Dodge Groundbreaking this coming Sunday!  A groundbreaking and dedication service will be held this coming Sunday, August 7 at 3 PM at Dodge Community Church, 27272 S Hillockburn Road, Estacada. Congregants have been praising God and worshipping on the site in recent weeks, as they anticipate the beginning of construction this summer.  They invite you to come share this special occasion with them and ask that participants bring their own lawn chairs.  The Dodge sanctuary burned to the ground in 2020 as the 138,000 acre Riverside Fire destroyed more than two dozen homes in the rural community.  The church recently received permits for the reconstruction.  Starting almost immediately after the fire, community members and outside donors have been contributing to the rebuilding fund.  Since the fire, the church has appreciated the use of a meeting room on the neighboring Hillockburn Farms property.  But they are praising God to be well on the way to having their own home again!

Mtn Home Upgrades Historic Cemetery
Just down the road from Dodge (about 5 miles away), Mountain Home Church has just wrapped up a small construction job of their own.  Pastor Dan Wentworth says the church has paved a new access into the community cemetery, which the church has managed for decades. The church’s witness for Christ in their community also helps their neighbors maintain a sense of local history and identity as the historic Mountain Home Church, Mtn Home Schoolhouse, and the local cemetery are all under the care of the small church congregation.

Men’s Roundup Deadline this Friday!
Friday, August 5th is the last day for discount registration for Men’s Roundup at Camp Tadmor.  Currently the “full-meals” registration is $135.  But it goes up to $155 on the 6th.  There are also options for limited meal registration at l;ower cost..  Check out the details at www.mensroundup.com .  (Be sure you get the right Roundup info for Camp Tadmor in Oregon…not the event of the same name which is conducted in Texas!)

Sandy Area Pastors’ Breakfast – Aug 17
Pastors and church leaders in the Sandy area are breaking bread again this month at the Tollgate Inn in Sandy.  Join us at 9 AM for good food and uplifting conversation.

 Portland Pastors Prayer – Aug 18 CANCELLED
Be sure to join us in September as we resume our monthly time of going before the Lord together.

 Welcome Jerry Iamurri – Aug 19
Leaders of the twenty or so InFaith affiliated churches in Northwest Oregon are invited to a reception for InFaith’s national executive director, Dr. Jerry Iamurri.  We are hoping a couple folks from each church, and all local InFaith field staff and associates will join us from 6-8 PM at Woodland Park Chapel. Space is limited. RSVP to thiscox@InFaith.org .

Bartruff Personal Finance Seminar Offered in Oregon
If the name Bartruff rings a bell with some of you, it should!  Bryce Bartruff and his son, Dr. Bryce (Duane) Bartruff were both respected leaders in the American Sunday School Union, American Missionary Fellowship and InFaith mission for decades, at the local and national level.  Dr. Bryce (Duane) Bartruff will be back in Oregon in October, speaking October 23rd at Shoreline Community Church in North Bend, and then presenting his personal finance seminar that evening and again on Monday.  He has offered to conduct the same seminar at a church in the Portland area, October 22 (or possibly on an adjacent date) if there is interest.  If your church would be interested in hosting a seminar, please drop me a note, and I will put you in touch with Dr. Bartruff.

 As I write, Caroline and I are preparing for a lunch visit from our friends Douglas and Karen Johnston, missionaries whose Costa Rica-based ministry reaches throughout Latin America and across the oceans into the Middle East.  The Johnstons spoke Sunday at Aims Community Church, where members of Karen’s family (the Wecks) were active for many years. Their occasional visits are always a great reminder that the body of Christ is spread throughout the world through people just like you and me.

 May God bless you as your spread the love of Jesus in your neighborhood and beyond.

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