August 22, 2019
Open Door Churches Discipleship Group Options Are Here!

It's here! The discipleship group options for the various meetings hosted through the Open Door Churches this fall.
 
You can either sign up at your local church or use the online form. The due date to sign up is  Monday, September 9th so let's get set for a great experience!

Dialogues: On the Refugee Crisis
Refugees in America,...it's a rough topic, both at a local community level and from a national policy perspective. To bring perspective and meaningful conversations around this topic, the book offers 8 unique perspectives from experienced authors from renowned organization such as World Relief and Church World Service that provide insight into refugee stories and experiences. The DVD provides weekly helpful input and is created as a documentary which give viewers an inside look at the center of the refugee crisis and how it plays out in real life. [8 weeks / $18]
  • 6:30 pm Tuesday starting on September 24-Meeting at Morningside UMC, 3674 12th St. SE
  • 6:30 pm Wednesday starting on September 25-Meeting at First UMC, 600 State St.
White Fragility: Why It's so Hard for White People to Talk About Racism
In this 2018 book, antiracist educator Robin DiAngelo deftly illuminates the phenomenon of white fragility and allows us to understand racism as a practice not restricted to bad people. Referring to the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially, white fragility is characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and by behaviors including argumentation and silence. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium and prevent any meaningful cross-racial dialogue. In this in-depth exploration, DiAngelo examines how white fragility develops, how it protects racial inequality, and what we can do to engage more constructively in this important dialogue. [9 weeks / $10]
  • 1:30 pm Tuesday starting on October 1-Meeting at Morningside UMC, 3674 12th St. SE
  • 10:00 am Wednesday starting on October 2-Meeting at Trinity UMC, 590 Elma St. SE
Bible Study: Scriptures for the Upcoming Sunday
Bring your own Bible and join others in a great study focusing on the scripture which will serve as the focus for worship in all the ODC churches the upcoming Sunday. Led by Pastor Alyssa, this promises to be great opportunity to ground yourself in the scriptures used in worship.
  • 6:30 pm Thursday starting on September 12-Meeting at Englewood UMC, 1110 17th St. SE
We Make the Road by Walking: Bishop's Study of a Cross Over Year
This Tuesday afternoon group has chosen to accept the Bishops invitation to participate in a Cross Over Year. The study is reading Brian McLaren's "We Make the Road by Walking". While this is a year-long study by the group at Keizer-Clear Lake, if this topic is of interest to you, you are very welcome to join the group for some or all the fall discipleship group season. You can even stay with the group in 2020 if you wish. Go on-line to get your book.
  • 1:00 pm Tuesday starting on September 10-Meeting at Keizer-Clear Lake UMC, 7920 Wheatland Rd. N.
In This Issue
Open Door Churches newsletters are sent out every other Thursday.
Open Door Churches Webpage

Our webpage is live!!  Go to  opendoorchurches.org to see information about 
each of the churches and ways you can be involved.
Upcoming Radio Interview
 
Tune your radio station to 1490 am next Tuesday morning, August 27th, at 8:10 a.m. when several people from Open Door Churches are being interviewed about our upcoming Worship Celebration and Picnic. The station will also be running commercials letting the community know about the event until then.
Open Door Churches Choir 
 
All people are invited to join the Open Door Churches choir which will sing at our Open Door Churches Worship Celebration and Potluck Sunday morning, September 8th.   
 
Music is available at your church office for pickup. A rehearsal will be scheduled soon and we'll let you know as soon as we have a date and time. 
 
Open Door Churches Worship & Celebration Picnic! 
Sunday, September 8, 2019 - 10:30 a.m.  
Salem Riverfront Park 
 
Join  us for our 2nd Open Door Churches Worship & Celebration at Riverfront Park! After worship, we'll share a potluck lunch along with games & activities. Ice water, silverware, & plates are all provided.
 
All Open Door Churches will be participating so no services will be held at any of the churches. 
 

Sermon Series:"Boldly Stepping Out"
June 23rd to September 1st
 
As we near the end of our current sermon series, we look forward to our new series, "Boldly Stepping Out."  

Join us each week as we explore the many ways our faith inspires us, supports us and allows us to live life boldly - within our community and the world, in the face of adversity and opposition, and when we need change in our life.

This series is sure to fill our souls and give us courage to boldly step out!
 

Open Door Churches Women's Luncheon
Saturday, September 21, from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Hosted by United Methodist Women 
 
You are invited to a luncheon at First United Methodist Church for all women from the Open Door Churches, the United Methodists of Salem-Keizer! 
 
Childcare is available (RSVP is required) for this event which includes lots of good food and many moments of connecting with other women! For meal and childcare planning, please RSVP to: [email protected] or   [email protected] by Monday, September 16.
 
The guest speaker for this event is Heather Hawkins, Community Relations Director for Family Building Blocks.  
Open Door Churches Young Adults  

We have begun an Instagram account as we have noted young adults spend more time on Instagram than on Facebook. You can follow our Instagram ( https://www.instagram.com/open_door_church_young_adults/) to learn more about who our group is and what we are up to.

The Open Door Young Adult group meets on Wednesday's from 7-8:30.  During the summer, the young adults rotate locations. Please email Pastor Alyssa ( [email protected]) to get on our email list. Thank you for your continued prayers and support of the Open Door Young Adults.  

Check out our group's Facebook Page: CLICK HERE 
Transformations Prayer Retreat
Site: Suttle Lake Camp
Dates: 9/22/2019 - 9/27/2019
Age Level: Adult
Cost: $369
32nd Annual Transformations Prayer Retreat

Leaders:  Rev. Kate Conolly, Rev. Michael Powell, and Rev. Nancy Slabaugh-Hart

The Transformations Prayer Retreat blends contemplation and community. Emphasis is on the communal sharing of the sacraments, with ample time for the solitude of prayer, meditation, and reflection. Come apart to renew your spirit and re-center yourself through time in Christian community and intentional time with God.

The Prayer Retreat is structured so that your days can be custom made to provide you with the rhythm of community, solitude, and worship you need for spiritual renewal.

There are three worship experiences each day, grounded in daily scripture. Each morning begins with Holy Communion. At noon we gather for quiet, contemplative worship. At 5 o'clock we share an interactive worship time focusing on the scripture that we have lived with during the day. There is ample free time for rest, hiking, reading, and canoeing on the lake. Kate , Michael, and Nancy will lead evening programs.

All of this takes place in the beautiful and restorative setting of Suttle Lake Camp. The outstanding staff provides us with Christ-like hospitality and delicious, nourishing meals.

This year's focus will be on Joan Chittister's book, The Gift of Years: Growing Older Gracefully.

For more information and to register: CLICK HERE 
Union Gospel Mission's annual Harvest Celebration Dessert
 
Union Gospel Mission's annual Harvest Celebration Dessert is on Friday, October 4, 7-8:30 p.m.  The celebration will be at the Salem Convention Center (200 Commercial Street SE).  We are sooooo delighted that Open Door Churches has once again been invited to host a BIG table for this amazingly joyful community event that brings many community supporters to hear about UGM's success in helping thousands of hungry, hurting, and homeless men, women, and children who come to UGM in need.  UGM is able to meet the immediate needs of those who walk through their doors--and most importantly!--UGM shares God's Love, Grace, and Compassion with them.  This year
Mike Yankoski will be speaking.  He wrote the book UNDER THE OVERPASS that tells the true story of his his living homeless in some of America's largest cities.  He's an excellent speaker!   
 
Let Mary Ann Robinson (503.393.7377) know if you'd like to join our Open Door Churches' table--or borrow
Yankoski's book.  We'll all be served a yummy dessert, and a $25 donation from each participant is greatly appreciated by UGM and can be given at the event.  Hope that you can join us!
 
Congregations Helping People is Seeking Volunteers
 
Do you want to participate in saving a life? Or planting hope in a hopeless person's heart?  In four hours/day?  CHP (Congregations Helping People) is in the business of making a real difference in people's lives, physically and otherwise.
We need regular morning -- and substitute -- volunteers to help us greet and screen clients, and to enter data into our computer. If you can commit to an 8:45 to 12:45 slot on a weekday morning, we would love to train you, have you work alongside a veteran volunteer, and then schedule you for a regular or substitute position.  You will be blessed.
 
Please call the Rev. Rebecca Strader at (503) 391-4365 or email her at [email protected]
Come Visit!
We, as Open Door Churches, are a wonderful community together. To continue building our relationships, it's good to visit each other. If you would like to visit one of the other Open Door Churches, here are all our Sunday service times:
  • Trinity - 9:30 a.m.
  • Morningside - (Face to Face) 8:30 a.m.,10:30 a.m.
  • Salem 1st - 8:45 a.m. and 11:15 a.m.
  • Las Naciones - 12:30 p.m.
  • Keizer Clear Lake - 10 a.m.