The Pastor’s Blog
Camps and Concerts and Conflict
Another busy month is coming to a close! I was blessed enough to have participated in the Surfside Camp at Twin Rocks early in the month. It was a wonderful experience being there and serving as an Elder for the camp. I had some really great conversations with counselors and students alike. I got to play games and generally be ridiculous for Jesus (which suits me more than I should be comfortable with) and was overwhelmed by the welcoming love of everyone involved! Camps are always a highlight for me. I love them. I want to keep going and serving in whatever way I can as long as I can. I know how much camp experiences have meant in my development as a Christian (and still do). Why would I not want the chance to be renewed and refreshed with brothers and sisters in the Lord over the course of a few days focused on what God wants to do in and through us?
I was also blessed with the chance to attend the Dove Fest concert this month! I volunteered with Drew Krupp to serve as an usher. Most of my evening was spent on my feet asking if people had their tickets. While many people were frustrated by my repeated insistence to follow the rules many more were glad that I let them know to get their ticket so they could make it back to their seat. I am a rule follower. It is a part of who I am and I like following the rules I agree with. There are times, however, that my rebel side comes out and a rule I disagree with shows up. In those times I have to make a choice between following the rules and doing what is right or disobeying the rules and acting as I please.
It can be a struggle to follow the rules when we disagree with them. Our will gets in the way of our obedience to the rules. Often in our Christian walk we fall into the same trap. Our will gets in the way of our obedience to God’s will. Our natural (fallen/sinful) state is one of rebellion and pride, we do our things our way and feel like that is how things should be. In Christ we have a new will to follow and new ways of doing things, essentially we have a new set of rules which we can follow or break. At Camp we had to deal with some people who wanted to exercise their will in ways that were contrary to the rules established for our time together. This brought some conflict and tension into the camp environment and could have been a negative experience if it weren’t for the camp directors guiding the situation to a positive outcome.
Following the rules for Kingdom living is going to be difficult and cause conflict and tension in our lives. If we let Christ guide us through these times of conflict and tension we will certainly see a positive outcome. Maybe not today or tomorrow but in the end through Christ’s leadership and love we will see the purpose for these messy lives and know that it was all for something greater than we could have known at the time.
Read more...
Good Times Happening: August 2-8 is Surfside Camp at Twin Rocks
Kayla Davidson, Rosa Sanchez, Savannah & Brennen Dodson are attending Surfside Camp this week and Pastor Jesse Davis is serving as an Elder there. Please remember to pray for them this week. You can go to www.twinrocks.org for photos posted during the week of camp.
Sunday, August 9th, at our 9:30 worship service, we will welcome Russell and Sarah Badgley, who have felt the call to serve in the mission field, Ecuador to be exact! They are members of Greenleaf Friends in Idaho and have 3 children Emma, Joe, & Ruth. Russell is gifted in problem solving & management skills which he has learned from being a professional land surveyor. Sarah is a licensed professional midwife. They are spending the next few months sharing their ministry and beginning to learn Spanish & training for the field. They are 46% funded and climbing! The goal is to have at least 500 prayer partners in order to go to Ecuador.
Summer Fun Saturday, August 15th! Pool Party & BBQ at Stan & Earlene Schlosser’s
Pool Opens at 2 p.m. Potluck BBQ Dinner at 4 p.m. We will provide burgers & dogs (with all the condiments) Please bring potluck salad, chips, or dessert and your own lawn chair! If you plan to attend please Circle “S” with headcount on the back of your Information sheet in Sunday’s bulletin (note van if you need a ride in the church van) place it in the offering or wooden box on the usher’s table in the foyer. Be at MFC by 1:15 p.m. to ride in the church van.
School Supply Drive Many families in the local community cannot afford to provide school supplies for their children, we want to help! Below is the supplies list of items that we are collecting to share with students in need at Howard Elementary. Notice that some of the supplies are listed by their brand name, educators tell us that is because even though they may cost a little more, those brands provide better bang for the buck. A collection box is located in the main hallway.
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 & 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.
DOVE FEST! Sunday, August 23rd 6 p.m. Concert at Lithia Amphitheater
Featuring Ryan Stevenson, Kutless, & headliner Toby Mac
Ticket prices are listed, children 3 & under do not need a ticket to the show (as long as they will be sitting on a lap the entire time) GA-lawn: $25, Reserved: $35, Gold Circle: $45
If MFC were to get 30 people signed up for GA-Lawn the price would be $15 per ticket! If you are interested or have questions see Terry DuLong or Bruce Workman. We need a headcount needed by August 16th. Circle "C" for concert on your Information Sheet in your Sunday bulletin and turn it in the offering or wooden box on the table in the foyer.
Holy Grounds Coffee Shop proceeds & tips are currently going to Child Evangelism Fellowship of Jackson County. So, buy a drink and help share the love of Jesus with the kids in our area. Thanks a latte!
Looking Bible Quiz Team Members: We're looking for students in 6th, 7th and 8th grades to join a Medford/Talent Bible Quizzing Team. Bible Quizzing is a Yearly Meeting sponsored activity. Teams from Idaho, Oregon & Washington will gather four times throughout the 2015/16 school year to compete over the books of Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians & Colossians. Team members will meet once a week from late August to late March for Bible study, practice & verse memorization. If you are interested in participating in this program or would like more info please contact Chrissy Muhr at cjmuhr@yahoo.com or 503-476-7898.
Read more...
Making Friends
I was terribly shy as a child (hard to believe I know!) so going to school and being around a whole bunch of new people for the first time was a daunting prospect. My mother’s encouragement to me was to “make friends” (which to my ears sounded like a good idea, I could design them how I wanted and they would like me because I would “make” them to do so) and sent me off into each new school experience with the same advice, “make friends.” I realized that what she meant in her statements was not to create your own friends just the way you want them to be but to build relationships with other people who are uniquely created by God. People with their own quirks, eccentricities, and desires for what the relationship would look like.
As I reflect on this month I am thinking about Making Friends. What does that look like? How do we do that well? Can’t I just build my own, you know, without the flaws and brokenness that people so often carry? Is there an easier way to do this than through opening ourselves to relationship and sharing our life with another? Unfortunately, I know that we can’t just create our own and if there is an easier way to build relationship with other people than through sharing life with them I haven’t discovered it!
I went to Yearly Meeting this month and had a good time. I got the chance to reconnect with pastors whom I had connected with at Pastor’s Conference/Retreat a few months ago. I also had the chance to “make friends” with a lot of new people! I always get a little nervous going to a group or place for the first time. I want to be accepted and to be a good fit for the group and have easy relationships there. Thankfully this was one of those times and I got to meet a lot of wonderful people from around the Yearly Meeting and listen to their stories.
As we try to live out our Christian faith we find ourselves running into a lot of people. People who are hungry for relationship with other humans and with God, we have the chance to “Make Friends.” This is often a slow process and one that is painful, broken people have sharp edges after all. But even though it is slow, hard, and painful it results in something beautiful: new friends. The effort of relationship is worth it because of the shared love we have and how much it adds to our lives. So, this month I encourage you to go out and make friends; to find new spaces and new people to engage in relationship with. Try something new. Talk to someone you wouldn’t normally. Find yourself blessed by the opening of a new friendship.
Read more...
Stan and Earlene Schlosser are off on another Medical Mission Trip to Malawi this month!
Please remember to keep them in prayer and watch for postings on MFC’s facebook page! We look forward to their return and having them share about their trip.
Thanks Again, we are grateful for those who took part in this year’s camp auction. Scholarships were given to: Ariel Taylor and friend Erika Haun they will attend Tween Camp (July 5-11). Ariel is Chuck & Billie Taylor’s grand-daughter, Erika a family friend. Kala Davidson will attend Surfside Camp (August 2-8). Kala is the daughter of Darren & Tammie Davidson. Richard and William Anderson will attend Youth Yearly Meeting (July 19-23) and are the sons of Don & Lena Anderson. Please remember to pray for our youth and the impact these events will have for them with opportunities to grow in relationship with God.
You’re Invited
To an Ice-Cream Social & Game Night
Wednesday, July 15th at MFC!
Mark your calendars and plan to attend. Bring the whole family and invite friends to join us! The fun begins at 6:30 p.m. The fellowship committee will supply the ice-cream; just bring ice-cream toppings to share and some favorite games to play! We look forward to seeing you there!
Yearly Meeting Sessions – July 19-23, 2015
HOLDING GOD’S HAND – For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. Isaiah 41:13
This year’s speaker is Ken Redford, who attended Talent Friends Church as a teen and has served in pastoral ministry with Meridian Friends Church for 21 years. There are Brochures with this year’s schedule on the usher’s table in the foyer. To register go online at nwfriends.org/ym-sessions.
Women’s Banquet at Yearly Meeting
is Sunday July 19th at 5 p.m. Cost is $15 if paid by July 10th and $19 thereafter as space allows.
Can you go?—Will you go? — Could we send a car full?
Contact Nadine Brood or Lena Anderson if this is something you’d be interested in.
Friends Women Missionary Fellowship – Meeting – Thursday, July 16th at 10 a.m.
Our time together is spent in fellowship and learning about the work of our missionaries, their needs and the people to whom they minister. All ladies are welcome to join us at the home of Phebe McManama. A potluck picnic will follow the meeting.
Would you be interested? We are trying out a Christian Media Streaming service called RightNow Media and would love for you to take part! If you want to join in as we test this out please request this invitation to jesse.davis@medfordfriendschurch.org.
Mark your Calendar! Coming Saturday, August 15th
Pool Party with Potluck Dinner at Stan & Earlene Schlosser’s. Watch for more information!
Read more...