When most of us think about the Christmas story, we picture a neatly packaged nativity scene with a little baby Jesus lying in a manger and Mary, Joseph, some shepherds and a few animals standing nearby.  Yet, the events leading up to and following the birth of Jesus were anything but neat and tidy.  In fact, the birth of Jesus was mixed with messiness and controversy.  You can feel the tension in Matthew 1:18-19 as he describes Mary's pregnancy and Joseph's contemplation of divorce.  Then in chapter 2 of Matthew, we read how King Herod, after being outwitted by the wise men, ordered the massacre of every boy in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and younger.  This act by King Herod forced Mary, Joseph and the newly born Jesus to flee to Egypt.

Much like the Christmas story of the Bible, many of us may feel torn between the excitement of the birth of Jesus and the global turmoil of today.  May I offer one suggestion:  allow the Incarnation of Jesus to move you toward a deep-rooted faith in a Savior who indwells his people through the Holy Spirit.  God is with us.  We can live confidently and victoriously, knowing that Jesus came to "save his people from their sins".

Join us this Sunday at 9:30am, as we continue our Advent series titled, Rediscovering Christmas.  This Sunday, we will focus on the word "Peace".  Is peace merely the absence of trouble?  For Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus, trouble was all around them and yet, they were able to experience peace, as they waited on God to reveal His perfect plan...in His perfect time!  Come and discover how you can experience the same peace as Mary and Joseph, a peace not based on our circumstances; but rather, a peace based on a God who pardons, a God who is with us, a God who guides us and a God who provides for us. 

As we gather for our in-person service, Parkside church staff and leadership will be wearing masks and we are asking everyone to do the same.  Please consider joining us this weekend at 9:30am...and don't forget your mask!

I want to invite you to stick around after our service for two opportunities to connect.  The first is with each through one of our on-campus discipleship classes that meet at 10:45am. (see details below)

• Topic:  A Study in the book of James
• Topic:  A Study in the book of Mark

The second opportunity is to connect with our surrounding community.  See the message below from Pastor Roger.

Let’s go a caroling!
 
I will be passing out song with words as we sing acapella style. You’ll know these songs haha!
 
We’ll meet at Beaverton Lodge (12900 SW 9TH ST) AT 12:15pm to sing in the front entryway. Parking is limited so I recommend a nice short walk or carpooling.
 
After we sing at Beaverton Lodge (12:30ish), we’ll take a 5-minute walk over to Creekside Village (5450 SW Erickson Avenue) to sing. Use the main entryway.
 
If you have a fun Christmas hat, shirt, scarf, etc., please wear it!  We want to be festive and bring to cheer to everyone we see.
 
Once we finish with these two locations, we’ll walk (or drive) to 1st & Watson. There is some parking but limited. Meet in the commons (right next to Lionheart Coffee: 4590 SW Watson) at 1pm. We’ll sing one last time. Once we are finished singing, there are plenty of restaurants around us or you can head out.
 
See ya Sunday!
 
Roger

Thank you for continuing to pray for Parkside Fellowship.

See you Sunday.

Pastor Doug

This week's edition of TAB comes from Florence, Oregon.  Larry Annes and I arrived yesterday (Friday) for a two day conference sponsored by the Oregon Mission Coalition.  One of our General Session speakers is Randy Adams who will be speaking on "Blessing the City:  A Biblical Model for Ministry in the Northwest".  Please pray for all the speakers, pastors and church leaders, as we continue to pursue God's design for His church.

Join us this Sunday at 9:30am, as we continue our summer series, FOCUSED.  We tend to be amazing learners when it comes to knowing Jesus, but how can we become better abiders in Christ?  Abiding in Christ happens as we make space in our lives, so the words of Jesus can transform us.  The transforming power of Jesus is most effective when we make him the most important thing in our lives and in our hearts.  Consider reading John 15:1-12 in preparation for this week's worship gathering.  After reading John 15:1-12, below are some questions to consider:

1.  What is currently the focal point of our lives?

2.  What do we need to get rid of, or push aside, so that Jesus can have space in our lives and the kind of space that allows Him the freedom to continue the transformation process that began when we invited him into our hearts?

Note:  Based on the most current CDC and OHA Guidelines, our Sunday service continues to meet at 9:30am, with two options for participating.

1.  Attend our live "in-person" gathering.  Masks are recommended, regardless of vaccination status.

2.  We value our online church community and will continue to livestream our church service at 9:30am for those who wish to participate. 

After the service, at 10:45am, we invite you to join our "after-church" discipleship class on the book of Revelation.  The book of Revelation unveils the glory of Jesus Christ.  Written by the Apostle John, Revelation is a reminder to remain faithful and trust God, even when things around us don't make sense. 

See class details below: 

Discipleship Study:  Revelation (The Christian's Ultimate Victory)
10:45am to 11:45am
In-person and on zoom
Zoom Link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81594772166  (the zoom link has changed from previous weeks)

Finally, attached is this week's prayer letter.

See you Sunday.

Pastor Doug