Sliding Along on a Wintry Tuesday
Yes. I grabbed your attention with a shot of my grandson Arthur. No shame in that! He is a wonderful blessing!
Thanks for your prayers!
Thank you for praying for me as I have been battling asthma and bronchitis for the last month. The Lord is good, and I will get through this. I am quite thankful it is not Covid-19. But if you compare me to a car that usually goes 60 miles an hour, you could say that my air-fuel mixture is so far off I can only go about 30, coughing and sputtering all the way, and sometimes stalling out altogether. So I am not getting quite as far as I usually do, nor as quickly…and I am still limiting in-person meetings and using the internet as much as I can. Thanks for understanding.
Thanks to the dedicated Sunday School Fellowship Board!
I will be at the Sunday School fellowship board’s meeting tonight via Zoom. I am so thankful for this Godly group of guys that is meeting tonight at 5 at Woodland Park Chapel. Though they had to reschedule their gathering because of Saturday’s blizzard and ice storms, these board members are dedicated to seeing the important ministry of SSF properly attended to. Tonight they will be discussing plans for the annual meeting in March, to which all member churches are invited to send two voting representatives. As you consider who will represent your fellowship, please also consider whether you might be willing to serve on the organization’s board, having a significant role in planning and leading the administration of the pastor’s emergency fund, the church building loan program, helping steward the three church facilities held by SSF to assist local churches in their ministry; and helping administer the annual Advance and other ministries that come alongside the work of InFaith: Northwest Oregon.
Join me at the Tollgate tomorrow (Wednesday) morning.
Wednesday, I will be venturing out to attempt some in person meetings…I miss seeing folks face to face! The Sandy Area Pastor’s Breakfast is being turned into an informal drop-in coffee time at the Tollhouse Bakery (next to the Tollhouse Inn Restaurant, where we usually meet). The restaurant is still not available for breakfast, but the bakery is serving coffees and pastries starting early in the morning. So I will be there at 9 AM, bundled up with a heavy coat and a mask, sitting at a table just outside the bakery, and happy to share fellowship with anyone who arrives. I have another meeting at the same table scheduled at 11. I would love to hear how the Lord is working in your fellowships, through pandemic and snowstorms and power outages and everything else Satan can throw at us! The coffee or tea is on me 😊.
And/Or Join us for Prayer Thursday in Portland
I am also planning to join those of you at the Portland Area Pastor’s Prayer Meeting Thursday morning at 10 at Woodland Park Chapel in Portland, Lord willing. I am sure God could still hear us via Zoom. But I am happy pastor Brad Gentry and Rev, Steven Boyle have remained diligent to keep us praying in person as much as possible.
I am not the only InFaith missionary are around here, by the way.
Some of you may not realize that Rev. Steven Boyle of Columbia Community Bible Church is an InFaith Associate. He is a missionary just like me, with a more specific service to Jesus with that church as his primary field. But the “associate” status means he has chosen not to accept financial compensation through InFaith. Another InFaith missionary in the Portland area is Irene Britton, who has served in intercultural ministries for decades through InFaith and is now serving a Mienh community through New Life in Christ Church in Portland. Irene is a “Senior” Missionary, which has something to do with her retirement status (but that gets too complex for me to figure out). All I know is that she is a Godly servant of the Lord, still faithful to the calling she received many years ago. How about you? Maybe the Lord has planted in your heart a desire to serve in a specific ministry to show God’s love in your local community. Maybe it doesn’t fit the “mold” of any other ministry you have seen. If you are not sure where to start, please give me a call (971-645-2777). In addition to showing the love of Jesus through Sunday Schools, Bible studies, youth groups, church camps and chaplaincies, InFaith works with and helps support around 250 missionaries nationwide in what might be thought of as “custom-designed” calling from the Lord. For example, I know of one missionary whose ministry is targeted to at-risk women on the streets in a particular part of Pennsylvania; another who works specifically with firefighters and first-responders in California; I have even heard of one InFaith missionary whose specific calling was to Basque shepherds in remote pastures of Colorado. If you have a ministry passion and need some help putting structure to your calling or logistics to your funding, InFaith may be able to help you. I would be happy to point you in the right direction to get started.
Join me for a Laugh online this Thursday Night as Well
You will also be joining hundreds of other InFaith supporters from through the country for a free evening with Christian comedian Brad Stine. The festivities also include an online auction of rather unique gifts and experiences from around the country. For details, click on the graphic to the right…and learn how to join in the fun! That’s this Thursday night at 7:30 (So I will be missing the Garfield Community Church Board meeting that night…but I will laugh for you folks!)
May the Lord bless you in your service to Him this week!
Tom Hiscox, NW Oregon Area Missionary thiscox@infaith.org