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Sundays in May will continue our look at Paul’s Letter to the Galatia churches, focusing on God rescuing us through His Son

Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Mark began our look at Galatians during April, noting that in Galatians 1, Paul tells us that we

received God’s grace and peace through Jesus Christ, “who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age,

according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever” (1:4-5).

On Sunday, May 3rd, Pastor Mark continues with “Rescued through Faith in Christ.” Contending with legalism and reliance

on ourselves to make us right with God, Paul argues that it is faith in Christ Jesus that justifies us before God. We will focus

on what faith gives us, what a relationship with Jesus rescues us from. Read through the 2nd chapter of Galatians in

preparation for our teaching and discussion. Following the sermon, we will celebrate our Savior in Holy Communion.

Sunday, May 10th, Pastor Rachel will preach “Rescued into the Family of God,” using passages from Galatians 3 and 4. We

are the sons and daughters of God through our faith in Christ Jesus. This Sunday is also special, as it is Mother’s Day.

Sunday, May 17th, Pastor Rachel continues with “Rescued from Slavery into Freedom,” as we together look at Galatians 4:21-

31 and 5:1-15. We were once slaves to “religion,” following a Law we could never live up to – now we have freedom in

Christ, set free from our sin by His death for us on the cross.

Pastor Mark continues our sermon series through Paul’s letter to the Galatians, with “Rescued for Life in the Spirit,” on

Sunday, May 24th. Using Galatians 5:15-26, we will look at the different ways God’s Holy Spirit leads us away from sin into a

life marked by the fruit of God’s Spirit, so that “. . .since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (5:25). To

prepare for this passage, look to memorize the Fruit of the Spirit, found in Galatians 5:22 and 23.

On Sunday, May 31st, Pastor Mark concludes our study of Galatians with “Rescued to Bless Others,” looking closely at 6:1-10.

We will finish our study looking at 6:11-18, with this equation: Jesus + nothing = Everything.

Orenco Presbyterian Church We joyfully serve Jesus and our community

Sunday Worship is now online! (See page 3 for instructions)

May 2020 Newsletter

A list of what’s inside is

located on the last page

http://www.facebook.com/orencochurchhttps://www.youtube.com/

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As I write this, it’s 5:30 on Sunday morning. I’m awaiting our morning worship together (Sunday, April 26th). I must say that my routine, both daily and weekly, has drastically

changed, as I imagine has yours. I’m always up at this time, but usually Sunday mornings find me reading through my sermon notes, praying and thinking about what I want to emphasize as I preach – thinking and praying for each of you, looking forward to seeing you all, thinking of how blessed I am to be with you all. As I mentioned, my “routine” has changed quite a bit. Last month at this time I thought “Zoom” was a word describing something fast paced – like a description of a race car “zooming” down the track, the drivers attempting to go as fast as they could go in order to cross the finish line first – that’s the goal. But Zoom is now the means of connecting and meeting. Rachel and I are meeting via Zoom daily, sometimes two or three times, as we plan, discuss, pray, support each other and each of you, especially as we seek to discern what all of this means for our church and our ministry together. It has given new emphasis to our vision and mission statements:

“We Joyfully Serve Jesus and Our Community” and

“Called to put God’s love in action, Orenco Church glorifies Jesus Christ by worshipping God and celebrating Him, sharing His Good News, and caring for the community and beyond.”

Two points I want us to consider together: We read in Paul’s letters about his connection to the churches. I know his letter to the Philippi church fairly well (we are currently studying it on Wednesday nights via Zoom – please join us, through the church office). In the first chapter, verses 3-6 says, “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (NIV translation). The Message version says it this way: “Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart. I am so pleased that you have continued on in this with us, believing and proclaiming God’s Message, from the day you heard it right up to the present. There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.” I’ve always known those verses to be true in my life, in my relationship to all of you – yet I find I understand and appreciate them more in our current state of things. I have been privileged to be your pastor for many, many years. You are a great people – both Rachel and I know that to be true, as she has also been here for many years. We both know of God’s call to be here – to minister together with you, to serve our Lord and our Orenco community and beyond. Are there times of struggle? Of course, but there are even more times of joy, of peace, of fulfillment as together we serve our Risen Jesus Christ! Which brings me to the second point - we find this one in the 4th chapter of Paul’s letter to Philippi. Again, read these words in both the NIV and in the Message, in verses 4-6: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

and “Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute! Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”

(continued on bottom of next page)

Mark’s Musings

mailto:office@orencochurch.org

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Two Zoom Study Groups Remain Available

Three study groups started in the last couple of weeks online, via Zoom. Pastor Rachel’s is full for now, but a new one will begin in another month! If you are interested, please email her at pastorrachel@orencochurch.org. Pastor Mark is sharing about the Prodigal Son on Tuesday mornings at 10:00am and also has a study on Philippians on Wednesdays at 7:00pm. Both of these groups still have spots available. If you are interested, please email the office as soon as possible, office@orencochurch.org. Thank you for your interest and for jumping online with us!

We have three Facebook pages for you to follow!

Orenco Church: https://www.facebook.com/orencochurch/

Orenco Church Youth Group (for grades 6-12 & parents):

https://www.facebook.com/groups/OrencoChurchImpact/

Orenco Church Children’s Ministry (preschool to grade 5 & parents):

https://www.facebook.com/groups/orencoignition/

Starting May 3: Coffee Hour!

Following worship, please grab a second cup of coffee and join us for coffee hour, via ZOOM, starting May 3! Instructions will be sent out late in the week, with an invitation to worship online with us each Sunday. With a great turnout, we’ll split into rooms where we can fellowship for a while. Plan on 10:45am for coffee hour, and join us for around 45 minutes to catch up!

Where to worship with us online:

There are a couple of ways you can worship with us during COVID-19: 1. Worship together as a church family at 10am

each Sunday on YouTube. You can also participate in a “live chat” with others who are watching at the same time. Be sure to ‘Subscribe’ to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNvBqdD8_eHZPV5xkiNvjTw/

2. Watch the videos on our website at any time. You’ll find an archive of worship recordings here. Please share this link with your family and friends!

www.orencochurch.org/teaching

(Mark’s Musings, continued…) These two passages remind me to never take anything for granted – that each day and every season is the opportunity to serve our Lord and to be together – to pray together, to talk together, to care for each other and the people in our community. I look forward to being with you all today, even as we worship together via YouTube. I truly thank our God, in every remembrance of you! Thank you, Lord!

mailto:pastorrachel@orencochurch.orgmailto:office@orencochurch.orghttps://www.facebook.com/orencochurch/https://www.facebook.com/groups/OrencoChurchImpact/https://www.facebook.com/groups/OrencoChurchImpact/https://www.facebook.com/groups/orencoignition/https://www.facebook.com/groups/orencoignition/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNvBqdD8_eHZPV5xkiNvjTw/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNvBqdD8_eHZPV5xkiNvjTw/http://www.orencochurch.org/teaching

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H ere is the latest financial information available to us, with a forecast in the last month (April) with one Sunday remaining, as of the writing of this update. Through the first 3 months of 2020, the church’s financial picture is good, especially given our current Covid-19 circumstances. We haven’t been able to worship together “live” since mid-March. Given what we know, worship together as we are used to will be a bit down the road. January and March were great months, financially, but February was not. At the end of the three-month period, we stand more than $18,000 ahead – however, there is a caution for us in the months ahead. April, with one Sunday to go, stands to be much more like February. Much of our being ahead after the first three months is due to a few families giving extra amounts, and to prudent spending as we strive to do our ministry and mission obligations.

Staff Update As you are aware, our goal is to continue to pay our church staff – and as was reported at our last Session meeting (April 20th) the entire staff is working at full pace, despite having to work most of the time remotely from their homes. In addition to the financial picture mentioned above, the income for the preschool is nil at present. A few families have continued to give to the preschool’s income – Sherry and Kayreen continue to provide a program for the preschool children and their families via the preschool’s Facebook page – daily teaching and continued contact with all of them. We contacted each family by email, telling them their monthly tuition payments were not required at present, since the remaining regular school program has been cancelled for the remainder of the 2019-2020 year. We did mention we would welcome any financial help, as their kids would still be receiving online programming, and a few have contributed to our need. As mentioned, all the staff have continued to work hard, not just to justify their continued income, but to provide for our church families and for our community. Please continue to pray for each staff member – and their families. As you can imagine, this is new ground for all of us – our Sunday worship is online, complete with sermons, prayer and music content. There are three small groups going at present – meeting together via Zoom and well attended. The session is now meeting via Zoom, as are most of our committees and people as they work and pray. All new ground, but we’re adapting to this new season of our church – coping day to day and certainly looking forward to when we can return to our “normal” way of ministry – whenever that comes and whatever that will mean.

God Is Indeed Faithful In the midst of all of this, God is faithful. A passage from Lamentations speaks to our immediate need and remembrance: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. I saw to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him’” (Lamentations 3:22-24). In the midst of this is our opportunity to not only survive, but to thrive. Together, let’s do just that.

Your Continued Financial Support is Necessary Again, thanks for your continued financial support. The costs are still there – not only for salaries and ongoing ministries, but also for the church building costs – utilities, insurance, mortgage and office costs. A special thank you to the individuals and families who have recognized this unique time and have given extra dollars in support – a challenge for all of us as we strive to continue God’s work in this time. Together, we

can and will do this – and more. Indeed, “Great is Thy Faithfulness, O Lord.”

Giv

e On

line

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This is a reprint from Pastor Rachel’s blog. Please follow our pastors’ blogs online! See them listed at http://orencochurch.org/pastors-blogs. A little over a month ago, pre-pandemic, I attended a pastor group meeting across town. Before the pandemic, these PC(USA) pastors began gathering for friendship and support. Who knew we would need it more than ever? And at this most recent in-person gathering, our facilitator brilliantly used an old-school Serendipity resource to get us sharing a bit more from our hearts than our heads, something that is not always easy for pastors to do, at least the Presbyterian kind. One of the four Quaker questions used in this particular conversation asked about a source of warmth we experienced as a child. We conversed first – somewhat uneasily, but growing in trust with one another – about our childhoods, where we spent them, and how those homes were heated. And from there, our time of sharing grew more interesting and vulnerable. Some answered grandparents’ homes. Some answered their sources of warmth were found at school or an aunt or uncle’s house. I thought of my grandparents with sadness, my remaining grandparent turning 98 this year. Yes, those were times of warmth as well. But when it was my turn to answer, my words surprised me. “The Church,” I answered. My ordination into the PC(USA) was only a few months ago. It was better than well-attended, I was honored by old friends and new friends who played significant roles in a really meaningful service, and I never imagined – never! – that ministry would look like this just three or four months later. I spent half of my career outside of “the club,” a youth minister, a mom, a military wife, a pastor, with kids and the slow, long journey through seminary, only to finally (!) complete every requirement sometime in the mid-point of my career. The mid-point? It’s true! I had already been in ministry twenty-some years. This halfway point was truly special and so appreciated, marking a fresh start and a new season. That was fine by me, and I grew to be humbled by the entire experience and so grateful to my God for choosing me

– imagine that? – for ministry. So at my ordination, I cried … I mean cried, the entire time. A few months later, here I was with colleagues I still sort of forget are colleagues now, not Committee on Preparation for Ministry members, and we shared from our hearts and memories where warmth was found. And I answered “the Church,” an institution I am fully aware has hurt and abused people along the way, sometimes affecting one’s faith and trust in God and people for years to come. I get that. I spent a few years outside church walls. Having served as a youth minister, I reached the point a good sixteen years ago when I felt I needed to leave my profession and leave the Church in order to save my faith. I was disappointed, I was textbook burned-out, and I had reached the point of apathy where you just don’t care what the course of your career looks like from there on. The story of coming home is a long one. And so is the story of where it all began. But just months ago – at this pastors’ meeting – I answered, “the Church.” I grew up in the Church. It is where I learned to drink coffee. It is where I learned to do karate. I spent several afternoons a week in tow by my pastor-father to his after-school program, only realizing years later this was a brilliant design for youth ministry, especial-ly in the 80s and 90s. The Church is where I learned to love people who were not like me – I mean really not like me – like the gentleman from remote parts of Nevada who spoke in gobbledy-gook but you had to love him, he was there and he loved people and wanted better for his life. Like the man who would come to my parents’ house; that was the first time I ever smelled whiskey, from his paper bag. Whew! Like the kids – like lost sheep – my loving parents let sleep in our basement because their homes were tough. Mine was not. The Church was a place where they too would know they were loved and embraced – why others and not them? – no matter who they were or what they had done. It was where I played youth group games in the dark, sang Amazing Grace at the top of my lungs, held a dripping candle each Christmas eve, and got to direct a church choir! I fell in love at the church, I learned to care for children and teach them at the church, I lost friends and experienced heartbreak at the church, because of the Church, and for the Church. I suppose that remains true. But as the Church remains its people – those with whiskey on their breath and

(continued on next page)

http://orencochurch.org/pastors-blogshttps://www.amazon.com/Ice-Breakers-Heart-Warmers-Ways-Kick-Meetings/dp/1883419794

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(Rachel’s Ramblings, continued) scars on their hands and bags under their eyes and stories they do not want to repeat – it remains. It is still the Church. It looks a little different right now, as we gather for Zoom meetings and comb sides of our hair and brush our teeth for afternoon Bible studies or meetings. It’s a bit different now, as we wear medical masks and hold our breath as we grab boxes of pasta and TP and sauce and maybe a candy bar or something non-essential on the way out for those who need help shopping and shouldn’t be leaving their homes. It is a little different now, as we seek and pray and discern how to reach those who cannot Zoom, who do not care, who are hurt and lonely and do not know the love of Christ and do not know the love of the Church, at its best, the love of people, who just want things to be a little better, give you a cup of hot coffee, a shy smile so you know you are loved. We will sit again in those pews and sing Amazing Grace at the top of our lungs, laughing over the coffee pot and running through the halls for youth group and leaving messes behind for the custodians. And we’ll probably take the Church for granted again too, its warmth, its people, its blessing and presence in the most important parts of our lives. But where two or more are gathered, we remember. We remember those times. And we will feel that warmth upon our faces

and our hearts again. ❤ By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion … May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy. Psalm 137:1, 6

Youth Group is now meeting using Zoom on Sunday evenings. We have met a few times already and it seems to be going well. We had a weeklong Easter event which was pretty fun. As of April 26th, the youth group will be split into two groups - middle school and high school. The middle school group will be meeting Sundays at 5:30pm, followed by the high schoolers at 7:00pm. We are hoping this will help the high school group to grow. This also allows us to discuss topics geared more towards each age group’s development. Life Skills Coed will start on May 3rd and the life skill that month will be cooking. I am hoping more adults will want to volunteer their time to teach the kids a new skill or two. Please contact me if you have ideas! Otherwise, I do have a topic for June, financial literacy, which I’ve taught before when I worked at Faith Bible. However, this could easily be taught later if someone had a topic they’d like to teach in June. ;>) Retreats are up in the air right now. The high school camping trip which was scheduled May 29th-31st has been cancelled. The middle school and high school summer retreats are still in the works, but it will all depend on what is happening with COVID-19 and social distancing regulations. I will keep you posted.

Jennifer Schatz (jenni@orencochurch.org)

mailto:jenni@orencochurch.orgmailto:jenni@orencochurch.org

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Vacation Bible Xperience (VBX) I have only received a couple of questions regarding Vacation Bible Xperience since the pandemic began, which tells me you all know that this situation has disrupted our lives in very significant ways, including at our church and in ministries and programs we love, including VBX. It is evident that VBX in the form we are all accustomed to will not be occurring in its normal week (in July). There are significant goals the governor has laid out for all of us to begin to gather in large groups; I do not foresee gathering in large groups for some time to come, and as you are aware, VBX in its student and volunteer attendance can easily mean 200 people in our building and on our grounds. At our May Session Meeting we will be making recommendations regarding VBX, as well as presenting options for continued ministry to our children and youth at this time. You can expect a decision regarding VBX to be forthcoming. New Opportunities That said, I personally feel very strongly that our children and youth have been left behind in this pandemic and many of their needs are not being addressed. I am with you when you say it is difficult to homeschool your children and work at home! I am with you when you are concerned for their education and concerned for their health. I invite you to join me in a brand new endeavor, a refreshed emphasis on ministry to children and youth, as well as to our community. Please read the accompanying article on Soteria Children’s Initiative - you’ll find it as an insert inside this newsletter. Our God is good and will get us through all of this!

In Christ, Pastor Rachel

Gift Card Fundraiser

Our gift card fundraiser is still available during the pandemic! Contact the office for more info: office@orencochurch.org or 503-640-8179. We hope to continue ordering from both United Scrip and Kroger monthly (see the order forms at http://orencochurch.org/who-we-are/newsletters-forms.) We also have gift cards onhand! Check with the office for current inventory. We’re placing a Kroger order on May 4th, let us know if you want to add to this order. Kroger cards can be used at Fred Meyer and QFC. If you’re working on your home or yard while you have to stay at home, please consider ordering gift cards from us for your project. Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Fred Meyer are all on our program. All proceeds go to the church to help with general expenses.

Children’s Families, I wanted to offer you a brief update on where we are at in our children’s ministry and how we are sustaining this ministry at this time. First, we give God our thanks that in a time of tremendous transition – first, because of Julie Tucker’s resignation and our position vacancy, and second, because of a pandemic (!) – that God continues to sustain us and equip us for ministry, for loving one another, for safe time at home with our families. This is a huge transition for all of you as you now navigate school “at home,” whatever that looks like for you. None of this is the best, but God works through hard times! He promises us this, and he has proven this. Sunday Mornings: Please join the children’s ministry Facebook page if you have not already done so. We are posting material weekly for you to watch with your children, as we aren’t able to gather in person at this time! I’m very pleased with Group’s Empowering Courageous Kids curriculum, which directly addresses this pandemic. Our Facebook page is located here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/orencoignition/ As we are able, we are also attempting to push other online content, which of course is on our website, YouTube channel, and church Facebook page. Thank you to the volunteers who put together the Easter mailing for our children’s families. Our Children’s Ministry Director Position Please know as well we are currently interviewing candidates for our vacant position. The pandemic thrust all of us into a very different season of ministry that the Church as an institution will be learning from for a very long time. This is a huge shift. Some of this we know now, and some we have yet to learn. While this has changed our direction slightly (more on that in a moment), it has affirmed more than ever that ministry to children and their families is a significant piece of our mission and vision as Orenco Church.

mailto:office@orencochurch.orghttp://orencochurch.org/who-we-are/newsletters-formshttp://orencochurch.org/who-we-are/newsletters-formshttps://www.facebook.com/groups/orencoignition/

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Soteria Children’s Initiative

whole health for the whole family

What does Soteria mean?

Soteria, σωτηρία, is a Greek word for salvation. It is used numerous times in the New Testament, in varying forms, and its meaning is broader than our understanding in English allows. Soteria is deliverance and restoration to a state of safety, soundness, health, and well-being. It also means preservation from danger. The ultimate emphasis is on salvation alone in Jesus Christ because through Christ our relationship with God is restored. God also desires for us to live abundant lives. This life we have in Christ starts when we receive the gift of salvation. Here is an example of its usage: Philippians 1:19 “For I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.”

We have been challenged! In April of 2020, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the leadership of the Presbytery of the Cascades decided to challenge each of their 96 congregations to take a $1000 gift to be used in the fashion of the Parable of the Talents. Jesus explains this parable in Matthew 25:14-30. Like the men in the parable, our challenge is to do one of three things:

1. Do nothing (bury it). In this case, Presbytery asks the funds be returned. 2. Use it quickly for pandemic relief as a quick investment, such as purchasing and distributing grocery

gift cards. 3. Embrace this opportunity to live out the mission and vision God has already revealed to us as Orenco

Church, matching this gift again and again, and developing and implementing ministry for our context now and in the year to come.

What is the need? As of March 16, 2020 schools in our district, in fact throughout Oregon, closed for what would effectively be the remainder of the school year. Students are now engaged in distance learning, some families managing this more effectively than others are able.

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Within only a one mile radius of Orenco Church, this means:

• 2,554 under the age of 9 are at home and not in school

• 2,377 age 10-19 are at home and not in school

• 404 of these households are single-parent households

• 69% of those family units with children have no known relationship to God

Amplifying the difficulty of this situation are families and children of special concern. This list is not exhaustive:

• Low income households

• Unemployed parent(s)

• Two working parents

• Single parent households

• Families with children with special needs requiring special education

• Children in homes with domestic abuse

• Children in homes with mental illness

• Children with parents who are ill

• Children with an incarcerated parent(s)

• Families with custody and/or visitation requirements

• Children with an active duty military parent(s)

We believe children have been left behind in our response to this Covid-19 pandemic. As schools have been closed and families struggle with distance learning, losses for children, youth, and their families run much deeper than academics. According to the Search Institute, winner of the 2018 Society for Research on Adolescence Award for Organization Excellence in Research and Programming for Youth, forty assets make up the Developmental Assets Framework, supports and strengths children and youth need in order to develop into successful adults. Half of these assets focus on relationships and opportunities these children need in their schools, communities, churches, and families; they are external assets. Other assets focus on internal assets developed and nurtured in our children, their values, commitments, and strengths. Briefly, children and teens need support (to be surrounded by people who care for them), empowerment (to be respected, safe, and valued), boundaries and expectations (rules, consequences, and encouragement to always do their best), constructive use of time (opportunities for relationships, new skills, and involvement in community activities), commitment to learning (engagement, motivation, and achievement), positive values (the development of these to make positive choices throughout their lives), social competencies (the ability to interact with others, make decisions, and learn resilience), and positive identity (a belief in themselves and in a positive future).

Orenco Church May 2020 - 10 -

What can we do? Many assets children need throughout their lives are already touched on in many of our ministries at Orenco Church. This pandemic, however, and its resulting quarantine is an opportunity to fill the gap for what parents, teachers, and communities struggle to provide at this time. The need for whole health for the whole family will continue post-pandemic. Soteria Children’s Initiative will focus on whole health for the whole family, children, teens, and parents of all ages, in our growing community. We were created not only to have a relationship with God, our Creator, but also with one another. As we are quarantined in our homes, the loss is deep. Much of what we need as developing children and adults comes from community and the gifts we bring one another. William Barclay reminds us of the broad sense of soteria (σωτηρία), that in its former usage, a family member may ask another, “Write me a letter about your soteria.” In other words, tell me how you are. Our whole health includes how we are and who we are. As a faith community, we are able to care for children and their families and provide opportunities for them to develop many of the assets needed throughout childhood and adolescence by using the gifts and talents we already have. These opportunities will not only share the love of Jesus Christ with children and their families, but through them God will begin to restore what has been lost, preserve what remains in harm’s way, and live actively and dynamically in our neighborhood and families!

What does this look Like? Post-quarantine ministry to children and families looks much different than what once was and is a fundamental shift in ministry. Post-quarantine children will need fun opportunities, healthy relationships, safe surroundings, and invitations to fellowship and a sense of belonging! Into the future, children and families will need structure and continuity. It is our intent for this opportunity to begin in response to this pandemic but to continue as a ministry, with community partners.

• First Invitation: Day Camp(s) for Children of all Ages - Orenco Church

This day camp will utilize volunteers to provide fun, healthy relationships, safety, fellowship, and a sense of belonging. Camps for youth will focus on service, belonging, and development of new skills through mentoring relationships. Youth will learn from and give back to their own community.

Camp for children will focus on safe, creative activities, healthy adult communication and support, and a positive view of the future, as children emerge from quarantine for fun and a renewed sense of belonging and community. Target Date: Mid-August, if restrictions on gatherings are lifted.

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• What do additional programs look like?

Orenco Church’s leadership monitors the governor’s directives during this pandemic daily. Additional opportunities are being designed around the pandemic response timeline. The following list is not exhaustive of the possibilities, nor of “whole health for the whole family.”

Basic Christianity Communication Workshops Academic Tutoring Screen Time Workshops Anti-Bullying Program Youth Mentors Exercise Classes Financial Advising Spiritual Direction Music Lessons Grief Counseling Support Groups Resumé Assistance Small Groups

Job Seeking Assistance Healthy Eating Workshops Parenting Workshops Opportunities for Service Community Building Understanding of Christian Values

Conflict Resolution Workshops

What do we do now?

1. Pray. Our church’s leaders have prayerfully navigated these weeks of pandemic, designing and redesigning ministry with daily changes in the governor’s directives for our state. Pray for our leaders, our neighborhood, our church, and our children. Pray for this initiative and how you may be a part of it.

2. Support this initiative financially. With the receipt of $1000 from the Presbytery of the Cascades May 1, 2020, our challenge has begun!

We have already quadrupled this amount with matches of the initial gift: our current total is $4000! These funds for Soteria Children’s Initiative will be set aside to design, implement, and meet our goals as we discern them – meeting the emerging needs of children and families through and following the Covid-19 pandemic. What amount are you prayerfully able to give?

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Orenco Presbyterian Church 6420 NE Oelrich Street Hillsboro, OR 97124 www.orencochurch.org

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Orenco Church 503-640-8179 www.orencochurch.org www.facebook.com/orencochurch www.youtube.com/channel/UCNvBqdD8_eHZPV5xkiNvjTw/ Pastor: Mark Rainey Associate Pastor: Rachel Stramel Worship Leader: Jake Tucker Children’s Director: Job Opening Youth Director: Jennifer Schatz Office Manager: Nancy Collins

Orenco Christian Preschool Preschool Director: Sherry Wright http://orencochristianpreschool.org www.facebook.com/orencopreschool

Inside this Newsletter: Sunday Worship front cover Mark’s Musings page 2 Stay Connected With Us! page 3 Stewardship/Finance Update page 4 Rachel’s Ramblings page 5 Youth Ministry page 6 Children’s Ministry page 7 Soteria Children’s Initiative pages 8-11 Church Calendar online (http://orencochurch.org/events/calendar)

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http://www.orencochurch.orghttp://www.facebook.com/orencochurchhttp://www.orencochurch.orghttp://www.facebook.com/orencochurchhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNvBqdD8_eHZPV5xkiNvjTw/mailto:pastor@orencochurch.orgmailto:pastorrachel@orencochurch.orgmailto:jake@orencochurch.orgmailto:pastorrachel@orencochurch.orgmailto:jenni@orencochurch.orgmailto:office@orencochurch.orgmailto:preschool@orencochurch.org?subject=Preschoolhttp://orencochristianpreschool.orghttp://www.facebook.com/orencopreschoolhttp://orencochurch.mhsoftware.com/http://orencochurch.org/events/calendarhttps://www.youtube.com/