The Oregon Faith Report - Faith News from Oregon

By Joseph Bonham

Representatives from fifty different churches nearly maxed out the 100 person capacity of small Grace Bible Church in Banks this past Saturday according to one of its leaders, Trace Thornberry. Grace was one of many locations at which Focus on the Family held a simulcast training seminar across the nation for its new small group campaign The Truth Project.

By Guest Opinion, Portland

Fireproof opened up in limited theaters this weekend in Oregon.   You know you have a spiritual film when you see both a church youth group and nuns waiting outside with tickets.  The creators of Facing the Giants are back with another Christian inspiration film called Fireproof, about a troubled marriage.  For Hollywood, marriages are put together instantly and broken as fast.  Marriage is simply not a cinematic topic.  Fireproof provides the opposite.   The film puts you inside a very difficult marriage where both partners are in error.   Instead of easy answers the audience gets served up two hours of more problems and complexities that enter into the relationship of the two strained couple.

Announcement from Love and Respect

Love and Respect Marriage Video Seminar coming to the Intel Aloha Auditorium Oct 17th (5pm – 10pm) & 18th (9am to 2pm)!  Is your marriage as good as you always wanted it to be?  If you could learn something that might actually change it for the better, would you?  Investing your time in attending this “Love and Respect” Video Seminar by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs, based on Biblical principles, could be your opportunity!

Hurricanes Hurt Haiti Families
By Holt International, Eugene

Hurricane Ike hit Haiti like a one-eyed giant, without mercy and with full wild gusto. Children were already starving; families were already struggling to make ends meet in this island country of depleted soil and little natural food supply. The people of Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, had already suffered the blast of Hurricane Gustav and the rains of Hannah. But God is merciful through the Holy Spirit, even if nature cannot be. We ask you to join us in helping these poor families, in the name of Jesus: “I was hungry and you gave me food… I was a stranger and you took me in.” (Matthew 25:35)

By Dale Fulton,

Kimberly Davidson authoring “I’m Beautiful?  Why can’t I see it?”.

Kimberly Davidson founded The Olive Branch Outreach to offer hope to people who struggle with eating disorders and low self esteem.  From her own experiences, she is able to offer wisdom and support to those seeking to change their lives.  In her late teens she became so obsessed with her weight that she fell into the practice of purging to keep the pounds off.  As time passed her obsession developed into the vicious cycle of bulimia. She became entangled in a web of guilt and shame that she was unable to face people and bring her problem out into the open.  Instead she tried going at it on her own.  This proved to be fruitless and only served to deepen her sense of isolation.  It wasn’t until she found the courage to reach out and start connecting with compassionate people that her life started to change.

Study on polling in 26 states, including Oregon, shows errors

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 18 /Christian Newswire/ — A new study comparing polling in 26 states – including California – measuring voter opinion on ballot initiatives to define marriage as being between a man and a woman, shows that support for these measures has been under-estimated by an average of seven percentage points. In some cases, polls have under-estimated support for traditional marriage by as much as 21 percentage points.

It turns out that one of Oregon’s best exports is good radio.    The Oregon-based Georgene Rice Show can now be heard on 820 AM KGNW in Seattle. The new incarnation of the show began on Sept 8th. It still airs in it’s familiar 4p-6p weekday timeslot.

In addition there are now podcasts available on her new website georgenerice.com. Georgene has been on the air on the Christian station KPDQ since 1993, and has hosted the Georgene Rice Show daily since 1997.

From Better Dads,  Compass Point Newsletter,

Perhaps the most favorite thing I get to do each year is the Single Mom’s Family Camps.  Last year we held our first camp where we invited 24 single moms and their kids to a free, all expense paid three-day adventure at a ranch located in the middle of nowhere.  Because of the huge demand we ended up turning away about 55 families.  During these camps our aim is to accomplish the following goals:

50+ Years A Celebration of Joy: St. Joseph the Worker Parish has been serving the SE Portland area for over 50 years and we would like to cordially invite all of you to attend our celebration of our church, our community and our God!  The gala event will take place on September 21st, 2008 and will begin with an outdoor Mass at 9:00 am, which will include a visit from the Archbishop of Portland.

“Created and Redeemed” Video and Discussion series begins tonight at Our Lady of the Lake—Parish Hall in Portland.   The series involves the Theology of the Body.

Who: All adults 18+ single, married, or religious/clergy/ministers who want to learn about Christ’s message of human love and sexuality as taught by John Paul II. All faiths welcome!

By Guest Opinion,

An important debate over faith the public sphere arose when I visited a local Portland bookstore.  The clerk and the customer were raving about the controversy seeking movie Hamlet 2.  They were raving about the scene featuring Christ as a flamboyant rock star in a wildly gone awry high school play.   The store was small and they were loud in their irreverence.   I thought about saying something but didn’t.  If one acts offended you run the risk of falling into a stereotype which could spoil any message one wants to convey.   On the other hand, by saying something it demonstrates that their customers have standards and that they value people that Hollywood obviously does not.

From Mission Increase, Lake Oswego

PORTLAND, Oregon, Sept. 15 /Christian Newswire/ — Presidential-hopeful Barack Obama’s internet-powered campaign announced it had raised a record $66 million in August.  Eric Foley of Mission Increase Foundation says charities should take a page from his playbook. “Effective fundraising revolves around purposeful relationships,” says Foley, Vice-President of Giving and Training, “and that is even truer in online fundraising. Obama’s campaign has mastered this like we’ve never seen before.”

Women’s Friendships Yield a Multitude of Benefits—  Though Not without Challenges!

By Judy Dippel,
What happens when two women who don’t know each other meet to talk about a topic they are both passionate about—in this case, the magnitude and importance of women’s friendship? It goes without saying, the result of such a meeting brings hours of non-stop conversation. But more importantly, an instant kinship and collaboration on a dramatically different book on women’s friendship began to develop when Eugene, Oregon writers Judy Dippel and Debra Whiting Alexander, Ph.D. met. The Art of Authentic Friendship: Real Women, Real Challenges, Real Solutions (released in July 2008, Evergreen Press) is the outcome of two years of writing partnership between them.

Featured in Mount Angel Letter, Summer 2008, Mount Angel

Celebrated for her ability to forgive,Immaculée Ilibagiza, visited the Abbey, March 29. She miraculously survived the 1994 holocaust in Rwanda, East Africa and then told her story in a best selling book. She forgave the killers of her family and over 800,000 people in her country. Now she proclaims the Gospel of forgiveness around the world. Her website provides details: http://www.immaculee.com

Her story from her website:

{Gospel Music Workshop of America Annoucement]

Portland/Vancouver Chapter of the Gospel Music Workshop of America’s Youth/Young Adult Music & Worship Arts Workshop – Wednesday, October 15th through Saturday, October 18th

The Workshop will consist of various music classes [Vocal Techniques, Organ & Piano Playing Techniques, Tambourine/Percussion Playing Techniques, Choir Directing, Choir Decorum and Basic Music Theory] and will include rehearsals for a Children’s Mass Choir [age 3-11] & Youth/Young Adult Mass Choir [12-21+] plus Dance & Mime Ministries.   Our goal to train our youth in the way they should go, so they can be diligent workers in music & worship arts ministries for our churches in years to come.

From Medical Teams International,

2008 Oregon Governor’s Volunteer Award lauds Mobile Dental program. (PORTLAND, ORE.—Sept. 10, 2008)  Medical Teams International’s Mobile Dental program recently received one of the highest honors available in the state of Oregon: Outstanding Statewide Volunteer Program.

The mobile “dental clinic on wheels” is the largest volunteer-driven provider of free dental care in the United States. Medical Teams International and other statewide and regional winners will be recognized by Governor Ted Kulongoski on Sept. 12 in Salem, Ore., for their efforts to better the lives of others in their communities.

ENUMCLAW, Wash., Sept. 9 /Christian Newswire/ — An unexciting future loomed for 60-year-old Beverly Lebold, when she received an invitation to join a team going on a two-week work/ministry trip to Nicaragua. “What I really need is someone to do prison ministry,” said the young college student who organized the venture. “Why would I want to go to Nicaragua?” responded Lebold, a 20-year-veteran of prison ministry, “I don’t even speak Spanish.”  In spite of the language barrier, she found herself packing bug spray, malaria pills, and a roll of toilet paper into a backpack and said ‘adios’ to her sheltered life in Salem, Oregon.

“Home on the Range” a Hopeful Possibility for Future Transitional Youth Kids
From Transitional Youth Ministries, Summer 2008 Newsletter

It has been a longtime dream to someday incorporate a working ranch setting into the mix of transitioning youth off the streets and into a stable environment. At last, we are closer than ever to making this prospect a reality.The Royal Ridges Retreat and Camp board of directors has voted to take part in a joint housing venture with Transitional Youth. Royal Ridges is located on nearly 400 acres above Battle Ground, Washington in the beautiful foothills of Mount Saint Helens. Transitional Youth and Royal Ridges will combine their efforts to provide structure and basic life skills for homeless youth who want to get off the streets. Many of these youth lack the personal self discipline and knowledge to work or go to school which are both requirements of living in a Transitional Youth home.

Here is the interview by Belinda Elliott, of author Rick Johnson of Better Dads

CBN.com – “Behind every good man there is a good woman.” Is the old adage true? Perhaps it is. In the Bible, women are described as “help-mates” to their husbands. Does that mean they hang in the shadows merely existing to cater to his every whim, or should they perhaps be serving a more important role?

In his new book, The Man Whisperer: Speaking Your Man’s Language to Bring Out His Best, author Rick Johnson says women often don’t realize the amount of power they have when it comes to the men in their lives.

Open House Ministries is announcing the “HOMELESS RUN DERBY” -September 13th, 10am at Bagley Park (Field – A).  Open House Ministries is looking for batter-pitcher teams to take a swing for the homeless. Proceeds from this event help benefit Open House residents who are seeking to regain their independence and their lives.  Registration is 15.00 per team.  Batters get ten outs, with the 9th out ball being the fund-raiser ball.  Full details and applications available online at www.sheltered.org.  You may also call Pamela Schram at (360)737-0300 ext 240.