Missions
Orenco Youth in Action!
On Thursday, August 4, Orenco’s youth groups slept outdoors at our church in cardboard boxes to raise money for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and a local homeless shelter. They received donations and pledges for the number of hours slept outside. These teens are excited about serving the community! Their theme for the coming school year is one they designed themselves: Don’t be a Potato; Do Something Today! Orenco’s teens have challenged our adults to ‘do something’ alongside of them. When you see potatoes around our church, you’ll know who's responsible! May the Lord bless their efforts to help the homeless in our community and those in areas of our country recently devastated by storms.
Bibles and Other Assistance Sent to Joplin Churches
Thank you everyone, for your quick and enthusiastic response to those hurting in Joplin, MO. After tornadoes destroyed all or portions of eight to ten churches in Joplin on May 22nd, our congregation collected special offerings over two Sundays to assist those in need. These dollars were sent to the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, who formed an onsite team in that area. We were also able to raise additional funds to purchase 120 new Bibles for the St. Paul Methodist Church in Joplin to use when their sanctuary is rebuilt. Please continue to keep all those in this area of our country in your prayers as they rebuild from this tragedy.
Serving the Community
In late June, approximately twenty of us gathered at the Washington County Fairgrounds to celebrate another year of Relay for Life, a successful fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, honoring cancer survivors and remembering those who have lost that battle. For a few years now our church has had a team involved in this event, representing our faith and trust in the hope we have in Jesus Christ. Our efforts this year also included a “reflection tent,” an area in which participants from our community could enter and journal or pray or simply sit in reflection upon those they have lost to cancer.
In July, thirteen of us served with Habitat for Humanity at their Aloha project. We spent all day working on various houses doing siding, framing, insulation, and a retaining wall. Some of us even learned how to build scaffolding, and all of us learned that we are physically capable of working very, very hard! 
If you missed this opportunity this time, your next chance will be in the fall. What a wonderful privilege it was to work on these homes for those in need. They will be able to move in this New Year, and our prayers are with these excited families.