September 2018 September 1 3 (Sat Mon) September 2 (Sun) September 3 (Mon) September 7 (Fri) September 8 (Sat) September 9 (Sun) September 10 (Mon) September 12 (Wed) September 15 (Sat) September 16 (Sun) September 22 (Sat) Labor Day Weekend Mission Report Labor Day Men s Coffee Ministry Trip @ 10am, Car Show at the Art Museum NEED: First Day Rally Day Staff Meeting @ 930 am UMW Executive Meeting @ 11 am UMW Circle @ 12 Noon Serving Day Saturday @ 11:00 am New Member Sunday Game Night & Potluck @ 6 pm INSIDE: Monthly Highlights Pgs. 2-4 What s Happening Pg. 5 Joyful Moments Pg. 6 Movie Review Pg. 7 Class Offerings Pg. 8 Pastor s Note Pgs. 9-10 *************Weekly Events************** Walking Group Mondays @ 9:30am Men s Coffee Thursday @ 10:00 am Calendar Your Notes Pg. 11 Pg. 12 1 Notes, Articles, and Updates to The Messenger: 503.232.8500 www.taborheightschurch.org Email to church@taborheightschurch.org 6161 SE STARK ST. PORTLAND OREGON 97215
Mission Trip: La Victoire, Haiti 2
Mission Trip: La Victoire, Haiti 3
Mission Trip: La Victoire, Haiti I would like to express gratitude from the Haiti mission team. We are thankful for your support and I will briefly share about the trip. We left Portland August 17, Saturday, around 7:00 p.m. and arrived at the airport of Cap Haitien, Haiti, on Sunday around 12:30 p.m. It was such a long trip from Portland to Haiti; three different flights and of total 15 hours. However, the three of us were in wonderful and healthy conditions and spirits. Of course, Nick s suitcase was the last one on the conveyer belt! Pastor Evens Paul and the assistant director Jordany were waiting for us outside of the airport. We drove about three hours on a rocky road to get to La Victoire, the town where Pastor Evens was born and raised. We offered three days of Vacation Bible School for 200 local children, three days of English classes for 15 high schoolers, and set up a library at Fitzgerald Christian Academy in La Victoire, Haiti. Also, I was blessed to share a message at their Wednesday evening service at Mission church. It was such an intense trip but a fruitful and an amazing time for us to witness the love of God to all God s children, even those who are in a critical condition of poverty. We have been assured how blessed we are as we expressed Christ s love to all God s children, as the mission statement at Tabor Heights proclaims. We appreciate your prayers and financial support. May God bless and guide us to be a part of His work in Haiti continually. Mia Park 4
Serving Saturday, September 15th at 10 am It s that time of the month, once again! Come and let s spiffy up our sanctuary, inside and out!! See you there! September 3rd, Monday Labor Day, please celebrate safely!! Men s Coffee Ministry Friday, September 7th, at 10 am All men in the congregation are invited to join the Men s Coffee Ministry for a car show at the Art Museum. Meet up here at 10, and then ride out in the church bus. Rally Day, September 9th Come and join us as we recognize our teachers and class staff during worship service. A celebratory potluck will follow. New Member Recognition, Sunday September 16th We will officially welcome and recognize the newest members of our faith community. Game Night and Potluck, Saturday September 22nd at 6 pm Game Nights will be held the 4th Saturday of the month, in the Annex downstairs. See Joanne Buck or Gloria Lambert for more info about potluck themes. September 22nd @ 9 am United Methodist Women 2018 Annual Meeting Now known as Celebration, will feature Dr. Allen Buck as keynote speaker. 2019 Unit Pledge Cards will be accepted at the meeting. Salad potluck lunch. Wilshire United Methodist Church 3917 NE Shaver Street 5 Portland, OR 97212
Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again rejoice! Philippians 4:4 Your Celebrations are important for us to recognize with our family in Christ: Please do not be reluctant to let us know if yours is missing on the monthly edition of Messenger by sending a note to: church@taborheightschurch.org Wedding Anniversaries Tom & Suzanne Lohkamp, 12 Marvin & Joyce Doering, 16 Pete & Sandra Morrell, 22 Birthdays in September Matthew Schenk, 5 Joanne Dobrinski, 13 Jeff Carpenter, 25 6
A Movie Review By: Jim Buchanan & Char Blakely Mamma Mia: Here we go again Definitely a musical, with new key cast members, but many previous participants. The story has a consistency with the original, but several opportune sidelines that makes up for gaps in the original. It s a film that gives musical fans lots to enjoy with both singing and dancing and is totally imaginative, such as the boat entourage. The final, without giving it away, is a wonderful enchanted play upon times: now, past, and future. I recommend this movie, if you like musicals, nostalgia and seeing actors in non-transitional roles. Adrift (Starring: Shailene Woodley and Sam Claflin) A young couple is hired to sail a 44 ft yacht from Tahiti back to San Diego. The owners furnished the boat and pay well. They get halfway and run into Hurricane Raymond. They struggle to control the yacht in 145 knot winds. The yacht is badly damaged. Eventually, the food is gone and they end up surviving on peanut butter. It takes 41 days for the yacht to eventually limp in to Hawaii. It s a very good movie. I m not a sailor so I m sure I missed some of the important facts. It is rated R but I don t know why. No bad language or violence. I think it is OK for children, although, you may never get them into a boat again. Tabor Heights United Methodist Church 6161 SE Stark St. Portland OR 503. 232.8500 www.taborheightschurch.org 7
Ongoing Classes at THUMC A Fireside Class Lecture Series on Martin Luther By: Dula Baker The Fireside Sunday School class began the lecture series/discussion Luther: Gospel, Law, and Restoration in July and, after August break, will continue with Lecture 4: Young Luther Against Himself on September 2nd. You are invited to join us for these informative and interesting lectures given by Professor Phillip Cary of Eastern University in Pennsylvania. Martin Luther (1483-1546) is the founding figure of the Protestant Reformation, the decisive break from the medieval Catholic church. He attacked many abuses of the church, especially the papacy. The source of his religious vision was a deep inner struggle of conscience: He was terrified that God would ultimately reject him for his sins. In the Bible, he found a word of God that he called Law, which increased his terror, but he also found another word of God that he called Gospel, the good news and promise of mercy in Christ, which banished all his fears. His famous doctrine of justification by faith alone meant that people were freed from anxious attempts to justify themselves by doing the works of the Law or seeking grace from the hierarchical administration of the church. The Reformation resulted from Luther s efforts to make sure everybody had an opportunity to hear this good news. The making of the Protestant church was not an easy task and there were many critics who disagreed with Luther s beliefs regarding the Eucharist, infant baptism, and predestination. We will also hear of a fierce and abusive side of Luther as he attacks his opponents as if they were spokesmen for the devil a tendency that reaches depths of vileness in his writings against the Jews. By any measure, the legacy of Luther is mixed: There is much for even Catholics to learn from and even Protestants to be ashamed of. Discipleship Fast Track, By Dorothy Glynn Every Sunday morning at 9:30 am I will be leading Discipleship Fast Track classes in the conference room, starting September 9th. We will be doing a Bible Study with a focus on applying the teachings to our daily life. This is a discussion class, sharing our insights and questions on the given passages. Our aim is to lead an empowered and vital life so that we will be ready and willing to share our Spiritual Story when opportunities rise. All are welcome! Tabor Heights United Methodist Church 6161 SE Stark St. Portland OR 503. 232.8500 www.taborheightschurch.org 8
From the Pastor I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15: 5 Let Go and Let God! A cage containing a banana with a hole large enough for a monkey's hand to fit in, but not large enough for a monkey's fist (which is clutching a banana) to come out; anecdotally used to catch monkeys that lack the intellect to let go of the banana and run away. It can be a perfect image in which we may often find ourselves stuck with our daily challenges, such as finance, housing, job searching, and health issues. Instead, we need to stick with Jesus and His promise for bearing much fruit; we literally cannot avoid or unstick ourselves from the many worries, old habits, and negativities we re facing today. A person known as the greatest investor said, Change is the investor s only certainty. This statement helps me to change things that are very certain. In fact, it reminds me of a very simple truth that any CHANGE must begin with me and it often starts with a little step of Letting go of things that I grasp so tightly. 9
From the Pastor continued So, this a change is one that I have made with my family. I created a Phone Station at the corner of our kitchen where all phones and electronic devices are getting charged. So, as soon as we come home from work or school, we all have to put our phones in the charger in the Phone Station. That means anyone of us cannot hold one s phone in a pocket, a purse, or even in any room; we have to leave the phone in the phone station. Can you imagine how much of a challenge that is not being able to take a phone call immediately, but having to go to the phone station to pick up your phone call or text? Yes, I do remember having a landline phone that I had to get to in order to answer a phone call. It seems a little thing, but I can tell you how challenging it is still and also how revolutionary it is. On one hand, I have to admit that it is very challenging for me not to respond to any text or email immediately, especially when I find out about it 30 minutes later. Can you imagine how often I come back and forth to the phone station to check out the phone, sometimes out of habit? On the other hand, my family is now able to set a time for an evening prayer before we go to bed, without any phone or electronic device. We are now able to share what we re grateful for this day and what we re hoping for tomorrow. Friends, I humbly share with you that it is hard to create a new thing as a change, but it may be much easier to let go of things as a change. If we empty ourselves first, instead of occupying ourselves with many worries and concerns, we might find room in ourselves for the Holy Spirit, who comes with much fruit and wants to fill and refill us. May the Lord our God bless you as you re beginning a new season and adventure in Christ Jesus today! Blessings, Pastor John 10
SEPTEMBER2018 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 WEEK 2 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Sunday School 9:30am Walking group 9am Mens coffee 10am: Art Museum WEEK Worship 11am Mission Report 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 3 Sunday School 9:30am Walking group 9am Staff Meet 930 am Men s coffee 10am WEEK Worship 11am Rally Day &Potluck UMW Exec Meet 11 am UMW Circle at 12Noon Serving Day 10am 4 WEEK 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Sunday School 9:30am Worship 11am New Member Recognition Walking group 9am Mens coffee 10am NEED 10-130pm Game Night & Potluck 6pm 23/30 24 25 26 27 28 29 5 Sunday School 9:30am Walking group 9am WEEK Worship 11 am Pastor Joh: Chicago Pastor Joh: Chicago GGC 11 Fundraiser
Praise and Prayers: Personal Reflections 12