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We never would have envisioned a transition to online worship quite this abruptly or given these circumstances! But we are so thankful to our tech team and worship band, Cornerstone, who made this possible. We are committed to providing worship online for you each week we are out of our building. We miss seeing you, but this has been an opportunity for tremendous creativity and work together as the Body of Christ! Please read this carefully, so you understand where to find us, and if you need further guidance, please reach out! If you have not been able to worship online with us yet, please join us this Sunday! Holy Week is coming, and we are planning special worship experiences for us during this difficult time. For full instructions, please see our website: http://orencochurch.org/who-we-are/newsletters-forms. These are also useful for someone you know who needs assistance with their computer. Each Sunday you are able to access our service through our website (click on the banner at www.orencochurch.org) or through our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/orencochurch, where we will post a link to join us. We also have a YouTube channel. Be sure to follow it! Just go to youtube.com and search for “Orenco Church.” YouTube is also where you may watch with friends on Sundays at 10am. As Holy Week begins, you’ll also find some special reflections on Maundy Thursday (including communion!) and Good Friday. These will be posted at each of the online locations mentioned. And coming soon – coffee hour! While our celebrations of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday are not what we expected or wanted, we are blessed there are tools we are able to embrace at this time to worship together. So please plan to join us, and reach out to someone you know who may need extra help finding us. These videos on our website are also great to share with those around you who need encouragement at this time.

Orenco Presbyterian Church We joyfully serve Jesus and our community

Sunday Worship is now online! www.orencochurch.org

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April 2020 Newsletter

A list of what’s inside is

located on the last page

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Is this current Covid-19 crisis an accelerator? A pastor recently quipped, “I had the opportunity to take the seminary class “In the Midst of a

Pandemic.” But I chose “How to Set Up Tables and Chairs in the Fellowship Hall” instead. Seemed the logical choice at the time. The church of the future has arrived faster than I expected. Here are some things I’ve learned, oh too quickly… To begin, Sunday-focused church has become every-day church. While Sunday morning worship is very important, this current crisis has forced us to do ministry away from the building. We have come to realize our relationships to each other are so much more than Sunday only. Because we’ve been unable to meet physically, we have been forced to explore how to be connected to each other digitally (and we’ve probably only touched the tip of the iceberg, as I’m learning something new almost every day). Orenco Church will no longer be Sunday only – this is our opportunity to live out our faith day after day, more so now than ever. Church life and relationships are not just for Sunday only. Second, our church staff works online like it’s real – because it is. Someone wrote that discussing whether online church “counts” is like asking Sears if Amazon counts. Actually, church online and real-life count. They both do! This current situation has forced us to realize we need to connect with each other more than just on Sundays. The current technology gives us connections to other people in ways we never had before. We need to use this technological advantage to give us opportunities we never knew existed. Next, we’re now realizing that digital works in a way analog does not. If this sounds too “techy,” let me explain (it was too techy for me at first, too). We used digital technology rather as a band-aid rather than to our advantage. We have discovered (and why I didn’t realize this before, I do not know!) that reaching out to people is easier online than in real life. I just signed on to Facebook. We had more than 750 views on Facebook of our first online worship time, with almost another 140 who viewed through the church website. Our sanctuary holds 200, which means almost 600 people would have not had a seat for them had we all shown up for worship. Next, we now see the internet as a front door entrance, rather than a back door one. The “front door entrance” is the way most people enter the life and ministry of the church. Yet the Orenco Church has four other physical doors of entry. The way we communicate digitally (through emails, the church website, Facebook, to name a few), are other “doors” different from the Sunday morning worship service. Often, the internet will be the way people explore to see what Orenco Church is like. What they see online will compel them to want to see in person. When I first came to Orenco (October 1983), I decided to walk around the 6 blocks of Orenco, introducing myself and meeting the less than 50 families or individuals that lived here. While I still believe face to face connection is the best (and I feel you’d agree) it’s no longer possible. Lots of houses now have “no soliciting” signs posted on the front doors, meaning “stay away.” The internet provides a way for Orenco Church to connect to these folks that we could as not have connected to them before. Finally, digital giving has become the new default. This current crisis has accelerated digital giving. I think we’d agree that this current crisis has bred worry and uncertainty, just to name a few. Yet, this crisis time should also compel us to consider being more financially generous. My guess is that before this crisis (so about a month ago), about 25% of our giving came via the internet. Add to that is that many of you now give through your bank’s bill-paying system. Both of these giving “platforms” probably account for nearly 50% of the monthly tithes and offerings we receive from you. Only a few years ago probably 90% of giving came to the church during Sunday morning worship. In this last month (March) nearly 100% of the church’s income (tithes and offerings) came via the internet or through the mail.

Continued on page 9 (back of calendar)...

Mark’s Musings

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Max Lucado’s Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World

Tuesdays at 7pm with Pastor Rachel

“The presence of anxiety is unavoidable but the prison of anxiety is optional.” Pastor Rachel begins this new book study on Tuesday, April 14th, beginning just after Easter. Join us via Zoom each Tuesday from 7:00 to 8:00pm to discuss one of Lucado’s latest books, reframing how we face our fears and unknowns and encouraging us to rely on God. Lucado uses Philippians 4:6-7 to develop an acronym for us (CALM), crucial during these difficult times. During our time together, we’ll reflect on our current situation, receive support and affirmation from others, and discuss Lucado’s text. Please sign up here: https://tinyurl.com/lucadostudy Instructions will be emailed to you to utilize Zoom prior to the 14th. This book may be purchased through barnesandnoble.com with quick shipping (https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/anxious-for-nothing-max-lucado/1125138275). Amazon.com will also deliver this book quickly to your Kindle. Please email Pastor Rachel with questions, or sign up here now! https://tinyurl.com/lucadostudy

The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)

Tuesdays at 10am with Pastor Mark

Pastor Mark also begins two Bible studies, both starting the week immediately following Easter. This study begins on Tuesday, April 14th. At 10:00am, we will gather together via Zoom (on your computer or by phone) and study Jesus’ teaching on the Prodigal Son. This great parable reminds us of God’s undying love for us, pursuing us again and again. This study group will meet for 7 weeks. Please sign up here with just your name and email: https://tinyurl.com/theprodigalstudy After you’ve signed up, we’ll email you the workbook that we’ll each be using.

A Study of Philippians

Wednesdays at 7pm with Pastor Mark

This study will meet Wednesdays at 7:00pm via Zoom (by computer or phone) with Pastor Mark and begins on Wednesday, April 15th. The joy of our Christian experience is the dominant theme that runs through this personal letter from Paul to the

church in Philippi. The words “joy” and “rejoice” are used 16 times in this letter. Paul wrote the letter to express both his gratitude and affection for the people of this church, who were probably his strongest ministry support-ers. He probably wrote this letter while under house arrest in Rome. Please sign up here with your name and email, https://tinyurl.com/wednesdayphilippians and we’ll send you instructions.

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Talking to each of you about your financial support of our church can be a touchy subject to broach. The rule of thumb has always been, good or bad, to tread lightly. “Our” money is just that – or so we seem to think. The Bible instead teaches that we are called to be good stewards of our possessions – and that when it comes down to it, everything we have really belongs to God – we’re responsible to use what we have wisely, prudently, economically, in every way as a blessing we receive from God to be used to glorify Him. Such was the mindset of the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. They gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability (2 Corinthians 8:2-3).

2020 has been so unlike any other recent year, and in many ways. How long will we remain in our current “Stay at home” status? How long will it be until we can again gather together for worship and fellowship and service? We have worshipped digitally the last 3 Sundays, and will continue to do so for the time being. We began the current year with a January that supported the church’s budget. We followed it with a February that was not so good – and we ended the first two months with all the bills paid, but at a deficit of about $10,000 for that two month period.

Don’t get me wrong – we’ve been there before. Our church’s giving history is to generally lag along for the first 10-11 months, only to catch up in December. But 2020 isn’t like previous years. Some churches are in financial trouble, often living from Sunday to Sunday. We have the choice to survive – or we have the opportunity to thrive.

We recognize these times are tough. Our goal is to continue to do God’s work of ministry and mission – to the church families and also to the community. Pastor Rachel and I participated in a cohort discussion with other pastors of Presbyterian churches in our local area – churches just like us. Paying staff salaries was part of that discussion – one church mentioned they may soon be forced to layoff most of their non-clergy staff.

In March, a few families contacted me and came forward to give financially above and beyond their normal giving – recognizing these times are tough. Their generosity has made this current month (March) where we supported the planned budget – including payroll. Our staff works hard – a lot of that is now evident in switching to online worship – you will see a lot more of that in April, especially during Holy Week (April 5-12). These few families stepped forward knowing that while we’re in desperate times, we still have ministry and mission to do.

So here’s the challenge to us – these individuals stepped forward to financially support the ministry and mission of the Orenco Presbyterian Church during the month of March. And what about the rest of this crisis time? What about the rest of the year? In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. They gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability (2 Corinthians 8:2-3).

Is this a bold request? Perhaps it is. But it’s more than a request or a challenge. It’s the reality of putting our dollars where our faith is. The church is a unique business. It is charged with telling others the Good News of Jesus Christ. It is the realization that God’s message to us is the most important news people will ever hear – and that it demands a response. It’s not a “should I or we?” Instead, it’s a “how much?” (...continued on pg. 5)

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The Psalms certainly seem an appropriate place to focus during this strange time in our lives. Like you, I was thrust into a season of grief that was completely unexpected just a couple of weeks ago. I still cycle through shock and a surreal view of what is happening around us, to frustration and anger that our lives are not what they were. I’ve also experienced sadness, especially in the moments a couple of weeks back when I realized we would not have an Easter service - in person - together. I never would have imagined we would be in this place today. That said, I’m familiar with the grief process and have walked through it too many times to count. And it is a season. And this season will pass. We don’t know when, we don’t know how, we don’t know what to expect from our governor and president or from this virus and what those ramifications mean for all of us. But we do know a few things. We know that as a Body we have found a way to worship together and be together. Your session was the first to navigate this stage, meeting early on by Zoom, with only a few of us in the sanctuary. Your band and tech team helped us to envision what online services would be like and what was possible. Your office staff ensured everyone could find us, whether they could access social media or not or had any experience online. And the task force – formed by session in order to call members of Orenco Church – they jumped into action, connecting with you, asking of your needs, and communicating what our plans for worship would be. Your program staff transitioned quickly and with flexibility and creativity to figure out how to offer some of our ongoing ministries online. I am shocked by how smoothly it all came together. But why should I be? God blessed us with our congrega-tion and staff with their gifts and with the gift of worship of our Lord a long time ago. And God – our Faithful Father – watches over us always. Psalm 121 says the Lord is our keeper; he keeps us from evil and keeps our very lives. “The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore” (121:8). In a time we look for help from our government, for relief from our TVs or phones, for friendship from … well relationships via the computer or through windows … the Psalmist reminds us as we look to all of these places (121:1),

our “… help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (121:2). Yes, this is highly unusual. Yes, this is awful in some respects. I know you are struggling because I am too. But as we expressed in online worship just a week ago, our intent as your pastors is for our church not simply to survive this but to thrive in spite of what is being thrown at us. Know how desperately we will miss worshipping with you during Holy Week. Know we grieve, as your pastors, and walk right beside you a step at a time navigating this new situation we are all in. Know we are praying for you – even as we meet together online! – and together, as Christ’s Church, we are going to get through this and be stronger as a result of it. The Lord is our Keeper. He is our Help. He is our Refuge, our Strength, and the source of love and life and peace for all of us in his Son, Jesus Christ. And he is risen! Amen! Our celebration of his faithfulness to all of us continues. Please reach out with your needs. We continue to be the Church, just as he taught us. Amen.

Pastor Rachel Generous Economics - continued from page 4... With that I invite you to join us online during the month of April. Pastor Rachel preaches this coming Sunday (Palm Sunday – April 5th), helping us to remember the words of the Psalmist in Psalm 118: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his love endures forever.” I will continue that thought on Easter Sunday, as we see God’s goodness extended to us in the gift of his Son – our sin forgiven and forgotten only because of God’s grace extended to us through Jesus’ death and resurrection. In between, we will remember Jesus’ last supper with his disciples, and his great distress in the garden and at his crucifixion (Maundy Thursday and Good Friday). Our online worship time will help us focus on God’s love for us, perhaps in ways we’ve never imagined. Thank you to the individuals and families that stepped up this past month. And thank you, in advance, for those of you who will follow their example and step up your giving, your generosity and your service in the months to come. By God’s grace we will survive, and even more, we will thrive! In the simple words we in this area know all so well

. . . Just do it! Mark

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We love you, Julie Tucker!

Please go online and leave a virtual thank you note or appreciation to Julie! Just go to https://tinyurl.com/AmazingJulie You have heard by now that our Children’s Ministry Director, Julie Tucker, has finished up her time in this role in order to focus on her family! Paisley, Griffin, and their expected little one will be blessed to have time with their mom at home! Julie has served in this role for almost five years. She and Jake moved from Arizona to this area, and after Jake began serving as our Worship Leader, the Children’s Ministry Director position became available, and Julie was the obvious choice. As a teacher, Julie has brought a unique, fresh, and creative take on children’s ministry. Julie’s focus helped our congregation and staff see that children’s ministry is just as vital and important as any other ministry in a church or community. Julie raised the visibility of this ministry by suggesting early on she give up her own office so that the kids could have a space of their own. And she did! After she – with Jake’s help – repainted and remodeled the old youth room to be the brand new Ignition Room, she focused on Sunday worship with our children at both 9 and 10am, special events like movie nights and game nights, Wednesday evening homework time and fun activities, family worship services, and larger events involving our whole church: Trunk or Treat, the Easter Egg Hunt, and Vacation Bible Xperience. Julie raises the bar at everything she does, and so with these larger events came quick changes. As the neighbor-hood around Orenco Church grew, so did attendance at these events. Our Harvest Festival became a Trunk or Treat easily with 1000 people in our small parking lot, as we witnessed in fall of 2019. Our Easter Egg Hunt became something that attracted families from all over Hillsboro, requiring extra space, parking, parking attend-ants, volunteers to re-hide eggs after kids had run through our fields, and crowd control! And Vacation Bible School – under Julie’s leadership – became Vacation Bible Xperience (VBX), as Julie wanted kids to see it as really fun and something clearly not in a school setting. VBX in 2019 hosted 120 children under Julie’s direction, and she easily managed 60 adults. Those who have worked with Julie know she is organized, clear, communicative, creative, funny, and personable, and one of the best people one could serve with. Julie, in her time as our Children’s Ministry Director, did a few things you might be unaware of, including elevating our nursery and its children to a ministry of its own. Her vision has included for these children to hear a story, a song, participate and worship in some way – at their young age – and learn the skills we practice in worship as we grow in Christ. Julie wrote our Nursery Attendant Manual and redecorated our Nursery. She also redecorated our Cry Room, just off of the sanctuary, and made it a truly comfortable and modern place for young families to worship! Julie even designed our Orenco Church logo. Julie, thank you for your love for our God, your faithfulness to how God calls us to live, your love for children and their families, your positive attitude, and your service to all of us! We will miss you in this role but are happy you won’t be too far away. We have created a digital way for you to appreciate Julie, as we were not able to recognize and thank her during worship. Cards or notes may still be sent snail mail to the office, but please also visit this website, where you can write a note right from your phone or computer! Thank and appreciate Julie for all of her work at Orenco Church and her service to us: https://tinyurl.com/AmazingJulie

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Vacation Bible Xperience Remains Scheduled for July 6-10

Planning has tentatively begun for Vacation Bible Xperience (VBX) to be offered July 6 to 10 from 9 to 11:30 am. As you know, 100 children or more normally attend our VBX, and about 60 volunteers commit to serving this week. Given the Covid-19 situation, we are in the beginning stages of VBX plans at this time, but this situation may change, depending on the Hillsboro School District schedule for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. Given our staff vacancy, as well, Pastor Rachel is in need of help in a few areas to organize and direct VBX. Specifically, she is looking for a Decoration Designer, Kitchen Leader, and Imagination Station Leader. These jobs certainly can be shared. These people will help sort out details – alongside Rachel – in April in order to determine what is needed in each of these areas and to begin planning specifics. Pastor Rachel may also be reaching out to you for help developing these areas! More information is available from her as we take next steps together and decide in the next few weeks what our options are. Pray for the eradication of this virus so that awesome weeks like this one and other fun activities can be used to minister to each child in our neighborhood! Email Rachel for more info pastorrachel@orencochurch.org.

Kindness Challenge: Thank You Notes and Cards for Hospital Staff

Our Children’s Ministry – while sadly quarantined – is working on a #kindnesschallenge! Doctors, nurses, and all healthcare workers are on the frontlines of dealing with this virus. They are brave people who are leaving their families every day to take care of other people’s families, putting their own health at risk, working with short supplies and resources, understaffed, and often working overtime. Let's spread some kindness and appreciation to them to help brighten their day during these uncertain times! Help us do this by making cards at home to say thank you! to ICU & ER doctors and all nursing staff for all that they are doing right now. You can mail your finished cards to the church (the address is on the last page of this newsletter.) or bring them when we are all bck together. If you don’t have supplies at your home, let us know and we would be happy to mail you some card sets. How many cards do you think we can collect?? “So in everything do to others what you would have them do to you.” Matthew 7:12

Job Application Period Extended Due to Covid-19

We continue to accept applications for our open job position, Children’s Ministry Director. For an applica-tion packet, please go to http://orencochurch.org/who-we-are/were-hiring. Or email the office if you need a paper copy sent to you via snail mail while our office is closed. Our application deadline has been extended due to the Covid-19 situation. Please email Pastor Rachel (pastorrachel@orencochurch.org) with your questions or interest. Our personnel committee will reassess this situation in the coming weeks and upon our return to in-person worship and activities.

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Thank You, Todd!

We are happy to welcome our Youth Director, Jennifer Schatz, back to work following maternity leave and the birth of her son, Quinton! Congratulations to the entire Schatz family! Thank you to Chaplain Todd Guevara, who filled in as our Interim Youth Director during the time Jennifer was away! With Todd’s help we were able to gather as a youth group pre-covid-19 crisis! We also began a new Sunday School class for youth this year in Pastor Rachel’s office. Following this quarantine period, this Sunday morning class will resume – with Todd and Rachel’s help – in Rachel’s office with a look at Proverbs and its good advice! Todd, thank you for making time for us and sharing your gifts for pastoring, thoughtful talks, and fun, random youth group games with us! We know you are stuck with us now and look forward to having you around and learning from you!

Youth Group Resumes! Middle school and high school students, do not fear, we

are ready to resume meeting for Impact, our youth group! Plan to join us beginning the first Sunday of April at 6:00pm via Zoom! We know this is hard on all of us, but we can’t wait to see your faces and share how

everyone is doing on our devices for now. Maybe we’ll even find a way to play some games and throw marsh-mallows around. Watch for reminders on email and the

Impact Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OrencoChurchImpact/ Can’t wait to see you this Sunday!

Gift Card Fundraiser

Our gift card fundraiser is still available! Even though we cannot meet in-person, our fundraiser continues to be available through other methods. Contact the church office for more information and take a look at our order forms on the church website - http://orencochurch.org/who-we-are/newsletters-forms. All of our proceeds go to the church’s general fund to help pay expenses!

Activities for Seniors and All of Us Quarantined

Take a Virtual Tour Many of you have cancelled or postponed cruises and trips this time of year and perhaps even into the summer. There are a lot of ideas online to keep you busy if you have access to a computer. For example, explore national parks virtually via this link – https://artsandculture.withgoogle.com/en-us/national-parks-service/. You can even type “virtual museum tour” into your internet browser and tour places like the Smithsonian, without leaving home. Help the Kids Make Thank You Cards for Hospital Staff With access to paper, pencils, and pens, help us make and collect cards and thank you notes for ICU and Emergency doctors, nurses, chaplains, and other staff, and appreciate them for their hard work in this season. There are a few supplies in the office at church (we would be happy to mail you a couple card sets), or create your own with what you have, and bring these to the office later on when we are back together. These cards and notes will be delivered to our local hospitals in coming weeks!

Mark’s Musings - continued from page 2... How will all this play out? Only time will tell. But my hunch is that we will be better off than before. Pastor Rachel said it best here – this is a time to do more than survive – it’s the time to thrive. Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have taught you. And remember – I am always with you (Matthew 28:19-20). That is still Jesus’ command to us. Let’s continue to be all God is calling us to be – move out of our comfort zones, whatever they may be. Let’s be all God is calling us to be, and to make use of all the tools we have. Remember - We’re not here to merely survive, we’re

here to thrive! Mark

Help Needed One of our church families has an immediate need to hire a Certified Home Health Care Provider. Up to 79 hours every two weeks; hours flexible. Call Karen DeLoff at 503-805-3137 for specifics.

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Orenco Presbyterian Church 6420 NE Oelrich Street Hillsboro, OR 97124 www.orencochurch.org

Orenco Church 503-640-8179 www.orencochurch.org www.facebook.com/orencochurch Pastor: Mark Rainey Associate Pastor: Rachel Stramel Worship Leader: Jake Tucker Children’s Director: Julie Tucker Youth Director: Jennifer Schatz Office Manager: Nancy Collins

Orenco Christian Preschool Preschool Director: Sherry Wright http://orencochristianpreschool.org www.facebook.com/orencopreschool

Inside this Newsletter: Sunday Worship front cover Mark’s Musings page 2 New Bible Studies page 3 Article from Pastor Mark page 4 Rachel’s Ramblings page 5 Children’s Ministry page 6-8 Youth Ministry page 9 Senior Ministry page 9 Church Calendar online

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