Chehalem Valley Presbyterian Church

2009 Budget Meetings
The officers of our church have approved the first draft of the 2009 budget and are ready to present this to the congregation. This packet will be available next Sunday for your review. As we did last year there will be two budget Q&A meetings hosted by the deacons in the library immediately following worship on Nov 23 and 30th at Evergreen in Beaverton. The congregational meeting will be held on December 7th immediately following the worship, at the Beaverton site. You may also direct your questions to Elder Keith Hansen and Deacon Dan Wilson in Newberg, or contact Pastor Nathan Lewis.

“The loveliest complete work on a small scale.” Goethe
Sermon Series by Nathan E. Lewis at Evergreen in Beaverton and Chehalem Valley in Newberg

(Study Questions, recommended books/sources, and quotations are available at nathan’s blog)

October 5 Ruth 1:1-14 “Searching In Vain for Providence”

October 12 Ruth 1:15-22 “Return to the House of Bread”

October 19 Tom Matthews at EPC
Nathan Lewis preaches at CVPC – Hosea 6:1-3 “Let Us Return to the Lord”

October 26 Ruth 2:1-23 “Refuge Under God’s Wings”

November 9 Ruth 4: 1-12 “Redemption”

November 16 Tom Matthews at EPC
Nathan Lewis preaches at CVPC – Isaiah 52:6-10 “The Gospel of Redemption”

November 23 Ruth 4: 13-22 “A Son has been Born!”

Read the new issue of the Evergreen Explorer. Consider submitting your writing to evergreen@evergreenpca.com. We are interested publishing poems, essays, short stories, interviews, book and film reviews….Children’s writing is much appreciated!

This week, the Presbytery of the Pacific Northwest approved our elders’ call of E.C. Bell to serve our mission to establish CVPC as a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America in Newberg. E.C. Bell has the skills to preach the gospel, to reach a wide variety of people in Newberg, to care for us within the church and to keep us outwardly focused. (more information about the past steps in this process.)

Our fraternal congregation in Newberg, Trinity Presbyterian Church is hosting the Rev. Richard B. Gaffin, recently retired from teaching at Westminster Theological Seminary. He will preaching in the Sunday evening service, 6 p.m., Oct. 19, and delivering a popular lecture at 7 p.m., Monday, Oct. 20. He will be lecturing on “A Good Work Begun: Christ’s Resurrection and the Christian Life.” Pastor John Mahaffy says, “Anyone from Evergreen is more than welcome to attend. And we would particularly welcome those from Chehalem Valley to be present.”

Nathan continues to preach a selection of Psalms making reference to the temple of God. This series will conclude late September, followed by a series in the Book of Ruth. On the first Sunday of Advent, Nathan will begin to preach through the Gospel of Luke. (Listen to Audio Sermons preached by Nathan, David Hopkins, and guest preachers)

We have completed the first phase of searching for an Evangelist to increase our mission to establish CVPC in Newberg. Our committee members, Sally Mehler, Sarah Holmes, Briel Deppe, Bernie VanHouten, and Dave Hansen arranged for E.C. and Ardis Bell to visit several weeks ago, undergoing a number of interviews and meeting as many people as possible. The committee has recommended E.C. to the elders, who met this past Thursday at the Coffee Cottage to approve extending a call to E.C. The second phase of the search begins this week as our Presbytery of the Pacific Northwest examines E.C. on his theological views, pastoral ministry and personal life. He will interact with the Candidates and Credentials Committee and with the Ministers and Churches Committee, then he will be examined on the floor of the Presbytery. These meetings will take place this Thursday and Friday, October 2-3, in Lake Stevens, WA, nearby Everett, north of Seattle. CVPC will be represented at the meetings by Pastor Nathan Lewis and Elder Michael Kane. The Presbytery will also examine the call our elders have extended to E.C., which outlines his duties and details his compensation. If E.C. passes his exams and is able to transfer his membership from the Rocky Mountain Presbytery to our Presbytery and if the Presbytery approves our call of him, then we will set the beginning date for the three phases that our outlined for this position toward placing E.C. with his family in Newberg to work alongside of us. (View and print the plan and description.)

The FISH offices and warehouses are moving this month to a new location on Elliot Street and we need your help. If you can lift a case of canned food, handle a hand-truck, or drive a 17-foot U Haul truck, please contact Jodi Hansen, our congregation’s FISH representative. Pass the word to your friends - “Many hands make light the work.” BTW, “FISH” stands for Newberg FISH (Friends In Service to Humanity) Emergency Service. Through this organization we meet the basic needs of our neighbors, as the hands and feet of Jesus Christ.

At the recent stated meeting of the Session in July, our elders approved a plan to call an Evangelist/Pastor to serve CVPC towards its organization as a congregation. Soon we will be forming a search committee and presently we are posting our plan and job description seeking candidates for this opening. (View and print the plan and description.)

You are invited to a breakfast fellowship at Hayden’s Grill in Tualatin on Saturday, September 6th at 8:30a.m. We will have breakfast followed by a devotional and time of prayer. We hope to have a gathering like this once a month. The meeting will be held in the Hayden’s Grill Board Room on your right as you enter the restaurant. Please RSVP as soon as you know if you can attend (503.626.1520). Bedford Holmes, CVPC member and Executive Director of Tilikum Retreat Center, is coordinating this series of events. This is a good opportunity for you to invite men who want fellowship. It is also a good opportunity to get to know men from the other worship sites in our church.