Chehalem Valley Presbyterian Church

 Fletcher Matandika, a Malawian and founder of Ministry of Hope, an orphanage in Malawi preached at our sister congregation, Evergreen Presbyterian Church. He has most recently founded “Joy to the World,” an organization transforming a Malawian village, including the offering of micro loans to groups of women. The Fresh Start Microloans group comprised of Evergreen Presbyterian and Chehalem Valley Presbyterian members, awarded a loan to Kingsley, a Malawian entrepreneur who is opening an operating grocery kiosks on the street of his city. Jay Stoms, teacher at African Bible College in Malawi, supported by Evergreen, connected us to Kingsley and is our onsite manager of the microloan. It just so happens that Kingsley was an orphan, taken into Ministry of Hope years ago by Fletcher Matandika! He raised Kingsley and brought him along to the point where he enrolled at African Bible College where he met Jay Stoms.Fletcher Matandika is presently living in the USA, studying at Westminster Seminary California. 

Listen to Fletcher Matandika’s sermon preached at Evergreen Presbyterian Church.

Nathan Lewis is preaching four sermons on “The Ascension of Jesus Christ.” To hear his first three sermons, “The History of the Ascension,” “The Science of the Ascension,” and “The Blessing of the Ascension,” go to Audio Sermons. To read these sermons, go to his blog, www.nathanlewis.org. This May 11 is Ascension Sunday and Nathan will preach a sermon titled, “Humanity in Heaven.” On May 18, Pentecost Sunday, Nathan will preach, “The Holy Spirit and the Ascension.”  If you would like to engage in further study concerning the Ascension of Jesus, go to Nathan’s Bible Study Guides.  

Beginning this Sunday night, April 6, the youth group is meeting at the home of Joe and Cindy Pope to open the Spring International Short Film Festival. As usual, we will meet at 5:00 p.m. to mix, eat food (bring munchies to share), play games. Nathan will then show on the big screen one or two short films followed by discussion. The tentative schedule for films is… [Read more →]

On Sunday, April 27 at 10:30 a.m. Allen Pritzlaff will present a lecture on Islam, helping Christians to understand and to interact with Muslims. Through study and years of experience, Allen is an expert voice in helping anyone who wishes to find appropriate and effective ways of sharing the gospel with Muslims. Following his lecture, Allen will field questions. The event will be held at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Newberg at College and Edgewood, in the fellowship hall, directly following our morning worship service (which begins at 9:00 a.m.) The Coffee Cottage is providing two blends: The Coffee Cottage Blend and the darker, Prospero. Pastor Nathan Lewis says, “Not that any of us will need Prospero to keep us alert as Allen presents this cutting edge topic, lending his many years of experience to the further dispensing of the gospel.” [Read more →]

Our sister congregation, Evergreen Presbyterian Church in Salem hosts the Grassroots Music Festival featuring local bluegrass bands. A concert is scheduled every Friday night in April at 7:00 p.m. at the church site at 905 Cottage Street NE in Salem, Oregon. Drive down to Salem, make the concert a hot date and support our sister congregation’s outreach to the community. 

Nathan E. Lewis has been preaching through Paul’s First Epistle to the Church at Corinth. His six sermons from I Corinthians 15 focus on resurrection. Read them. Or you may listen to them. [Read more →]

Jeff Hockema and Chase Hansen are preparing and serving dinner at the Roy home on Saturday, March 29, to raise funds to equip the dental office of Magda, our dentist working at the Eirene Center in Santa Ana Tepetitlan in Guadalajara. Both Chase and Jeff have been on location and desire to return to serve Christ in this vital mission. Instead of raising funds for their return trip, they have decided to raise funds to outfit the dental office and to provide Magda with what she desperately needs to continue and to expand her care of the poor residents of Santa Ana. Magda’s office is adjacent to our church, Cristo Cambia la Vida (Christ Changes Lives) and our school. The more clients she serves, the more people are exposed to the love of Christ in our Church and mission to care for this poorest of pueblos in Guadalajara. Of course, the side benefits are fellowship around a gourmet meal (Jeff is a skilled cook!) At CVPC our teens are an integral part of our mission serving at the center of our church life and outreach. They are growing into adulthood, not marginalized but empowered to serve Christ. Come out and support them and the larger work God has called us to complete.

RSVP by contacting Jeff (503.341.6752) and/or Chase (503.734.7696).  The cost for the event is $50.00.

 Magda’s beautiful smile when her mask is off!

On Sunday, March 30 at 2:00 p.m. we will be ordaining and installing additional ruling elders and deacons to serve our congregation. Our ruling elder candidates are Keith Hansen, David Hansen, and Peter MacIver. Our deacon candidates are Daniel Wilson and David McGuire. We will be meeting at Scholls Community Church, a beautiful location half-way between our two worship sites. Nathan Lewis is the presiding minister. Stephen Lewis is preaching the sermon. Ruling Elder Stephen Bicker is delivering the charge to the new officers. The elders, along with any ordained ministers of the Gospel present, will pray while performing the tradition of the laying on of hands and the extending of the right hand of fellowship. We will collect an offering to give to our host church, Scholls Community, as an expression of our gratitude and our union in Christ Jesus, the head of the Church.

Go to Nathan’s blog for information on one very good reason why you should drive over the hill, navigate 99 through Tigard and descend into downtown Portland! Tim’s book has risen to #7 on the New York Times Bestseller list this week!

Chehalem celebrates Seder, the Passover Feast, tracing its fulfillment in Christ, preserving the Jewish traditions rich with hints of Christ. We celebrate the Lord’s Supper in the midst of the feast as Christ instituted it in the presence of his disciples. If you have never celebrated Seder with us in the past, take a few minutes to look at this slideshow of photos taken by Tim Dugan in 2005 at Evergreen to get a better idea of what happens. This year we are using Evergreen’s building in Beaverton.