Russia Trip Reflection
From September 19th through 30th I had the opportunity to join Esther Mae Hinshaw (Newberg Emerging) and Tracy Wilson (Silverton) on a trip to visit Johan and Judy Maurer in Russia. This was a wonderful experience full of amazing moments. We spent time in Moscow orienting ourselves to some of the Russian history and culture by visiting some popular sites and museums. After a few days there we traveled to Elektrostal and got the chance to stay with one of the Maurer’s students, Sergei, in his home.
This was the highlight of the trip for me. We got to play a lot of games together and learn about Sergei and his fellow students. We were immersed in the culture of Russia and got to have some wonderful conversations until the wee small hours of the morning. We also visited the institute that Johan and Judy taught at and helped one of the other teachers with some of his classes for high school students. These times of speaking with and learning from the students about their country and how they see the world were so enlightening and I am very grateful that we had the chance to join Johan and Judy there for a short time and see their home and the lives they had built there.
We finished our trip in Saint Petersburg. We visited the Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood and other historical sites, we went to the Winter Palace which is home to a beautiful collection of paintings and artifacts that span the last 4-500 years. This time also gave us a chance to reflect on some of the things we had experienced and to hear about some of the tragic history of the city and country.
As much as we enjoyed traveling all over the country and spending time with students one of the most memorable things was joining our Russian Friends for worship. We sat in silence together sharing the Spirit’s peace together and had a lovely time of fellowship. To me this was a beautiful preview of our future together with the Lord.
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Note from Kayla Davidson: “I have made a difficult decision to withdraw from my serve trip to Nepal. Instead, I will be spending some much needed family time at home for Christmas and getting rest to prepare for the rest of the school year to follow. I am confident that this plan is most beneficial for me and relieves me of a lot of stress. I know I will have many more opportunities to serve and travel in the years to come. I want to thank you all for your generous prayers and support not only for this trip, but for all the years I have attended MFC. You all have been a blessing in my life growing up and I appreciate your support in all my endeavors as an adult, even the unexpected ones. I will be contacting people personally who already donated, if there questions please contact me or my mom, Tammie Davidson.”
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You are all invited to the Open House celebrating the opening of the Rogue Valley Chaplains Association Jackson County office located upstairs in Medford Friends Church, on October 7th between 1 and 4 p.m. Refreshments will be served. The RVCA is very grateful for the generous gift of this space to allow chaplains to minister to those in crisis.
There will be an Activities Committee Meeting on Sunday, October 8th at noon in the fireside room.
Just A couple of Reminders!
October is Pastor Appreciation Month.
Jesse will resume the Wednesday Night Bible Study at MFC this month.
Sunday, November 5th Daylight Savings Time Ends. Be sure to set your clocks back 1-hour Saturday night, November 4th.
From Mark Burton, Clerk of Stewards
As I reflect on the work that has been done to refurbish the parsonage over the last six months I am reminded of chapters 35 through 40 of the book of Exodus. There we read about all of the gifts that the people brought and all of the work of the skilled craftsmen to build the tabernacle and the items needed for the priests. Some people brought gold and silver and bronze, some brought cloth, linen and yarn, and others brought animal skins. The craftsmen and skilled people then took all of the contributions and created works of beauty and function according to God’s plan, to create a place for worship and to meet with Him.
The parsonage isn’t a tabernacle, but it is a place for ministry to happen and its refurbishing has been a community effort. The work has involved craftspeople sharing their time, tools and skill. It has involved people sharing time and money to facilitate the work. It has involved skilled bakers sharing their goodies with the work crew. It has involved coffee being made most every morning for the crew. And it has all been done in the name of the Lord for His glory.
We plan to have the work completed in time for Jesse and his roommates to move in by October 20, 2017, but that won’t be the end of the story, but the beginning of a new chapter in the life of a house that for decades has housed pastoral families and been a place of ministry for the church and community. Thank you to all have helped to make this new chapter possible!
God’s Grace and Peace,
Mark
MFC Celebrating 75 Years – Sunday October 15th
Please join us in the fellowship hall for a time of celebration at our all church potluck at noon on Sunday, October 15th. Please bring your favorite potluck main dish, and a salad, vegetable, enough to feed eight people. Cake will be provided for dessert.
1000 Pairs of Shoes We are accepting donations of new shoes up until Easter time of next year! At this time, there are 199 pairs of shoes accounted for! New Arrival Shoes may be placed on the pew up front on the platform in the sanctuary on Sunday or given to one of the ushers! We want to tally them before they are placed behind the pew.
FWMF meets Thursday, October 19th
All ladies are welcome to join us at MFC at 10:30 a.m. Following the meeting we will have lunch & fellowship time at Wendy’s.
We are excited to announce that Kayla Davidson, Darren & Tammie Davidson’s daughter, currently attending George Fox University has felt the call to be a part of a team with EFM traveling to Nepal in December. She writes the following:
“I have the amazing opportunity to travel with George Fox University's Spiritual and Intercultural Life team to Kathmandu, Nepal for two weeks, (Dec. 26-Jan. 7). We are partnering with Evangelical Friend's Mission to provide humanitarian aid for people struggling physically and spiritually in an earthquake devastated country, I am very passionate about travel and helping other people so I am very excited to embark on this journey and see what God has to reveal to me through this act of service.” Please pray for preparations for this group of students and if you would like to support Kayla in this journey, there are 2017 Nepal Immersion & Service Trip Response Forms with instructions as to how checks can be made out on the usher’s table in the foyer. Mail checks to George Fox University, 414 Meridian Street Newberg, OR 97132.
ALL CHURCH WORKDAY AT MFC
Everyone is invited to join us Saturday, October 21st, 9 a.m. to noon
Our stewards committee have many inside and outside chores to accomplish at this time. Please join us, many hands will make the work load lighter.
Christian Ed Committee Invites you to join the Primary Sunday School Classes for a fun outing: Sunday, October 22nd After Sunday School
Where: Fort Vannoy Farms 5791 Lower River Rd., Grants Pass, OR
More Information: www.fortvannoyfarms.com
Tons of Fun Stuff to do: Corn Maze, Pumpkin Patch, Harvest Activities Galore!
Cost: Money for Lunch at Dairy Queen, $6 for Corn Maze, $6 for Pumpkin Blaster, Free Activities too!
Questions: Call Drew Krupp, 541-821-9199 or Patsy Burton, 541-941-4800
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Due to the smokey conditions, Jack and Sue are cancelling “movies on the patio” at their house on Saturday, Sept. 9th. They don’t want you to have to breathe smokey air while enjoying the movie.
Friends Women Missionary Fellowship Group will hold their Baked Goods Event to celebrate the beginning of a new school year on Sunday, September 10th. You’ll find them in the fellowship hall during the fellowship time between services. All baked goods are sold by donation and this year a portion of their earnings will go towards Jesse’s mission trip to Russia this month.
Saturday, September 9th – It’s Movies on the Patio
Movie begins between 8:30 and 9:00 p.m. At Jack and Sue Hamilton’s
Come cool off with the movie “Snow Dogs”
Please bring your own lawn chairs (no loungers) Popcorn and punch will be furnished
All Church Potluck Sunday, September 17th
Please join us for a time of fellowship and good food Sunday, September 17th. We’ll meet in the fellowship hall at noon. Bring a main dish and salad, vegetable or dessert to share.
From our Elders: Jesse leaves September 18th to join the team from Northwest Yearly Meeting on a mission trip to Russia. We request your prayers for this group as they travel, and if you have not yet had the opportunity to support Jesse financially you can still send funds to Northwest Yearly Meeting 200 N. Meridian Street, Newberg, OR 97132 marked Jesse Davis-Russia or designate your check to MFC the same.
“Grace” NWYM Friends Women Retreat September 29 – October 1, 2017 Guest Speaker: Retha McCutchen – At Twin Rocks Friends Camp Register now! Brochures are on the usher’s table in the foyer.
FWMF meets Thursday, September 21st This will be their first meeting of the 2017-18 program year with the theme being “That They May Know” Isaiah 45:6. Meet at MFC at 10:30 a.m. All ladies are welcome to join us. Following the meeting we will have fellowship time and lunch.
Talent Friends Church extends an invitation to join them in a night of family fun and treats Friday, September 22nd at 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. for games, potluck desert and ice cream! Bring a game, bring a goodie, we will provide the ice cream. Hope to see you there!
Please remember the Burton family in prayer for the loss of Debi Samples, the daughter of Bobi Burton and sister of Mark and Ron Burton, went to be with the Lord on August 25th. She will be remembered for her love of teaching and volunteering with children at her home church as well as the Boys & Girls Club in Albany, OR.
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Faith Beyond Reason
As I am preparing for my upcoming trip to Russia I am thinking about the opportunity I will have to experience God’s presence in another culture. I am looking forward to all that I will learn from our Russian friends and their experiences with Jesus in their daily lives. I wonder what wonders I will experience in that place and with the people that God has planned for me to be with during my time there. I am also thinking of my family. They are worried that I am going to a potentially dangerous area at a volatile time. They think I am a little crazy for going to Russia when tensions between our nations are so high. They question the wisdom of such actions and I am tempted to agree with them. They have always been good about looking out for me and their care for me in this instance is shown by their worry.
Sometimes God asks us to do things that don’t make sense to the world. Things which are exciting and scary and life changing. Things that push us and pull us into being the people that God created us to be. We are asked to imagine a world where God is going before us and with us and after us no matter the situation we face. We are tasked with having a faith beyond reason. Writing about the opportunity that God has given me has to start with recognizing that He is already doing things to make this trip something that honors Him. In spite of the potential for this situation to go wrong I am trusting that God will use whatever happens for His purposes and plans. I may not understand why this thing or that thing happens on this earth but I trust that God is working in and through them for His purposes and one day I will look back at what has happened and recognize that the faith I place in my Savior is not beyond reason at all.
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1000 Pairs of Shoes
We are accepting donations of new shoes up until Easter time of next year. Many individuals and families in our community are unable to purchase new shoes for themselves so this is a way we are giving them a chance to have something that is just theirs and they get to pick out. Please help us bless our community by participating in any way that you can for this shoe drive!
New Arrival Shoes may be placed on the pew up front on the platform in the sanctuary on Sunday or given to one of the ushers! We want to tally them before they are placed behind the pew. Ninety-one pairs of shoes have been donated so far.
Join us for an afternoon of fun!
Pool Party & BBQ
at Stan & Earlene Schlosser’s
Sunday afternoon, August 20th
2 p.m. the pool will be open, it is not heated!
BBQ at 4 p.m.
We’ll provide the hotdogs & hamburgers
Please bring your favorite salad or dessert to share
Please bring your own lawn chairs
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Mark Your Calendars Now! It’s Movies on the Patio September 9, 2017 Movie begins about 8 p.m. At Jack and Sue Hamilton’s
Come cool off with the movie “Snow Dogs” Please bring your own lawn chairs (no loungers) Popcorn and punch will be furnished
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Hello Friends,
I am excited! I have been asked to join a small team of Northwest Yearly Meeting Friends on a trip to Russia in September. This is an honor and opportunity for me to use my gifts as a minister of the gospel in a new context and to learn about a culture that has fascinated me for years. The trip is planned as a journey of encouragement and learning about our Russian brothers and sisters.
The leaders of this trip, Johan and Judy Maurer, have lived for over 9 years outside of Moscow, developing a ministry with students and young adults. They would like to have me on the trip specifically to work with these young people. Interacting with my Russian peers would give them an example of a young person for whom following Jesus is the core of their life.
If you think that this is a valuable endeavor I ask for your support. If you would like to help make this trip a possibility please do so by sending funds to Northwest Yearly Meeting (200 North Meridian Street, Newberg, OR 97132) marked “Jesse Davis – Russia” – this is a tax-deductible gift and you would receive a receipt from the yearly meeting for your records. I need a total of $2500 and currently have $1000 raised already.
This experience will only be possible with your support. I ask that you prayerfully consider giving to this journey. Even if you are unable to give financial support at this time your prayers for a successful and fruitful trip are needed.
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Beach Fun
I recently went to Cannon Beach for a wedding of some friends. I drove up and spent a couple days with the family in a beach house doing way more than I thought I would need to. Helping out with the wedding and reception set up was in my wheelhouse but about an hour and a half before the wedding the mother of the bride was working on some final things and I asked what she needed me to do and she responded, “Make these boutonnieres!” In that moment, I knew that I couldn’t say “I can’t do that.” So, I just responded, “Yes, Ma’am.” I made the boutonnieres and the wedding went off without a hitch (except two people got hitched, but that was the whole point of the wedding in the first place).
I did not expect to be needed as a flower arranger/boutonniere maker but I am glad I was able to be present and support my friends as much as I could. I just wanted to spend some time with them and have a little beach fun. Often in our lives we find ourselves with one expectation of what a situation will require of us and the reality of that situation requires something more from us than we knew we were capable of. This was the case for me at the wedding in Cannon Beach and is generally the case for me in my work as a minister of the gospel. I find myself in situations that I expected to go one way and do not go that way at all. I find myself growing and learning in these situations, I find that these are the moments when I am challenged by God and am surprised at how capable I am in meeting that challenge with His help. I may just want a little beach fun but God has more in store for me and a better story comes out of the situation. When I surrender my expectations for a situation to God, He inevitably exceeds them and shows me more about who He is and who I am in those moments.
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Saturday, July 1st at 11 a.m. Ladies, Please Join Us
Ashley Krupp Baby Shower – Come celebrate the upcoming arrival of baby boy Krupp. We will gather on Saturday, July 1st @ 11 a.m. Brunch will be served. Ashley is registered at Target. Ashley has received lots of lovely hand me downs, so no clothes needed. Join us for this fun celebration of the gift of new life from our Lord. If you have questions, see Patsy Burton.
Medford and Talent Friends Combined BBQ Picnic! Saturday, July 8th at Bear Creek Park under the pavilion 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Hamburgers & hotdogs, buns and condiments will be provided. Please bring picnic potluck side dishes and desserts. Bring lawn chairs or lawn blanket etc. as desired. We are looking forward to gathering together for a great time of fellowship.
Friends Women Missionary Fellowship
Our July meeting is Thursday, July 20th and is a potluck picnic at the home of Phebe McManama. This meeting concludes our 2016-17 program year, “Transformed by Grace”. We will convene at 10:30 a.m. with an hour for wrap up business and prayer; lunch will be set out at 11:45. All women are invited to come as our guests. The Talent FWMF has been invited. Please RSVP to Nadine Brood.
Women’s Banquet at Yearly Meeting 2017
Theme: On the Journey – Speaker: Sarah Badgley
Held at the Canyon Commons at GFU
4:15 p.m. (registration & refreshments) – 5 p.m. (banquet)
Cost: $15 – paid by July 18; $19 after (and only as space is available) Please include payment in your registration, or send a check payable to Friends Women to: Terri Bowen, 200 N Meridian, Newberg, OR 97132-2714
When Grace Happens is the theme for 2017 NWYM sessions, July 23rd through 26th. Held on the campus of GFU Newberg, OR. Register on line at www.nwfriends.org.
1000 Pairs of Shoes
We Are Off To A Great Start…
We are going to be accepting donations of new shoes up until Easter time of next year! Please help us bless our community by participating in any way that you can for this shoe drive!
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Looking Ahead! When Grace Happens is the theme for 2017 NWYM sessions, July 23rd through 26th. Registration is now open! Early bird discount ends June 30th. To register please visit: www.nwfriends.org.
Ice-Cream Social and Game Night – at MFC, Friday, June 2nd
Invite friends and join us at 6:30 p.m.
The Activities Committee will provide the Ice-Cream! Please bring a favorite ice-cream topping to share and table games to play. We look forward to a great time of fellowship.
Sunday, June 11th is Promotion Sunday
All our kids will move up to the next class and we will recognize those who are changing departments. We will have donuts and juice during the fellowship time between church and Sunday School.
Friends Women Missionary Fellowship – Meeting for June All ladies are welcome to join us at MFC Thursday, June 15th, at 10:30 a.m. A buffet lunch follows the meeting.
FWMF announces that its 3rd annual Delectable Delicacies for Dad’s Day (or other significant person) will be available between worship & S.S. Sunday June 18th with a sweet or not so sweet treat: brownies, cupcakes/muffins with a special message, soft pretzels, artisan bread & coffee bread and a variety of cookies etc. Cost by donation. When you participate in FWMF bake sales funds go towards support of NWYM Friends Serving Abroad and local outreach ministries such as Child Evangelism Fellowship.
It’s time to sign up for summer camp at Twin Rocks Friends Camp! Brochures are available on the table in the foyer (or visit www.twinrocks.org).
Girls Camp: July 2-7 – Discounted price $305, register before June 14th girls entering 4th-6th grades this fall
Tween Camp: July 9-15 – Discounted price $325, register before June 21st those entering 7th-9th grades
Boys Camp: July 16-21 – Discounted price $305, register before June 28th boys entering 4th-6th grades
Surfside Camp: August 6-12 – Discounted price $325, register before July 19th those 8th – 12th grades this spring
If you participated in the camp auction, contact the church office to get your scholarship refund and be sure to register early for the best price for your camp.
Pizza and Video Games – Sunday, June 25th – Outing to Astral Games, starting with Pizza! We will meet at Medford Friends Church @ 11 a.m. and have pizza and drinks, then head to Astral Games by noon. Cost is $5 each and each participant needs to have a current parental/guardian permission slip on file. If you have not completed one or have changes, please see Patsy Burton or Drew Krupp for a form. We will return to MFC at 3 p.m.
Ashley Krupp Baby Shower – Ladies, come celebrate the upcoming arrival of baby boy Krupp. We will gather on
Saturday, July 1st @ 11 a.m. – Brunch will be served. Ashley is registered at Target. Join us for this fun celebration of the gift of new life from our Lord. If you have questions, see Patsy Burton or call 541-941-4800.
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