Remember the last time someone did something unexpectedly kind for you? Maybe they let you ahead of them in the grocery store line? Or out of the blue, gave you a sincere compliment? Or offered to help with directions when you appeared a bit lost?

Well, now’s your chance to give back. And here’s how it works.

Take your Compassion Coin and put it in your wallet/purse. Next time you see someone who could use a little kindness, help them out. Then hand them the coin and ask them to do the same for someone else someday.

It’s just that easy.

And it’s your chance to reach out and do some simple good for the world…and your fellow inhabitants thereof. As you can see, each coin has an email address (coin@fumcpdx.org) where people can send their stories to track their own encounters with “your” coin.

Just to keep you updated, you’ll hear about some of these stories from time to time. But it won’t work if you don’t get it started. Go ahead! Start spreading some kindness today.

And put your heart into it!

Compassion Coins:
From the Church and Society folks at

TONIGHT:

Ash Wednesday Service

Children will be invited to participate in the 7 p.m. service rather than a separate children’s worship. A Lenten Worship activity bag will be provided during the service.

Nursery will still be open for kids 2 and under.

7 p.m. in the Chapel

Sunday, February 26:

First Sunday In Lent: Pick up the Lenten Activity Calendar for Families in Sunday School

9:30 Kids Choirs

10:30 Worship for All

10:45 Sunday School

Upcoming:

The Morning Mug

Led by FUMC member, Kimberly Coke, the Morning Mug is a mom’s group that will start meeting on Friday mornings at Willamette UMC in West Linn. Meet at 9:15, this coming Friday, February 24 for the pilot meeting. Or join in Starting March 9. Contact Megan if you are interested, and she will connect you with Kimberly.

Lenten Suppers

Lenten Suppers are taking a new approach this year, with a community dinner and short lessons geared toward all ages. The lessons will be experiential in nature, so children will be able to connect to the topic and with the community. Nursery care will be available starting at 6:30.

We will gather in Collins Hall at 5:30 for dinner and then lessons from 6:30-7:15, starting February 22 and lasting through March 28.

FUMC Unplugged: All Church Spring Retreat

April 13-15 at Camp Suttle Lake

Registration starts Sunday!

Pick up a registration form from Megan’s office door, or down in Collins Hall. Downloadable forms will soon be available online!

Super Sunday

March 11 @ 5 p.m.

Parents dine out while kids hang back at the church.  Nursery available for kids ages 4 and under. Kids age 5 and up are engaged in games, crafts, art, music, and movement.

Please RSVP with names of parents and names and ages of kids planning to attend.

His SATB choral piece, “The Day Slipped By,” will be performed at their concerts at 7:30pm on February 25th, at First Presbyterian Church, and at 4pm on February 26th, at Pacific University.

It will be premiered alongside new works by U of O’s Robert Kyr, PU’s Timothy Stephens, Aurora Chorus’s Joan Szymko, and PSU’s Ethan Sperry.

Portland Vocal Consort BEST OF THE NORTHWEST Concert

Saturday, February 25 at 7:30 pm
First Presbyterian Church
1200 SW Alder
Portland, OR 97205

Sunday, February 26 at 4:00 pm
Taylor-Meade Performing Arts Center
Pacific University
2043 College Way
Forest Grove, OR 97116

Tickets: General Admission $20, Seniors $15, Students $10
Tickets available at the door or online at this link.

The meeting is Wednesday, March 7 in the Fireside Room with business meeting at 10:00 a.m.  with the presentation at 11:00.

Please bring a brown bag lunch.  Dessert and beverage will be provided.

We will be introducing a new triangular shape for prayer shawls.  After a brief demonstration on construction, written instruction will be provided for everyone. 

After this demonstration, Tabitha members will be cutting out flannel for receiving blankets.  These blankets will be part of the UMCOR birthing kits which members of the VIM group will take to the Salt Lake City Distribution Center in June.

In this issue:
Pathways to Life in the Spirit
Prayer Concerns
Adult Sunday School Classes
United Methodist Women
…and more!

• Download this issue (February 22, 2012) in PDF format.
• Check out the Newsletter Archives for issues from past years.

“The complete works of William Shakespeare”, one writer quickly replied.
“I’d choose the Bible”, offered another.
“And what about you?” they asked Chesterton, who thought about it for a moment and then replied, “I’d want to have Thomas’ Guide to Practical Shipbuilding.”

A wise man, that Chesterton. And a good reminder to all of us that sometimes it is enough to supply “just the facts, ma’am”, and to ask only for what we need in the moment.

Years ago when I was pastor of the Silverton United Methodist Church, I led a church retreat in which I asked everyone to come up with a title and the first five chapters for their own autobiography. One of the young men on this retreat was a bit uncomfortable with any kind of personal sharing (he told me his palms would begin to sweat at the beginning of every Bible study class when we did the “check in” with each other), and this is how he responded to that exercise: the title of his book was Just the Facts, Ma’am; and his first five chapters were labeled:

Chapter One: I Was Born
Chapter Two: To School and Back Home
Chapter Three: Love and Marriage
Chapter Four: Daddy
Chapter Five: The Working World

It was enough to give the group the essence of a life – no more, no less. It was just exactly what I had asked for in that one moment. And it was enough.

The temptation can be great to come to church, to engage with fellow believers, even to approach God and ask for “The Complete Works” of life. When all we really need is “The Practical Guide” to the present moment. The recognition that sometimes “Just the Facts, Ma’am” is enough can be the beginning of spiritual wisdom which enables us to stay awake and aware in the here and now.

I was thinking about the two men as I looked for my copy of Barbara Brown Taylor’s “An Altar in the World”, the next First Church Reads book.  Who is Barbara Brown Taylor?  She is an Episcopal priest who has left full-time parish ministry to teach, and Rev. Donna often mentions her writings in her Sunday messages.

The book is all about how taking the time to pay attention can well lead you to finding God in the everyday things you do and see around you.  Little altars to God are everywhere.  The two men at the restaurant may have missed a glimpse of God by simply not paying attention to the other person at the table or the food placed before them.

As Barbara Brown Taylor reminds us, the story of Moses could have been very different if he had been too busy tending his father-in-law’s sheep to stop and turn to take a closer look at that burning bush.  Ah, but because he did, Moses found himself on holy ground.

“An Altar in the World” is a wonderful, engaging book about spiritual practices (vision, prayer, benediction, etc.) as one might carry them out beyond the walls of church.  I plan to re-read a chapter a day (there are only 12) during the first part of Lent.  I should have plenty of time to finish up before the discussion following worship on March 18.

I wish to post a quick thank you note to all those that participated in the pancake feed. As is always the case, the kitchen was in chaos, but tasty and safe food was enjoyed by over 130 people.

The youth brought in their “music” and kept a party like atmosphere throughout the hard work. Everyone came away with good feelings of accomplishment and fellowship.

I wish to extent special thanks to the clean up crew and the adult helpers. We had tons of dishes, flatware, pots and pans to get cleaned and put away just in time for the next chef to take over the kitchen. We are blessed to have a such a highly utilized kitchen!

We had one comical mishap in the kitchen. After everyone was fed, a pan of fresh hotcakes tipped over and landed on the floor between the grills and the service counter. We had to wait for the grills to cool before we could clean them up.

I was pleased that everyone had their fill before that happened. Then, to my surprise, I was tickled to find the drawing on my clipboard, of a warning for next year (see picture).

Tim