Something’s Afoot in the Church and it’s not at the End of Your Leg

Posted on Dec 20, 2024 by Brian Casey in General, Pastor's Blog | Tags: Service, Volunteer

One of the neat things about coming into a new situation — for example joining a church you’ve never been part of before — is that you have no idea really about what is and isn’t possible. When you don’t know whether a thing can be done or not and you’ve got a sort of eager go-getter mentality that for better or worse believes there isn’t anything you can’t learn or be taught to do, there aren’t a lot of barriers to you when you say you want to do things that no one else has looked at in a while. Libraries, for instance. Coffee service, for another. Websites for a third.

On my first day at MFC, as I am sure he will confirm, the big question I felt lead to ask Pastor Jesse was, “What does your church need most?”

“Volunteers,” he said.

So, I took him at his word (which you should definitely always do with Pastors) and, as I walked around the church building with him the next week on his tour, I asked him a lot of annoying questions about who was doing what every time I saw something I thought needed doing. Which is how I ended up sorting out the library. And why the renamed Sunday coffee ministry, Fellowsip, is back. And why you are now looking at a shiny new website for the Church.

I was pleased to discover that the church Facebook page had become a sort of repository of Church History and photographs. I’ve incorporated many of those from the earliest days of the church right up to the most current ones into the redesign of the website. I hope it will bring fond memories to those of you who are seasoned enough to remember some of the people in them or the events that occasioned their taking. Eventually, I’d love to add a dedicated Church History page to the site, showcasing documents and photographs that tell the story of MFC from its beginnings to today.

Another project close to my heart is reviving the Pastor’s Blog. One of my goals has been to make it easy for Jesse to communicate informally with the congregation through the website. While there are still a few technical details to work out, we’re much closer to making this a reality today than we were yesterday. This post is proof of that.

Now, I know it can be daunting to see the new guy come in and just sort of leap into doing things that you might have been wondering if you’d ever see again, but, as someone told me last Sunday before service, “You came with your skates on.”

To which I could not help but reply, “Yes I did. And anyone else who wants to hitch on can come along for the ride.” Because as Peter reminds us in his first letter:

7 For the culmination of all things is near. So be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of prayer. 8 Above all keep your love for one another fervent because love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without complaining. 10 Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of the varied grace of God. 11 Whoever speaks, let it be with God’s words. Whoever serves, do so with the strength that God supplies, so that in everything God will be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

–1 Peter 4:7-11 NET

I came to MFC in that spirit, confident from the start that this was where I needed to be after a long absence away from any church whatsoever. Did God pick me up and send me here? I won’t claim that. I can’t say for certain. But I know this: it feels right, and I am committed to serving with all the energy and love I can muster.

–Brian

May Touchstone

Posted on May 19, 2022 by Alisha Banks in General |

Touchstone Newsletter for May 2022

Medford Friends Church

525 De Barr Avenue, Medford, OR 97501

Office Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday – Thursday

Office Phone: 541-772-6926

Pastor – Jesse Davis

jesse.davis@medfordfriendschurch.org

From Jesse Davis

Hyperspeed

Did you ever watch Star Wars? I know, silly question. In Star Wars the space ships have a way to move faster than light, to travel between star systems in a very quick time, this is called Hyperspeed. It makes a galaxy spanning civilization plausible, otherwise it would take hundreds or thousands of years to move between solar systems. Anyway, you can go real fast to get where you want to go = Hyperspeed. Sometimes I wish that following Jesus had a hyperspeed mode. That we could just plug in the place we wanted to be and hit the throttle to get there as soon as possible. But following Jesus is a lot more like the Oregon Trail than Star Wars. You have to move at a normal pace and go where your leader takes you. Jesus walks with us and teaches us along the way, so if we skipped the in-between we would miss out on all that He had to teach us as we journeyed together. What I am trying to say is, if you aren’t where you want to be in your faith journey yet don’t worry. Keep following Jesus and He will get you there.

Elders Committee Meeting, May 10^th, at 6 p.m.

Stewards Committee Meeting, Thursday, May 12^th, at 2 p.m. at MFC.

Financial Report for March 2022

February YTD

Income 16916.13 32154.11

Expense 14109.60 29366.47

Difference 2806.53 2787.64

May Birthdays

Josh Nicholson May 1^st, Patsy Burton May 2^nd, Rich Mann May 3^rd, Jesse Davis May 6^th, Ilene Ogier and Erica Chan May 8^th, Charlie Swingle May 10^th, Ashley Krupp May 12^th, Amanda Matheisen May 15^th, Liam Krupp May 17^th, Jim Redford May 19^th, Billie Taylor May 25^th, Jeremy Hayes May 27^th, Phil Chan May 28^th, and Phebe Archibald May 31^st.

Please join the Elders on Sunday May 1^st in the Fellowship Hall after church to help Terry Wilson celebrate her retirement.

Friends Women – The Friends Women Fellowship regular monthly meeting for business is scheduled for Wednesday, May 11^th, at 10:30 a.m. in the conference room unless posted otherwise. This month’s mission history story time features the story of the Bolivian Friends Church highlighting the decade of the 40’s, a time of much conflict (ideology, personality, culture), yet a time of much growth as God’s plan prevailed.

Special Days in May – May 1^st is May Day, National Loyalty Day, and Silver Star Service Banner Day. The first week of May – from May 1^st to 7^th– is National Correctional Officers Week, Public Service Recognition Week, and National Small Business Week. The whole month of May is recognized as Military Appreciation Month. The National Day of Prayer is on May 5^th. National Military Spouse Appreciation Day falls on May 6^th this year. Mother’s Day is on May 9^th. Peace Officers Memorial Day falls on May 15^th. This year, May 26^th is Ascension Day, commemorating Jesus Christ’s ascension into heaven. Memorial Day is May 30^th. This is a busy month, with much to celebrate and remember. And a final observance, National Smile Day, tops off the month’s final day, May 31^st.

Prayerfully consider propelling the Luke 10 Initiative forward through EFM’s 2022 Easter Offering. Your gifts will help us fuel the movement that was the essence of Jesus’ passion – that all would experience the transforming power of the Resurrection. Our goal is to send ten new missionary households to five new fields by 2025.

Your Easter Offering can be given directly at that website or mailed to Evangelical Friends Mission, P.O. Box 771139, Wichita, KS 67277.