Dear church family, On Sunday morning, I announced that worship on Sunday would be online-only. That has changed. Worship will be live in the Sanctuary this Sunday, September 19th. What we are able to do in worship depends on the current COVID conditions in our area. Each Sunday is dependent on the conditions on the previous … [Read more…]
WORSHIP IN AUGUST In August, we plan to continue our pattern of worshipping outdoors together in the courtyard, where we can safely sing together. However, we are also preparing to have worship in- side. With the current state of things, we cannot sing together inside, but there is a lot we can do. So, on the first … [Read more…]
Worship This July In July we will continue that pattern we started in June of worshipping in person, outdoors, in the courtyard. We can a lot of new things with our current COVID protocols, like taking off our masks if we’re vaccinated, sharing food together, and sharing communion. However, one thing we are still prohibited … [Read more…]
Due to extreme weather conditions expected this Sunday (the current forecast is 111º) all in-person activities at the church are cancelled. Early Church will meet via Zoom. An online worship service will be posted to our Facebook page, our YouTube channel, and our church website. Stay home. Stay cool. Stay safe. +Pastor David
We are very excited to announce that throughout the month of June, we will be worshipping in-person at 10am on Sunday mornings in the church courtyard! This has been a long time coming, and we are thrilled to be coming together in person to raise our voices in praise to God. There will be chairs … [Read more…]
As of May 17, 2021, we are operating under Option 1 of the Bishop’s new COVID-19 plan, “Stepping Forward Safely in Love and Trust“. Option 1: Basic Standard Practices for Churches and other Ministries United Methodist churches or other ministries choosing to follow the Basic Standard Practices are responsible for observing the following guidelines in … [Read more…]
On 28 April 2021, our District Superintendent, Rev. Wendy Woodworth, approved a new COVID Plan for our congregation. This allows for a few additional ministry opportunities. Small groups can meet indoors, with prior approval and appropriate safety precautions. With current COVID levels in Washington County, those groups are limited to 10 persons, but if our … [Read more…]
In May we continue the celebration of the Easter season into the holidays of Pentecost and Trinity Sunday. Easter isn’t just one day, it lasts for seven weeks, a week of weeks, 49 days, culminating on the fiftieth day: Pentecost. So we are continuing to celebrate the joy of resurrection as we anticipate the gift … [Read more…]
This month we break from the contemplation of Lent and from the sorrow of Holy Week into the hope and joy of Easter. We will close out Lent with a brief prayer service for Good Friday, centered on the story of Jesus’s passion from the Gospel of John. This will be available in all the … [Read more…]
On Easter we will have worship in the parking lot. Drive into the church parking lot and park your car facing west. Pastor David be at the west end to lead in worship. We have an FM transmitter, so you’ll be able to tune into a particular frequency on your car radio and hear everything … [Read more…]
Worship in March In March we continue our journey through the Season of Lent as we follow Jesus on the Way of the Cross. Throughout this season we spend time in reflection consid- ering Jesus, his ministry, the ways that ministry led him to be executed by the authorities of his day. The message of … [Read more…]
We are one of the stops on the Forest Grove Community Palm Sunday Self-Guided Walk. Christians from around the area will be making the 3.5-mile throughout the day on March 28th. Val Hawkins and Cricket O’Neil are working on a display to welcome folks as they walk by. You can help by coloring some Palm … [Read more…]
February begins with a continuation of a season of Ordinary Time. We will consider how the apostle Paul sublimates his own desires and preferences and opens himself up to the preferences and cultures of others for the sake of Christ. Then we see Jesus on the mountaintop with Moses and Elijah, his appearance changed before … [Read more…]
As the 12-day season of Christmas comes to a close, we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany on January 3rd. It commemorates the visit of the magi to Jesus and his family, bringing gifts of gold frankin- cense, and myrrh. Then a week later we remember our baptisms as we celebrate Jesus being baptized by … [Read more…]
As of November 29th, we have started a new liturgical year and entered the first season of the worship calen- dar: Advent. Advent – coming from the Latin ad, meaning “to,” and venire, meaning “come” – is the four-week season of preparation for Christmas, the anticipation of the coming, the arrival, the advent of the Christ child. … [Read more…]
Dear FGUMC Family, This is the time of year that I would normally stand up in church during announcements, use my “teacher voice” and say something like: Good morning everyone. It is time again to color for Christmas. I want to cover these windows with more pictures than I ever have before. So PLEASE choose at least one … [Read more…]
The month starts with a continuation of our focus on Paul’s first letter to the Thessalo- nians. Having heard Paul in October describe himself as a mother to the Thessalonian Chris- tians, we now hear him describe himself as their father. We get a glimpse of Paul’s vision of life beyond death, and we hear … [Read more…]
On October 11, Early Church is beginning study of White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism by Robin DiAngelo. You can join in Sunday mornings at 8:30 via Zoom. Use the link bit.ly/earlychurchfg. You might also find this reading guide helpful.
As we continue in the liturgical season of Ordinary Time in October, we will consider scriptures from the Book of Exodus and the first letter of Paul to the Thessalonians. We revisit God’s gracious giving of the law at Sinai in the Ten Commandments. We see how, even from the beginning, God’s people had trouble … [Read more…]