Registration for Pioneer’s annual Wallowa Lake All-Church retreat on August 24-27 is open
and folks are already signing up. We know that this quality time together really adds to our
sense of Christian community.
Folks have the option of arriving either Thursday or Friday before dinner and staying through Sunday morning. We have a bit of organized activity after breakfast and each evening, but late morning through the afternoon are unscheduled. In the past, groups have done everything from taking the gondola to enjoying the lake to riding go-carts and horses to just hanging out at the camp.
Most campers stay in the en-suite yurt cabins (bedding and linens furnished), but there are other options. Cost vary depending on accommodations, but they are quite a bit less than the going rate at motels and restaurants. Kids eat free.
For questions or to register, contact Chuck and Karen Hindman. Email is [email protected] or 509-540-0337 (Karen’s cell/text). We hope you will join us!
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Lent at Pioneer UMC
Worship in Lent – February 26 – April 2, 2023
The lectionary for Year A offers us many stories of Jesus encountering people who are seeking: Nicodemus comes to him in the veil of night, he approaches a Samaritan woman at a well, he heals a man born without sight. In these stories, each person is seeking a new beginning, a different life, a deeper faith. What unfolds is an exchange filled with questions and exploration. Often, an unveiling occurs – assumptions are disrupted, a new perspective is revealed, mystery grows.
And so, we’ve crafted a Lenten series founded on questions. Many of our weekly questions feel restorative (“Can these bones live?”). Some feel like a charge or challenge (“Who will you listen to?”). Some questions are hopeful and curious (“How do we begin again?”). Our questions won’t necessarily lead to answers, but they can help us find clarity and a new perspective. Ultimately, we pray they lead to a new beginning, a restoration, a wider grace.
Like the characters in our Lenten scriptures, we are also seeking many things: clarity, connection, wonder, justice, balance. We are seeking our calling, the sacred, and how to live as a disciple. Throughout the turbulence of the past few years, many of us are asking big questions about our lives and our faith. If you are returning to church, you are probably returning with more questions and a critical lens. We hope this series will help us unpack some of those big questions in ways that are honest and faithful. Throughout this season, we hope you will continually ask yourself: what am I seeking? What is God seeking?
Our imagery for this season uses seeking and baggage. On this journey, what are we dragging along with us? What is the necessary attire we must bring along? How do we see the new thing God is doing in the same old places as if they are in fact always new?
This Lent, we invite you to engage in the spiritual practice of seeking. We encourage you to stay curious, open, and nimble. We hope you will soften your assumptions and expand your perspectives. We pray that these questions will create a safe space to explore – to be drawn more deeply into the fullness of life, into the heart of God.
See you in worship!
A new 6-week Adult Underground Bible study begins Sunday, January 8th
Have you ever been a little hesitant when it comes to Revelation? Beloved Bible teacher Margaret Feinberg can relate. With its bloody dragons, flying creatures, and mark of the beast, Revelation can be intimidating.
What if, instead, through the book of Revelation, God is saving the best for last? Revelation is a survival guide for the suffering, a book of promises for the persecuted, a banner of hope for the beaten down. Not just for John in his time and in his age, but for every church in every age, including you and me.
Do we really think God gives us the Scriptures – this love letter, in which he reveals the lengths he’s gone to rescue us – only to scare the heebie-jeebies our of us in the final chapter? That’s not consistent with the character of God, or the redemptive work of God throughout history.
Join us for a six week trek through the pages of Revelation. “With each passing page, we must resist the temptation to overemphasize or become dogmatic about interpretations or debatable topics that draw us away from what, or rather who, this book is all about: this is a revelation of Jesus Christ.”
Wallowa Lake Family Camp 2022
Pioneer folks have a chance to return to beautiful Wallowa Lake Camp from Thursday through Sunday, August 25th-28th! Thursday is optional and the event ends with Sunday lunch. Because accommodations and personal situations vary, it may also be best to discuss details with registrar Karen Hindman at [email protected].
Cost varies by type of lodging, number sharing it, and length of stay. Yurt cabins (single or double) rent for $115 or $135 per night, including linens. Family groups or cohorts of friends share the cost of their particular lodging. Adults pay $35 for three great meals each day, but special donations will allow kids to eat free. More basic lodging and RV hookups are available for less.
Meals, morning worship, evening events, and campfires will be shared with your church family. During the day, folks may roam the area or just take in the mountains and the scent of pine boughs with friends. The gondola to Mount Howard, miniature golf, go-carts, bumper boats, horses, boat rentals on the lake, time at the beach, exploring Joseph’s shops and galleries, and hiking trails are all nearby.
To register, either pick up a hard copy of the registration form at Pioneer, or you can fill out the form online (link provided below). A $100 deposit is required to reserve your spot.
Holy Week Services
Happy Holy Week to all! We have a variety of services this upcoming week for everyone.
Maundy Thursday – Thursday, April 14th in the Parlor at 6pm
Join us in the parlor for an extended communion liturgy service around tables.
Good Friday – Friday, April 15th in the Sanctuary at 6pm
We will have a Tenebrae service in the sanctuary with music, candles, and contemplation.
Easter Sunday – Sunday, April 17th in the Sanctuary at 9:00am & 10:30am
Together, we will celebrate Resurrection Sunday! Both services will be virtually identical. Childcare will be available for children 0-3, and children 4 and up are invited to be present in worship. There will be no Godly Play. Come celebrate with us!
Please contact the church office with any questions. We look forward to seeing you as we celebrate Holy Week.