Well the weather outside is frightful...you know how the rest goes, so I will just leave it at that!

This week Parkside continues the theme, Surprise..., as we kick-off a new series called, Surprised by Jesus.

Does Jesus surprise us today like he did his original followers of the 1st century?  When was the last time you were surprised by something Jesus did in your life?  

Our ability to be surprised by Jesus has largely been shaped by the New Testament, and too an even greater degree, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  Traditions and past experiences have also shaped our idea of how Jesus moves and works in our lives and in the world around us.  I believe that because of these two factors, the Jesus of the Bible and our own experiences, our ability to be surprised by Jesus is limited.  Not because of Jesus himself.  Not because Jesus isn't doing some amazing things today; but rather, because of our own self-imposed limitations or beliefs in how we experience Jesus.  

Through this series, Surprised by Jesus, our hope is to shatter whatever box we've placed Jesus in.  Jesus wants to lead us, guide us, teach us...even surprise us!  Don't miss this opportunity to learn Jesus.

Join us this Sunday, November 15th at 9:30am for our in-person gathering (at this time, no reservations are required to attend).

As COVID cases continue to rise in our state and community, we recognize that there are many who do not feel comfortable attending an in-person gathering.  With this in mind, we will continue to offer a livestream option.  You can access the livestream on our website, www.parksidefellowship.org. 

After the service please consider joining us at 10:45am (note the time change) for our "after-church" gathering on zoom.  

Also, this Sunday, available to both our in-person and zoom attendees, Pastor Roger will continue his discipleship class utilizing the book, Habits for our Holiness, by Philip Nation.  The class begins at 10:45am and each participant will receive a free copy of the book, Habits for Holiness.

Thank you for being a praying church.

See you on Sunday.

Pastor Doug

I'm excited for this week's service, as Larry Annes wraps up our series, Surprise the World.  Larry will unpack the 5th habit in the BELLS model for "mobilizing Christians up, in and out into mission.  That is, up into deeper connection with the Triune God; in to a stronger sense of community with other believers; and out into the neighborhood." (Surprise the World by Michael Frost)

This last habit in the BELLS model is the habit...Sent.  Developing a habit of sent, happens as we begin to view ourselves as missionaries.  In preparation for Sunday, ask yourself this question, "What does the reign of God look like in my own life and, how am I alerting people to his reign?"  To put it simply, "What exactly am I pointing people too?"

Join us this Sunday, November 8th at 9:30am for our in-person gathering (at this time, no reservations are required to attend).

For those who are unable to attend, Sunday's service will be available via livestream on YouTube beginning at 9:30am.  You can access the livestream on our website, www.parksidefellowship.org. 

After the service please consider joining us at 10:45am (note the time change) for our "after-church" gathering on zoom.  

Also, this Sunday, available to both our in-person and zoom attendees, Pastor Roger will continue his discipleship class utilizing the book, Habits for Our Holiness, by Philip Nation.  The class begins at 10:45am and each participant will receive a free copy of the book. 

Thank you for being a praying church.

See you on Sunday.

Pastor Doug

If I were to ask you, "Who is Jesus to you...personally?", how would you respond?  Before you answer, in Matthew 16:15, Jesus asked this same question of his disciples and Simon Peter's response received praise from Jesus.  Why?  Simon Peter's answer wasn't based on education, it wasn't based on speculation, and it wasn't based on what others said about Jesus.  Simon Peter answered the question solely on the foundation of his personal experiences with Jesus.  So again, how would you answer the question, "Who is Jesus to you?"

Join us this Sunday, November 1st at 9:30am, as we continue our series Surprise the World.  This week, we will look at the difference between learning about Jesus and simply learning Jesus.  Successfully sharing Jesus as the reason for the hope that we have begins with learning Jesus. 

For those who are unable to attend, Sunday's service will be available via livestream on youtube beginning at 9:30am.  You can access the livestream on our website.

After the service please consider joining us at 11:00am for our "after-church" gathering on zoom.  

Also, beginning this Sunday, Pastor Roger will begin a 4 week discipleship class utilizing the book, Habits for our Holiness, by Philip Nation.  Through this 4 week study, we will look at how our spiritual disciplines are meant to be practiced in community and on mission.  The class begins at 10:45am and each participant will receive a free copy of the book, Habits for Holiness.

Finally, because of the restrictions on in-person gatherings, the memorial service for Carolyn Hext, scheduled for tomorrow (Saturday) at 1:00pm is by invitation only.  However, the service will be available via livestream.  I will send out a link tomorrow (Saturday) morning with a link to the livestream.

See you on Sunday.

Pastor Doug

This Sunday, October 18th, at 9:30am, we will once again host a limited, in-person gathering in our worship center.  As I stated in an email earlier this week, based on state guidelines, we are limiting capacity in the worship center to 50 people and are asking everyone to reserve your spot ahead time by email, phone or text.  Also, all social distancing protocols will be strictly followed and masks will be required.

We recognize that there are those who will not be able or do not feel comfortable attending a public gathering.  With this in mind, Sunday's service will be available via livestream on YouTube beginning at 9:30am. 

Also, for those of you who are not able to attend the live service, we will still have our regular zoom meeting at 11:00am. 

This Sunday is also the final week of our discipleship class called, Every Body Matters.  Even if you haven't been able to attend this special class, Pastor Roger and I would love to have you join us for this week's class, as we focus on the practical application of our study:  physical health.  We are privileged to host Dr. John Gobble.
 
Dr. John Gobble is provider of medical nutrition therapy and therapeutic lifestyle services at Cascade Family Practice. Dr. Gobble earned a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) in Preventive Care and a Master of Public Health (MPH) in both Public Health Nutrition and Health Education. John enjoys exploring the pristine Northwest wilderness with is wife Lynn.
 
Our Q&A panel will also consist of our very own Nancy Hester and Larry Annes. Our focus will be on nutrition, flexibility, and exercise. Everyone can gain something from this 1-hour class, so feel free to join us this Sunday, October 18th at 10:45am and bring along a friend. There is no cost for the class.

Thank you for being a church family that prays for one another.

See you Sunday!

Pastor Doug

It's hard to imagine that the last time we gathered together in our worship center was on Sunday, March 8th...almost 7 months ago.  In fact, I went back this week and listened to our first Facebook live service that took place on March 15th, and in that service, I announced that we would be cancelling our in-person worship services through March 29th.  When I made that announcement, I never would have imagined that those 3 weeks would turn into 7 months. 

Thankfully, this Sunday, October 4th, at 9:30am, we will be offering a limited occupancy, in-person worship service.  As I stated in an email earlier this week, based on state guidelines, we are limiting capacity in the worship center to 50 people and are asking that you reserve your spot ahead time by email, phone or text.  Also, all social distancing protocols will be strictly followed and masks will be required.

Our speaker this Sunday is our very own Mary Jo Sharp.  Mary Jo will be speaking on the topic of Deconversion and Doubt.  If I ask a person why they aren’t in church today, many may say it’s because of the hypocrisy of Christians. For Mary Jo Sharp, this objection is personal, painful, and forms the background of her latest book, Why I Still Believe. Though she’s an apologist and professor, her experiences in the church have driven her to question if Christianity is true…or even worth it. Having been drawn to God through the beauty of His creation, but seeing the ugliness of human failings, she’s heartbroken that what she found in church didn’t match what she longed for. Mary Jo calls her journey an “anti-deconversion” story about finding hope and answers in the grace of truth of Jesus.

A former atheist who came to faith, Mary Jo has experienced two worlds of American culture: the post-Christian culture of the Pacific Northwest and the evangelical culture of the Bible Belt.  You won't want to miss her story!
 
While we are excited to offer this opportunity, we also recognize that there are those who will not be able or do not feel comfortable attending a public gathering.  With this in mind, Sunday's church service will be available via livestream on YouTube beginning at 9:30am.

You can watch the livestream by visiting our church webpage, www.parksidefellowship.org.  Once you are on our home page, scroll down to where you see "SCHEDULE".  Click on the "streaming on YouTube " and you will be automatically directed to the service.

Also, for those of you who are not able to attend the live service, we will still have our regular zoom meeting at 11:00am. 

Finally, attached to this email is our weekly prayer list.  Thank you for being a church that prays!

See you Sunday.

Pastor Doug

Even though we have had several opportunities to worship in person outside, I know many of you have been longing for a chance to worship God together in person and in our worship center and I'm excited to announce that time has finally arrived!  Our worship services will now be held indoors and in our church worship center beginning this Sunday, October 4 at 9:30am.  Below are some things you need to know as we come back together.

• Gatherings will be limited to 50 people.
• We are asking everyone to reserve your spot by replying to this email, calling the church or texting Doug or Roger with your name and how many people in your family will be attending.
• Properly worn masks will be required at all times inside the building.
• Social distancing protocols will be followed.  Seating in the sanctuary will be arranged to allow at least 6 ft. of physical distance between parties that are not in the same family.
• Restrooms will be available with limited occupancy.
• Hand sanitizer will be available and attendees will be encouraged to use it frequently
• No food or drinks will be served.

As much as we desire to see all of you in-person, please stay home if you have any of the following:

• A fever of 100.4 or greater
• A new cough that you cannot attribute to another health condition
• New respiratory issues that you cannot attribute to another health condition
• Have been in contact with any suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the last 14 days

We will continue to provide our livestream service at 9:30am each Sunday for those that would prefer to worship in that way.
 
Don't forget to RSVP if you are wanting to be a part of our indoor gathering this Sunday, October 4th at 9:30am.
 
For God's glory!
 
Pastor Doug

As you look out your window and see the rain, you might be saying to yourself, "I wonder if Parkside is still planning to have an outdoor parking lot service this Sunday, September 27th?".  The answer to your question is a big.....YES!!

According to the weather predictions I've looked at, the weather for Sunday should be partly cloudy with a high of 71 degrees, so as of now, we are planning to meet outside this Sunday, September 27th at 9:30am.  We will let you know if anything changes.

I also wanted to let you know that at the end of our service this Sunday, we plan to celebrate Bill Walker's 90th birthday.  Pastor Norm will be sharing some thoughts on Bill's legacy here at Parkside and we will sing, with masks on, "Happy Birthday" to Bill! 

After the service, consider joining us in the worship center at 10:45am for our discipleship class taught by Larry Annes.  Here is an excerpt of the class offering:
 
“Few pastors or Christian writers have dared to approach the subject of how proper eating and an active lifestyle can affect how we serve God. Author Gary Thomas does just that. And he reaches all the way back to the apostle Paul, who wrote that we need to prime our bodies to become, "an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work." – Promo from “Every Body Matters” book that we will utilize our main resource.

Please make plans now to join us for our last outdoor service for the year and our in-person discipleship class.

As with past services, we will provide chairs, bottled water and pop-ups to help with shading.  As a reminder, below is the list of COVID-19 statewide gathering requirements that Parkside will be following:

• Limit our gathering size to 50 people
• Arrange our seating so that we maintain at least 6 feet of physical distance between parties that are not in the same family
• Face masks will be required
• Parkside will require each attendee to fill-out a health questionaire that will be used for contact tracing, as required by the Oregon Health Authority
• Hand sanitizer will be available and attendees will be encouraged to use it frequently
• Parkside will post clear signs listing COVID-19 symptoms and directing those with symptoms to stay home.

As much as we desire to see all of you in-person, please stay home if you have any of the following:

• A fever of 100.4 or greater
• A new cough that you cannot attribute to another health condition
• New respiratory issues that you cannot attribute to another health condition
• Have been in contact with any suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the last 14 days

While we are excited  to offer this opportunity to gather together as a church family and worship God, we also recognize that there are those who will not be able or do not feel comfortable attending a public gathering.  With this in mind, Sunday's church service will be available via livestream on YouTube beginning at 9:30am.

You can watch the livestream worship service the same way you watch the service every Sunday.  Simply go to our webpage, www.parksidefellowship.org.  Once you are on our home page, scroll down to where you see "SCHEDULE".  You can then click on either the "streaming on youtube" or "streaming on facebook" and you will be automatically directed to the service.

Also, for those of you who are not able to attend the live service, we will still have our regular zoom meeting at 11:00am. 

Note:  Please use the following link to join the zoom gathering.  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83826986555

I hope to see many of you this Sunday at 9:30am in our church parking lot!  Also, if you know of someone that does not receive our email, please let them know about this Sunday's opportunity.

Finally, thank you for being a church that prays!

See you Sunday.

Pastor Doug