Feasting

There's nothing like sitting at table with 30 other folks, digging into a mountain of mashed potatoes and vegetarian meatloaf and sharing about our lives, followed by some football on the big screen. And, of course, playing a little UNO and Yahtzee after the pumpkin pie.

Be grateful

I heard someone say yesterday that Thanksgiving is not about "feeling grateful" but about "being grateful." It is something we cultivate. In Philippians 4, Paul tells us, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God that transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

So even in the midst of difficult times, especially in the midst of difficult times, we are called to stir up thankfulness, to choose gratitude. Afterall, when Jesus gave thanks before breaking the bread and sharing it with his friends, he was facing the hardest days of his life.

At The Supper, we practiced cultivating thankfulness in multiple ways, including writing notes of thanksgiving, as the folks in the above picture are doing, reflecting on where we do experience abundance, and considering areas of our life where we'd like to be more grateful.

I'm reminded of an old song that my school gospel choir sang: Be grateful.

Developing leaders for Hispanic Ministry

These three gifted folks, Barbara, Eliser and Bonnie, have recently completed Module I, the first series of National Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry courses to empower lay people to engage in ministries with Hispanics and Latinos. Through active participation in the hands-on workshops, held on Saturdays over the course of a month, these dedicated leaders practiced the see-discern-act methodology of looking at the world and looking at scripture, and created plans for starting and expanding ministries in Tillamook, Cornelius, and Beaverton!

It is a celebration to have dedicated lay people developing their skills for these valuable ministries in the Oregon-Idaho Conference!

Telling the story

A great article came out today on the UMC Spanish Portal about The Supper/La Cena:

http://www.umc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=lwL4KnN1LtH&b=5801443&ct=8862359