Cycles of Life. A Publication of First Baptist Church. August 2015 Volume 77, No. 07

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1 Volume 77, No. 07 A Publication of First Baptist Church Portland, Oregon Cycles of Life Even in an increasingly secular world, the church is still called upon to validate major events in our life cycle, such as marriages and graduations. But the two life cycle events par excellence are birth and death. No one enters this world except via the former, and no one exits this world except via the latter. This is no less true in the light of the Christian doctrine of the life everlasting. Christian faith does relativize our earthly life cycle in the light of God s eternity, but we enter the life everlasting only by way of this life. Christ lived and died and rose again for us in this life. And we respond in faith to his saving work on our behalf in this life. Most major traditions of historic Christian faith recognize the birth of a child via baptism or christening, symbolizing the child s inclusion in the Family of Faith. We Baptists and related traditions in the evangelical wing of Anglo-American Protestantism and increasingly emerging churches around the globe, reserve baptism as per our reading of scripture (Acts 8: 26 39, 10: 34 48, 16: 25 34) for those who have confessed for themselves faith in Jesus Christ. But we gladly and joyfully dedicate our children to the Lord before the congregation, and pledge ourselves to support the new parents as they endeavor to raise this child in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). And when the saints of God, our fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord, are called ahead to the Lord s more direct presence, whether early or late, we celebrate their lives in the midst of the congregation, giving thanks for them and offering compassionate support to all who grieve them. Often persons who are not explicitly part of the household of God are present at these two universal life cycle events, as we acknowledge before our Creator and Redeemer both the beginning and the end of life. Here the Church speaks to universal human experience; I pray that we speak well. From March through June of this year First Baptist Church celebrated the lives of four beloved, longtime members of our congregation: Rosie and Bob McAllister, Alexis Bishop and Zelma Stelle. Each of them had gone in and out before the Lord and his people for more than ninety years. We feel diminished by their loss, in spite of our faith. But during this same period of time more precisely, from May through July four first-born children arrived to parents connected to our Continued on page 6

2 Page 2 Sermon Schedule August 2 Bread Exodus 16: 2 4; 9 15 John 6: Communion Sunday August 9 Kind and Tenderhearted Psalm 34: 1 8 Ephesians 4: 25 5: 2 August 16 Walking in Wisdom 1 Kings 3: 3 14 Ephesians 5: August 23 God s Armor Psalm 84 Ephesians 6: August 30 Doers, Not Merely Hearers Gospel: Mark 7: 1-8 Epistle: James 1: Rev. Chris Shade preaching at Rev. Ed Stelle preaching at (USPS ) is published eleven times a year (February December). Find us on the web: and Dr. David L. Wheeler Senior Pastor Ed Stelle Associate Pastor Peter Im Cambodian Ministries Chris Shade Associate Pastor Travis Hatton Music Director Keith Ponce Facilities and Events Manager Cathy Francis Business Administrator The next Trumpeter deadline is August 17, Please send articles to jchastain@fbc-portland.org SUNDAY 9:00 Contemporary Service 10:00 for all ages 11:00, Sanctuary Cambodian language, Rose Chapel Children s Church for ages 3 through 2nd Grade 5:00 & : A Jesus Church: MONDAY SATURDAY 6:00 8:30 am: Eye Opener (AA meeting) MONDAY & THURSDAY 2:00 4:00 pm: Drop-In Center TUESDAY 10:00 : library open (note: 2nd and 4th Tuesday only) : Dinner And A Movie WEDNESDAY Wednesday Night Dinner and Bible Study will resume in September. FRIDAY Office closed FOCUS will return in September. Weekly Events SATURDAY 8:30 10:30 am: Cambodian Men s Fellowship Bible Study Downtown Compassion Clinic at FBC, October 10, For more information, or volunteer opportunities, please contact Dr. David L. Wheeler.

3 2015 ALL CHURCH PICNIC Thank you everybody for a wonderful All Church Picnic! See more of Paul Newman s great photographs at Page 3

4 Cambodian Congregational News We had a great time of fellowship at the All Church Picnic at Oaks Park. 25 Cambodians attended. We thank the event coordinator and the kitchen staff for making this annual picnic possible for us. It was great food! The Cambodian Camping Trip is August 7 10, 2015, at Fort Stevens Campground. There will be no Cambodian worship service on Sunday the 9th at the Rose Chapel. Please join the English worship service. We are grateful to Pastor Chris joining us and hosting the youth programs as well. He also will be our main evening speaker at our camping worship service. Please pray for Mrs. Elizabeth Khem who is coordinating camping this year and Page 4 pray for our spiritual revival during the event. The theme for this year is The Beatitudes of the Kingdom. Cambodian Children Ministry has a lot of things going on! Two buildings are completed. There are Bible studies and English classes six days a week. They continue to clean up the property, including construction mess from building the second Activity Center and the new road up on the other side of our property. Pastor Khy Vichet, a former youth leader from our Center (and went to the seminary in Phnom Penh four year ago), graduated in June, 2015, and has returned home to our community, ready for ministry. Pastor Vichet heard the call of God to minister at CCM. Beginning in August he will be on board with us to minister to children and youth alongside with Pastor Cheyrath. Due to the growth at the Center, it is a perfect time for God to send us another worker to this mission field. Please be in prayer for the financial needs for both of these pastors as they serve Him faithfully, changing lives for the Kingdom of God. Shirley and I are grateful for your love and financial support toward this ministry and being partners with us. You can check for more information on our website at ccmnews.org. May you have a blessed summer! Pastor Peter Im

5 Youth Ministry News Dog Days and God Days Melting ice cream, smells of BBQ, and soaking wet children running around wrapped in towels all indicate summer is in full swing. It seems everywhere you look people are taking to the streets, parks, pools, and trails to make the most out of these dog days of summer. First Baptist Church is no different. This summer we are making the most of the weather and the time off turning our dog days into God days. I have the pleasure of going on a few retreats this summer. The first is a ministers retreat focused on learning how to unplug, reflect, and follow a set of daily prayer practices. With this knowledge I hope to lead a similar style of retreat for FBC. The second is the camping trip with the Cambodian members of FBC. I have been invited to plan some youth activities and share a lesson with the general assembly. I am honored to have been asked and glad to have the opportunity to integrate our youth populations more fully. The last excursion is a youth river rafting adventure down the Deschutes River. This is my first time on such a trip so it will be a learning experience for me as well as for the youth. In addition to the rapids, campfire meals, and sleeping along the river bank, we will also be taking this time for retreat. Reflection and meditation is often best when the locale is unfamiliar and there are not the day-to-day distractions that keep one from fully being away. The youth will take advantage of this opportunity to reflect on the last year, what they have learned, and what they want for the future. Through this retreat we will learn how to trust God leading us both down the river and through our lives. The Christian Education team will also be taking some important reflecting time, but in a more planning capacity. We have ordered and receive a new fall curriculum for our young folks called Whirl. It is a wonderful set of lessons that follows the lectionary calendar. preparations. This means that often the kids will be learning the same story downstairs as the adults are learning upstairs. Using these lessons our kids will appreciate the scope of the scripture and learn new and interesting stories they have never heard before. It will also teach them about seasons of the liturgical year such as Advent and Lent as well as special days such as Pentecost. The curriculum comes with a special calendar to walk through Wait, Pastor Chris, what s a lectionary? Glad you asked. The lectionary is a compilation of suggested scriptures for each Sunday service. Every week there is a collection of four scriptures: one taken from the Hebrew Scriptures, a Psalm, a Gospel reading, and a reading from one of the Epistles. The verses usually revolve around a theme such as God provides or the fulfillment of prophecy. The scope of the lectionary spans three years labeled A, B, and C, and then it repeats. Pastor David and I typically use it in our sermon and children s sermon the different seasons and some great videos to go along with the lessons. In order to make this all that it can be, we will need some more volunteer teachers to help with the planning and teaching. You do not need prior experience or a vast knowledge of scripture to help; just a willingness to learn and a love for children. If you feel so called, please come to our Orientation Day on August 13th at Bev Simmons house. Call me at the church or me at cshade@fbc-portland if you are interested. Enjoy your summer while it lasts! Pastor Chris Page 5

6 Member Birthdays Sim Rath...8/1 Link Pittinger... 8/3 Ren Rath... 8/3 Julie Wray... 8/3 Margaret Billeter... 8/4 Claribel Dick... 8/4 Qiu Liang... 8/4 Irene Noyes... 8/5 Sarah Gordon... 8/6 John Hartup... 8/7 Sovathara Yin... 8/7 Jon Bennett...8/11 Rick Miller...8/11 Marie Minderhout...8/11 Monterey Drake... 8/12 Santiago Pena... 8/12 Bruce Dransfeldt... 8/14 Janetta Jonsson... 8/14 Moir Budden...8/15 Jami Bagley... 8/16 Janice Chellis... 8/16 Norman Cole... 8/16 Nissa Wheelock...8/17 Becky Mosley... 8/18 Clarissa Benfield... 8/20 Lucille Luchs... 8/20 Ruhama Organ... 8/20 Ron Fergerson...8/21 Jan Lawson...8/21 Glenn Camper... 8/26 Hobart Bird... 8/27 Brian Lessler... 8/27 Jacqueline Lydston... 8/27 Jim Shadduck... 8/30 Mabbeskal Man...8/31 Continued from page 1 congregation: Christian Otsuki, Michael Baranovich, Eleanor Greer and Adelynd Newberg. Times are changing all around us; commentators ruminate upon the decline of the Church, and truth be told these four sets of new parents are far less likely to stay put in one community and one congregation for decades, as did the four senior saints we just named. But Christ himself promised that his Church would endure, and would represent and bear witness to him through all the changes of history, politics and culture (Matthew 16: 18 19). God and his Christ are faithful through the cycles of our lives. May we offer our grateful faithfulness in return. Dr. David L. Wheeler New babies at First Baptist! 1) Christian Ichiro Otsuki (5/7/15), son of Carlos Otsuki and Marina Montes de Vasconcelos 2) Michael Baranovich (6/17/15), son of Iulia and Max Baranovich 3) Eleanor Ruth Greer (7/9/15), daughter of Emma and Devon Greer 4) Adelynd Grace Newberg (7/13/15), daughter of Annie (Ponce) and Brandon Newberg 1. Christian 2. Michael Hello friends, Just wanted to let you know that Devon and I welcomed our first child, Eleanor Ruth Greer, on July 9! She was 7 lbs and 4 oz, 19.5 inches. Devon is in his last year of ENT residency and I am working as a primary care doctor in Seattle. - Emma (Greer) > 3. Eleanor Page 6 4. Adelynd

7 26 AUGUST 2015 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY Library Hour :30 pm CE Committee Mtg Trumpeter content due 18 Diaconate Meeting Library Hour 26 Trumpeter mailing Dates and times are subject to change. Please contact the FBC office to verify.

8 Periodicals Postage Paid at Portland, OR (USPS ) is published eleven times a year (February December), at First Baptist Church, Portland OR Periodicals postage paid at Portland, Oregon. Postmaster: Send address changes to: 909 SW 11th Avenue Portland, OR Borquist Missionary News Rev. Ann and Bruce Borquist, our special interest missionaries who have been serving in Brazil and will soon serve in Asia with headquarters in New Zealand, have sent grateful thanks for our church s financial support (sent quarterly from the Wilson Trust Funds). They said, Your generous gift for our support makes it possible to train pastors and leaders, equip Brazilian missionaries, and empower churches to reach out to their communities with Jesus love in word and deed. Your gift also helped us to get closer to our support goal, a great relief to us. Recently they have led Servant Leadership training for pastors and church leaders in Western Brazil, and then led training on Integral Evangelism for pastors and leaders in Northern Brazil. Ann and Bruce said, Your prayers and financial support makes this all possible. We praise God for you!