Pastor's Corner

Special Call to All New Oregon Members

New Oregon has reached a cusp, and we are challenged

beyond our comfort. Response to such a cusp determines

aliveness or deadness. The Holy Spirit has answered our prayers to bring

us to this level of aliveness, and it is natural to be anxious.

Our challenge is to continue beyond our own capabilities by reaching for

the help of our Triune God. Our nominated officers for 2010, to be

elected October 18th at Charge Conference at Camp Sumatanga, will lead

us. The 2010 budget approved by the Administrative Board reflects the

cusp by challenging all members to give at a higher level. Our (corrected)

average weekly need will be $2966. believe we can meet this need.

Pray for New Oregon that we will continue to follow the Spirit rather than

our own preferences. Keep the membership vows you made to

1) renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of the

world, and repent of your sin; 2) accept the freedom and power God gives

you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression; 3) confess Jesus Christ as

Savior, put your whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as your

Lord; 4) remain faithful members of Christ’s holy church and serve as

Christ’s representatives in the world; 5) be loyal to Christ through The

United Methodist Church and do all in your power to strengthen its

ministries; 6) faithfully participate in its ministries by your prayers, your

presence, your gifts, your service, and your witness; and 7) receive and profess

the Christian faith as contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New

Testaments. (Paraphrase ¶ 217, The 2008 Discipline of the United Methodist Church)

We need every member to be present in worship, participate in all

activities of the church, and give with a new spirit of joyfulness. Over the

next two years, we will work on our membership rolls, encouraging those

who are not keeping their vows to do so. To those who are participating:

Celebrate how keeping these vows brings you closer to God!

Blessings!

~ Ben

Struggles

I’ve been wrestling with something this week—not in a physical

wrestling match with body slams and choke holds, but in my

spirit. If any of you have done this, you know it can be just as

trying and tiring as a physical wrestling match.

As the season changes again for approximately the 225th time in my life (I

actually counted them, but I could be wrong), I am feeling the change; and

I don’t mean just the weather. The change in seasons reminds me of all

the changes in the world and in my own life. My life, like life for many of

you, has centered for the most part around the church. So the changes I

have been wrestling with have been the changes within the church.

Do I really know what is going on and exactly what is happening? The

answer to that question is “No, not always.” What is God doing not only

in my life but in the life of our church? Again, I’m not sure or I don’t

know. Some days I say, “WOW, life is great, I understand it all.” Other days

are not like that. We talked in our Wednesday night class about how we

can experience a wide range of emotions in just one day. That same range

of emotions can be felt in the life of the church. This past week may have

been like that. We saw a budget that was probably larger than most

expected. Some nominated as officers of our Administrative Board had

probably never considered such a possibility. New programs, new ideas

about a cluster of churches: Where did all these ideas come from? A new

format for evening worship, a family life center. Then Ben asked us

Sunday evening to pray this week by being quiet of all things, silencing

our own words and just listening for God. I certainly agree with that, but

it’s another change!

As Harry Ohme, the “sacrificial lamb” (spokesperson) of the budget

committee, said Sunday evening, it’s time that we pray and pray hard to

know God’s will for our church and to ask for direction. So, as changes

continue to happen, pray and then pray some more. Times are a changing.

Let it be for God’s Glory! Shalom!
~ Keith