Easter Offering 18. A Publication of First Baptist Church. April 2018 Volume 80, No. 4

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1 April 2018 Volume 80, No. 4 The Trumpeter A Publication of First Baptist Church Portland, Oregon Easter Offering 18 For in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died (1 Corinthians 15: 20). This is the last Trumpeter article I will be writing as the senior pastor of First Baptist Church. And I write at a time when we are grieving the loss of saints who walked in our midst: Paul Barnett, Jan Lawson, Steve Owens, Dorothy Picard, Betty Jean Spence. I write at a time when old certainties about our church, our nation and our world seem up for grabs. But precisely at a time such as this we dare to proclaim the amazing basis of our Christian faith: Christ was dead, and now he is alive. And in Christ we and our loved ones will not all sleep [in death] but we will all be transformed (1 Corinthians 15:51). The apostle Paul s enumeration of eye witnesses to the resurrection and his explanation of its absolute centrality to our faith, as found in 1 Corinthians 15, is the oldest written testimony to the resurrection. 1 Corinthians was written in the early 50 s A.D., before any of the four Gospels, and many of Jesus original companions the witnesses to the founding events of the Christian movement were still part of the communities of believers. Still, our modern skepticism balks at Paul s narrative. (It is harder to balk at his argumentation. What good would it be to bet your life on illusion?) And yet no matter how far the natural sciences go in explaining the processes of life and the dimensions of our universe, Continued on page 6 First Baptist Church has sustained ministry for and with Cambodians since the first refugees arrived in Portland from the Killing Fields in 1975, and Pastor Peter Im has given leadership to our own congregation and to Cambodian Christians throughout the Pacific Northwest since Since 2007, Pastor Peter, members of our congregation, and Christian colleagues in Cambodia have been cooperating to raise up a prophetic ministry in the name of Jesus in the rural Melum Commune in north central Cambodia. In this impoverished area, 30% of the children have dropped out of school by the end of elementary school and another 20% by the end of middle school. Less than 10% of the young people have the educational background and the emotional and material support to continue on to college or university. Continued on page 6

2 The Trumpeter Sermon Schedule April 1 We Have Seen the Lord Isaiah 25: 6 9 John 20: 1 18 Easter Sunday Combined Service April 8 Stay Together! Psalm 133 John 20: April 15 We Are Witnesses Luke 24: Communion Sunday Combined Service April 22 Rev. Steve Bils preaching April 29 The Hallelujah Surprise Psalm 139 Luke 24: Hallelujah Sunday Rev. Margaret Marcuson preaching SUNDAY 8:45 Contemporary Service 10:00 Sunday School for all ages 11:00, Sanctuary Cambodian language, Rose Chapel Children s Church for ages 3 through 2nd Grade 5:00 & 7:00 pm: A Jesus Church: MONDAY SATURDAY 6:00 8:00 am: Eye Opener (AA meeting) MONDAY & THURSDAY 2:00 4:00 pm: Drop-In Center TUESDAY : Dinner And A Movie THURSDAY 7:00-8:00 pm: Downtowners (AA meeting) FRIDAY Office closed 6:00 pm: FOCUS Weekly Events April 2018 SATURDAY 8:30 10:30 am: Cambodian Men s Fellowship Bible Study The Trumpeter (USPS ) is published twelve times a year (January December). Find us on the web: and The next Trumpeter deadline is April 16, Please send articles to jchastain@fbc-portland.org Page 2 Dr. David L. Wheeler Senior Pastor Peter Im Cambodian Ministries Chris Shade Associate Pastor Travis Hatton Music Director Keith Ponce Facilities and Events Manager Cathy Francis Business Administrator Jason Chastain Assistant Business Administrator Rebecca Christensen, Kathleen Chastain Reception

3 The Trumpeter Dorothy Pickard April 2018 FBC Mexico Mission Trip 2018 January 30, 1918 March 12, 2018 Dorothy Ruth Dunn was born in Starkville, Mississippi, on January 30, She was raised in Panama as her father was a chemist in charge of water purification on the Atlantic side during the building of the Panama Canal. Dorothy came back to the States to attend college, graduating from Incarnate Word College in San Antonio, Texas, magna cum laude. She married William Pickard in San Antonio in 1939, having met him at the First Baptist Church there. They immediately moved to Portland, Oregon, and began attending the First Baptist Church. Except for a two year stint working and living in Dryden, Texas, Dorothy lived in Portland the rest of her life. She was involved in church activities as long as she was able, including being on the prayer chain for many years after she became home-bound. Dorothy is survived by her 3 children, Jim, Carol and Susi, daughter-in-law, Donna, daughter-in-love, Claudia, son-in-law, Carl, 5 grandchildren and 4 greatgrandchildren. Her husband, Bill, and son-in-law, Bill, preceded her in death. Saturday, June 23 Thursday, June 28 For more information contact Pastor Chris Shade cshade@fbc-portland.org Thank you, Ruhama! FBC member Ruhama Organ recently donated her collection of FBC print materials, spanning many years. Many of the items she saved helped fill gaps in our records, and in the case of duplicate documents, the condition of her materials exceeded the condition of ours. Thank you, Ruhama, for your thoughtfulness and diligence. Students from Sonoma State University's Alternative Break team stayed at FBC for a week in March, working with social justice groups in the area. Page 3

4 The Trumpeter April 2018 One of the new additions to the youth group is not a person, but rather a box, a Question Box to be exact. In it students place anonymous questions. Then each week I choose a Question of the Day from the box for discussion. This week, as students all over the country are walking out of class and marching in response to gun violence, the questions and conversation revolved around guns. This may seem like a heavy subject for a newsletter, but it is a issue at the forefront of nearly every school-age person or parent with a child in school. In my discussion with the youth, in reading articles from both sides, and talking to family members who are proud gun owners, I recognize this issue is complex. Emotions run high when students see their friends shot to death. They want to look to someone or something to blame and guns seems to be the most obvious. After all, guns, particularly assault weapons, were used in nearly every one of these tragic incidents. They are more easily obtained and more reliable than homemade bombs (also used), and they are prevalent. Gun advocates claim it is absurd to put blame on an inanimate object. They are quick to point out that most gun crimes (some statistics rate it as high as 97%) are not committed with legal guns, so more gun laws would have little effect on criminals who obtain guns illegally. Because fear of danger and a desire for safety drives a response, the solution becomes: More guns. Arm the teachers. Arm the churches. The only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. I think the answer to the issue on the political level, like all things, probably resides somewhere in the middle. Better background checks need to be done on gun buyers. Databases need to be maintained, updated, and approved buyers narrowed. More attention needs to be paid to people who try to obtain guns illegally. Gun safety needs to be a priority of every gun seller and owner. But beyond logical and enforceable gun legislation, what strikes me the most is how the two sides view the world. On the one hand you have people who are shocked and horrified by the violence in the schools and wish to take the guns away. They don't see a civilized society that glorifies and perpetuates gun culture. On the other hand Page 4 Peaceable Kingdom you have a group of people who are primarily concerned with their safety and see the world as a dangerous place, one in which it is unrealistic to live without protection. I have been trying to hold these two ways of seeing the world in balance with one another. Can we create peace while also providing safety? Is it possible to deplore and reject weapons without making oneself a target of violence? In looking at the Bible, it is hard (and ignorant) to hold it up as a unifying message of peace. Many of the stories of God s chosen people involve violent and aggressive bloodshed. War was a constant threat, and in order to create lasting stability, violence was justified. Amongst these stories of violence, however, abide scriptures lifting up the idea of peace as being the ultimate desire of a loving God. I think of Isaiah 2:4 where the prophet claims swords will be beaten into plowshares. Or Isaiah 11 featuring the lion laying down with the lamb in the peaceable kingdom of the shoot of Jesse. I think of Jesus (the Prince of Peace ) in the Garden of Gethsemane telling Peter to put away his sword. I don't believe that we will ever truly be safe on this Earth because there will always be selfish desires and those who have a warped view of reality. However, claiming the world is flawed does not justify a life of fear, armament, and a constant readiness for retaliation. There is an old saying that says when you have a hammer, everything becomes a nail. Similarly, when you have a gun, targets are everywhere. The world is simplified into groups of attackers and defenders. How can peace, forgiveness and reconciliation, the cornerstones of the Kingdom of God, exist in a world viewed this way? If we truly want to be messengers of God s peace, we also need to be proponents of a Peaceable Kingdom. Rev. Chris Shade "Peaceable Kingdom" (Edward Hicks, American, )

5 The Trumpeter April 2018 Cambodian Ministry News I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. 1 John 5:13 On behalf of the Cambodian children and the board In March, our Cambodian members joyfully joined the members of the Cambodian Children Ministry, I would Easter celebration of Khmer Christian Pacific Northwest like once again express our sincere thanks to FBC leadership group in Tacoma. and your Easter offering this year supporting this ministry. Not many of us can go to the mission field, but your offerings will be reaching out to that land and be enabling faithful servants to bring the gospel, changing the lives to many people daily. I also thank our living Lord and Savior for our church leadership changing the lives of our children here at FBC as well. They continue to grow in the Word weekly. Thank you, Bev Simmons, for your leadership. We are so sad for Dr. David and Mrs. Carol Wheeler leaving us this month to another teaching ministry at the seminary, but we are so blessed to have them for over eleven years leading us during this challenging period of ministry. Dr. Wheeler excellently brought us his leadership skill in many ways among the diversity of our church ministries including his teaching and preaching. On behalf of the Cambodian department and CCM, we sincerely thank our God for both of their spiritual gifts they showed us with loving kindness during their ministry here at FBC. We pray that God will be glorified wherever they faithfully serve Him. Thank you, Dr. David and Mrs. Carol Wheeler! This April, we are gladly looking to celebrate their service with us. All of the programs of CCM are overseen by our new general director, Pastor Channdet Phach. There are programs such as worship services for children and adults, visitation, evangelism outreach, Khmer and English classes, Bible studies, sports activities, computer classes, nutrition, and facility management are active and growing. Through CCM, so much is being done to assist people, both children and adults. Our ultimate goal is to bring the love of God to their community. We thank you all for consistency of your prayer and financial contribution toward this ministry. We thank you all for joining our Easter breakfast as a gesture of appreciation for your Easter offerings toward the development of this ministry this year. Also please come and join our Dinner & Auction on Saturday, May 4:30 pm. Please contact our church or me for your reservation. More information is available online as well. If the Lord is willing for you, your family and friends to join our mission trip this November, please contact me as soon as possible for us to get you ready for this life-changing mission trip. May you have a blessed spirit time! Rev. Peter Im Page 5

6 The Trumpeter MEMBER BIRTHDAYS Mark Simmons...4/2 Jay Fooks...4/3 Terry Logerwell...4/4 Kathy Reiner...4/4 Monica Schroeder...4/4 Roberta Wells...4/4 Lance Whitlock...4/4 Charles Long...4/5 Richard McGuirk...4/5 Claudia Papagolos...4/5 Run Yep...4/5 Rick Loomis...4/6 John Terry...4/6 Arvina Mulia...4/7 Ricardo Perez...4/7 Richard Tillman...4/7 Brad Bishop...4/8 Kenny Schroeder...4/8 Sarah Cambridge...4/9 Sophia Chan...4/9 Kacrna Khut...4/10 Eunice Schleiger...4/10 Irene Callahan...4/11 Robert Raleigh...4/11 Burdette Younglund...4/11 Raquel Refuerzo...4/12 Bev Simmons...4/12 Jeannette Fischer...4/13 Ana Martinez...4/13 Cynthia Anzo...4/14 Reynold Louie...4/14 Courtney Schroeder...4/14 Sueanne Townley... 4/15 Renee' Lambert...4/16 Sean Paul...4/16 Roxane Divine...4/17 Darlene Nelson...4/17 Beth Thomas...4/17 Ruth Boughner...4/18 Laura Lee...4/18 Siri Schillios...4/18 Maria Gherasim...4/19 Cynthia Johnson...4/19 Karen Johnson...4/19 Harold Russell...4/20 Mary Baker...4/21 Phi Bang...4/21 Rick Swenson...4/21 David Gifford...4/22 Jeovany Refuerzo...4/23 Robert Enloe...4/24 Lorna Littleman...4/26 Jim Noyes...4/26 Chris Shade...4/26 Anthony Preston...4/27 Norma Kennedy...4/28 Paul Sombath...4/28 Craig Lawson...4/29 Sara Caballero...4/30 Alice Long...4/30 the very fact that we are, and that this amazing world of which we are a part is, in all of its astounding diversity, is a miracle beyond imagining. According to scripture, the heavens and the earth are the joyful, exuberant, intentional handiwork of our Creator. They burst into being as the product of the Creator s love. And we humans bear in our hearts and minds the imprint of that love; we are fitted by nature to be the Creator s partners in enjoying and caring for created reality. So then it is a small thing and yet it is everything that the One who loved us into being will never let us go, will enter into our brokenness and take upon himself the curse of death, that we may live. Death has been swallowed up in victory (1 Corinthians 15: 54). Precisely as God s partners, we are the witnesses of the resurrection and the heralds of God s renovation and perfection of the entire creation. For behold, I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away (Revelation 21:1). And, my dear friends, when we live together in kindness and sharing and mutual understanding across boundaries of social class, race, politics and personal history, we provide a preview of the new heavens and the new earth, which are even now springing forth from death and division through the power of the resurrection. Dare to believe it; dare to live it! And I will see you along the way. Your brother in Christ, Dr. David L. Wheeler April 2018 Continued from page 1 EASTER, Continued from page 1 Cambodian Children s Ministry provides three nutritious meals a week for several hundred poor children, and offers classes in Cambodian and English, musical training, gardening and sports activities. Most important, the children engage in Bible study, and undertake ministry activities on site and in local churches and surrounding communities. The children come from Christian and non-christian families, and they are all introduced to Jesus, and the parents love it because their children are loved and blessed. This past November a team of eleven members and friends of First Baptist Church, carrying with them 1000 school supply packages, went to Cambodia to witness firsthand the impact of the ministry. For an annual budget of $12,000, CCM sustains seven paid staff, and procures the food, school supplies and medical items necessary to bless the lives of these children. While our team was there, 1000 people gathered to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the ministry. We are honored to dedicate our 2018 First Baptist Church Easter Offering to Cambodian Children s Ministry. Dr. David L. Wheeler Page 6

7 1 SUNDAY 9:00 10:45 am Easter Breakfast Sunday School EASTER SUNDAY 2 MONDAY 3 APRIL 2018 TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY Business Meeting 12:30 pm Paul Barnett Memorial Service :00 pm Exectutive Committee Sunday School 12:30 pm Dr. and Mrs. Wheeler Farewell Reception 16 7:00 pm Worship Committee Trumpeter content due 17 7:00 pm Diaconate Meeting :00 pm C.E. Meeting :00 am Men's Breakfast 22 Sunday School Trumpeter mailing Sunday School 1 Bowling Extravaganza 30 HALLELUJAH SUNDAY Dates and times are subject to change. Please contact the FBC office to verify

8 (USPS ) is published twelve times a year (January December), at First Baptist Church, Portland OR Periodicals postage paid at Portland, Oregon. Postmaster: Send address changes to: The Trumpeter 909 SW 11th Avenue Portland, OR COME SAY FAREWELL TO Dr. David and Carol Wheeler SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 2018 FOLLOWING THE 11:00 AM SERVICE