How do we keep our spirits up in this continuing season when we all wish so much that things were back to some semblance of normalcy, even as the darker days of the fall rains are upon us?  This week, there was some of the first good news we’ve had in a while, that OHSU is predicting that between people who have had the virus and the continuing vaccinations, Oregon should reach a level of about 85% of people having antibodies to the virus by late December.  This is a level that they say will bring some of the gifts of near herd immunity, making it harder for the virus to spread, and lowering numbers of infections and hospitalizations. What a relief and joy this would be, after such a long season! In our Scripture reading for Sunday, we have [...]

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This time of year, friends will often ask, “What are your plans for the holidays; any travels on the horizon in the new year?” But this year, the answers are often more uncertain; “We hope to get to see family and maybe take that delayed vacation, whatever’s possible at the time.” Continued impacts of the pandemic, even amid booster shots and easing numbers of those in hospital, lend a note of uncertainty to what lies ahead, making it more challenging to plan. We hesitate at times to get our hopes up, having had to postpone so many gatherings and travels already in the past 18 months. In a time that has held such uncertainty, our Scripture reading for this Sunday brings us the last reading from the book of Job, telling the story of a good man caught up in tempestuous times, when all [...]

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Ready to get cookin’? Next Sunday, October 24, at 5:00 pm, the FPC Fellowship committee presents the second round of “Cook it up with First Pres!” Sarah Schwab will be our hostess this week! Sarah will be making her great-grandmother’s official Schwab Buttermilk Pancakes. We hope you’ll join us (and maybe you can host with one of your favorite recipes in the future). Follow this link to RSVP, get the zoom link and see the ingredient list. Questions? Email Amy Hall. [...]

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Some of the most important questions we ask in life are also the most difficult. Why didn’t I get that job offer?  Why did my child receive this diagnosis? Why do bad things happen to good people?  And where is God in the midst of human suffering? This Sunday I invite you to join me as we turn our attention to the book of Job and the questions he asks in the face of his own suffering. There are no easy answers to any of these questions, but there are reasons to hope. Livestream the service or join in-person Sunday @10:30am. Pastor Carmen [...]

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