NEWS
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We are just two weeks (and a couple of days) from Easter Sunday. Every year, during the Easter season, Christians find renewed hope in the resurrection story. Easter and hope are synonymous. There is nothing like Easter to bring hope back to life. Easter has its own anthems. Easter has its own scriptures. And Easter has it own proclamation: "He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said..." (Matthew 28:6)
This year, I want to challenge you to share the hope of Easter by inviting a family member, friend or neighbor to our Easter Sunday gathering. Easter is the perfect time to invite someone to church. Here's why, "...but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8. The Easter Story is the essence of the gospel. The most important piece of information you could ever share with another individual is that Jesus paid the price for our sins by dying on the cross, and that he overcame death by resurrecting on the third day. Easter is a day when Jesus' followers celebrate His victory over death and reflect on the resurrection. Jesus' sacrifice was real, and Easter provides an opportunity to refocus on the most important part of our faith. Who is God wanting you to invite to church this Easter? Is it that neighbor you casually say "hi" to when checking the mail? Or is it a family member who hasn't been to church in years? Maybe it's someone you haven't seen for a while, but they've been on your mind lately. Or it could be someone on your i3 list. Reach out with some type of invitation to join you this Easter. Be sure and use the invite cards from church (available at the next step table) to convey the church location and service time. This Easter, extend the invitation and give God the opportunity to surprise you! Calvary Parkside Upcoming Events: Good Friday Service: April 7 at 7:00pm. Join us for a time of singing, scripture reading, directed prayer for our hearts to be receptive to the Easter message; for our friends and neighbors who need to hear the gospel message, and that we would continue to make Jesus non-ignorable in Beaverton. The evening will conclude with the Lord's Supper. Egg Hunt, Games and Crafts: April 8 from 11:00am to 1:00pm. Invite your friends and neighbors to our egg hunt! Kids will enjoy games, food, crafts, a place to snap a family photo, and a good old-fashioned egg hunt. Easter Sunday Service: April 9 at 9:30am. Join us as we celebrate our risen Savior! Don't forget to bring a friend, neighbor or family member with you. Beaverton High School Serve Day: April 14th from 9:30am to 1:00pm. This will be a great opportunity to serve those who don't yet know Jesus. More details to come. See you Sunday Doug This Sunday at 9:30am, we will continue our series, Encounters with Jesus. There are certain times when Jesus loves to surprise us. It usually happens just as we are ready to throw our hands in the air and give up hope; when we have come to the end of our resources, exhausted, out of ideas; when quitting seems like the only remaining option; Jesus pulls out a miracle...surprise!
Paul the apostle experienced this so many times that he began to detect a pattern. The best things happen when we've come to the end of ourselves. Look what he wrote in II Corinthians: But the Lord said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (II Corinthians 12:9-10) This was Jesus' plan when he encountered Peter, Andrew, James and John on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. He would teach them to become ever more dependent upon their Master. Their first lesson in dependence began with their calling in Luke 5:1-11, when their impossibility gave Jesus the opportunity to give them a surprise gift. Join us this Sunday, as we look at Simon Peter's encounter with Jesus. An encounter which involved not just listening to the words of Jesus, but responding in a way that would change his life forever. Easter Sunday (April 9) is just 4 weeks away. Who are you beginning to invest in? Are you sharing the love of Jesus to them through encouragement, listening to their story and serving them? As we begin to make an investment in the life of someone who needs to encounter Jesus, we open the door to invite them to experience our church community. Let me give you two reasons to invite someone to church this Easter: 1.) Everyone needs biblical community. The church is a hub for encountering Jesus and spiritual growth and we want people to engage in that. 2.) Everyone needs an invitation to follow Jesus. A gospel-centered church (a commitment of Calvary Parkside) is a church where Jesus is talked about and where non-believers have the opportunity to respond to Jesus. Let's begin praying that God would reveal to each of us, who he wants us to invest in, so that we will have the opportunity to invite them to church and be introduced to the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ. Praying for each other is a great way to begin "Connecting with one another authentically". See you Sunday. Doug "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." Romans 15:13
This Sunday, March 12, at 9:30am, we launch a new chapter as Calvary Parkside. Our Vision: To make Jesus non-ignorable in Beaverton and to the ends of the earth. Our Mission: To glorify God by making joyful, passionate disciples of Jesus Christ. Our Core Values: To WORSHIP God passionately; to CONNECT with one another authentically; to GROW to know God deeply; and to GO, SHOW and TELL the gospel boldly. As followers of Jesus, we have been called to live worthy of God's glory. It's an immense calling that God gives the church. As the apostle Paul wrote: "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen" Ephesians 5:20-21. More than 50 times in Scripture, God makes it clear that everything, including us and his church, exist for his glory. As you prepare your heart and mind for this Sunday, pray this prayer: "Lord, this is all about you! This is not my church, this is Your church. This is the bride of Christ that Jesus died to save. Lord, be glorified in us. Be glorified in this church. For Your glory alone, Lord! Amen." This Sunday at 9:30am, we will continue our series, Encounters with Jesus. Last week, Larry Annes kicked-off our series by looking at the story of the paralytic from Mark 2. What started out as a story about four friends, desperate to see their paralyzed friend walk again, quickly turned into an encounter with the Son of God, who provided not just physical healing, but more importantly, forgiveness of sins. This week, we will unpack the story of two touches from Mark 5. Two touches that reveal for us the heart of God. That God loves us. That God looks on us with compassion, affection, and protection. And that God desires only the best for his children. Note: Don't experience the horror of arriving to church as everyone else is leaving! Don't forget to "Spring Forward"! Set your clocks ahead one hour before you go to bed on Saturday night. Praying is a great way to begin "Connecting with one another authentically". See you Sunday. Doug The New Testament is full of stories of people who had dramatic encounters with Jesus. Now, an encounter with Jesus was different from a meeting with him. Encountering Jesus was not the kind of event where you would go home and tell your spouse, and/or family, "Hey, I ran into this interesting guy today named Jesus...what's for dinner?" An encounter with Jesus involved being brought face-to-face with the choice between eternal life with God, or eternal separation apart from God. Once they realized who this Jesus was, all of their hopes and fears, all the possibilities of Heaven and Hell, were bound up in their response to this life-altering encounter.
Over the next two months, we will spend time each Sunday, exploring the New Testament for individuals who didn't just meet Jesus, but encountered Jesus. An encounter that provided unconditional love and acceptance, physical healing, hope, peace, purpose, joy, and most important...salvation! Join us this Sunday at 9:30am and experience you own Encounter with Jesus! This week our encounter with Jesus takes us to Mark 2:1-12, where a paraplegic comes face-to-face with his healer. As we will discover from this encounter with Jesus, the deepest needs of our lives are not physical; they are spiritual and invisible. This is true of everyone, which explains why Jesus gave priority to the man's heart before He addressed the hopeless condition of his body. While we tend to invert these priorities, placing physical needs above the spiritual, God continually calls us to reorient our thinking to see things as He does. Join us after the service at 11:00am for part 2 of the Calvary Parkside Membership Class. This class is designed for both current members and those new to our church. During this class, we will unpack our vision and mission, what we believe, how we function, and what it means to be a member of Calvary Parkside. Praying for each other is a great way to begin "Connecting with one another authentically". See you Sunday. Doug There was a time when the question of church membership was not much of a question at all. Jump back a generation or two, and nearly every church in the U.S. had a roster of members. Now, the question, however, is much more persistent. "Why should I join a local church?" "Why should I bother with church membership?" "So explain to me what membership is all about." Many churches today have a membership process but don't place much emphasis on it. Others don't have membership at all, encouraging their people to get involved and engaged without a more formal process.
For many Christians, church membership sounds dated. It's something you have at your bank, gym or the country club, but not your church. Even if we agree that Christianity is not meant to be a lone ranger religion, that we need one another for prayer, support and fellowship, we still bristle at the thought of officially joining a church. Mark Dever, in his book Nine Marks of a Healthy Church writes this about church membership... "Church membership is our opportunity to grasp hold of each other in responsibility and love. By identifying ourselves with a particular church, we let the pastors and other members of that local church know that we intend to be committed in attendance, giving, prayer, and service. We assure the church of our commitment to Christ in serving with them, and we call for their commitment to serve and encourage as well." Join us this Sunday at 9:30am, as we conclude our three week series called, Blueprints for the church. In this series, we are pulling back the curtain and looking at how the New Testament church handled church polity (structure). This week, we will focus on church membership. Believers today want to go to church. They want to attend church. But they don't necessarily want to belong to a church. The church was never meant to be a consumer relationship. The local church is a body made up of many members. This was how Paul described the early church in I Corinthians 12. Take time this weekend to read I Corinthians 12:12-20, and join us this Sunday at 9:30am as we gather to Worship God Passionately, through singing, prayer, giving of our offering and the study of God's Word. I hope you will make time to join us! Speaking of church membership, this Sunday at 11:00am, all Parkside Fellowship church members are invited to our Annual Membership Meeting. During this meeting, our church council will present the 2023 budget for your approval. We will also provide an update on the transition to Calvary Parkside. The 2023 proposed budget is attached to this email. Upcoming Events: Calvary Parkside Membership Class Part 2. Sunday, March 5th at 11:00am. This class is designed for both current members and those new to our church. During this class, we will unpack our vision and mission, what we believe, how we function, and what it means to be a member of Calvary Parkside. Praying for each other is a great way to begin "Connecting with one another authentically". See you Sunday. Doug Richard Foster, in his book, Celebration of Discipline writes:
"More than any other single way the grace of humility is worked into our lives through the Discipline of service...Nothing disciplines the inordinate desires of the flesh like service, and nothing transforms the desires of the flesh like serving in hiddenness. The flesh whines against service but screams against hidden service. It strains and pulls for honor and recognition." In Matthew 20, Jesus addresses the benefits of being a servant when he says to his disciples: "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave--just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." Matthew 20:26-28 In making this statement, Jesus was revealing who God is. "Jesus did not come as a servant in spite of the fact that he is God; he came precisely because of the fact that he is God." (John Ortberg) Today's culture doesn't resent people who serve others and seek nothing in return, but neither does it reward selfless servanthood. The way to climb the corporate ladder is to get noticed, take high-profile risks, and downplay one's failures. God's kingdom, however, works differently. Jesus turned corporate ladder upside down to declare, in effect, "The way up in My kingdom is to descend to the lowest rung and become the servant of all." This Sunday at 9:30am, we will continue our three week series called, Blueprints for the church. In this series, we are pulling back the curtain and looking at how the New Testament church handled church polity (structure). This week, we will focus on the office of deacon. As we will see in Acts 6, the deacons are to be the lead servants of the church. They are to model for the church what it looks like to serve Jesus and others. They should be faithful, available, and teachable, ready to jump in and serve where needed. Of the three biblical roles in the early church, it is really the most Christlike. Join us this Sunday at 9:30am as we gather to Worship God Passionately, through singing, prayer, giving of our offering, the Lord's Supper, and the study of God's Word. I hope you will make time to join us! Calvary Parkside Membership Class begins this Sunday, February 19th at 11:00am. This class is designed for both current members and those new to our church. During this class, we will unpack our vision and mission, what we believe, how we function, and what it means to be a member of Calvary Parkside. Upcoming Events: 1. Calvary Parkside Membership Class Part 2. Sunday, March 5th at 11:00am. This class is designed for both current members and those new to our church. During this class, we will unpack our vision and mission, what we believe, how we function, and what it means to be a member of Calvary Parkside. 2. Annual Membership Meeting. Sunday, February 26th at 11:00am. During this meeting, our church council will present the 2023 budget for your approval. We will also provide an update on the transition to Calvary Parkside. The 2023 budget will be available beginning Sunday, February 19th. Praying through this list is a great way to begin "Connecting with one another authentically". See you Sunday. Doug This Sunday, at 9:30am, we will conclude our series DNA: Who we are. What we do. As we close out this series on the core values that shape our identity and culture, I thought it might be fun to have you take short quiz. See if you are able to fill-in the missing words in our core value statements below: (the answers are at the bottom of this email)
1. Worship God _____________________ . 2. ________________ with one another _____________________ . 3. Grow to ___________ God deeply. 4. Go, __________, and tell the ___________ boldly. So...how did you do? Last week, we unpacked Paul's case for the importance of the gospel as the only hope for mankind, and how we are the instruments chosen by God to spread the "good news" with the world. According to Matthew 28:19, John 20:21 and Acts 1:8, we have been sent by Jesus. We are the answer to Paul's question in Romans 10:15: "And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?" So, understanding that one of our main roles as followers of Jesus is to share the gospel story with a lost world, how do we do that? Where do you and I begin? In short, we begin with prayer. We begin by praying and asking Jesus to open our eyes to the lost around us. We must learn to love lost people the way God does. When Jesus stretched his arms out wide on the cross, he was saying, "I love you this much!" I Corinthians 5:14 says, "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all..." Ask Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to give you a love for the lost. This Sunday, I will introduce an evangelism strategy that is basic, simple and doable. It's a strategy not built on slick marketing tools, but instead, is built on the relationships that you and I encounter every single day. As we will learn on Sunday, evangelism is about investing in someone's life. Evangelism is inviting them to experience Jesus and his church. Finally, evangelism is introducing them to the life-changing power of the gospel. Don't miss this Sunday at 9:30am, as we focus our attention on the message of cross. Following the service, our adult Sunday school class will conclude their study in Acts. Make plans to stick around after the service and experience Christian fellowship as we explore the life of the early church. Note: Thanks to everyone who donated beanies and scarves to Tonya. Be on the lookout for pictures of her wearing these demonstrations of our love for one another. Thank you for being a praying church. Answers to the "fill-in-the-blank" core value statements: 1. Worship God passionately. 2. Connect with one another authentically. 3. Grow to know God deeply. 4. Go, show, and tell the gospel boldly. See you Sunday. Doug As Jesus prepared to begin his public ministry on earth, he gazed across the horizon and saw many opportunities begging for his time, his talent and his treasure. He saw multiple paths laid out before him, each one worthy of his pursuit. He could have been a political revolutionary or a national leader. He could have been content to be a teacher, educating the minds of those interested in pursuing temple work. He could have been a physician and healed bodies. But in the end he chose to be a Savior and save souls. Anyone near Jesus for any length of time heard him say, "The Son of Man came to find lost people and save them" (Luke 19:10). "The Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many people" (Mark 10:45). The heart of Christ was relentlessly focused on one task...providing a way of salvation for mankind.
As his followers, we are to continue what Jesus started. Jesus calls us not only to come to him, but to go for him. Our mission is so significant that Jesus repeated it five times, in five different ways, in five different books of the Bible. Take time this week to study Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:47, John 20:21 and Acts 1:8, and learn the details of our mission on earth--the when, where, why, and how. Consider joining us this Sunday at 9:30am as we conclude our DNA series: Who we are. What we do. This week we will look at our last core value: Go, show, and tell the gospel boldly. This final core value is a culmination of passionately worshiping God together as we grow in our relationship with him. I believe our only response to a life lived with Jesus at the center is to share in his earthly mission. Our vision to make Jesus non-ignorable in Beaverton and to the ends of the earth must be what drives our daily activities. You won't want to miss this Sunday, as we look at Romans 10:14-17, which contains the apostle Paul's closing argument for the importance of the gospel as the only hope for mankind. Following the service, our adult Sunday school class will continue its study in the book of Acts. Make plans to stick around after the service and experience Christian fellowship as we explore the life of the early church. Note: Learn to connect with one another authentically as we collect beanies and scarfs for Tonya Erhardt. If you would like more information about this opportunity, you can email the church at doug.boyd@parksidefellowship.org, or speak with Jo Leiby on Sunday. Thank you for being a praying church. See you Sunday. Doug James 4:8 reads, "Come near to God and he will come near to you." You are as close to God as you choose to be. Like any relationship, developing a deeper relationship with God takes desire, time and energy. Growing to know God more deeply must become a passion above all others. The Psalms are filled with examples of one's desire to know God deeply. David, in speaking of his passion to know God, used words like longing, yearning, thirsting and hungering. He craved God. Jacob's passion for God's blessing on His life was so intense that he wrestled with God all night. God isn't hurt or offended when we wrestle with him, because wrestling requires personal contact. It is a passionate activity, and God loves it when we are passionate with him.
So, how exactly do we "Grow to know God deeply"? Join us this Sunday at 9:30am, as we explore this third core value. Larry Annes will help us to explore what the Bible says about nurturing our faith and how we can be more intentional in growing up in our faith. Each of the four values we are looking at are related to one another. As we grow to know God more deeply it will cause us grow up in our worship of God, our connections to one another, and how share the Good News of the Gospel with others. As you prepare your minds and hearts for Sunday, pray this prayer: "Dear God, more than anything else, I want to get to know you more intimately." Join us this Sunday at 9:30am. Take time to draw close to God and watch as He fulfills His promise to draw near to you. Following the service, our adult Sunday school class will continue its study in the book of Acts. Make plans to stick around after the service and experience Christian fellowship as we explore the life of the early church. Note: Learn to connect with one another authentically as we collect beanies and scarfs for Tonya Erhardt. If you would like more information about this opportunity, you can email the church at doug.boyd@parksidefellowship.org, or speak with Jo Leiby on Sunday. Thank you for being a praying church. See you Sunday. Doug One of the surest barometers of the quality of your Christian life is the quality of the Christian relationships in your life. When that deteriorates, you're going backwards spiritually. Acts 2:42 confirms that connecting with one another authentically was a high priority in the early church. When you read the verse, you might be thinking, "And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and..." What will be next? Surely, it must be some type of Bible Study or Sunday School class; or, maybe they devoted themselves to missions. I believe today's church views Christian relationships as a nice add-on, maybe the the whipping cream on the dessert of the Christian life--but surely not the main thing, or even the second, third or fourth thing. But fellowship, connecting with one another authentically, is the second thing Luke mentions.
As we continue to be reminded of the core values on which this church was founded, Christian relationships is also our second core value. Join us this Sunday at 9:30am, as we focus on the value of connecting with one another authentically. Authentic fellowship is not superficial, surface-level conversations. It is genuine, heart-to-heart, conversations, some of which you can't have with anybody else. It happens when people get honest about who they are and what is happening in their lives. They share their hurts, confess their failures, reveal their doubts and acknowledge their need for help and prayer. Why would anyone seek out this type of relationship? Because it helps us grow spiritually and because the Bible tells us too. James 5:16 reads, "Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." Consider joining us on Sunday and learn the spiritual value of Christian community. In preparation, take time to read Hebrews 10:19-25 and ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart to the importance of fellowship in the life of the believer. Following the service, our adult Sunday school class will continue its study in the book of Acts. Make plans to stick around after the service and experience Christian fellowship. Before I close-out this edition of TAB, I want to share with you an opportunity to practice our core commitment to connect with one another authentically. As many of you are aware, Tonya Erhardt, the daughter of Tom and Teresa, and the grandaughter of Dennis and Mary Stevens, has been battling a rare form of bone and cartilage cancer. This has required extensive chemo and radiation treatment. We are thankful that during her last visit, her labs showed that the lesions on her eye socket and lungs have reduced in size...PRAISE GOD! Please continue to pray for complete healing. One side-affect of her treatment is the loss of her hair, which in this weather, can make for a cold head! We would like to show our love, support and encouragement for Tonya by presenting her with a collection of beanies and scarves that she can use to keep her head warm. We will be sharing more about this opportunity on Sunday, but wanted to get the word out to those who may not be able to attend church this Sunday. If you would like more information about this opportunity, you can email the church at doug.boyd@parksidefellowship.org, or speak with Jo Leiby on Sunday. Thank you for being a praying church. See you Sunday. Doug |
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