Evergreen Presbyterian Church

Friday, February 29th at Evergreen Church: Dana Dirksen will be performing with her band for our children. She puts God’s Word to music and performs with plenty of interactive features including children from the audience to sing along with her. The concert is scheduled from 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Call Larissa Friesen at 503. 626. 1520 for a sample CD and flyer! This is a great opportunity for families with young children, for grandparents accompanied by their young grandchildren, and anyone who loves Scripture and Catechism put to music. Invite your friends and help spread the word about this unique concert. Dana’s CD “Questions with Answers,” teaching the Westminster Smaller Catechism to children, is available online and at the concert. The concert will be at Evergreen Presbyterian Church.

Kingsley is the second entrepreneur in Malawi to win a micro loan from Fresh Start, a group of approximately nine members of Evergreen Presbyterian Church.  This past month, two members of Chehalem Valley Presbyterian Church have joined the work helping to raise funds. Fresh Start cuts a loan of about $200.00 or less to an entrepreneur in an emerging economy, who has some connection and thus accountability to one of our church’s missionaries or ministers. Kingsley worships with Jay and Laura Stoms in Lilongwe, Malawi. He applied to Fresh Start for a loan to open a grocery kiosk. He now has several of these kiosks and is able to support his young family. Fresh Start requires the repayment of its loans in two years. Kingsley makes payments face to face with Jay, our onsite representative. Juston, the first entrepreneur to secure a loan from Fresh Start lives in Bolero, Malawi, several hours to the north of Kingsley and the Stoms. He is a bean merchant, driving a truck over the Zambia border to purchase beans, then returning to sell them in his draught-ridden region. He is now able to support his family. He makes payments to the Reverend Samson Mereka, who is the Malawi director for Good Samaritan Counseling Ministries, headquartered in Beaverton less than a mile from Evergreen’s site. Samson has visited with members of Fresh Start in Beaverton and has used his former experience as a businessman to help arrange the terms and features of the loans we offer in Malawi. (This is where you begin singing “It’s a Small World After All,” as you read the rest of this article.) This past year, Juston made his first loan payment to Samson. The following Sunday, he brought his first tithe from selling beans to the church worship meeting. The impoverished church erupted in praise and thanksgiving to God for this monetary tithe. It just so happened that Evergreen member, Jeff Boden’s sister, Jill and her daughter, from Beaverton, were in the throng of worshippers, visiting with a team from Good Samaritan Ministries. Samson Mereka told his congregation that the guests were from Beaverton, Oregon. Juston assumed that the guests were from Evergreen and so he approached Jill, wringing her hand and begging her to thank her fellow church members for cutting the loan, saving his family.  Jill had no knowledge of Fresh Start. She returned to Oregon and told Bettie Mitchell, the international director of Good Samaritan Ministries about Juston. Bettie said, “Oh, that would be Evergreen Presbyterian Church up the hill. They have a group working with Samson to offer micro loans….” (You may stop singing now.)  [Read more →]

On January 6, Pastor Nathan E. Lewis preached “The Way of Escape,” from I Corinthians 10: 6-22. You can listen to this sermon and others online.  listen to these sermons online.  Nathan also posts his sermon scripts at his blog, www.nathanlewis.org.  The following link takes you directly to his sermon script archive. Nathan is preaching through the Apostle Paul’s First Epistle to the Church at Corinth, culminating with several sermons about the resurrection of Jesus at Easter 2008. He will then preach several sermons on the ascension of Jesus. Throughout late spring and summer he will preach a selection of the Psalms.

Evergreen is celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas beginning with Christmas Night Supper at the Kanes and culminating in the Kings’ Day Feast on Sunday, January 6. Through out these days we teach our children to honor their elders and to give generously. Cindy Pope is hosting a craft workshop at which children will make gifts for their parents. Children are making and/or purchasing gifts for the senior members of Evergreen, presenting these gifts at the Kings’ Day Feast. Teens will be serving the seniors and children will perform their Talent Show in honor of the seniors.The month prior to Christmas Day is Advent on the church calendar. During these days we anticipate the coming of Christ, preparing our hearts to receive Jesus and his holy gospel. Christmas Day is the first of the Twelve Days. If you are interested in joining our celebration, then read through the Twelve Days of Christmas booklet attached to this post. It includes daily Bible readings and prayers along with opportunities to serve and to give, promoting private worship and devotion in our homes. You don’t have to keep the tree up to celebrate the Twelve Days (undoubtedly, your tree is a fire hazard at this late date.) But you can keep the gifting alive and slip into a New Year reading the very words of God and praying daily in the name of Jesus. We wish you a happy Christmas and New Year! [Read more →]

On Christmas Eve, December 24, Monday at 5:00 p.m. Evergreen is hosting a candlelight worship meeting at our site on the corner of Hall Blvd. and Hart Rd. in Beaverton. You are invited to join us as we sing carols, listen to scripture lessons, remember the gospel of Advent, and pass the peace of the infant King, Jesus Christ. Pastor Nathan Lewis will preach “The Advent Prophecy,” from Luke 1: 39-45. A baby leaps in his mother’s womb. She is filled with the Holy Spirit and prophecies. On Sunday, December 23, in morning worship, Pastor Nathan will preach from Luke 1:5-38, focusing on the responses of Zechariah and Mary to the the Angel Gabriel. The language of their responses is virtually identical, but God punishes Zechariah for his response and blesses Mary for her response. What is the difference between the two?

 The following Meditations are designed to aid individuals, couples, families, and small groups in celebrating Advent. Anyone who chooses to use these Advent meditations and the Twelve Days of Christmas activities to follow can grow in private worship at home. At Evergreen we encourage individuals and families to privately devote themselves to prayer and meditation. We encourage parents to instruct their children toward application of God’s holy Word. While some people regularly schedule private devotions and/or family altars, others struggle to find the time or lack the discipline. A step in the right direction is to include such times of private worship seasonally, during the holidays. At Evergreen we typically provide materials for Advent, The Twelve Days of Christmas and Passion Week. 

[Read more →]

Join us for our annual celebration of the historic Reformation, this Sunday, October 28 from 2:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at the Boden’s farm. This year’s celebration is in memory of Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley. Subjects of England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and reaches beyond are implored to attend. Games, Food, Fellowship and Fresh Aire are yours for the admission of one jug of apple cider. Period costumes are welcome but not required. [Read more →]

Do you need a fresh start in a relationship? Have you ever been frustrated by conflict in family, at work, church, and neighborhood? Peacemakers Course supplies you with practical steps you can take to improve your relationships. Learn how to avoid conflict and to reconcile differences. Learn how to work through conflict and peacefully state differences. Founder Ken Sande, an attorney and his staff present biblical principles that work in resolving issues before parties go to court and litigation. They have applied these same principles to personal relationships. The Class begins at 9:30 at the Evergreen site in Beaverton, at 7275 S.W. Hall Blvd. Beaverton, Oregon, 97008. Several Evergreen members are teaching the class. Guy Hamilton is the instructor during October and November. He brings his experience as a Parole Officer, husband, and father to the course material. Upcoming instructors include Peter Trott and Pastor David Hopkins. The course will take a Christmas break December 16 until January 2008. Unlike our usual Sunday School classes, this Peacemakers Course is designed for all ages. The instructors engage children as well as adults, and the published materials distributed appeal to a variety of age groups. For more information give Frank LeClerg a call at 503-626-1520.

Mrs. Valerie Holt, Mrs. Juliet Kane and students of St. Stephen’s Academy applaud as the new building arrived on site. Three parts of the new education building arrived at the Evergreen north lot this past Monday, October 1, 2007. Four more parts are arriving this week. The outcome will be a 6,500 square foot building providing classroom space for St. Stephen’s Academy and Evergreen’s educational ministries including Sunday School. [Read more →]

September 19, 2007 Groundbreaking of St. Stephen’s new building at Evergreen. (from left to right: Bill Winchester, the General Contractor; Jonathan Spivey, student; John Rygh, Director; Michael Kane, Chairman of the Directors; Lydia Boden, student. St. Stephen’s Academy, a Christian and classical school, is a ministry of Evergreen. [Read more →]