This past Saturday (3/3/12) Our Redeemer and Asbury members joined together to engage the first of their annual Service and Cinnamon Roll projects by working to organize, compost, sharpen tools, and various other things for the community garden they organize together.  This garden (almost ½ acre in size) produces potatoes the size of softballs, onions as sweet as can be and squash as large as a beach ball!  (No kidding, we’ve had them as large as 40 lbs!)

This rich opportunity to serve our neighbors and walk with our community is being organized by the Faith In Action group of Our Redeemer and Asbury.  Together these two communities seek to share God’s love through rich and meaningful service while also learning something about what it means to follow the One we call our Savior, Jesus the Christ.

Thank you to all who volunteered!  Thank you to all who organized!  Thank you to everyone who contributed to make this past Saturday such a rich success.  If you’d like to join us for our next opportunity to serve either contact Gigi Siekkinen or Debby Chenoweth or join us from 9am to noon at Opportunity Connections (2940 Thomsen Road, Hood River OR 97031) on March 17^th.  (Opportunity Connections is a “community where people with disabilities participate in satisfying lifestyles based on the same aspirations as all citizens.  We will be performing a variety of tasks that morning helping them to do their work just that much better!)

As we approach the 10 year anniversary of September 11, 2001, what is your story?

On the 11^th of this next month our world will pause and remember one of the more tragic moments in our nation’s history.  It was not the loss of life or the visual images or the world changing aftermath that singularly made it so tragic but rather it was the cumulative effect of all of those things and more that made it so.

Each one of us has a story of that day.  We know who we were with, what we were doing, where we were, why we were there and most of all how the day made us feel.  Each one of those things has left an indelible mark upon our soul.

Personally, I remember getting a phone call from my father early that morning.  Linden and I had just arrived in downtown Seattle, WA where I was to serve a year-long internship and my parents happened to be vacationing in Hawaii.  My father, in his serious tone of voice that only a father can truly have, said “Andy, turn on the TV.  There is something happening in New York.”  I turned on the television and watched in sleepy eyed confusion trying to understand just what was going on.  After a few moments though, I finally understood enough to hear the news broadcasters say that other un-accounted planes were in the air and that cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle could be next.  It was then that I went into our room and told Linden to wake up and get dressed because we might have to leave.  The day’s events unfolded much differently but one of the moments that will stick with me is of being fearful for our safety enough that I had to consider what it would mean to evacuate.  I had never experienced that emotion or feeling before and I don’t want to experience it again.

Of course the impacts of that day are much deeper and wider than my own little story.  Yet within that story is an element of truth for me certainly and for us in our world.  That day we had to consider things that we maybe hadn’t considered since perhaps WWII.  That day and days since we’ve had to look differently at our nation, our community, our neighbors not to mention our airports, our buildings and so much more.

And so on September 11^th we are going to endeavor to discover the truth of that day through your words and those of scripture.  Between now and then I will be soliciting your reflections to play during worship in a kind of video montage of your stories of that day’s events.  What do you remember?  Who were you with?  What were you doing?  Who did you want to call, hold, be next to at that moment?  And would you be willing to share?

If you are, please let me know and I will come for a visit and we’ll remember and pray together.  Meanwhile we will all prepare for that day by remembering so that those days events might not be repeated ever again.

In Peace,

Pastor Andy

After almost a year of conversations, meetings, and visioning, a vote solidified the future for the two Hood River churches. On December 19, the congregations of Asbury and Our Redeemer voted for a Joint Ministry Covenant. The initial agreement is for a three year term, during which time reviews and revisions will be conducted as appropriate.

The two churches remain separate in identity but will share one full-time clergy person and join together in many ministry functions. The Joint Ministry Covenant states that “no changes in the organizational structure and process of the participating congregations, except that in parallel administrative structures, are linked for joint functions.” The Rev. Andrew Wendle assumed the full-time clergy position serving both congregations effective July 1, 2011.

Building upon the ecumenical sharing agreement between the United Methodist Church (UMC) and the ELCA, Our Redeemer and Asbury have created new opportunities for mission and ministry, as together the two churches seek to accomplish far more than they could separately. Each of these congregations has a storied history of involvement and commitment in the Columbia Gorge area.

Our Redeemer, having just celebrated its 50-year anniversary, has long been a place that has supported such local outreach organizations as the FISH food bank, the Sunrise Organization, and AmeriCorps. Asbury, a presence in Hood River for over 125 years, has also strongly supported FISH in addition to its regular commitments to advocate for the “least of these” within their midst, including standing with those of Japanese descent after WWII when such actions were not a popular thing to do. In addition to these activities and ministries, each congregation has been and continues to be a place where God’s light and love can be seen, felt, and heard by members and community alike.

It is with great excitement that we move forward to see how the Spirit will lead us into this new day. We do not know exactly what that will be or how it will look, but together, as Lutherans, Methodists, and hopefully many others, we know that God’s promises will be as real tomorrow as they have been in our past. We invite all to journey with us as we go forward!

Submittted by by Linden Kron Wendle

What started as an idea to celebrate Our Redeemer’s 50th Anniversary soon turned into a project involving not only other denominations, but a lot of dirt and labor as well. “The idea was to give back,” garden coordinator Dottie Gilbertson said. “We wanted to celebrate with the entire community. We have this big plot of land and said ‘let’s do something with it!’”

The garden was started in 2009 using about a third of the land. It produced over 800 pounds of produce the first year. Asbury United Methodist then heard about the project and asked to participate. The garden doubled in size.

“We sat down together and determined how to make this work,” said Scott Fitch, a member of Asbury. “We knew there was a huge need for produce, and after asking FISH what they wanted, we got to work,” Fitch added.

About 25 volunteers from both churches gather periodically to weed, tend, water, harvest, and deliver. Fitch explained “If food isn’t donated FISH has to buy it.” Lorrinda Hoffman, Site Manager at the Hood River FISH, confirmed that money usually spent on produce can go toward items such as milk or cheese.

Hoffman said that several households donate their garden produce, but she has never seen churches working collaboratively on such a garden project. “It’s been a great example of that same cooperation in what we do here at FISH,” Hoffman said. FISH relies on a volunteer base from ten local churches to staff the food bank on a weekly rotation. “We are building relationships,” said Gilbertson of the mutual work between the Lutherans and Methodists. “We are sharing not only garden space but time, energy and purpose.”

Submitted by by Linden Kron Wendle

What if you could easily and effectively communicate with other congregations, youth leaders, camps, campus ministry sites, schools, and other ELCA church leaders in the Pacific Northwest? What if conversations, shared resources, and developing “best practices” became part of a growing library of local wisdom associated with the very people you want to talk with more? And what if time, distance, and cost were not an issue? Project Believe! of the Oregon Synod has launched its first “rubber hits the road” project in conjunction with the other ELCA synods of Region 1. What this means is that the donations you’ve made for Project Believe! are serving as seed money for the development of an ELCA Region 1 online community called Soul Cafe.

What is Soul Cafe?

Soul Cafe is a sacred space on the web. It will enable geographically separated Lutheran congregations, church-affiliated organizations and individuals to meet, interact, and get to know each other through the sharing of ideas. It will provide communication for real solutions to the shared problems, issues, and challenges that face the church today. This initiative will place us ahead of the curve at a strategic period in our history when we can no longer afford to be behind it.

How did this all come about?

Lacking effective ways to communicate and access resources, our church leaders often hear the frustration of those who either feel they keep reinventing the wheel and/or don’t know where to go for resources, ideas, or introductions.

Many ELCA congregations and across states, towns, or just down the street are not communicating. Yet they share the same concerns and challenges. We need a viable, user-friendly way to share with one another how we deal with challenges and solve problems. Finding a way to do this would increase our strides toward real solutions.

Enter: Soul Café

This online community initiative provides a place for Lutherans to have their own space. It allows all to come together, start and join groups, and have a managed safe sacred space on the Web. Ultimately, this is a resource to bring us together to form real relationships to effect solutions.

Online communities often result in real introductions and face-to-face meetings. While this is the ideal, we are still being inclusive of those who are geographically or physically unlikely to connect in person.

This is not a Facebook experience, which is centered on the individual and smaller scaled groups that use it. The heart and center of Soul Cafe is the community itself. Lutherans can come to Soul Cafe and talk all things Lutheran or anything else! ELCA Region 1 is providing a new and unique means by which we can communicate and meet each other in a way never before possible—the rest is up to us.

Soul Cafe is in its earliest stages, and you are welcomed and encouraged to come, have a say, be part of, and have a place in this incredible new venture. Soul Cafe will grow over time, and it is the participation and contributions of all that will bring this community to what it can and needs to be.

All are welcome at Soul Cafe—come on in and create a profile. Then join or start a group, learn, share, and be part of the conversation. Come, be the church at www.soulCafe.org!

As you may recall, Patti was in an awful accident last summer when she was struck by a motor vehicle.

The fundraiser is a golf event on September 24^th but we are going to try and organize a “flood” of sorts for the silent auction portion of the event.  Sharon Pantely has agreed to help coordinate that and will be getting in touch with Bruce to talk about what might work but be thinking about baskets and other silent auction items that we/you might be able to donate for the cause.

Bill and Cathie Coffman will be joining our congregation.  Bill happens to be our own Ret. Pastor Myrin Bentz’s former intern which is ironic since I am Bill’s former intern.  Cathie meanwhile is a soon to be retired hotel executive in Portland and a great friend as well.

And the third member is a new addition to the Bentz family, Ingrid Flanders.  She and George Bentz were recently married and Ingrid, a longtime member of Riverside Community Church, is going to retain her membership there but become an associate member of Our Redeemer.  Welcome Bill, Cathie and Ingrid!

Be sure to stay for coffee to visit with our new members and the rest of our church family!

This is a day that the Lord has made and despite the troubles of our world and our own lives, we can rejoice and be glad in it because the promises of the resurrection are a gift of God to us and the world.

We would like to challenge the Lutheran Churches in these four counties to match those funds by taking up a freewill offering to help with this important need in our communities.

We would like the offering to be taken before September 15th. Excess funds donated will also be allocated to the Food Banks.

Please help with this effort with a contribution to ORLC earmarked for the Thrivent Food Bank Project!

Bette Lou Yenne, Asst. Financial Sec., Columbia Gorge Chapter of Thrivent

These should be very worthwhile events to help us learn about how to avoid becoming victims of America’s fastest growing crime. Light refreshments will be served. Nothing will be offered for sale. Plan now to attend and bring family and friends.

We plan to have the second annual “Marty’s Party at Spookies Pizza in The Dalles. This will be a free fun filled event for the entire family. Plan now to set aside the evening of Saturday to join us for fun, food, and fellowship. ~ Rose Miller

September 11 we have planned a joint fundraising community outreach event commemorating the 10th anniversary of 9/11 by promoting peace. This event was endorsed by the ORLC church council and the Joint Ministry Planning committee for ORLC/Asbury.

Our planning meeting will take place August 8 at 6:30pm for a souper supper, with bowls donated by local pottery studios for those attending to take home after the event.

We are actively recruiting additional persons to serve on the planning committee of this event. Vicky has agreed to be part of this, and we would like some Asbury representation as well as a few more from ORLC.

Please, just come to our meeting August 8. Call Sharon Pantely if there are questions, or send an Email. We want to have a meaningful evening gathering. Any input or ideas would be welcome.

Thank you so much, and we wish you a safe summer. ~ Sharon Pantely