Handing out IOU envelopes to purchasers who did not have cash or checks on the sale day was very successful.

Approximately five boxes of leftover books that were in very poor condition were dropped off at Far West Fibers for recycling.

We gave four boxes of books to Beaverton Library, one box to Multnomah County Library, and the rest to Goodwill.

We owe Bob Wilson a special thank you for transporting the books.

Join us this week for worship at 10:30.

Scripture: Romans 8:12-17
Sermon: Stand and Deliver!, Rev. Donna Pritchard preaching
Focus: Courageous faith; adopted as God’s own

This Week’s Music

• Prelude: All Creatures of Our God and King, Arr. by David Thompson; Jessica Mason and Karin McDonough
• Introit: Peace Like a River, P. Beall & S. Nipp; The Cherubs, Vanessa Unger, director
• Anthem: For the Beauty of the Earth, John Rutter; The Sound Seekers and Chancel Choirs, Erick Lichte, conductor
• Offertory: Aria for Handbells, Dale Wood; juBELLation, Karin McDonough, director
• Postlude: March in D, Frank Bridge; Jonas Nordwall, organist

We extend a special welcome to our visitors. Portland First United Methodist Church declares that we will be an advocate for peace in our local communities and world. As a Reconciling Congregation, members of this congregation have pledged to welcome and support all who want to worship with us, regardless of race, gender, class or sexual orientation.

• Download the Bulletin

Visit the Coffee Hour after worship today for a tasty treat, good coffee, and lively conversation. It is a great opportunity to learn more about the people and programs of First Church.

In this issue:

• 160th Anniversary of the Chancel Choir
• Linens Drive
• Olive Oil Sales
• FUMC Mac Users Group
• Youth Mission PDX
• Downtown Compassion Clinic
• Staff Changes
• Adult Sunday School Classes
• United Methodist Women

…and more!

• Download this issue (May 23, 2012) in PDF format.
• Check out the Newsletter Archives for issues from past years.

On Saturday May 19, First Church volunteers helped pack 5,080 pounds of food which will feed 3,908 hungry Oregonians!  Put another way, the 5,080 pounds of oatmeal packed works out to about 100 meals per volunteer or a gazillion oatmeal cookies depending on which way you look at it!

May 2012

• Tuesday, May 15 – Submission Deadline
• May 23 – Publication Date

June 2012

• Tuesday, June 12 – Submission Deadline
• June 20 – Publication Date

July 2012

• Tuesday, July 10 – Submission Deadline
• July 18 – Publication Date

August 2012

• Tuesday, August 7 – Submission Deadline
• August 15 – Publication Date

You can find current and past issues of the Circuit Rider here.

As a reserve delegate I spent most of my time at Conference observing the work of legislative committees, and engaging voting delegates in conversation aimed at encouraging particular votes. Members of the Western Jurisdiction met together each day at 7 am to share observations and to strategize on issues of concern to us in the west. This was a great time to reconnect with friends and colleagues and to celebrate our western flavor of United Methodism.

Some of the major actions coming out of General Conference include these:

• The elimination of guaranteed appointments for United Methodist clergy (Prior to this vote, Elders in good standing have been guaranteed an appointment; this new legislation means that it will now be easier for Bishops to encourage ineffective clergy to exit, if they follow a prescribed process.)
• The rejection of a proposal to set aside one bishop (apart from responsibility for any geographic area) whose job would be to preside over the Council of Bishops and supervise the general agencies of the church.
• Entering into full communion with several historically black pan-Methodist denominations. (This would open up the possibility of accepting clergy leadership from these other churches in the Methodist family.)
• Removing the United Methodist Women from the oversight of the General Board of Global Ministries, and making UMW a stand-alone entity in the church.
• Creating and funding a National Plan for ministry with Pacific Islanders.
• Rejecting “positive investment” in Palestine, while also narrowly defeating a proposed divestment in corporations doing business with Israel in order to bring a more just peace for the Palestinians.
• Participating in an Act of Repentance for sins against Native American peoples.
• Retaining the church’s current position on homosexuality, while also adopting a new introductory statement in the Social Principles which allows for faith to be lived out in the context of different cultures.
• Adopting a $603.1 million budget for 2013-2016… which is actually a 6% decrease over the current budget for the denomination.
• Electing new members to the Judicial Council – our “Supreme Court” for the church
• Working diligently on proposed new structures for the denomination

Structure was a big issue for General Conference 2012. We arrived in Tampa with three detailed proposals to make sweeping changes in the way we direct the work of the denomination. One proposal came from the Connectional Table (the current leadership structure), while another was dubbed “Plan B” and sought to soften the Connectional Table’s proposal as a compromise position; and a third proposal came from Methodist Federation for Social Action. At issue in each of these plans was the question of how leadership would be chosen, and the tension between representational leadership (which often leads to large and expensive boards but also provides maximum input from various constituencies), and strategic or visionary leadership (which can have the effect of being more nimble and easy to make changes happen).

After several days of intensive work in the Legislative Committee designed to deal with questions of structure, the whole body debated and perfected a fourth plan – called “Plan UMC”. That plan was then referred to the Judicial Council for its review, and the Council determined it was unconstitutional! So, at literally the 11th hour, the General Conference accepted a proposal from the existing general agencies to voluntarily decrease the size of their boards. The question of structure will undoubtedly be on the agenda once more when General Conference meets here in Portland, Oregon in 2016.

This meeting will provide information about the Stephen Ministry program at FUMC and what Stephen Ministers do. Stephen Ministers provide one-to-one Christian care by listening, supporting and encouraging, praying, being dependable, and maintaining confidentiality in their care-giving.

A new 50-hour training program for Stephen Ministers will begin in September and continue through February, with sessions on Tuesday evenings and one Saturday a month.

Hosted and sponsored by Children and Family Ministry Committee, this lunch is for everyone and anyone. Please bring a salad or an entree to pass, with a serving utensil too!

Plates and eating utensils will be provided.

We will have coffee hour as usual and cake too!

All in celebration of Spring, Youth Sunday, Graduates, the Library Book Sale,  and the First United Methodist Church Community!

Bring your dish by Collins Hall in the morning to have it refrigerated during worship.