The Pastor’s Blog
Happy September! We are Excited to Announce that the All Church Potluck Sundays are Back!
Please join us for a time of fellowship and good food Sunday, September 18th! We’ll meet in the fellowship hall at noon, Please bring a main dish and salad, vegetable or dessert to share.
MFC’s Annual School Supply Drive – Thank You for generously giving to those in need! Your giving will be a blessing to families at Howard Elementary School. The expense today, for one kindergartener’s supplies is over $50 plus school fees. We are thankful for God’s generous provision to us and for of the ways that everyone contributes to the ministries of Medford Friends.
Men’s Retreat September 16-18, 2016
Twin Rocks Friends Camp
Speaker Brad Lau, vice president for student life at GFU. See the flyer on the main bulletin board in the hall and more information on line at www.twinrocks.org
Ladies have you read the Brochure for the Women’s Fall Retreat September 30th – October 2nd at Twin Rocks? Are you interested in attending? This year’s guest speaker is Jan Geil, she will share about her experience of “Stepping in Faith” which includes serving in Ramallah. The program leaders this year are sure to leave you so refreshed, encouraged, inspired…that you will hardly notice the long drive! Please let Nadine Brood know if you need or can provide transportation. A $25 scholarship is available for 1st time attenders. Early registration deadline is Sept. 16th, after that the cost is $10 more. Brochures are available on the usher’s table in the foyer.
FWMF start up Meeting for the 2016-2017 program year is Thursday, September 15th, at 10 a.m. in the fireside room at MFC. Lunch will be served at noon. All women are welcome! The Theme this year is “Transformed By Grace.”
Also, the first baked goods event for this year will be presented to you next Sunday, September 11th, celebrating the new school year. It will be mostly of the kind of “Yummies” that perk up those bag lunches! (Brown bags provided to pack home goodies – or eat them on the spot with Sunday morning coffee!)
- The FWMF ladies are still collecting box tops for education. We forward the box tops to the Sam’s Valley Elementary school Thank you!
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Heart Wrenching
This month we are going to talk about some of what is going on in my life. Over the past month I have spent time at a high school camp as a counselor, celebrated life with some of our members out at the Schlosser’s pool party, and had a number of doctor’s appointments. What do all these things have in common? They all relate to the heart.
As a camp counselor I got to spend a week with some young men who are pretty awesome. They came from varied backgrounds and churches but we all came together to enjoy our week of camp exploring nature and the nature of our lives with Jesus. We spent some time staring at the stars and talking about their creator. We played a bunch of games together and listened to a lot of messages about who God is and how much He loves us. All of this served to put us in a place where Jesus could do some work on our hearts, some heart wrenching if you will. It was sometimes painful for the students and myself to let Jesus get to work in the messiness of our lives but when He is allowed to work we find that life functions better.
At the Schlosser’s BBQ I got to hang out with some of our lovely church members. We had a good time enjoying a nice day in a great setting with fantastic people. Swam a little bit, ate some really good food, and played a long card game that I didn’t win. I’m not bitter. I’m not. Really. I love when we can do things like this as a church. Getting together outside of our Sunday morning routine is so valuable because we are able to interact in ways that are more open and not so limited by time as we often are on Sunday. We had some great conversations about what was going on in the lives of the people around our table, some of us are pretty content and satisfied by what is going on, some of us less so. Each of our stories is one of the Great Mechanic (Jesus) working in our lives and tuning our hearts to see His grace on a daily basis.
As I spent time at the various doctor’s appointments over the last month I was getting my heart tested and trying to figure out what is going on in there. I still don’t know. I am hoping that a test I have scheduled for tomorrow will reveal what is happening with my heart and give me some way to go to fix the thing. I think that sometimes all we can do is let the people who can deal with these things deal with them. Sometimes that means they have to get pretty invasive in their techniques but if that is what it takes to be well then bring on the invaders. As I wait for a test I can’t help but think about Jesus. What his invasion into my heart has been like and how it is still continuing to this day. How letting Jesus function as the Great Mechanic who changes my heart and gives me the tune ups I need to maintain my relationship with Him will inevitably lead to a better life for me. Not easier by any means, but better.
My hope for us is that we would let God do the hard work of changing our hearts to love Him better and love other better, too. That we would be a people who have been well maintained in their relationship with Jesus and that each of us has a heart that has been tuned to how God originally intended us to function.
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Anchors
I just got back from Yearly Meeting. I am tired. I am frustrated. I am hopeful. I am tired because the schedule was full of time for good things and I wanted to take part in them. I am frustrated because people brought their decisions into the business meetings and functioned as anchors to the Holy Spirit’s leading during our time together. I am hopeful because, even with the anchors, we have a way to move towards a decision. Discernment and consensus are the (often) slow means that the Lord uses to guide us in our decision making as a gathered body of Friends. They require trust in every person around us and a release of anything that may have been brought into the meeting from the outside. We lay everything down at the feet of Jesus and seek His will and not our own. This process is good when it is done in the right way, with the Holy Spirit guiding each one to the present leading. When we can release the anchors or they can leave what is weighing the process down at the foot of Jesus then we are able to really listen and move towards what God has for us. I am praying during this time that God would work to pull the anchors back up for our Yearly Meeting so that we can follow the powerful wind of the Holy Spirit wherever we ought to go.
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Lavonne Thompson went home to be with the Lord on Friday, July 29, 2016. The service for Lavonne is Friday, August 5, 2016 at 11 a.m. at Memory Gardens, 1395 Arnold Lane, Medford, OR. Please remember Donna Hanson and family in prayer at this time.
Elwin (Lela) Wines went home to be with the Lord on Monday, August 1, 2016. Elwin suffered a heart attack while driving down their drive way. Elwin and Lela attended Medford Friends Church for many years. He taught school at Grace Christian School. He also did logging using horses rather than machinery. He is survived by his wife, Lela, two sons, Forest and Stanley and a daughter, Mariam.
Medford and Talent Friends Get-together for BBQ Picnic
Saturday, August 13th at Bear Creek Park under the pavilion.
Time: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hamburgers & hotdogs, buns and condiments & will be provided. Please bring picnic pot luck side dishes and desserts. We are looking forward to gathering together for a great time of fellowship. Bring lawnchairs or blanket for the grass!
Monday Evenings at 6:30 p.m. Phebe McManama hosts a Home Bible Study. Marilyn Johnston leads the study. If you have questions contact Phebe or Marilyn.
The Little Free Library is ready for use. Everyone is free to take and/or leave books in the library now. The library will be registered and listed online at www.littlefreelibrary.org Thank you for your support.
Pool & BBQ at Stan & Earlene Schlosser’s
Sunday, August 21, 2 p.m. with dinner at 4 p.m.
BBQ Pork Roast (no sauce added)
Please bring (uncooked!) corn on the cob, salads, desserts, chips & dip and if you can please bring your own lawn chair! The pool will be open, it is not heated! To RSVP Please Circle “S” on the back of your information sheet in Sunday’s bulletin and place it in the offering if you plan to attend.
Summer Fun for Kids in Grades 1 through 6!
Sunday, August 28, depart MFC at 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hawthorne Water Park! Cost is $5.
Contact Drew Krupp or Patsy Burton for information.A Parental Permission Slip is Required!
MFC’s Annual School Supply Drive
It’s that time of year again where stores have great displays of school supplies piled high! Many families in the local community cannot afford to provide school supplies for their children and we are asking once again for your help Below is the list of supplies that we are collecting to share with students in need at Howard Elementary. You will notice that some of the supplies are listed by their brand name and educators tell us that is because even though they may cost a little more, those brands provi
Supply List
12 pack Ticonderoga brand pencils, 24 count Crayola crayons; pencil top erasers; large erasers; 12 count Crayola color pencils; 8 count Crayola color markers (washable); glue sticks; bottles of white glue; rulers; pencil pouches; red, blue, yellow and green pocket folders, notebook paper; pens; solar calculators; 3 ring binders; pocket dividers for binders; 3×5 lined note cards; spiral notebooks; Kleenex tissues; backpacks.
de better bang for the buck. A collection box for these supplies is in the main hallway.
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