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Everyone is invited to Bobbie Brooks’ 90th birthday party!  The party will be here at St. John’s on October 9th, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.  Please RSVP to Laurie Brooks (she’s in the directory).

Adult Education at St. John's:  Bud Thurston concludes “The Making and Understanding of Myth” today.  This class examines the beginning of myth making in all ancient cultures and how this applies to our present understandings of the Christian Faith. 

JJ Ross' art exhibit will be showing until Oct. 17 at (the old) Washington High School, 531 SE 14th Ave. Portland, open Thur-Fri, 12-6:30 pm and Sat-Sun, 12-4 pm. It will travel for the next two years to Rapid City, South Dakota, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Scottsdale, Arizona, and last stop, Haverford, Pennsylvania.  (and some of his art was created while sitting in church!)

Sermon: Pentecost 18, The Very Rev. Anthony Thurston

In today’s lesson we visualize two men who lived at the extremes of life as Luke describes them in his gospel.  Tradition has one of them named Dives (which is the Latin word for rich) and Luke calls the other man Lazarus.  In the weaving of this story we can learn a great deal about ourselves—what we live for; what we consider important; what we think of the future.  This story is rich in its appreciation of life’s central values as well as the tragedy of those whose lives are sustained by superficialities. 

This is one of those passages of Scripture which seems simple enough on the surface, but the more we think about it, the more we find there is to it.  This story is a continuation of the discussion of wealth from last week’s parable of the Unjust Steward.  Luke’s gospel points to the reality that some of us have been born gifted, others with only a few talents.  Some are born fit for the struggle of existence, others quite unsuited to it.  And it’s these differences that have led to this story of Dives and Lazarus. 

Youth Group, October

1 – (Friday) Lock-in (7 p.m. – 10 a.m. Saturday) Chaperones needed! Please sign up for a shift

(7-10 p.m., 10 p.m.-2 a.m., 2-8 a.m., 8-10 a.m.) Beware, the youth don’t sleep!

10 – $5 Challenge (12-3 p.m.) Each team gets $5 and 90 minutes, which ever team is able to get

the most items with receipts, wins! We will do lunch first. One driver is needed.

17– Youth Led Activity (5-7 p.m.) One or more youth can sign up to lead an activity on this

Sunday. See Risa for more information

23 – Harvest Dinner The youth have been asked to help serve the dinner.

24 – Haunted Corn Maze or Scream at the Beach (4 p.m. - ?) This activity is for the adventurous

ones. For the less adventurous, join us for a more relaxed activity. One driver is needed.

31 – Halloween! (5-7 p.m.) Come and just hang out and avoid the crazies on the street!

Have some questions?  Contact Risa Northway

Readings for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost: September 26th

O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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Thank You to all that supported the Schools for Peace fundraiser! We now have made over $12,000. With over 40 volunteers and then add the numbers that donated items, let's just say, you know who you are and all was very much appreciated! Judy Steele and Connie Ross feel very blessed by such an overwhelming response. Thank you, thank you, Thank you! 

JJ Ross' art exhibit will be showing until Oct. 17 at (the old) Washington High School, 531 SE 14th Ave. Portland, open Thur-Fri, 12-6:30 pm and Sat-Sun, 12-4 pm. It will travel for the next two years to Rapid City, South Dakota, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Scottsdale, Arizona, and last stop, Haverford, Pennsylvania.  (and some of his art was created while sitting in church!)

Thank you to all who took a flier for "Operation Santa". We will be filling stockings for our Marines in Afghanistan. If you would like to be a part of this effort, pick up a flier at church. You can start to collect things that will be gratefully received by the troops... candy, socks, hygiene supplies, books, puzzle books, packets of cocoa or cider etc. If you don't want to do the shopping you can send a check to St. John's with Operation Santa in the memo line, and we will do the shopping for you!

Sermon: Pentecost 17, The Very Rev. Anthony Thurston

Today’s parable from Luke is arguably the most troublesome story Jesus ever told.  The story is about a steward –one who was charged with wasting his master’s goods.  The owner called him in and gave him notice, told him to bring the books up to date and clear out his desk. 
But the steward was clever—he was shrewd.  So he goes about making deals with everyone who owes the master money—he discounts everything that anyone owes.  When the land owner discovers what has happened instead of sending the steward to jail decides to absorb the loss.  He shows unusual mercy—amazing grace—and then he commends the steward for his shrewdness. 
It’s a subtle point to us that Jesus makes…God’s amazing and dependable graciousness. God’s unexpected and always surprising willingness to love us and accept us—no matter what.  And while the steward is no moral model for anyone, he knows somehow that he can depend utterly and ultimately on the generosity and grace of his master. 
But, just in case we missed the point at the end of this parable, Luke records Jesus as saying:  “No servant can serve two masters; you cannot serve God and mammon.” 

Sermon: Pentecost 16, The Very Rev. Anthony Thurston

This is grandparent’s day today.  And many grandparents have brought their grandchildren and great grand-children with them for worship today.  I want to welcome each of you who have joined us.  I have both some “bad news” and some “good news”.  The “bad news” is that you will have to listen to a sermon.  The “good news” is that it will last only between six and eight minutes.  You can begin timing me about now! 

It was Alfred, Lord Tennyson who said, “There lives more faith in honest doubt, believe me, than in half of the creeds.”  And in today’s gospel lesson we hear the Pharisees and scribes—the religious leaders of Israel—complaining about Jesus because he had tax collectors and sinners as his friends.  And these religious leaders were questioning Jesus’ faith as a Jew because of these friends.  Faith is my topic for today. 

Readings for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost: September 19th

Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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Found at the Schools for Peace event: a lady’s ring.  Call the office and describe it to claim it.

Other Lost and Found items from the last three months will be on display in the parish hall this Sunday, September 19th!  Please come see if you can find any of your lost items!  Anything left after the 20th will be donated.

Thanks to all who placed a scrip order this week. Our profit was $200! Your order will be here on Sunday. Anyone wanting more information about scrip, please see me on Sunday morning.

Linda

Thank you to all who took a flier for "Operation Santa". We will be filling stockings for our Marines in Afghanistan. If you would like to be a part of this effort, pick up a flier at church. You can start to collect things that will be gratefully received by the troops... candy, socks, hygiene supplies, books, puzzle books, packets of cocoa or cider etc. If you don't want to do the shopping you can send a check  to St. John's with Operation Santa in the memo line, and we will do the shopping for you!

Adult Education classes begin at St. John's on September 19.  Bud Thurston will be teaching "The Making and Understanding of Myth" for three weeks.  This class will examine the beginning of myth making in all ancient cultures and how this applies to our present understandings of the Christian Faith.

Attention Children ages 3 – 12 yrs.

Do you want to feel good about yourself?  Have fun while you enrich your life.  Come have a blast with us in Sunday School this year.  How about running our own Children’s Chapel, singing, skits, making arts and crafts for the elderly, working with SOLV to clean up our city,  field trips, caroling at Christmas time, playing Florescent Putt Putt golf, Foosball, Ping Pong, decorating the tables for Feed The Hungry, sharing our art throughout the community, performing  plays, and much, much more.  

We’ll be learning a basic Christian education while focusing on service and good fellowship.  All children are enthusiastically invited to join our fun-filled St. John’s Sunday School Program which begins Sunday, September 19th,   9am – 11am.  

Don’t let this opportunity pass you by.  Bring your neighbor!  Bring your cousin!  Bring a friend!  We welcome all children in our community regardless of whether their families are members of our church.  Just give Sue, in the office, a call to sign up so that we will be prepared with enough materials, 503-653-5880.  

You may also register with our Sunday School Coordinator, Patti Denny, at 503-692-5621 or pndenny@frontier.com.  

P.S. …. Even though parents may need to return home after dropping off their children, they are certainly welcome and invited to attend the popular Bible Study chat from 9-10am and the adult service from 10am-11am.  For the little siblings, we have a fabulously furnished Nursery with Erin, a most wonderful, nurturing and skilled caregiver. 

Readings for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost: September 12th

O God, because without you we are not able to please you mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

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Schools for Peace: as seen on Channel 2 - 11 o'clock news last Tuesday night:

Educate a Girl and you educate a Village! Come and enjoy guest speakers and samples of Afghan cuisine and customs by native hosts. Fund-raising activities will include wine tasting, raffle tickets, auction bids and a $10 admission. Books and other literature on the region will be available. Join us, September 11, 2010, at 7:00 PM, at St John Episcopal Church.

Lost and Found items from the last three months will be on display in the parish hall this Sunday, Sept. 12th, through Sunday, September 19th!  Please come see if you can find any of your lost items!  Anything left after the 20th will be donated.

A friendly reminder from St. Martha's Guild:  If you have items to be displayed on the bulletin boards in the parish hall, please leave them in the parish office and they will be posted in a timely manner.  All photos should be labeled on the back so they may be returned to their original owner.  Thank you!

Scrip will resume weekly deliveries this coming Sunday. Come prepared to order your scrip, and check out the new order form. They have added some new stores this year! Remember that every time you use scrip, your church wins!

The Children's Clothing Center could use your help. If you haven't done so already, please consider picking up a hoody sweatshirt for either a boy or girl and drop it off at church. Remember that the children of Clackamas County who are most in need will be receiving these items. Thanks so much for all you do to help support this worthwhile project!

On November 11th we will be supporting Operation Santa, which is an effort to send Christmas boxes of goodies to our Marines in Afghanistan. Please start thinking of things you might be able to donate to the cause. I will have a list of suggested items soon. If you are free that day, please plan to help us pack up the boxes and get them ready for mailing. This is a way for all of us to be more than just a slogan of "I support the troops".

Schools for Peace

Join us, September 11, 2010, at 7:00 PM, at St John Episcopal Church to help bring peace to Afghanistan and Pakistan and commemorate 9/11 by attending a fund-raiser for Greg Mortensen’s Central Asia Institute. Local supporters, inspired by Mortensen’s, Three Cups of Tea, are hosting an evening of information and fund-raising. The 157 schools that the Central Asia Institute has funded over the past 16 years have educated over 55,000 students, including 40,000 girls.

Educate a Girl and you educate a Village!

Come and enjoy guest speakers and samples of Afghan cuisine and customs by native hosts. Fund-raising activities will include wine tasting, raffle tickets, auction bids and a $10 admission. Books and other literature on the region will be available.

Sermon: Pentecost 14, The Very Rev. Anthony Thurston

      I daresay that not a single one of us is completely satisfied with our lives.  I mean, satisfied in the sense that we wouldn’t take the opportunity to change something about ourselves if we could.  Some of us would, no doubt, want more hair, or fewer accumulated pounds, or we’d rather be taller, or shorter, or wish that our shape was somehow different. 

      Or we find ourselves wishing that we were happier—maybe we have bouts of depression or unhappiness every once in a while.  Some of us find ourselves thinking thoughts that are not consistent with our behaviors and inclinations from time to time. 

      We typically experience and think of these desires as deficiencies—something is wrong with us.  As a whole, however, seeing ourselves as deficient, because we are human, and vulnerable, sometimes seems strange and sad. 

      Given this way of seeing ourselves, we are not very prepared to see someone who has an obvious serious disability.  It’s more typical for us to feel uneasy, to pretend not to notice, to avert our eyes, to ignore or avoid people who may have and may live with a variety of problems and disabilities.  The one that plagues me a lot is the Smile Train—picture of children with cleft palates. 

Readings for the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost: September 5th

Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. 

Amen.

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Mark your calendar: We will celebrate our history by having our 10 a.m. church service at the Old Church in Sellwood on Sunday. We will have a potluck picnic in the park following the service!  The picnic site is in area B, a short walk from the Old Church.

September’s First Friday is September 3rd from 4 to 8pm.  Little Pearl (Megan Kidd) will be exhibiting photography.

Attendance at our Thanksgiving Eve service has been very low for the past several years.  If you are someone who really wants to worship here on Thanksgiving Eve, let us know as soon as possible. Unless we hear from you, we will not be doing that service this year.

Last Chance!

We would like to fill the church with grandchildren and great-grandchildren to celebrate GRANDPARENT'S DAY on Sunday, September 12.   Please write list of names/addresses of those whom you'd like to invite - those who would help make the day special for you.  Give list to church office, or emailpatmorrisrader@gmail.com.  Deacon Pat will send personal invitations to each.  If you do not have grandchildren, perhaps we could invite your grandparents or your children’s grandparents.  Or you could adopt a young friend as grandchild for the day.  Send names/addresses to Deacon Pat, and invitations will be on their way.