​PMC folks at the Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage

March 9, 2024

Dear Friends,

It is a quiet, rainy Saturday afternoon here. The cooks are unloading the dishwashers. A crew leader is repairing a skill saw. I could be loading out my truck for work on Monday. Perhaps the rain will stop and I can do that later. Hank, a crew leader from Winnipeg, said to me “Oh I know a person from Oregon. Do you know them? Their names are Clark and Carolyn Yoder”. And as unlikely as it might seem, I do know Carolyn. They are filbert farmers in Canby who live near my sister-in-law.

Everywhere about me, things have begun to bloom. The willow trees have tiny, bright green leaves. Other trees look like big balls of cotton candy, they are covered with pink or white blooms. It smells like spring.

We are finishing the last five houses here. On March 30, when we all leave, MDS will have built 17 houses in 17 months. Seven of the houses are on Hall Street, where nine people died in the tornado. Homeowners choose the interior and exterior colors for their houses, and Hall Street looks like an Easter Egg of cheerful colors. I have been working at the Ladd house. A group of Amish youth came to paint, install doors and flooring with me last week. They sang throughout the day as we all worked. The group that left this morning is from Illinois, along with a few from Ohio and Kansas. At the Ladd house we built window extensions, installed baseboards and window trim, cabinets and countertops. At the other houses there was mudding and taping going on, painting, and final cleanups on two houses. There is to be a house dedication for Norma Russell’s house this coming Friday.

The days and weeks pass very quickly. We have had a productive mix of talented craftsmen and eager learners. Jobs are broken down to bite-size tasks, instruction and support provided, and the work gets done amidst learning and practice. Then, jigsaw puzzles and Rook take over the focus of evening time together.

Most meaningful has been the times we are visited by homeowners: Lila Torres and her children, 87-year-old Ms Russell, Ms Duke (whose 14-year-old grandson comes to help work on her house with us after school and on weekends), The Davis family. Each of them has a story to tell of the storm, and their hopes for a future in Dawson Springs. Andy, whose house was completed last summer, continues to visit MDS houses each Friday, bringing volunteers donuts and colorful stories of life before and after the tornado in Dawson Springs.

Last summer the Presbyterian Church in Princeton, 15 miles away, hosted a week-long day camp for children. This nationally recognized program is called Camp Noah and helps children who have experienced disaster develop resiliency and coping skills. (Three sessions of this camp have been offered in the Eugene area following the Holiday Farm fire of 2020.) In July Camp Noah will offer their services to the children of eastern Kentucky where severe flooding destroyed houses.

The rain has stopped for the moment, and there is even a bit of sunshine, a good opportunity to load my truck.

Joanne

Friends of Portland Mennonite Church,

At the end of our worship service this morning I told the congregation that I will be retiring at the end of August. I want to make sure you hear the news from me too. This summer I will be 65, and August 31 will be exactly 25 years that I have served as Lead Pastor at PMC. It's time; it's time for me, and it's time for the congregation.  My wife, Molly, and I will both retire this summer. We are not exactly sure what is next for us, although we are definitely planning to stay in Portland and are very much looking forward to the next season of our life together.

PMC is also on the cusp of a new season. We are coming out of the pandemic, and there are opportunities to re-think the ways we do church together. PMC is also in the midst of a generational shift. Many of the 'pillars of the church' when I arrived here in 1999, have moved or passed away. Happily, PMC has a wealth of younger and committed leaders. But looking forward, PMC needs a Pastor to help lead the congregation for the next 8-10 years. And that won't be me.  When a Lead Pastor leaves, it is inevitably disruptive. But this can also be an invigorating time for the church as you talk together about what has been meaningful and as you imagine what lies ahead as you 'seek the peace of the city.' 

It has been one of the great privileges of my life to serve as a pastor at Portland Mennonite Church – to share our lives together, to work out our faith together. When I think back over the last 25 years, I remember so many people and so many moments. And I am filled with tremendous gratitude for them all. Thank you, thank you, thank you,

I am looking forward to the next eight months of our life together. Peace to you,

Rod Stafford 

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After I spoke this morning, Colleen Milstein (chair of the Table), shared about the plans that are being made for this season of transition. Here is a short summary:

- Next Sunday, Eric Massanari (Executive Conference Minister for PNMC) will be at PMC. He will preach at the 9:30 am worship service and then there will be a Congregational Forum at 11:00 am. We will plan for regular Forums and gatherings through the spring. A Transition Committee will be formed to guide the congregation through the next eight months and to create settings and spaces for us to remember and celebrate all that's happened in the last 25 years.

- The Table, in consultation with Eric, has decided to hire an Intentional Transitional Pastor (ITP) for at least one year. This person will preach, lead the staff team, meet with the Table, and do pastoral care. In addition, they will have training and experience to guide the congregation through this period of change. The Table is working with Eric and Rachel Ringenberg Miller (of Mennonite Church USA) to identify candidates. The Table has formed a Hiring Committee of Table members with the intention of having an ITP in place on September 1.

- A Search Committee for a long-term, 'settled,' pastor will also be formed this Spring. Their first task will be to listen in the Forums that will take place through the spring. They won't begin the active work of searching for a settled pastor until the Fall. It could take a year or more to hire a new Lead Pastor and to have that person in place at PMC. 

- Please hold Rod, the Table, the congregation, and this process in prayer. 

This past holiday season PMC shared many gifts with each other! Every year we do an Advent Tree to gather gifts for local organizations doing good work in Portland. This year we brought gifts for Street Roots, which is an organization in Portland that publishes a weekly social justice newspaper sold by people experiencing homelessness and poverty to earn an income. Over the years, PMC has connected with Street Roots in various ways, and each Sunday, vendors Nathan and Kristina join us to sell papers. For our Advent Tree, we gathered gifts of things that Street Roots asked us to donate, supplies for the vendors they work with who are experiencing homelessness. This included things like: gloves, socks, hand warmers, hats, ponchos, cough drops, and sleeping bags. PMC was quite generous! Take a look at the photos of the tree before and after. I just dropped off all these things at the Street Roots office in downtown Portland, so check out a picture of our gifts given.

PMC also did a special offering on Christmas Eve with money going toward the relief, development and peacemaking work of Mennonite Central Committee amidst the war in Gaza. MCC is providing, to the extent possible, emergency relief with existing partners in Gaza, distributing locally purchased food packages, hygiene items and bedding as well as cash transfers to families in need. MCC is also working to help children cope with the trauma. And, Kathy and Frans Van der Horst performed a program of holiday stories and songs. They took an offering at the show, and that money was added to the total sent to the MCC Gaza crisis response.

​Additionally, many people donated their time to advocate for ceasefire and peace in Israel-Palestine. Esther Nelson, Lisa Hughes, and Paul Reid worked with the Mennonite Action group to plan a trip and letters to Oregon senators and representatives. Over 30 PMCers from across the Portland Metro area held a peace service protest at Rep. Suzanne Bonamici’s office in Beaverton City Hall on December 19. They sang hymns, and shared their personal stories of deep grief and mourning for the Palestinians and Israelis killed in this war. The group urged Rep. Bonamici to sign on to a “Ceasefire Resolution.” 

Finally, a gift to all from PMC carolers! We gathered for a Holiday “living room” Hymn sing on Dec. 16, and enjoyed lots of holiday treats and cookies. We shared community together with a casual gathering and had lots of fun singing together. We sang our favorite Christmas songs and recorded them to send to others as “video carols.” Hope you enjoy!

Once again the PMC lower level was filled with laughing children, cookies, and friends. Thanks to all that braved the rain and came out.

Thank you Deb and Don!