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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.”

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.

Fill out this form to reserve your spot!

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.

Beloved,

We find ourselves in the heart-breaking position of holding worship online only this week.
Here is our plan. Although it may lead to some uncertainty and possible confusion, we have decided to evaluate the current data according to www.covidacttnow.org/us/washington-wa/county/walla_walla_county/ every week on Thursday, and make a decision about whether or not to worship in-person, and if so, what protocols need to be in place.

The latest guidance from our conference can be found here: https://greaternw.org/changing-course-as-covid-19-cases-rise/. When Pioneer returned to in-person worship last spring, we chose to follow Option 2, which allows some adjustments for local circumstances. Strictly speaking, we should be limiting any indoor gathering according to the risk level.

At a new case rate of 75 or higher, there can be no singing, and worship will be online only. Period. From 25-75, ensembles may sing if fully vaccinated, masked, and distanced. From 1-25, congregants may sing if fully vaccinated, masked, and distanced. When the rate falls below 1, limits on the number who gather for worship are lifted, but vaccination, masking, and distancing are still highly recommended. We have not found a manageable, equitable means of limiting the number of people in our sanctuary for worship. As you can see from the guidance, we have already been exceeding the recommended limits on the number of people who can gather indoors. We have reluctantly justified this because the numerical limits are based on smaller sanctuaries than ours. During December we had a couple of Sundays with more than 100 in worship.

As a wise man recently said to me, “God is big, is [not only] in church on Sunday, but in our homes and our very being. I think separation is best until statistics are in our favor.” We know this is difficult. It is probably a test of our faith, though I do not believe God causes suffering in order to test us. Still, the result could be that we come to know more deeply what holds us together. What I pray, and what I trust, is that we are held together by a commitment to the common good – the beloved community – the realm of God. Stay tuned for weekly updates.
-Pastor Paul and Pastor Danielle

Given the steady decline of COVID-19 cases in our metro area, we are pleased to welcome everyone back for in-person worship here at Pioneer! We have all been longing to be together, and we are grateful for the opportunity to come back together. So far, we have had one Sunday back together, and what a Sunday it was! Due to high winds and some power struggles, we had quite an adventurous Sunday. Thanks to our hard-working AV team, we carried on and had a great first service back together. We continue to ask everyone to work hard at wearing their masks, refraining from hugging and hand shaking, and maintaining social distance as much as is possible. We will continue to live-stream worship for those who wish to continue to worship online. Thank you all for your patience and understanding during these strange times. We look forward to seeing you in worship!

Blessings,

Pastors Paul & Danielle