We’ve recently got a list of all the church services we’re going to host throughout the summer! Check out the following graphic so that you’re ‘in the know’ regarding when we meet.
Virtual Service on 1/21/24
I just found out that we WILL NOT be able to get into the Highland Christian Center tomorrow because of an icy parking lot; the building is being closed again. SO... tomorrow, Lord willing, we will have another virtual service online at 2pm for any who want to join us. Lisa Johnson will doing the sermonizing so I'm sure more of you will want to be sure to check that out. God bless and stay warm and safe!
Sundays now start at 3pm!
DEVOTED Retreat Oct 20th - 22nd
We're excited to extend a warm invitation to you for our upcoming fall retreat, "Devoted," from October 20th to 22nd! This retreat is a wonderful opportunity to take a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and come together as a family to deepen our bonds, build lasting connections, and celebrate the strength of our community.
Here are the details:
Dates: October 20th - 22nd, 2023
Location: Tolovana Inn
Reduced Rate: Mention "Portland Church" when booking your room at 1-502-436-2211 to enjoy a special discounted rate.
Our time at the Tolovana Inn promises to be filled with moments of reflection, spiritual growth, and genuine fellowship. Whether you're a long-time member of our community or new to our church family, this retreat is a fantastic opportunity to get to know one another better and strengthen the bonds that make our community so special.
Please take a moment to sign up so we can plan accordingly and ensure everyone has a memorable experience. You can RSVP by signing up below.
Let's come together, recharge our spirits, and celebrate the beauty of being a family in faith. We look forward to sharing this enriching experience with you and making lasting memories together.
We can't wait to see you at the "Devoted" Fall Retreat!
Important Announcement regarding ICOC Status
Hello and good morning Portland Church of Christ.
Many of you may have already heard either while attending our Sunday service or while looking at the recording of the service that on Wednesday, October 19th there was a meeting held with members of the ICOC Elders Service Committee and the Portland leadership team to inform us that a decision had been made to remove the Portland church from their list of churches. The reason that was given for this is that they have concluded that Complementarianism will be taught and practiced in the ICOC, their fellowship of cooperating churches.
The Portland church practices Mutuality, a gift-based rather than gender-based belief of service and leadership not complementarianism. As you know, we have taught and practiced the belief that women and men can indiscriminately preach, teach, lead, or serve based on gifts - ability and willingness - rather than gender. The Elders Service Committee told us they feel that our presence as part of the ICOC is a stumbling block to some and is interfering with our ability to find a way to have unity without uniformity and perhaps this will help us to find a better way of fellowshipping with one another. It was clearly and kindly stated that their hope is that by removing us, relationships can improve, conversations can continue and be more productive.
They emphasized that they believe we are saved disciples, but not included in the cooperating family of churches (the ICOC) which they have now defined as exclusively teaching complementarianism. They do consider us to be in their restoration family of churches though. They said this is NOT a dis-fellowingshipping or marking of any kind, but has to do rather with unity in their organization- the cooperating churches. They were clear that Portland church members are welcome to fellowship at all ICOC events, such as: elder’s retreats, teen camp, campus and singles events, and all conferences. For our members there should be little to no change in daily life, events or relationships.
We look forward to many open-ended conversations filled with love and hope as we all continue to study and strive to grow in our understanding of Jesus’ dream for his church. Let us make it our goal to please Him.
— Portland Church Leadership
Portland Church's first Leadership AMA
Some of you are familiar with the concept of an AMA, or an Ask Me Anything forum, and this week we’re bringing the benefits of an AMA forum to Portland Church. We’re hoping this year to embrace the spirit of transparency and answer any questions thrown our way regarding our fellowship in hopes that people feel more safe and transparent with us.
If you or anyone you know has questions for Portland Leadership, we encourage you to utilize this forum to submit questions. Once you submit a question to this form, there will be a link to a publicly viewable Google Doc and on that document we will have people in leadership ready and willing to answer the questions received from the form.
We hope this meets our community’s need of getting questions answered in an honest and open format, and we hope this transparency inspires confidence in the work we’re doing together.
Revelation Part1 - Slides
Virtual Church for the Foreseeable Future
Hi guys, hope this finds you all well.
After getting much input from medical professionals and other ministry leaders I know who have also been having in person services, we've decided to NOT have in person service during this spike in COVID Omicron.
We will livestream as always, this Sunday at 2:30 pm our time, and good news, we have a special guest speaker on the topic of "Worship", my dear friend and brother Frank Davis, evangelist in Birmingham, Alabama.
Please join us here at PortlandChurch.org or here on our social media page.
In person services are discontinued until further notice. Let's stay vigilant and prayerful and please consider ways to encourage one another every day! God bless.
Thanksgiving Dinner To-Go with HCC
Interested in helping the less fortunate this Thanksgiving Holiday? Well you’re in luck!
Highland Christian Center, the group that owns our current church building, have asked the PCOC fellowship if we would like to join them with helping with feeding families this Thanksgiving.
If you’re interested in spreading the holiday cheer, they’re asking us to bring canned goods to church on Sunday or drop off Frozen Turkeys at their building on November 14th. On that day HCC plans on having a group of volunteers cook, package, and distribute hot meals so they can get Thanksgiving Dinner in a safe and secure environment..
Food they’re looking to collect includes (but is not limited to):
Mashed Potatoes
Dressing/Stuffing
Frozen Turkeys (dropped off on Nov 14th)
Canned Vegetables
etc.
If you’re interested in volunteering your time, on November 20th HCC needs drivers and cooks to deliver the meals they plan on making that day.
If you are interested in helping out preparing the meals or able to drive please contact HCC office directly at 503-287-9567 or Florence and Mike at 503-791-9597 (you can text Florence at this number).
Aside from this, if you or anyone you may know could use a Thanksgiving dinner please let us know.
Thank you and have a wonderful Holiday!
A Letter to the Hopeless
This last week I had the privilege to be able to give communion in front of our community and was asked by Steve to share what I wrote in our blog. I pray that it finds the right people at the right time. I’ve adapted the beginning to suit an online format – so I hope it all fits together well. Thank you for this opportunity and for allowing us to be a part of this wonderful fellowship.
We're back! (At the Building that is)
FREE Dental Care and COVID-19 Vaccinations!
Just wanted to let our PCOC family know that the Highland Christian Center has informed us about free dental and COVID-19 vaccinations offered through and organization they work with called Highland Haven. Spaces are limited so if interested please make your appointment. Walk ins will be accepted as well if there is availability.
Outdoor Service is Cancelled for Tomorrow (Aug 15th) ... But we'll still be online!
Hey everybody, as much as I’d love to see all of you and I’m sure all of you want to fellowship, I think it best if we encourage everyone to stay in tomorrow due to COVID-19 delta variant and the reinstated mask regulations as well as the severe heat and smoke that is setting in.
Lord willing will still live stream our service at 2:30.
Please join if you can and be praying for us to be able to meet soon at the Highland Christian Center! Stay safe.
Anti-Racism Vision Group Survey
You may have heard it announced on Sunday, but here it is in the flesh! Our Anti-racism Vision Group has created a survey that they’re interested in people from our community participating in .
The purpose of this survey is to help us understand the different groups in our church, while also hoping to uncover any unheard problems we might have. We want nothing more than to help build a church community around Jesus where everyone feels loved, supported, and heard.
Use the link below, or find the link our new Anti-Racism Vision Group web page at https://www.portlandchurch.org/anti-racism-vision-group.
Our Next Outdoor Services: July 11th & August 15th
We loved seeing you all a couple weeks ago, and we can’t wait to see you again. Hopefully next time with a little less rain! Mark your calendars with this information and we can’t wait to see you there.
July 11th SERVICE
WHEN: JULY 11TH, 2021 @ 2:30 PM
WHERE: WILLAMETTE PARK - PICNIC A 12 WITH SHELTER
AUGUST 15TH SERVICE
WHEN: AUGUST 15TH, 2021 @ 2:30 PM
WHERE: CRESTON PARK, SHELTER D
4454 SE POWELL BLVD, PORTLAND, OR 97206
Our In-Person Meeting Guidelines
Join us for our FIRST Outdoor Service!
Plot twist: It’s a picnic!
At Creston Park at 2:30 pm PDT we will be having a communion service for anyone who is interested in joining us. We will be meeting at Picnic Shelter D (the shelter we’ve met at before two summers ago).
The great thing is that we have this space reserved all day, from 8 AM to 9 PM! We hope that most people will get there by noon, cook out, eat, fellowship, and then we’ll blow a whistle or something and gather together at 2:30 pm for a brief devotional.
Spread the word! All are welcome! We’ll make more announcements about the COVID precautions we’ll be taking, but we are ready to see each and every one of you. Put the date in your calendar!
When: June 13th, 2021 @ 2:30 pm (or 12 pm if you want to cookout)
Where: Creston Park, Shelter D
4454 SE Powell Blvd, Portland, OR 97206
Meet the Team: Anti-Racism Vision Group
Anti-Racism Vision Group Introduction
In early September of 2020 we kicked off the Anti-Racism Vision group to help identify key principles and projects to guide us as a church to better diversify our congregation (See our Meet the Team Article to learn more about our group members!).
We started by collaborating on what our main, guiding biblical principles would be when working in the group. What does God say about racial diversity? How does God feel about equality and diversity in his kingdom? What are the main principles that are key to success? Check out our 7 Guiding Principles be.
Moving forward we wanted to ensure to have actionable items for each principle we identified as crucial for our congregation to be successful in embracing diversity.
Guest Speaker for Easter Service
Shawn Patterson is our guest speaker for Easter Sunday! She will be speaking on “Jesus, the Anointed One”! Please join us for the Portland worship service live-streamed at 10:30 am PST. portlandchurch.com or Portland church Facebook page.