The Pastor’s Blog

Notes, news, information, lessons, and updates from the Pastor’s desk and others.

Posted on Mar 30, 2015 in News and Events |

Good Friday Service – April 3^rd, at 6:30 p.m.

The service will feature reflection, repentance, communion with the elements, and a time of open worship.

Easter Sunday Schedule, April 5, 2015 Join us in Celebration of Our Risen Savior

9 – 10 a.m. A time of fellowship with coffee, juice & donuts.

10 a.m. Worship in the Word, with no Bible Studies or Sunday School classes.

Following Worship Christian Ed will be hosting an Egg Hunt.

This year’s NWYM Easter Offering will help Evangelical Friends respond to opportunities in three areas of India as well as in the neighboring countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. This is the area of the world where EFM is seeing the greatest growth at this point in time. Be in prayer about this opportunity to share in this offering, to be taken Easter Sunday.

Allen and Theresa Ziemann will Celebrate their Golden Anniversary

Saturday, April 18, 2015 Open House 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.

at Medford Friends Church

No Gifts Please

RSVP to Theresa at 541-664-3828 by April 10^th.

The activity committee has a hike planned for

Sunday, April 12^th. We are planning to hike the Upper Table Rock (listed as a moderate – 2.8 mile hike trip) leaving from MFC after Sunday School. The church van will be available for those that need a ride. Carpooling from the church is a great idea or meet the group at the hike area parking lot. Bring a lunch for a picnic on top, plenty of water, snacks, camera etc. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes for hiking. If you plan to be a part of this activity, please circle “H” on your Response Sheet in the Sunday bulletin and drop it in the offering. Janelle Ralph can answer questions.

Friends Women Missionary Fellowship Meeting All ladies are welcome to join us, we will meet at 10 a.m. at MFC in the fireside room on Thursday, April 16^th. Lunch out at Wendy’s following the meeting.

Friends Women’s Annual Spring Rally

at Talent Friends Church Saturday, April 25th, 10 a.m.

“Journey with Jesus”

Psalms 121

Speakers: Lana Thurston & Cheryl Engel from Boise, ID

will be sharing their recent 3 month visit as Friends Traveling in Service to the Friends School in Ramallah, Palestine.

The Spring Rally Offering will be used to assist with expenses in bringing Elizabeth Bautista from Bolivia to share at NWYM sessions and Friends Women’s events.

Friday – May 8th, at 7 p.m. We will be hosting California Baptist University’s Women’s Choir! This will be a great time of fellowship and worship for the church and a good event to invite your friends to. As part of this event we are seeking Host Families to house the students. If you are interested in this please talk with Jesse Davis.

Help our kids go to Twin Rocks Friends Camp!

Mark your calendars and start planning for Camp Auction 2015! The auction will be held on Wednesday May 13^th at 6:30 p.m. Popular items include baked goods, handmade items, antiques and collectables. Camp brochures are located on the table in the foyer.

Sign-Up Sheets are located in the Fellowship Hall, Harmony Hall and Ross Chapel.

Girls Camp: June 28^th – July 3^rd, 2015 Boys Camp: July 12^th – July 17^th, 2015

Tween Camp: July 5^th – July 11^th, 2015 Surfside Camp: August 2^nd – August 8^th, 2015

Mexico Mission Journey – June 13-21, 2015

See foundationforhisministry.org A home for needy children.

Cost is $250. plus travel expenses from Medford to San Diego round trip & tacos.

Foundation for His Ministry is a non-profit, non-denominational Christian organization with over 150 volunteer missionary staff that has served the poorest of the poor in Mexico for almost 50 years. Their mission is to make disciples of Jesus through rescuing children, restoring the needy, and reaching the lost. If you are interested please contact Nate Swift @ 541-227-9946 or Steve Pechon @ 541-227-9946.

In The Garden 2

Posted on Mar 24, 2015 in News and Events |

I was wrong about the Brussels sprouts, they bolted and have been replaced (pics above).
For anyone interested the blue wall of water season extender is protecting a 1 year old asparagus crown that hitched a ride with something I transplanted last year. The peas are coming along, and progress made toward being ready for the new season. I tried some of the rainbow chard and find it a bit stronger and coarser than the green but good. I forced some of the green on Jesse, so he would know what it was already about, but found that Terry and Dawn had already introduced him to the veggie. Well, he'll have to cook what I gave him.
It was a wet week and the soil is too wet to work but transplanting is easy.

– Nate Swift

In The Garden

Posted on Mar 9, 2015 in News and Events |

"Garden" is such a great word. It is really a picture of nurturing, whether it is about a vegetable garden where nurturing plants contributes to the nurture of the planter, or in a flower garden where the nurturing is mostly spiritual. I have often thought that Jesus missed a good bet by not saying, "I will make you gardeners of men," but I guess you work with the material at hand.

Nate is hard at work!

MFC Community garden has two aspects, 1. shared gardening where the three rows of beds nearest the street are for anyone to plant, water, weed and/or harvest, along with any other beds designated "MFC Share." and 2. personal beds where members of the community can raise crops for their own purposes. These will be marked with the initials of the gardener and "Personal."

So far we have 4'x10' and 4'x4' raised beds as well as 10'x10' ground level beds for use. I would like to offer raise beds for wheelchair access in the future, and if anyone has a line on good materials for the purpose, let me know. I can use the railroad ties Jack Hamilton donated for corner posts.

An automatic watering system is installed and during the appropriate season will provide minimal watering in case gardeners have to leave their space for a few days, but watering should be done by the gardener with the hose, a 10" wand with spaced holes that will go on the hose or by attaching the hose to the automatic system for the bed (making sure to turn off the valve to keep backflow from watering the rest of the garden.)

So far in the garden you will see garlic growing that was put in last Fall (as well as some recently transplanted), holdover Brussels sprouts that I think will produce again, chard that has wintered over (as well as one lonely kale), and celery. Planted this year are snap peas (sharing a front bed with a volunteer asparagus crown), which are coming along nicely, and I just planted carrots, a few leftover parsnips, spinach and radishes. Chuck Taylor tells me I should also have planted turnips and beets, so those will be in posthaste.

I'm getting done what should have been done last Fall and I hope to be ready for May before the ends of June this year.

In His Love,

Nate

Wednesday Night Bible Study

Posted on Mar 4, 2015 in News and Events |

Tonight we will be going through Matthew 20:1-16! Come and join us in the Fellowship Hall at 7 pm.