Boy, Do I appreciate Face-to-Face Fellowship!

I was pleased to join Shiloh Basin Community Church for worship on Sunday, while Caroline and our grandchildren attended service at Aims Community Church.  It is nice to see folks face-to-face, even wearing masks, and to praise the Lord together!  It is altogether too easy to let the darkness of winter set in during the pandemic and re-double our excuses for not joining in fellowship when we can.  But I also understand that government mandates and legitimate concerns about illness sometime make it impractical.  So I also appreciate that the Lord has made it possible for most of the InFaith: Northwest Oregon fellowship churches to not only remain open most Sundays, but to also provided alternate ways to join together: Zoom meetings, drive-in services, etc.   What I am missing more is the individual face-to-face meetings with pastors and church leaders that were a regular practice before 2020 threw us for a loop!  I imagine some of you are too…so here’s an opportunity.

Pastors’ Prayer Time is a “Don’t Miss” Opportunity

This month’s Portland pastors prayer time has been switched to Thursday, January 14 at 10 AM at Woodland Park Chapel.  We meet face-to-face with each other and heart-to-heart with the Lord, as we share the needs of the churches and ministry leaders on the field, and lift our voices in praise, thanksgiving, and petition to our Creator.  Please join us, no reservation needed.  Woodland Park Chapel is at 1914 NE 102nd Avenue in Portland.

A Couple Covid-Connected Cancellations and Changes, for Now

• The January 11 NWxNW fellowship meeting that had been planned for Mayger-Downing Community Church has been cancelled, as Mayger and another church in the area have reported a few virus cases in their body. Mayger has cancelled all services for two weeks. We will try again in February. I hope to have a date and location set by next Monday.

• The January 20th pastor’s breakfast at Tollgate Inn has also been cancelled. The restaurant remains closed to indoor dining. The Sandy area pastors are very much missing their time together. We tried a Zoom meeting last month with help from Nancy Austin (Aims Community Church). I appreciated the two church leaders who logged in. We had a great discussion, but I think I will try another approach this time: individual coffee conversations! If you are willing to brave the elements, Tollgate Inn bakery has a few outside seats under cover where we might sip a hot drink and maybe down a doughnut, while wearing warm coats, of course. The invitation is open, and dates and timing are flexible! One-on-one or a couple at a time…I will pick up the tab in exchange for encouraging brother-to-brother conversation. Let us consider how to stimulate one another to good deeds! Drop me a line, thiscox@infaith.org .

Garfield Community Church Pastor Application Deadline: January 15

Please continue to pray that the Lord will bring the Shepherd of His choosing to lead Garfield Community Church.  Board Chairman David Allinger says a couple applications have come in, and they are hoping for a few more to consider before the January 15 deadline.  For details about the application process, and about the church, please contact David Allinger (the allingers2@msn.com ) .

May the Lord meet with you face-to-face and heart to heart in your times with Him this week.

Tom Hiscox, NW Oregon Area Missionary thiscox@infaith.org