Page 1 NEWSLETTER If you missed any previous editions of the newsleer, we have the last year available on the website at: hps://keizerchristian.org/ newsleer/ Look for the next one on May 27 th . KEIZER CHRISTIAN CHURCH “Proclaiming Christ’s Love, Building Community, Meeting Human Need” APRIL 22, 2021 E-mail: [email protected]Phone: (503) 393-6843 Website: www.keizerchristian.org Find us on Facebook! CONTENTS Worship Services 1 In-Person Fellowship Time 1 Pastor’s Moment 2 Blessings and Concerns 3 Bulletins and Blessings 3 Photos wanted 4 Bible Study 4 Giving Totals 4 Birthdays/Anniversaries 4 Birthday Gifts 4 Week of Compassion 5 Food Bank 5 Recycling 5 Stewardship Moment 6 Easter Egg Hunt Photos 6-7 Unsung Hero 7 Sermon Series 8 WORSHIP SERVICES We continue our in- person and live- stream of Sunday service on Facebook at 10 am. If you are coming in person, we are following all COVID guidelines for wearing masks, physical distancing, and sanitizing between building uses. The live link to watch online is here: NOTE: Please do not congregate in the Narthex before or after service. You are welcome to visit in the fresh air under the portico until our in-person time for fellowship resumes! IN-PERSON FELLOWSHIP TIME The church Council met and decided that we will open the Fellowship Hall for in-person Fellowship Time starting after our service on May 2 nd . We will comply with the COVID restrictions of 6’ spacing between families and wearing masks. No food or drink will be served at this time. There will be sanitizing supplies on the tables to use on the tables and chairs, before and after our time together. We will still continue Zoom Fellowship Time and are working on being able to connect those online with those in the Fellowship Hall. Stay tuned for more information in your bulletin next week!
Transcript
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NEWSLETTER
If you missed any previous editions of the newsletter,
we have the last year available on the website at: https://keizerchristian.org/
Website: www.keizerchristian.org Find us on Facebook!
CONTENTS
Worship Services 1 In-Person Fellowship Time 1 Pastor’s Moment 2 Blessings and Concerns 3 Bulletins and Blessings 3 Photos wanted 4 Bible Study 4 Giving Totals 4 Birthdays/Anniversaries 4 Birthday Gifts 4 Week of Compassion 5 Food Bank 5 Recycling 5 Stewardship Moment 6 Easter Egg Hunt Photos 6-7 Unsung Hero 7 Sermon Series 8
WORSHIP SERVICES
We continue our in-person and live-stream of Sunday service on Facebook at 10 am. If you are coming in person, we are following all COVID guidelines for wearing masks, physical distancing, and sanitizing between building uses. The live link to watch online is here:
NOTE: Please do not congregate in the Narthex before or after service. You are welcome to visit in the fresh air under the portico until our in-person time for fellowship resumes!
IN-PERSON FELLOWSHIP TIME
The church Council met and decided that we will open the Fellowship Hall for in-person Fellowship Time starting after our service on May 2nd.
We will comply with the COVID restrictions of 6’ spacing between families and wearing masks. No food or drink will be served at this time. There will be sanitizing supplies on the tables to use on the tables and chairs, before and after our time together.
We will still continue Zoom Fellowship Time and are working on being able to connect those online with those in the Fellowship Hall. Stay tuned for more information in your bulletin next week!
You heard me talking about the need to take a break during the sermon last Sunday. I want to talk a little more about this spiritual practice that is fraught with so much attached feelings of guilt, inadequacy, and felt demands to over-perform before or after said break. First, you may wonder at my use of the term spiritual practice to describe something as simple as taking a break. When I read about the life of Jesus and his pattern for living I can’t help but see his times of rest, solitude, prayer, taking a break basically, as spiritual practice. Jesus took frequent breaks from ministry, from social interaction, from the stress of his calling to renew and be renewed by God. God invites us to slow down on a regular basis and Jesus modeled this pattern for us in his own life. Why, then, are we so bad at it ourselves? We have been shown that this is the best way to live and follow God, to stay in relationship with God. The challenge for us is that so much of our culture
demands near constant levels of production. What are you doing? What did you accomplish today? What have you produced that is tangible, measurable, quantifiable? Why aren’t you doing anything? Little if any value is ascribed to resting, to scheduling regular patterns of rest, contemplation, reflection, listening for God. Because at first glance it doesn’t produce anything tangible or measurable. How do you measure contentment, or lack of anxiety, or a well-balanced life? Just because something is immeasurable or defies our culturally mandated system of values and worthiness does not mean it has no inherent worth or benefit. This includes you. One of the most important things our faith teaches us is that we have inherent worth simply as part of God’s creation, in our being-ness and created-ness as the beloved of God. This important truth is also, conversely, one of the most difficult for us to accept and live into; giving ourselves permission to simply be and to retain our sense of value and self-worth in resting. The sooner we can come to a healthy sense of our own self-worth divorced from any measurement of what we can or have produced, the sooner we can do the same for other people we meet. Scripture tells us that we all belong to the family of God. All means ALL. It doesn’t mean people who look like us or think or believe like us. It doesn’t mean only people who have a handle on their addictions or can hide them better. It doesn’t just mean people who live in nice houses. It doesn’t just mean people of a certain skin color or language spoken. We ALL deserve rest. We need rest to be renewed and remember our true value given by God; the value we have and are called to honor in others. So, be like Jesus and give yourself permission to take a break on a regular basis. You’ll be better for it. Maybe the world will be too. Pastor Erik
carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
~ Matthew 11:28
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BLESSINGS AND CONCERNS
To include Blessings and Concerns on the weekly email sent out on Monday, please send us an email at [email protected] or call in your information to the office by Sunday evening. If you would like a printed copy of Blessings and Concerns, please contact the office.
Blessings and Concerns for April:
Koren Clem would like prayers for her Uncle Mike who will be having a cardioversion to get his heart back into rhythm on Wednesday, April 21st.
Please pray for my mom and the residents of Farmington Square and also Ardith McIntyre and the residents at Avamere Court in Keizer. Both facilities have had caregivers test positive this week for COVID-19 resulting in a lockdown of these facilities. It's especially hard as they were just enjoying getting to visit with folks in person. Laurie Costales
My friend, Doris, has had her staples removed from her surgery and is recovering well. She will be released for work with a few limitations in about 3 more weeks (Mid-May). The doctor indicated it will probably be 6 months before the reconnection of her lower intestine will be possible. Tamarah Swick
Pray for His strength and mercy to be with my sister Dora who is in ICU with a heart infection, fluid on the lungs, and on a ventilator. She is 49 years old, married with children. Also pray for strength and God's will for my brother Collin in ICU (TX) due to low BP, turning blue, and incoherent due to recent flu bug, fever, not COVID positive. He is 49 years old and married with 4 adult children living at home. Platelets not looking good. Thank you so much, Traci Pearl
Our dear friend Dallas Northcott went to be with the Lord on April 18. Please pray for his wife Janice and family during this time of grief. Pam Elliott
Continued prayers for Jeni Norbo and the family as they finish tests this week and hopefully finalize treatment plans for her breast cancer by next week. You may reach out to her if you would like and cards of encouragement are always appreciated. Pam Elliott
What a blessing to have Chaplain Chuck Varner here to lead worship on Sunday, April 11th and for Pastor Erik and his family to have a much deserved vacation.
Elizabeth Costales is engaged to Troy Duncanson! They have a small family wedding planned in September and will have a reception after church on Sunday, September 5th.
Kathy Martinez called to let us know that her sister Marie Bensorosky passed away on Wednesday, March 31st. Her children were able to say goodbye and are planning to have a small family memorial service at a later date.
BULLETINS AND BLESSINGS
We email the bulletin out each Friday and Blessings and Concerns out on Monday. If you would prefer a paper copy or are
We continue to meet each Thursday at 11 am, both in-person as well as on Zoom. For those meeting in person, masks are required and we will meet in the Library adhering to all physical distancing protocols.
GIVING TOTALS
March giving was $10,790 of our $11,107 budget. Thank you to everyone who contributes and keeps our church alive.
It also allows us to support the many charities and other churches in the region.
April General Fund Offering
1st week $ 2,080.00 2nd week 5900.00 3rd week 2255.00 4th week Total for Month $ 10,235.00 Mo Budget $ 11,107.00
Tammy Puppo 5-4
Dena Query 5-8
JoAnn Barker 5-9
Wilma Bogue 5-13
Don Kaehler 5-14
Lisa Porter 5-22
Christa Ryan 5-22
Regina Lepe 5-24
Torry Peterson 5-25
Elizabeth Costales 5-28
Bob & Margy
McCurry 5-6
Mike & Christa
Ryan 5-30
PHOTOS WANTED
We want your photos for the bulletin that is sent out every Friday. To help us all keep in touch with each other, send us photos of what you’ve been doing or even share some uplifting stories or adventures. Baby and pet photos are especially fun!
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WEEK OF COMPASSION
Update on Week of Compassion help for evacuees and victims of last year’s fires from Caroline Hamilton-Arnold, Associate Director of Domestic Disaster Response:
We recently awarded a grant through Northwood Christian Church to support construction of storage sheds, which are placed on properties of folks whose homes were destroyed. This provides a place to store items that were saved, new items, as well as tools or other supplies needed during the rebuild process. If folks from Keizer CC are interested in volunteering, they can connect with Northwood directly, as they have been hosting “build days” for volunteers to construct sheds off-site and/or place sheds on the properties.
We are also in conversation with a couple of Long-Term Recovery Groups about what kind of financial and volunteer support they will need for recovery. Many areas are still in the assessment phases, trying to identify which survivors will need assistance to recover and establish good processes for directing resources to those most in need. We anticipate providing grant assistance and hope to also direct some volunteers to projects in Oregon.
Not much new to report in California at this time, but in Colorado, we are also staying in touch with Heart of the Rockies Christian Church in Fort Collins, as they are partnering through the ministerial alliance to support survivors from the East Troublesome and Cameron Peak Fires.
RECYCLING
We are still recycling cans and bottles as well as ink cartridges and toners. Drop them by the church during our office hours. At this time we don’t need any more pill bottles!
KEIZER
COMMUNITY FOOD
BANK
What a beautiful
spring evening to serve
27 clients on the 16th
anniversary of our
involvement in the
beginning of Keizer
Community Food
Bank. Thanks to all
who have served
throughout the years.
We continue to be well
stocked and receive
many donations from
community
organizations. Our
clients go home with a
large variety of food
and are very grateful.
Well done good and
faithful servants.
Pam Elliot Work your schedule around God—don’t
try to work God in around your schedule.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
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STEWARDSHIP MOMENT
Our God is good.
God sent his Son here, to be among us, to walk the human road. God sent his Holy Spirit here, among us, to help with the human trials.
Each of us are here, each of us are part of a family, we at KCC are in His circle of friends. We face stiff competition for our attention, our time, our money, our very being and at times the pressure seems relentless. Yet through it all our Lord is there. Comfort, peace, strength, patience, kindness, love . . . always love.
We know that all we have begins and ends with Him. As part of our stewardship we get the chance to give back a portion of what has been given to us. We give as we focus on His promises.
Thank you for making KCC a beacon of light, a place of hope, a home to all, and a family filled with love. The gifts you share make a difference in many lives.
- Troy
EASTER EGG HUNT PHOTOS
Here are more Easter Egg Hunt Photos!
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UNSUNG HERO
Thanks to Ellie Auvinen for being such an
awesome Easter Bunny!
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KEIZER CHRISTIAN CHURCH
6945 Wheatland Road NE
Keizer OR 97303
SERMON SERIES
EASTER SERIES, continued
April 25—Sermon: “When You Say Nothing at All” Psalm 23 Sometimes the most powerful wat to communicate belonging is just to be present.
May 2—Sermon: “Follow the Verbs” Acts 8;26-40 Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch show us how to walk with “the other” on the road to belonging.
May 9—Sermon: “When Jesus Interrupts” Acts 10:44-48 Jesus continues to interrupt and rearrange our understanding and ordering of salvation.
SUMMER SERIES 1: GOD AT WORK
This six-week walk through 1 and 2 Samuel invites us to see God’s radical grace at work in unexpected ways. The stories of Samuel’s call, David’s unlikely anointing as king and victory over Goliath, and the lesser-known elegy where David mourns Saul and Jonathan, and his official kingship over all of Israel highlight the unexpected ways God is actively working among God’s people. It’s a challenge to our present-day lives as we perceive God working among us—calling us, responding to us, seeing us, leading us, saving us, and uniting us, even today.
May 16—Sermon: “God Calls” 1 Samuel 3:1-10 Samuel is caught off guard by the voice of God, but Eli helps him understand.
May 23—Sermon: “God Responds” 1 Samuel 8:4-20; 11:14-15 The people ask Samuel for a king; God disagrees but gives the people what they ask.
