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After his miraculous, bodily resurrection from the grave, Jesus spent forty days on earth, mainly with His disciples. It must have been an incredible time for these men and women as they spent time with their resurrected Savior; because now, with a living breathing Jesus, all the hope, all the confidence, and all the dedication to the mission and message suddenly returned. What an amazing experience it must have been! Oh, how I would have loved to have been there to witness the reactions of those who went from the dark despair of a crucified Christ to the overwhelming joy of a risen Lord...all in a matter of days!
How do you respond to the resurrection of Jesus? What do we do with a resurrected Savior? What was unleashed when Jesus rose from the dead and walked out of the tomb? This Sunday at 9:30am, we will continue with our Unleashed series. This week, we will focus our attention on the depth and breadth of the Good News. We will be diving into Colossians 1:15-20, where the apostle Paul provides for us one of the earliest distinctly Christian hymns written in praise of Christ. In the same spirit of "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name", or "Crown Him with Many Crowns", Paul's purpose was to crown Christ Lord of all. Take time this weekend to read Colossians 1:15-20. Its words are packed with deep reverence for Christ and profound theological truth. It focuses on the unique person and work of Jesus, underscoring the absolute sufficiency of Christ as Lord! Join us this Sunday at 9:30am and together, let's declare that Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Also, consider staying after the service and attending our adult discipleship class that begins at 10:45am. Pastor Roger will be leading this week, as he introduces a brand-new study that will be led by Martha Bailey. Don't miss it! Thank you for being a church that prays for one another. See you Sunday. Pastor Doug I want to thank all of those who attended our church's annual meeting last Saturday and took the time to vote on our 2022 proposed church budget. The budget passed with 100% approval.....God is good!
Also, both Shirley Andersen and Mark Hester were confirmed to the church council with 100% approval. If you were not able to attend the meeting, I presented a theme for the year...Re--Engage! This year, I'm asking our church family to Re--Engage in three specific areas.
Join us this Sunday at 9:30am, as Larry Annes speaks on being Alive in God's Love. He will be sharing from I John 2, where the Apostle John reminds us how destructive and deadly sin can be. The good news is we have a God who is for us and sent us an advocate in Jesus to extract us from the penalty of sin and walk alongside us in our walk with God. Please join us and yes, masks will still be required to attend. Also, consider staying after the service and joining one of our adult Sunday School classes. We have two opportunities for you to connect in community:
While technology makes many new things possible and many old things easier, it limits intimate, personal relationships. It limits true Christian Koinonia. The digital age must never replace the personal relationships God intends for us as part of His body, the church. There is no substitute for being together. There is nothing that can compare to using one's gifts to bless, encourage, share with, and pray for other believers in person. God calls us to be the church--personally. Look at what Paul wrote about the power of being together. "God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart by spreading the Good News about his Son. One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you. For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord. When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours." Romans 1:9-12 Join us this Sunday at 9:30am, as together, we encourage one another! Special Announcement: Mask Required Mandate will end on Sunday, March 13th. From the very beginning of the pandemic, our church leadership has been committed to following the guidelines and rules set forth by both the CDC, the Oregon Health Authority and our state leaders. On Monday, February 28th, Governor Brown made the announcement that Oregon would be joining with California and Washington in lifting the indoor mask mandate on March 12th. This means that on Sunday, March 13th, we will no longer require that you wear a mask in order to attend an event at Parkside Fellowship (either indoor or outdoor). Our church leadership has been diligent to follow all COVID-19 related guidelines and will continue to do so in the future. Again, beginning Sunday, March 13th, Parkside Fellowship will no longer require that you wear a mask inside our building. NOTE: Masks will still be required this Sunday, March 6th! Please pray for the needs of those in our church family. For His Glory, Pastor Doug Happy New Year Parkside Family!
As we close the book on 2021, I don't think anyone would argue that the last two years have been filled with loss, disappointment, hope, confusion, frustration and constant changes. The pandemic has forever changed our world and yet we will gather this Sunday to thank God for a brand-new year. Like the beginning of 2021, many are speculating that 2022 will turn out to be better than 2021, but if the pandemic has taught us anything, it's that nothing is certain...except God and His love for us! COVID-19 may have changed our world, but it cannot change my God. James 1:17 reminds us that God never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He is the Alpha and Omega--the beginning and the end. The God who was and is and is to come! As we begin a brand-new year, let's place our hope and trust in the one who redeems, restores and renews. This is what God does for us when we come to Him and confess our sin. How many times in your life have you wished you could start all over again with a clean slate, with a new life? Resolve right now to allow God to wipe your slate clean by placing your hope and trust in Him and let Him give you a brand-new start to a brand-new year. The apostle Paul did this when he said, "Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Jesus Christ, is calling us." (Philippians 3:13-14) Join us this Sunday at 9:30am, as we launch a brand-new series called, The Gospel: The Story of a Redeeming God. Our story of forgiveness and redemption, although personal to each of us, was never meant to be kept private. The vision behind this series is, as we take a deep-dive into the nature, character and love of God; the person of Jesus Christ; the scope of salvation; and the finality of eternity; that each of us will fall in love with our own place in the gospel story, that will fuel a passion to point others to the work of Christ in our own lives. Join us this Sunday at 9:30am, as we embark on a journey to what the apostle Paul referred to as, "of first importance". 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! Also, our Sunday Discipleship classes will resume this Sunday. (see details below)
Thanks in advance for being a church that values prayer. See you Sunday! Pastor Doug First of all, thanks to everyone who participated in our Good Neighbor Project this past Sunday. We had over 50 people from both Parkside Fellowship and Bedrock Community Church, who came together to love our community through serving. Many of you gathered at the high school, where you cleaned out a ceramics room and picked up trash around the campus. Others of you met at the church in order to sort and fill 72 backpacks with much-needed school supplies. Thanks to all those who donated school supplies, we could not have completed this project without your generosity. Great job everyone!
Has it ever occurred to you that Jesus launched the church, not while people were singing or while someone was preaching, but while people were praying? In the first two chapters of Acts, the disciples were doing nothing but waiting on God to move. As the late expositor Harry Ironside once stated, "When God is going to do some great thing He moves the hearts of people to pray. He stirs them up to pray in view of that which He is about to do so that they might be prepared for it." Just like these early disciples, I want to invite you to set aside time this next week for self-examination through prayer and supplication, so that we might be ready for the tremendous thing that God is going to do in our church. To help facilitate your time of prayer, beginning Tuesday, September 7th through Friday, September 10th, the Fireside Room will be open from 9:00am to 6:00pm each day for individuals/couples/families to come and pray. Each day will have a different prayer focus. These include: love, humility, courage/strength, wisdom/discernment and hope. There will be a communion table, kneeling options, chairs, a table with Bibles labeled with specific scripture based on the days focus and other elements to help guide you during your prayer time. As you consider joining others in our church family for a week of focused prayer, I want to share with you James 5:13-14,16 "Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you...Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results." Please join us this Sunday at 9:30am, as we take a deep dive into the prayer of Nehemiah found in Nehemiah 1:5-11. Prior to our 9:30am service, consider joining us at 8:45am in Pastor Doug's office, for a special time of praying for Parkside and the other churches that meet on our campus. 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. We were created by God to worship and praise Him together, in community, so plan on being at Parkside this Sunday at 9:30am and don't forget your mask! Also, for those that are not able to join us in-person, you can still join us online 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 ONLY See you Sunday. Pastor Doug This week has been especially busy with regards to prayer needs, both within our own church family and within our state. Continue to pray for all those who have been and are being impacted by the devastating fires. Also, pray for rain and that the weather would cooperate as firefighters and frontline workers battle to save homes and lives. Thank you for being a praying church.
This Sunday, we will continue our summer series called, FOCUSED. I believe the word "focused" is a perfect way to describe how Jesus lived his life here on earth. Everything Jesus said or did, from his formal teachings, parables and miracles, to his dinner conversations, were designed to point people to God and His kingdom. Jesus said it best in Matthew 6:33: "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously and he will give you everything you need." In Hebrews 11:6 the author writes these words, "He (God) rewards those who earnestly seek him". Earnest, diligent, sincere, these are all great words to describe how we are to seek after God. In other words, be hungry in your searching, relentless in your pursuit. Don't be satisfied with the stars in the sky. Seek him as the shepherds did. Long for him as Simeon did. Worship him as the wise men did. God rewards those who seek him. Not those who seek doctrine or religion or systems or creeds. The reward is reserved for those who seek nothing less than God Himself. And what is the reward? That we will be given the heart of Jesus (II Corinthians 3:18). Can you think of a better gift than than to be like Jesus? Come this Sunday, focused, ready to seek the face of God, so that we can be changed through the power of the Holy Spirit into the likeness of His Son, Jesus. Note: Our Sunday service continues to meet at 9:30am, with two options for participating. 1. Attend our live "in-person" gathering. No capacity restrictions, no mask requirements, no COVID protocols to follow! 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, Trudy Reusser will continue her 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) Facilitator: Trudy Reusser 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) See you Sunday. Pastor Doug As most of you are aware, on Tuesday, May 18th, the Oregon Health Authority released updated mask and social distancing guidelines. Based on these guidelines, our church council has adopted the following mask policy for Parkside Fellowship, beginning this Sunday, May 23rd.
Individuals attending church services at Parkside Fellowship, who are fully vaccinated, will not be required to wear a mask or social distance from others who are fully vaccinated. According to the CDC, a person is considered fully vaccinated 14 days after their second dose series, such as Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or 14 days after a single dose vaccine, such as Johnson and Johnson's Janssen vaccine. We ask those who are not fully vaccinated to continue to wear a mask and social distance for your own health and the health of those around you. In addition, anyone who does not yet feel comfortable attending church services without a mask is encouraged to continue wearing a mask or face covering. I don't know about you, but these newest guidelines from OHA provide me with a sense of hope that the end of the pandemic is near and a "new normal" is right around the corner! If you have any questions, please email Pastor Doug at doug.boyd@parksidefellowship.org Then join us on Sunday at 9:30am, as Pastor Doug continues our Fasten Your Seatbelts series. Our focus this week will be on Acts 9, as we peek into the unlikely conversion of Saul of Tarsus, who would later become known as Paul the Apostle. Luke's description of Saul's hatred for Christians drips with intrigue. Earlier, the narrative indicates that Saul had supported the plot to arrest, convict, and stone Stephen. Saul then began a reign of terror in Jerusalem, ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison. Saul's persecution may have lasted as long as 3 years. But instead of destroying the church, his efforts sent the gospel farther, faster. Later on, we will learn how Paul's past actually helped in his newfound role as chief protagonist for Christianity. Please join us at 9:30am, as we gather together to give glory to God for all He has done for us! Also, don't forget to join me in my office at 8:45am for a brief time of prayer before our worship gathering. Note: Our Sunday service continues to meet at 9:30am, with two options for participating.
Note: For our "after-church" zoom gathering, we will be joining Mark Hester, as he continues his discipleship class titled, Informed Christianity. Be sure and join us at 10:45am, in-person or on zoom. See details below on how to join. Discipleship Study: Informed Christianity 10:45am to 11:45am In-person and on zoom Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84125779768 Finally, continue to pray for those in our church family. See you Sunday. Pastor Doug With yesterday being National Day of Prayer, I had the privilege of joining with 5 other pastors for a prayer walk through downtown Portland. One moment that sticks out in my mind was an opportunity our group had to share Jesus with a man named James. James currently lives in transitional housing near PSU. He shared with our group that while he recognizes his sin and his need for forgiveness, he can't understand how Jesus could die for sins that he has not even committed yet. We were able to share with him the complete and eternal forgiveness that was made possible through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. While James did not commit his life to Christ, I am hopeful that he will continue to investigate the forgiveness Jesus offers to everyone and that one day, he will accept Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Until then, please join me in praying for James and your "One" who needs Jesus.
This Sunday, we will continue our Fasten Your Seatbelts series, as we look at the first Christian to be killed for their faith in Jesus. While the life of Stephen only makes up two chapters in Acts, his impact can be felt even today, as churches all around the world struggle to maintain their commitment to fulfilling the Great Commission. Please join us at 9:30am as we will be in Acts 6 and 7. Also, don't forget to join me in my office at 8:45am for a brief time of prayer before our worship gathering. Note: Our Sunday service continues to meet at 9:30am, with two options for participating.
Note: For our "after-church" zoom gathering, we will be joining Mark Hester, as he continues his discipleship class titled, Informed Christianity. This four-week class will combine Bible study with practical application, as Mark explores questions like:
Discipleship Study: Informed Christianity 10:45am to 11:45am In-person and on zoom Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84125779768 Finally, continue to pray for those in our church family. See you Sunday. Pastor Doug Let me begin by thanking Pastor Roger, Pastor Norm and Pastor Avery for joining me last week, as we continued our journey through the book of Acts. I hope you enjoyed hearing from each of these men as they shared their thoughts on what it would look like if our church looked more like the church in Acts.
This week, we will continue our Fasten Your Seatbelts series, as we take a peek into one of the first challenges faced by this brand-new movement called, "The Church". Please join us at 9:30am as we will be in Acts 3 and 4. Also, don't forget to join me in my office at 8:45am for a brief time of prayer before our worship gathering. Note: Our Sunday service continues to meet at 9:30am, with two options for participating.
Note: For our "after-church" zoom gathering, we will be joining a brand-new discipleship class titled, Informed Christianity, led by Mark Hester. This four-week class will combine Bible study with practical application, as Mark explores questions like:
Discipleship Study: Informed Christianity 10:45am to 11:45am In-person and on Zoom Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84125779768 Finally, Wayne Smith passed away yesterday morning. Please pray for Josie and the Smith family as they mourn the loss of Wayne. Even though Wayne is no longer with us, we celebrate his homecoming, knowing that he is in the presence of Jesus. See you Sunday. Pastor Doug I'm excited for this Sunday for two reasons:
Also, don't forget to join me in my office at 8:45am for a brief time of prayer before our worship gathering. Note: Our Sunday service continues to meet at 9:30am, with two options for participating.
Note: For our "after-church" zoom gathering, we will be joining our discipleship class led by Larry Annes. Discipleship Study: Not the Way It's Supposed to Be 10:45am to 11:45am In-person and on zoom Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84125779768 Thanks for keeping Parkside Fellowship a "House of Prayer". See you Sunday. Pastor Doug As the Boyd family continues to mourn the loss of an exceptional pastor's wife, mom and grandmother, I want to thank you for your prayers, cards and words of encouragement. Each day, as I think about my mom, I am drawn back to the words of Jesus in John 14:27...
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid." Peace. Jesus says I give you peace. He says I don't give as the world gives. I don't give expecting something in return. I just give because I love you. Jesus doesn't make empty promises. The peace of this world is the absence of noise or an emptiness, a quietness. Jesus says, My peace means I'm going to be in your life. You'll have a presence and a purpose you never dreamed possible. This Sunday, as we wrap-up our series in John called, Gazing at Glory, our focus will be on John 14. John opens this chapter with these famous words...Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. Join us this Sunday, April 11th, at 9:30am, as we look at the promises Jesus made that will help us navigate the storms of life that causes our hearts to tremble with fear and doubt. Don't forget to join me in my office at 8:45am for a time of prayer before our worship gathering. Note: Our Sunday service continues to meet at 9:30am, with two options for participating. 1. Attend our live "in-person" gathering. No reservations are required and we will continue to follow all necessary COVID guidelines. Please wear a mask so we can keep everyone safe and healthy! 2. We value our online church community and will continue to livestream our church service at 9:30am for those who wish to participate. Note: For our "after-church" zoom gathering, we will be joining our newest discipleship class led by Larry Annes. Discipleship Study: Not the Way It's Supposed to Be 10:45am to 11:45am In-person and on zoom Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84125779768 Thanks for keeping Parkside Fellowship a "House of Prayer". Parkside Family, as you prepare your hearts to be together on Sunday, let me leave you with this prayer... Jesus, we thank you that you understand us. We thank you that you give us answers, that we can talk to you about anything. You answer our prayers, you promise to never leave us. Lord, when we look at the trouble in our lives and what it does to our heart, the storms that it brings, there's part of us that thinks nothing can calm them. But we put our faith in your word. We put our faith in you, Jesus. We ask you to calm our troubled hearts. We ask you to bring us your peace as only you can. In your name we pray. Amen. See you Sunday. Pastor Doug |
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