The Bible has a lot to say about the poor from Exodus through Revelation. Here are two verses that I think sum up most of what is said, Proverbs 22:2 New International Version (NIV)Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all. Luke 11:40-41 New International Version...
We are approaching another milestone in the history of our church, the welcoming of a new Lead Pastor. Although he has yet to be confirmed by congregational vote, it appears very likely that Pastor Greg Lunsford will be stepping into that role by the first of the year. As a church, we have...
In light of Mark’s last blog, I wanted to continue the theme of “Family” and show you one of the ways that our community partners together as a community. Last week, we hosted our All Church Family Prayer Night where multiple generations came into one space with the focus on...
When a group of people feels safe and warm, we often say they feel like “family.” “Family” implies love, loyalty and lifelong bonds. Unfortunately, many people may have painful memories of their families or they may feel alone and like they don’t have family. But...
Last Sunday we had the amazing opportunity to worship God as SW Church Together (a partnership between Missio, Riversgate, Multnomah Presbyterian, and Greater Portland Bible Church). Something special happens when we tear down the walls and boundaries of our individual churches and come together...
Have you ever helped save a life? I have. It’s terrifying and thrilling and humbling. Many of you may have heard that one of our faith community members went into cardiac arrest in the church lobby early one Monday evening in September. Our good, great, and gracious God saw fit to place me...
This weekend some of our women will be at the women’s retreat in Turner, Oregon at the Aldersgate Retreat Center. 1979 was my first experience of planning and attending a women’s retreat. Because I had never attended one, I had so may questions? What do women do at these retreats? I...
Each year our retreat team gets together and chooses a theme that we feel would encourage our women. October 5-6 is our Women’s Retreat with the theme “Joy”! I have been to many retreats in the past with Greater Portland Bible Church. I can remember just how uncomfortable...
I have been fortunate over the years to have visited several other countries and to have had the opportunity to worship with Christians of different languages, cultures, traditions, and practices. Whether it was a congregation in the Philippines, Spain, Jordan, South Africa, Tajikistan, or on a...
When I was in school, a professor assigned us to research and write a paper on our culture. As I looked around the room and saw many classmates of color, I thought I wouldn’t have anything to report on. After class, I went up to my professor and told her that I didn’t think I’d...