Evergreen Connection
Building Friendships in the Church Body This Summer
Summer seems to have finally arrived. Just yesterday I played a round of golf at a nearby course, and simply being outside in the sunshine was absolutely glorious. Now, my golf game was far from glorious. I lost nearly half the golf balls I brought with me! But it was just a delight to be […]
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High School Youth Retreat 2022
NOTE: The following was written by Matt before the youth retreat took place. Since then, the retreat happened, with 26 youth attending along with 12 leader/volunteers. It was a great time of learning, togetherness and fun, and included a baptism in the ocean on Monday morning of one of our youth who decided at the […]
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Phase II: Making the Most of Our Gifts
After a month of notices and summaries, we finally presented the Phase II facility project to the congregation in full detail last Sunday night. This major project represents the completion of the master facility plan that was established 17 years ago to maximize the ministry God has entrusted to us. If you missed out on […]
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Home
On May 4, 2022, my Grandmother, Miriam Donovan, went home to be with the Lord. That day was also her 89th birthday. At the time she was living in a memory care facility in Salmon Creek. She had moved to Vancouver and bought a suitable house for herself in Hazel Dell following my Grandfather’s death in […]
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Skylar and a Refuge for Refugees
Syria. Venezuela. Afghanistan. Myanmar. These are countries experiencing such terrible turmoil that citizens are fleeing by the millions. Now Ukraine joins that sad list. The stories of those running for their lives and scrambling to simply stay alive are wrenching to read. I sigh and shake my head is sympathy. What can be done for […]
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An Issue of the Heart
Last night the news outlet Politico leaked a draft of the Supreme Court’s opinion on the abortion case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization – a radical case that has huge implications for the precedent set in regard to the rights of the unborn by Roe V. Wade in 1973. As Politico reports it, the draft represents a sweeping […]
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Joyful Generosity
First Corinthians 9:7 says that God loves a cheerful giver. It stands to reason then that when God sees a whole church family of cheerful givers, he must get really excited. Therefore, I have no doubt God took great delight in the Senegal Mission Fundraiser last Friday night. The first thing we saw upon entering […]
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Reflection Tuesday
Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday – these are some of the special names for the days of Passion Week, the most significant week in the Christian calendar. Today I am engaged in my annual tradition of observing Reflection Tuesday, a day to consider the glimpses of glory I saw last weekend. Allow me to […]
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Summer Snow
Last week I was on vacation and we went to visit my parents. That may not sound terribly exciting, but if you know my parents, you know that’s a great time. And if you know they happen to live on the Big Island in Hawaii, well, enough said. We spent the week enjoying the tropical […]
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Tend to the Roots
It’s Springtime! The time to get out into the yard, put new dirt in the garden beds, do some pruning, and even in some cases, moving or removing plants altogether. I must confess that Leanne is the primary gardener in our family. Thankfully, making our yard beautiful is one of her greatest joys, and she […]
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