feb. 20, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom!

Feb. 27, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom!

March 2, Ash Wednesday, 7:30-8:30 am, Ash and Dash at Portsmouth Trinity Lutheran Church.

March 6, First Sunday of Lent, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom!

March 13, Second Sunday of Lent, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom!

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Prayers of Celebration and Concern

We pray to the Creator of all creation:

· Naomi, granddaughter of a good friend of Lorinda's.  She will have serious cancer surgery tomorrow.

· A new place for Community of Pilgrims to meet in SW Portland rather than driving over to SE Portland.

· Celebrations that the omicron variant has dropped significantly in our area.

· Ken and Ann Miller, following Ken's heart attack. Ken is in the hospital and he needs heart valve surgery but he is not fit for surgery. (From Roberta Schlechter to Everyone: Ken’s email: kdmiller44@comcast.net)

· Recovery for the East Woods Presbyterian Church congregation that has been slammed with omicron infections.

· People of Ukraine, Ethiopia, Sudan, Afghanistan, and Myanmar.

· Recovery from the drought conditions currently in Oregon.

· Moderation and wisdom in approaches to the tension in this country and in Canada as evidenced by the unrest in Ottawa.

· Smooth recovery for Mariko, Kathy's daughter, following gallbladder surgery tomorrow.

· Belated birthday wishes to Karen.

· The Afghan family hosted by Valley Community Church. 

· A relationship with the Sa family.

· All refugee families.

· Cessation of truck blockades. 

God in your love, attend our prayers. Amen.

___

Poem

Blessing for the Brokenhearted by Jan Richardson

Let us agree

For now

That we will not say

The breaking

Makes us stronger

Or that it is better

To have this pain

 Than to have done

Without this love.

Let us promise

We will not

Tell ourselves

Time will heal

The wound,

When every day

Our waking

Opens it anew.

perhaps for now

it can be enough

to simply marvel

at the mystery 

of how a heart

so broken

can go on beating,

as if it were made

for precisely this—

as if it knows

the only cure for love

is more of it,

as if it sees

the heart’s sole remedy

for breaking

is to love still,

as if it trusts 

that its own

persistent pulse

is the rhythm

of a blessing

we cannot 

begin to fathom

but will save us

nonetheless.

___

Buen Camino! Pastors Brett & Karen Cornwell Fortlander.

Newsletter CoP, Feb. 13, 2022

THIS SUNDAY: The Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022, 4 pm, Sixth Sunday after Epiphany. 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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Greetings, Community of Pilgrims!

Prayers and blessings, that your pilgrimage so far, this week, has gone well, and that you are well. Each week I end our time together on Sunday with this line, “Our worship has ended, our pilgrimage continues.” I look forward to being together with everyone on Sunday to hear how the pilgrimage is going on your path.

This Sunday’s focus Scripture is Luke 6:17-26. Luke’s Jesus takes on the Beatitudes is a little bit different than that of Matthew’s Jesus. There is a kind of urgency, or sense of grabbing the moment, and living in the present, with Luke’s version of the Beatitudes. The Blessings. It reminded me of Mary Oliver’s poem (at the end of this newsletter), “Don’t Hesitate,” which opens with this line: “If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it.” For an example of living the Beatitudes without hesitancy, consider Luke 6:21: “Blessed are you who are hungry now (my emphasis), for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now (my emphasis), for you will laugh.” Or consider the “woe” section of this passage: “Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep” (v. 25). What a change in this reading with this word “now.” If you put the word, “now,” throughout Luke’ story of the Beatitudes, there is a new, exciting, daring, kind of fierce urgency that is littered throughout this passage, making the Beatitudes not a thing of the future tense, but of the present. Of the possible. Of today. Now. Join us this Sunday as we read and discuss the Beatitudes of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke, and be grabbed by the fierce urgency of living out the Gospel story now!

**

There are two opportunities that have made themselves available for the Community of Pilgrims! Here’s the first invitation: On Sat., Feb. 12th, from 1-3 pm, we have been invited by Moreland Presbyterian Church to prepare a home for a family from Afghanistan. The address is 7016 SE 19th, Portland, OR. We would work in the kitchen, cleaning cabinets and cabinet hardware (Moreland will provide cleaning supplies and step stools). More information will come!

The second opportunity could be our Lenten/Easter service project focus, and that would be collecting clothes for HomePlate, a place of refuge and sanctuary for houseless young people in Beaverton, OR that Roxanne Ushman works with as a volunteer. Go to www.homeplateyouth.org for more information. 

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Events!

Feb. 12, 1-3 pm, House Project, Moreland Presbyterian Church area.

Feb. 13, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom!

Feb. 20, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom!

Feb. 27, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom!

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Prayers of Celebration and Concern

We pray to the Creator of all creation:

·      Brett's friend Philip who died yesterday and thanksgiving for his full life.

·      Roberta's friend Zeta who has recovered from her accident and is able to return to work.

·      Linda's brother Gary who is still not able to have any visitors to his home.

·      Thanksgiving the omicron variant is decreasing in Portland.

·      Chris's close friend Randy Gracey who died on December 28.

·      Brittany Patterson's husband Jessie who needs a heart valve replacement and will have surgery in the next few weeks.

·      The family of the off-duty Vancouver police officer killed Saturday night.

·      Volunteer firefighters killed in the line of duty.

·      Traveling mercies for Karen and her family taking a winter break in Sun River.

·      Continued prayers for those with mental illness.

·      All people in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, and Ethiopia.

·      All of us to pay attention to the recent interest in banning and burning books.

·      Voting rights in this country.

·      Programs funded by the Build Back Better Act.

·      Portland Public Schools to do a better job educating students in math and reading.

·      People to be open to preventing deaths from Covid-19.

·      A decrease in Covid-19 variants.

·      The Rev. Karen Cornwell Fortlander’s birthday (today). 

God in your love, attend our prayers. Amen.

___

Poem

Don’t Hesitate, by Mary Oliver

If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy,

don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty

of lives and whole towns destroyed or about

to be. We are not wise, and not very often

kind. And much can never be redeemed.

Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this

is its way of fighting back, that sometimes

something happens better than all the riches

or power in the world. It could be anything,

but very likely you notice it in the instant

when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the

case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid

of its plenty. Joy is not made to be a crumb.

___

Buen Camino! Pastors Brett & Karen Cornwell Fortlander.

Newsletter, CoP, Feb. 6, 2022

THIS SUNDAY: The Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022, 4 pm on Zoom, Fifth Sunday after Epiphany. 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 Community of Pilgrims!

Welcome, February! After what seemed like a long January, in February we honor and recognize that this is Black History month, which is, of course, US history. In February, we celebrate Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14). Civil rights icon Rosa Parks is honored with Rosa Parks Day on February 4th(it’s her birthday). And on Feb. 14th we recognize the anniversary of statehood of Oregon (Feb.14,1859). February is also National Goat Yoga month and National Adopt a Rescued Rabbit month, but let’s not get carried away, or stepped on, or hopped all over.

The focus Scripture this Sunday is Luke 5:1-11. In this passage, Luke’s Jesus welcomes Simon Peter, along with James and John, the sons of Zebedee, as his disciples. Unlike Matthew and Mark’s Jesus, Luke’s Jesus meets the disciples doing what they did, day in and day out: fish! Jesus met the disciples right where they lived, without any warning, or a “Head’s up! After today, your lives will never be the same!” sign. The calling to discipleship doesn’t come until after Jesus engages with Simon Peter in his daily occupation of catching fish. After a day and night with little to no fish caught, Jesus gets on his boat and redirects Simon as to where he should throw his net. Probably thinking, “sure, why not…what’s there to lose?” Simon does as Jesus suggests, and, behold, the catch is incredibly large. Overcome by fear and this sense of being overwhelmed, Simon blurts out to Jesus, “Go away from me, for I am a sinful man.” Jesus meets Simon where he is emotionally and intellectually, and tells him that he has nothing to be afraid of or sorry for, and that he has a new occupation for him: to fish for people, who will then follow Jesus. Although they just brought in the biggest catch of fish in their lives, Simon, James, and John leave the boat loaded with fish and follow Jesus, the one who has completely re-oriented their lives. Join us this Sunday as we discuss the ways that following Jesus in our world today keeps dis-orienting and re-orienting our lives.

**

There are two opportunities that have made themselves available for the Community of Pilgrims! Here’s the first invitation: On Sat., Feb. 12th, from 1-3 pm, we have been invited by Moreland Presbyterian Church to prepare a home for a family from Afghanistan. The address is 7016 SE 19th, Portland, OR. We would work in the kitchen, cleaning cabinets and cabinet hardware (Moreland will provide cleaning supplies and step stools). More information will come!

The second opportunity could be our Lenten/Easter service project focus, and that would be collecting clothes for HomePlate, a place of refuge and sanctuary for houseless young people in Beaverton, OR that Roxanne Ushman works with as a volunteer. Go to www.homeplateyouth.org for more information. We will talk about gathering clothes and other needs the organization has this coming Sunday, Feb. 6.

_____

Events!

Feb. 6, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom!

Feb. 12, 1-3 pm, House Project, Moreland Presbyterian Church area.

Feb. 13, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom!

Feb. 20, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom!

Feb. 27, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom!

____

Prayers of Celebration and Concern

We pray to the Creator of all creation:

· Happy Birthday Mary and Bill. 

· Thanksgiving for the good news for Portland and other parts of the country where the Omicron variant is dropping and leveling off.

· Celebrations for this year's Chinese New Year, The Year of The Tiger, on Tuesday February 1st.

· Thanksgiving for the miracle of cochlear implants.

· A young person at Home Plate for whom a memorial service was held on Friday.

· Our nation as we face so many difficult challenges, from voting rights and white nationalists, encroaching authoritarianism and threat to LGBTQIA+ equality.

· Thanksgiving for the wisdom and leadership of Justice Stephen Breyer who is retiring from the Supreme Court and thanksgiving that President Biden has committed to choose an African American woman to replace him.

· People in countries such as Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, and Myanmar who are suffering from war, economic crisis, and hunger.

· Wider access to the vaccines so that we can increase immunity around the world.

· The growing number of small businesses in Portland that have been vandalized or broken into.

· People sleeping outside in the cold and rain.

· Thanksgiving for safe rest villages offering mini homes for the homeless planned for the Portland area and prayers for people to use them. 

God in your love, attend our prayers. Amen. 

___

Poem

Beloved, by E. Ethelbert Miller

Please forgive me for forgetting.

I wanted to go outside and look for you.

I was told this was impossible.

I was instructed to stay indoors.

But my words for you need sun.

My heart needs air.

I love you Spring.

I miss your warmth.

Come unlock my door.

___

Buen Camino! Pastors Brett & Karen Cornwell Fortlander.

Newsletter, CoP, Jan. 30, 2022

THIS SUNDAY: The Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022, 4 pm, Fourth Sunday after Epiphany. 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 Community of Pilgrims!

Greetings from my perch in Seattle. I'm writing on the dining room table, looking outside at the blue sky of Seattle (where I am writing this newsletter) and Portland. It is a crisp, winter’s day, in which we may enjoy the unexpected sunshine, given the normally wet, gray days of Pacific NW winters.

And before launching into what is going to be the focus Scripture this week, let us remember that today is Holocaust Remembrance Day. We live in a world in which the next generation—the so-called millennial generation—are not as well versed as to what happened in Nazi Germany in the earlier part of the 20th century. Along with the 6 millions Jewish people who died, we remember those who were LGBTQIA+, those who were disabled, those who were from parts of European society that was largely denigrated, as well as those who fought against Hitler and his autocratic regime in Germany from within, who were systematically targeted and murdered during the bleak chapter in our world’s history. 

The focus Scripture this week is two-fold. The Gospel story is from Luke 4:21-30, and 1 Cor. 13:1-13, the “love” passage, is the other part of this week's reading. The Gospel is a continuation of the story from last week, in which Jesus surprised and impressed everyone with his reading from Isaiah, proclaiming that he, himself, was the fulfillment of the Prophet’s words about the coming Messiah. While he is praised and held in awe by everyone in the synagogue after that reading, things quickly go “south” in terms of his favorability rating, to the point that the people of Nazareth were all ready to throw him to his death from a “cliff,” though it is hard to find a cliff in Nazareth. What Jesus did after his reading from Isaiah is continue to tell the truth of his story, his life, which made people uncomfortable. Those from Nazareth wanted this son of Joseph and Mary to work wonders and miracles in their midst, but Jesus brought forth truth that, oftentimes, went against the people’s wishes. As Jesus rightly foretold them all: a prophet is often not welcomed in one’s home town, which is the case of Nazareth. Jesus is not successfully thrown off the cliff, but, in an interesting passage, passes through the midst of the crowd and goes his own way (v. 30). Nonetheless, while the Nazarenes wanted Jesus to be their very own Messiah, Jesus reminds us, first, that he, God’s child, came for all people, from all walks of life, and that, second, what he brought with him was an example of Godly love, which is what Paul’s writing to the church in Corinth exemplifies. Join us this Sunday as we discuss the ministry of Jesus, and the way forward in love. 

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Events!

Jan. 30, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom!

Feb. 2, Called Presbytery Meeting, 7 pm (I have Zoom information if interested.)

Feb. 6, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom!

Feb. 13, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom!

Feb. 20, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom!

____

Prayers of Celebration and Concern

We pray to the Creator of all creation:

· Marie Dolson and family dealing with Marie's four brothers who all have serious health problems.

· Carl Bankus who suffered a recent stroke in California and is unable to return to Portland because there are no rehab beds available.

· Roxanne's foster nephew who continues to wait for approval for a CT scan.

· Brother Gary whose residence has been in lockdown since New Year's eve.

· Birthday celebrations for Chuck who turned 92 on January 21st.

· Thanksgiving that vaccines will be available to children five years old and younger beginning in March.

· Traveling mercies for Chris's son-in-law Tom who will be flying to California and then driving back cross-country to Greenwich, New York.

· People in Kazakhstan where violent protests earlier this month killed over 200 people and thousands of protestors have been detained. 

· Aversion to a Russian invasion of Ukraine through negotiations between the US, NATO, and Russia. 

· People in Tonga who are struggling with ash, the emotional crisis, and the humanitarian crisis following the January 15 underwater volcanic eruption and tsunami.

· Protection of voting rights in the United States.

· With thanks for the work of Justice Steven Breyer, and for hopes of a new Black woman as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS). 

· End of the death penalty in the US in light of an execution in OK.

· An end to banning books in the US. 

God in your love, attend our prayers.

___

Poem

Love, by the Apostle Paul

Love is patient and is kind. 

Love doesn’t envy. 

Love doesn’t brag, is not proud, doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; 

doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 

bears all things, 

believes all things, 

hopes all things, 

and endures all things.

___

Buen Camino! Pastors Brett & Karen Cornwell Fortlander.