The Eastwood Beacon Reflection No. 61…Hmmm

The Eastwood Beacon
Eastwood nurtures positive development in people’s lives
through the love and teachings of Jesus Christ.
- Mission Statement adopted by Eastwood Baptist Church, January 19, 2014.
April 23, 2014
Reflection No. 61…Hmmm
Easter Sunday is a day to remember for me, from the time of being
greeted at the center door to the leaving after the fellowship time. There were
the welcoming comments from friends, the kindness of the ushers, and the
delicious refreshments. Mrs. Linda Tripp set the stage by an excellent Prelude. I
was again humbled by the scripture reading of Matthew 28:1-10 by Mr. Joshua
Robinson, especially verses five and six, “I know you are looking for Jesus…He is
not here. He was raised, just as He said.” …Later in the service, as I observed
one of the members, I asked myself, “Where are the saints of Eastwood?” Oh, I
knew that some were not able to attend, and some have moved away. But I was
thinking about those who have died. Then to me came the words, “They are not
here, they have been raised.” Hallelujah! Amen! …Hmmm
It was listed as a “Celebration of Baptism,” and it was. A wonderful testimony by
four people that it is true “He is not dead, He is raised.” Makes you tingle all
over, does it not?…Hmmm. Let us give thanks for Mary Bradley, Bailey Mitchell,
Michael Ekelman and Kyle Mitchell. They are family now. And how about Ava
Robinson that selected today to declare herself for Jesus at the end of the
service. Wonderful! ….Hmmm, hmmm.
The cantata, “The Offer Still Stands,” was as powerful as a thousand sermons.
The choir was thanked for their contribution to our lives, and so I (we) say thanks
again and again. It was a reminder that we are not to serve a tradition but to
serve a living Savior….Hmmm. Just think, it did not happen just once, the Offer,
but the Offer Still Stands. What offer you ask, the offer of salvation and life with
Jesus.
IN THIS ISSUE
Mission Conference
2
Baby Bottle Boomerang
2
Rainbow Acres
2
New Addresses
2
Thanks & Praise
3
Baptized on Easter
3
Mission News
4
Library Volunteer Opportunity
5
May Calendar
5
Mother’s Day Brunch
6
Cherry Creek
6
Church Work Day
6
ABW
6
EASTWOOD STAFF
Randolph T. Miller
Pastor
Jerry Gilmer
Pastor Emeritus
Eli Matthews
Youth Ministry Coordinator
Sharon Dady
And the angel said, “Now get on your way quickly…He is not dead. He is going on
ahead of you…
Choir Director
Linda Tripp
Accompanist
Sue Becker
Church Secretary
Blessings,
Jerry
Sam J. Angulo
Custodian
Staley Arnett
Interim Nursery Attendant
American Baptist Churches of the Central Pacific Coast - 2014 Missions Conference
Friday and Saturday, May 2 & 3 - Hosted by First Baptist Church, McMinnville, Oregon
“The King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My
brethren, you did it to Me.’” - Matthew 25
Join with American Baptists from across our region and around the world to see what God is up to!
We will hear from - Roy Medley, General Secretary, ABCUSA. Mylinda Baits, Missionary, International Ministries. Sam
Brink, Assoc. Exec. Minister, ABC Wisconsin. Ron Carlson, Missiologist, AB Home Mission Societies. Ruthann Stevenson, Trainer, International Ministries. Kyle Williams, Missionary, International Ministries. Larry & JoAnn Sims, Lay
Missionaries, FBC McMinnville.
We will learn about - How to be an effective Mission Partnership Team. Church-based community Medical and Dental
ministries. How the Four Gospels inform our view of mission. Unique and effective ways local churches are impacting
communities as the hands and feet and voice of Jesus. How your church can sponsor or join a mission trip. The
World Friendship Center in Hiroshima. Optional tours of Linfield College
Registration forms available at the Welcome Center or click on “Missions Conference” at www.abccpc.org
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Baby Bottle Fundraiser - April 6th to May 11th
Rogue Valley Pregnancy Resource Center
Fill a baby bottle with loose change (or bills). Return the bottle to the church office.
We participate in Sanctity of Human Life by supporting The Pregnancy Center through Baby Bottle Boomerang! The
mission of The Pregnancy Center is to provide education, godly guidance, supportive programs and loving encouragement to those who may be pregnant, parenting or post-abortive. This is done with Pregnancy Tests, Ultrasounds, Earn
While You Learn Education, a Parent Pantry, Abstinence Education and post-abortive education, Forgiven & Set Free!
We believe everyone should have access to this information and help, so all our services are free! Today we
will be handing out baby bottles for you to take home and fill up with change, bills or checks and return them
by Mother’s Day! Thank you for your support in defending the lives of the unborn and offering the gift of salvation to their parents!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOS
RAINBOW ACRES MISSION TRIP
The Rainbow Acres Mission trip has been scheduled for
June 22nd through June 29th.
Sign up on your communication card if you are interested
in participating.
Stay tuned for further announcements regarding planning, organization and fundraising.
Watch for upcoming Bake sales!
Donations are welcome to help participants with travel
expenses.
---------------------------------------------
Eastwood Beacon
The next issue of The Beacon will be May 7th, 2014. If
you have anything you would like put in the Beacon, an
up-coming event, a function, etc. please have all copy in
the church office by 12:00 noon on Tuesday, May 6th,
2014. Email Sue Becker at sbecker@ebcmedford.org If
you would like to help get the Beacon ready for mailing,
we will start at 11:30 pm, Thursday, May 8th, 2014.
Many hands make light work and a time of fun and fellowship.
We need cookies for our fellowship hour on Sunday. If you could help us, please sign up on the
kiosk nearest the office.
We appreciate all of you that have been so faithful bringing goodies each week.
Thank you,
Sue Shaw
(541) 776-9976
------------------------------------------New Addresses & Phone Numbers
Allan Campbell
PO Box 471
Eagle Point, OR 97524
Joan Daniel
(541) 951-7710
Michael & Marybeth Gresham
2001 Table Rock Road
Medford, OR 97501 MB cell (541) 973-5491
REQUESTS FOR PRAYER
Thanks and Praise (4/20)
Simply Magnificent!
Praise for such a beautiful Easter celebration! Thanks &
God’s blessings.
Our Church: its leaders and families
All of those with health needs.
All service people here and overseas, including:
Good job, Joshua!
Kevin Hoffman, Army
Lolo Vasquez, Iraq
Aaron Chisem, US Navy
Jason Cesario, Iraq
Nicholas Hart, Marines
Logan Oravetz, Army
Isaac Gilmer, Marines
Bruce Barnhill, Marines
Praise the Lord!
Wonderful!
He lives indeed! Thank you, choir. Beautiful music filled
our lives today.
Beautiful service - Praise the Lord!
Unbelievable performance, choir. So moving and real - the
Holy Spirit was here.
Baptisms were special.
Thank you to Andy & Linda and the choir for their reading
and special music on Easter Sunday.
He is Risen!
What a praising way to celebrate Easter!!
Please pray for all students, teachers and parents (of
all ages of children)
Unemployed / Underemployed
Our ABC-CPC churches, pastors and missionaries
serving around the world.
Jonna Reeder
Kurt & Wilda Hildebrand, serving in Haiti
Baptized on Easter Sunday!
Mary Lou Bradley “Eastwood is
my ‘true’ church.
I love you all.”
BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES
Are there any changes, additions
or deletions?
Please let Sue in the church office know so
she can make the corrections and notify everyone.
MAY BIRTHDAYS
Michael Eckelman “You are my
family and I love Jesus.”
Kyle Mitchell, age 11: “….The
reason that I want to be baptized
is so I can be closer to Jesus
Christ. I know that after I get
“dunked”, I will forever follow
Jesus in His footsteps and be his
disciple.”
Bailey Mitchell, age 18: “….I have decided to be baptized
because I know in my heart that I am ready for the next
step in my relationship with God. I know it won’t be easy
and there will be times when I lose track of what I need,
but being baptized is only one more step in the direction I
plan to follow for a long time.” (Excerpt from Bailey’s testimony)
1
1
1
7
7
8
10
18
18
18
19
21
23
Leighanne Nottingham
Ray Olstad
Joannie VanDyke
Sharon Dady
Aaron Thayer
Eli Matthews
Howard Bowman
Joan Daniel
Norma Hart
Marjorie Peterson
Trevahn Foster
Mary Bates
Helen Bartlett
23
23
25
25
25
27
27
29
39
31
31
Mike Ekelman
Don Hildebrand
Rev Walter Manchur
Anita Simpson
Deborah Slocum
JoNelle Petermeyer
Dianne Rowell
Jim Noble
Jim Powell
Sam Angulo
David Sayler
MAY ANNIVERSARIES
6 George & Sandra Nye
22 Cap & Sue Capriotti
29 Jacob & Julie Kinsman
29 Carl & Ada Kirkman
MISSION NEWS
Ed and Miriam Noyes
The Twa of Inongo: Trying to Establish their place in a Modernizing Congo:
April 3, 2014
For some followers of our journals this may be a little too dry. But we think it helps to understand more about
the circumstances that shape the lives and outlooks of the people with whom we work. This short piece complements Miriam’s recent blog about the literacy team’s recent trip to Inongo.
-- Ed and Miriam
Pygmies in Congo are people living between two worlds. They live in clusters but are scattered in nearly every
province of the country. For generations the government has wanted to see them settled in towns, abandoning
itinerant life in the forest. Some Pygmy groups have settled voluntarily, hoping for a more stable and prosperous
life. While some succeed, most find only poverty, malnutrition and marginalization outside the forest.
The Twa living around Inongo encounter multiple barriers to progress in life outside the forest. Many of the majority Bantu have deep prejudices against them that lead to abuse and exploitation. Legally they are full citizens
of the Congo. However, even for Bantu citizens enjoyment of legal protections and rights is not automatic; for the
Twa, prejudice often eliminates any rights they have. They are often forced to work without pay or for half of what
a Bantu would get. The law does not recognize traditional Twa forest-use rights and Twa bands hold land only at
the sufferance of a Bantu land chief.
Bantu prejudice excludes or severely limits Twa access to education and health care available to the majority
population. Teachers and fellow students disapprove of Twa students sharing classrooms with Bantu students. Extreme poverty makes it hard for Twa parents to pay school fees. Health service workers are often unsympathetic and unwelcoming. Public health outreach (vaccinations, well-baby clinics, deworming and nutrition
campaigns) often pass them by, forcing the Twa to rely exclusively on traditional medicine. Poor education and
poor health have predictable effects on their ability to earn a living, and ability to influence the social and political
structures that define their opportunities.
Of course Pygmy tradition and the dysfunctional adaptation to settled life impose their own limitations. Seasonal
hunting and gathering remove children from school, interrupting learning progress. Lack of proper attention to
hygiene, poor nutritional practices, early marriage and motherhood : all contribute significantly to poor
health. The stresses of life on the margins of Bantu society also lead many Twa to seek relief in alcohol or cannabis.
In making the transition to settled existence, many Twa have not yet fully adopted permanent agriculture: when
they have fields, they're often very small. Becoming a farmer requires hard-to-obtain land, unfamiliar seasonal
planning, food stores in reserve, and assurance that the harvest will belong to the family rather than the landowner. It is a long and daunting list. Cutting fields for others, and working as hired labor for Bantu farmers is
often a more familiar (if much less lucrative) decision for people with the day-to-day mindset of hunter-gatherers.
Facing barriers every day of one’s life can crush the spirit, suck away hope. The Twa don’t need any do-gooder’s
pity. But they do need constant reminders that they are cherished by God and bear His image. They need inspiration, knowledge of how others facing similar challenges in a changing world have transformed their circumstances. They need imagination and creativity that help them to understand and protect the distinctives that
make up their essential identity . . . and help them to adapt to the modernizing world. We ask the Lord to be their
guide, their refuge, their strength.
MAY 2014
Sun
Mon
Ap ril 27
Tue
Ap ril 28
8 am Chapel Prayers
7 pm Boy Scout
9:15 Sunday School
Troop 5
Classes All Ages
(K-Building)
10:30 Worship Service
Joel Maiorano,
preaching
.
4
Ap ril 29
12 noon - Men’s
Bible Study
5:30 First Place
5
11
Mo thers Day
7 pm Boy Scout
8 am Chapel Prayers
Troop 5
9:15 Sunday School
(K-Building)
Classes All Ages
10:30 Worship Service
5:00 Youth Group
7 pm Boy Scout
Troop 5
(K-Building)
8 am Chapel Prayers
9:15 Sunday School
7 pm Boy Scout
Classes All Ages
Troop 5
10:30 Worship Service
(K-Building)
5:00 Youth Group
13
12 noon Men’s
Bible Study
5:30 First Place
19
25
Fri
1
Ap ril 30
1 pm Bereavement
Group at the
New Far East
7:15 Choir Practice
6
9:30 ABW
12 noon - Men’s
Bible Study
5:30 First Place
12
18
Thu
Sat
2
3
ABC-CPC
ABC-CPC
Mission Conference Mission Conference
McMinnville, OR
McMinnville, OR
9:00 Church Work
Party
8 am Chapel Prayers
7 pm Boy Scout
9:15 Sunday School
Troop 5
Classes All Ages
(K-Building)
10:30 Communion
Worship Service
8 am Prayer in Chapel
9:15 Sunday School
Classes All Ages
10:30 Worship
Service
Wed
20
12 noon Men’s
Bible Study
5:30 First Place
26
27
12 noon Men’s
Bible Study
5:30 First Place
7
11:00 Staff Meeting
6:00 Mid -Week
Bible Study
7:15 Choir Practice
8
5:30 Deacons’
Agape
Meeting
14
15
16
17
22
23
24
29
30
31
9 am Builders’
Social
21
28
11:00 Staff Meeting
6:00 Mid -Week
Bible Study
7:15 Choir Practice
10
10:00 “Secrets of
the Eastwood Sisterhood” Mothers
Day Brunch
11:00 Staff Meeting
6:00 Mid -Week
Bible Study
7:15 Choir Practice
11:00 Staff Meeting
6:00 Mid -Week
Bible Study
7:15 Choir Practice
9
5:30 Deacons’
Business
Meeting
“Secrets of the Eastwood Sisterhood”
Inviting all women and girls to:
A Mother’s Day Brunch
Saturday, May 10th, 10 am - Koinonia Building
Invite your mom, daughter, sister, grandmother,
granddaughter, aunt, best friend…
The brunch will be catered by Rooster’s and will include Quiche, Cinnamon rolls, Country potatoes and fruit
salad. The cost will be $12 per person.
Scholarships are available.
Please bring a photo of you and your
mom, daughter, sister, etc. to the church
office as soon as possible. The photos
will be on display during the brunch.
--------------------------------------------
Church Work Day
Inviting ALL who want to help “spruce up” our church.
The next scheduled Work Day is Saturday, May 3rd.
Meet at the church at 9:00 am and we should be finished by 12:00. Please bring rakes, clippers and DON’T
FORGET the gloves! We will be doing yard work.
See you there.
Questions...call Don Eastman at (541) 7737237
Cherry Creek Apartments
Community Ministries is asking for volunteers to help
deliver Welcome Baskets to the new residents of the
Cherry Creek Apartment Complex.
There will be a brief informational meeting scheduled
in the near future.
Contact Annette McGregor by phone: (541) 8991088 or email: abcm48@yahoo.com or sign up on
your Communication Cards if you are interested.
------------------------------------------
American Baptist Women
Tuesday, May 6th
!!! PLEASE NOTE DATE CHANGE !!!
Social time: 9:30 - Presentation: 10:00
We all know what April showers bring, but what do
those "May-flowers" bring? Come & listen to former
meteorologist turned realtor, Scott Lewis, as he tries
to explain our unpredictable spring weather! Scott
will also talk about local trends in real estate. All
women are invited!
April 27, 2014
May 4th, 2014
SUNDAY, April 27th
Prayer in Chapel
Sunday School classes (all ages)
Worship Service
Father Joel Maiorano, preaching
Youth Group
8:00
9:15
10:30
5:00
MONDAY, April 28th
Boy Scout Troop 5
7:00
TUESDAY, April 29th
Men’s Bible Study Luncheon (Walker Room)
First Place
12:00
5:30
WEDNESDAY, April 30th
Choir Practice
7:15
THURSDAY, May 1st
FRIDAY, May 2nd
Prayer in Chapel
Sunday School classes (all ages)
Communion Worship Service
Pastor Miller, preaching
8:00
9:15
10:30
MONDAY, May 5th
Boy Scout Troop 5
7:00
TUESDAY, May 6th
ABW
Men’s Bible Study Luncheon (Walker Room)
First Place
9:30
12:00
5:30
WEDNESDAY May 7th
Staff Meeting
Mid-Week Bible Study
Choir Practice
11:00
6:00
7:15
THURSDAY, May 8th
SATURDAY, May 3rd
Church Work Day
SUNDAY, May 4th
9:00
Deacons’ Agape Meeting
5:30
FRIDAY, May 9th
SATURDAY, May 10th
“Secrets of the Eastwood Sisterhood”
Mothers’ Day Brunch
10:00