Portland LINK

1 A Treat from the Junior Orchestra

2 World Report

3 Gallery PICS

4 The Moral Law & Law Giver

4 Studying Holiness in Our Finances

5 Grateful Hearts in February

6 Valentine’s Survey

Sunday morning, February 11, the congregation had the joy of hearing the junior orchestra play. The group now includes about twenty-five members, ages ten to fifteen, and they play over a dozen different instruments! Janice Calhoun and Shawn Worthington have been helping them get a lot of practice, especially since they added regular performances during Sunday school general assembly time.

Brother Shawn directed during the special Sunday service as the orchestra played “He Is Exalted” and “Lord, I Lift Your Name on High” for prelude. Following this, an ensemble of thirteen middle- and high-school age ladies sang

“Come, Now Is the Time to Worship” and “We Will Lift Up the Name of the Lord.” The junior orchestra then continued playing for congregational singing and did a fantastic job! During

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A Treat from the Junior Orchestraannouncements, Darrel Lee thanked them and their families, who have made music a priority and dedicated much time and resources to it.

The youth continued to carry the music as a trio of Angela Lucescu, Maya Nedelcu, and Emmaline Worthington sang “Better Is One Day,” and later Shelby Warberg sang “He Will Carry You,” accompanied by Andrea Gaston on the guitar. The sermon was from Darrel Lee, who spoke of human mortality. He emphasized the Christian hope that one day our mortal bodies will be changed to immortal and we will be caught up to Heaven to be with Jesus.

We had expected to hear more great music from the youth at a Junior Recital on February 20, but due to weather conditions the event was rescheduled for March 13. We look forward to it!

A P O S T O L I C F A I T H . O R G

Selections from our website and more

(Top) The string section. (Bottom) Some of the wind and brass players.

“Darrel Lee thanked them and their families, who have made music a priority and dedicated much time and resources to it.”

February 2018

Excerpts from Wednesday, February 7 Tim DeBusk, Director of Eastern Caribbean Work, and his wife, Lisa, left for the Dominican Republic this past week. The purpose of their trip is to represent the Portland headquarters and our churches around the world in formally installing Brother Gledwin Mills as the Dominican Republic District Superintendent, as well as three new board members. Over six hundred gathered at the La Romana headquarters church for the installation. As Brother Tim and the board members laid hands on the new appointees and prayed, the congregation joined in, and Sister Lisa said that an overwhelming sense of support could be felt from everyone present. After the installation, the service continued with a message followed by prayer, and then lunch was served for all.

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Excerpts from Monday, February 12 Bill and Lori McKibben were in the Philippines this past week, and on Wednesday, Brother Bill had the opportunity to speak at the Central Luzon State University Baccalaureate service. With over six hundred graduates present in addition to parents, faculty, and staff, he exhorted the audience to align their personal visions with the vision and purposes of God who created them. We pray the message resonated with the hearts of those who were present.

The McKibbens attended Sunday services at the headquarters church in Bagong Sikat. Sunday school opened with an energetic youth choir and orchestra presenting a medley of songs including “You Are My All in All.” Brother Bill said it was very inspiring. The church was full for the morning service, with about three hundred in attendance, and the service concluded with a sweet time of prayer around the altars.

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Excerpts from Thursday, February 22 Our Chile camp meeting concluded on Sunday, February 18. The final few days included an ordinance service and a farewell lunch. Shade Ajayi and Jayne Ortiz sent this report of the weekend’s activities: “On the last day of the camp meeting, there was much anticipation for the morning service. It began with hearty songs of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord for the amazing things He has done during this camp meeting. We had a beautiful final prayer session and then a farewell luncheon followed by an opportunity for a group photo (above). The Lord has really blessed us at this camp meeting. One person indicated during the week that they had received salvation, but only the Lord knows the actual depth of the blessings that have been received.”

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Read more at apostolicfaith.org/world-reportWorld Report

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From the

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Gallery PICSselections from our online albums

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(Clockwise from top left) Shyla Piper plays clarinet; Larry Buckland plays French horn; Audrey Witham and a friend; The junior orchestra; Russell Mathews on the vibraphone; Georgia Andersen and Evelyn Oilar with a new fashion idea; Dave Luka and Caleb Copko at foot washing; Steve Mixer preaches; Long-time friends Sophia Fedosov, Selah Wolfe, and Jocelyn Sletmoe.

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The Moral Law & Law GiverAt the February youth focus, Trent

Paulsen taught about the existence of an absolute moral law. To open the topic, the group watched a skit about two people playing Monopoly, but the players made up the rules as they went along. For example, after rolling a three, one player declared that he got to take another turn because he had rolled a prime number. The next player landed on a piece of property and stated that this entitled him to purchase the whole set of properties! Eventually they began to fight over whose rules were right, until someone finally pointed out that the only valid rules are those which are written in the official rule book. Brother Trent explained that a woman named Elizabeth Magie created the game of Monopoly, and only her rules are valid because she created the game. In a similar way, there is a set of moral rules that govern mankind, and they were written by God, the creator of mankind.

had used. The student protested that this was unfair, and the professor responded that the thesis of his own paper negated his protest—who can say what is fair or unfair if there is no absolute right or wrong? Brother Trent pointed out that when people say they do not believe in an absolute moral law, usually you can easily find something they consider an injustice, which means they do believe a moral law exists and that it has been violated. Then, it follows by logic that Someone who transcends humankind must have created that law.

God’s standard is the absolute moral standard and no others are valid.

Brother Trent went on to introduce the group to something called the “Moral Argument” for the existence of God, which is an apologetics theory with three main points: 1) Every law has a law giver. 2) There is a moral law among mankind. 3) Therefore, there is a moral law giver.” In this argument, if a person agrees with points one and two, then point three is the logical conclusion. Point one is obvious, but some people get confused about point two, so another skit was performed to help clarify its meaning.

In the second skit, a student submitted to his professor an essay which claimed that there is no such thing as absolute right or wrong. The professor graded the paper with an “F” because he did not like the folder color the student

“Holiness is the supporting structure beneath a

Christian’s life. It is an underlying foundation that lasts.”

Studying Holiness in Our FinancesTom Pricskett taught about holiness

in financial matters for part six of the Living Holy Bible study series. Beginning with the key verses in Matthew 6:19-21, he spoke about spiritual treasures which are incorruptible, compared to treasures of this world which are easily destroyed.

Brother Tom also read part of the lesson handout, stating, “Godly finan-cial stewardship is the use of God-given resources for the accomplishment of God-given goals. It is not based on a set of rules or formulas, but rather on the principal that, as holy and set-apart believers, we count following Jesus worth more than our possessions.” After reading this, he observed that those who commit their lives to Christ live differently than they did prior to that time. They no longer live for themselves.

a Christian’s life. It is an underlying foundation that lasts—it doesn’t become corrupted, deteriorate, or disappear. He encouraged his listeners to build their financial matters on a life of holiness, getting their direction from God. If a

person prays about their life decisions, the Lord will provide wisdom.

In his concluding remarks, Brother Tom asked, “How are holiness and financial matters related?” The answer is that financial matters need to be built upon holiness. Whether in financial matters, life choices, or small decisions one makes each day, all must be built on holiness.

Speaking on the subject of tithes and offerings, Brother Tom said it does not have to be complicated or confusing, and it makes good sense. If people want to serve God in a place of worship, there will be expenses that come with

that advantage. The Bible spells out the details for tithing, saying that it should be ten percent of one’s income. Besides tithing, the Apostle Paul taught the principle of free-will giving to the Early Church, instructing them to give according to what was in their heart.

Tying it all together, Brother Tom also informed his listeners that holiness is the supporting structure beneath

“About seventeen years ago, I was in Lake of the Woods, above Medford, standing knee-deep in water and trying to fish. I was bored and thinking about different things. My mind went back to when I was a boy, and a record that we played at home. One of the songs on it was ‘God Loves to Talk to Little Boys While They’re Fishing.’ At the time, I wasn’t saved and I knew it. I was going to church and participating in the work, but there were things that were more important to me. Standing there in the water I prayed, ‘Well, I’m fishing, God. If You want to talk to me, talk to me.’ And He said, ‘When are you going to give Me your heart?’ I was honest and said, ‘I don’t know how anymore. If You will get me to the point where I can repent, I will give my heart to You.’

“I sure did not know what God was going to do to answer that prayer. Within a week, all the sinful things that I thought

nobody knew about, everybody knew about! It was enough to put me to my knees! I knelt down and God changed me and he saved my soul.

“It’s been a long time since then and I still have the victory. The Lord has been faithful and I’m thankful I gave Him my heart.” – Chris Luka

“I am thankful for God’s protection recently. I went on a hike with my brother last Friday and we did not go

touching my lung?’ The heaviness lifted, and I’m so thankful for that. I could hardly believe it—I could take a deep breath. Now I don’t have the congestion and wheezing that I’d fought for years.

I’m so thankful God’s grace is sufficient for us, and then He sometimes surprises us with things we weren’t even praying for.” – Rodica Musgrave

“Thank God that He’s a God that’s not only of New York, but He’s a God that’s everywhere. Last week I woke up in so much pain and wondered, What am I going to do? My first thought was what I do when I’m sick at home—call Mom, get the anointing oil, Mom prays over me, and God heals me. Then I realized Mom’s not here, and anointing oil—I don’t have it.

“I was thinking, What do I do in that situation? I prayed, ‘God, it’s just You and me now. None of my family is here, there are no ministers here, it’s in the middle of the night, and this is painful. I’m looking for You to heal me.’ Sure enough, a few minutes later I was feeling so much better. I was able to go to sleep and later I could say, ‘Thank You Jesus!’ He’s everywhere and anywhere we need Him to be.” – Azaria Charles

on a legitimate trail, we just blazed our own trail. When we got higher up, there was a drainage ditch filled with packed, slick snow. I had gone a ways walking on it, but then I slipped, and slid maybe

a hundred feet down the hill. I tried stopping myself with my trekking poles but that didn’t work. There was one rock that I bounced over, and then a larger rock that stopped me. Thankfully, God was looking out for me and I slid feet-first. Had I gone head-first, I could have sustained a concussion or much worse. I’m thankful for God’s protective hand.” – Russell Mathews

“When I was three years old I had a bad case of whooping cough. My parents tell me that they thought they were going to lose me, but they prayed and I got better. However, over the years I continued to have a cough and in 2005 was diagnosed with bronchiectasis, which is a condition caused by scarring in the lungs. That condition is actually not worrisome, unless you have complications. Well, in 2010 I did have some bad infections and even considered having surgery, but then I got better. At that time I prayed, ‘Lord, You could heal me if You wanted to.’ I felt the Lord say, ‘My grace is sufficient for you,’ so I left it at that. The doctor said I would probably get chronic infections in a cycle, and they would get worse. I thought, Well, His grace is going to be sufficient, and His grace was sufficient. Though sometimes the congestion got worse, the Lord helped me every day.

“On January 23 while I was doing my morning prayers, it was not anything out of the ordinary or a really powerful prayer meeting, but I felt the Lord touching me. I said, ‘Lord, are You (Left) Chris Luka. (Above) Azaria Charles.

Grateful Hearts in February

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“God’s grace is sufficient for us, and then He sometimes surprises us with things we weren’t even praying for.” − Rodica Musgrave

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Valentine’s SurveyWe asked seven couples to answer these five questions. Enjoy their responses!

1. How long have you been married?

2. Where did you meet?

3. What was your first date?

4. What is one of the qualities you most appreciate about your spouse?

5. What is the best marriage advice you’ve received?

Jeffrey & Katrina Butler1) One year. 2) Church. 3) We went out during 2010 special meetings. 4) Katrina: He is very patient. When trials come, he is calm and reminds me to look to the Lord. Jeffrey: It’s impossible to only pick one, but without a doubt her love and desire to serve God and be more like Him daily is a blessing for us both. 5) We are two completely different people and grew up differently, so we need to remember that we think and do things differently.

Earl & Sylvia Phillips1) Sixty-seven years. 2) At church. 3) Multnomah Falls. 4) Earl: She’s been my help-meet for sixty-seven years. Sylvia: He’s kind and gracious to me. 5) Never go to sleep without being able to say, “I love you.”

Jeremy & Rita Cook1) Eighteen years. 2) We were childhood sweethearts. 3) He brought groceries to my house and we made pizza and watched a movie. We’ve been “cooking” together ever since. 4) Jeremy: How she takes care of me and is a wonderful mother. Rita: He takes care of me and our kids. He sees what needs to be done and does it. 5) Don’t talk negatively about your spouse. You’ll work out the problem and forget it, but others will remember what you said!

Dale & Donna Copko1) Thirty-one years. 2) I’m not sure, but Brenda (Donna’s sister) probably introduced us. 3) Breakfast at a little restaurant overlooking the Columbia River. 4) Dale: She loves me for who I am. Donna: I love lots of Dale’s qualities but to name one, he’s a true gentleman. 5) Don’t ever let the sun go down on your wrath, pray together every day, and always stay best friends.

Arthur & Trina Ruiz1) It’s just over 7 months since 7.17.2017. 2) Portland Camp Meeting 2006. 3) The first place we went together was actually a funeral! But then we went to lunch at Jade Teahouse. 4) Trina: Can I say two? Arthur is very helpful and he makes me laugh. Arthur: Trina is a very godly person. 5) Make no assumptions (especially in a cross-cultural relationship).

LJ & Rosie Barley1) Two years. 2) LJ testified and it resonated with me, so I told him I liked it. We started talking and haven’t stopped! 3) Zoo Lights. We saw the lights and got hot cocoa. It was perfect! 4) LJ: She’s the whole package. Rosie: His ability to keep life interesting. Nothing is boring with LJ. 5) Don’t try to solve important things when you’re upset. It’s better to just be there for each other and lean on God, then make decisions when you have a clear mind.

Nolan & Joan Roby1) Sixty-one years. 2) The Medford church, and in twelfth grade I started walking to school with Joan and her brother. 3) A senior play titled “Tea House in an August Moon,” then to Henry’s drive-in for milkshakes and hamburgers. 4) Nolan: She has been trustworthy in every aspect, has spiritual integrity, and is a great cuisine artist. Joan: He is dependable. 5) Aside from Biblical advice, to always consider Joan my TREASURE!