Tag: updates

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Blog Celebrations Partnership Travel Unity Updates

Upson Downs 9.15.21

Greetings friends and family! To catch you all up on our recent “doings” I will start with the infusion of new folks into our midst. We welcomed Angie, Trevor, Andres, Isai, and Liesl this past week, so our weekend was spent on work “parties” (WHEE!) to help them get settled in. Yes, we are rather bursting at the seams. We are discussing visions for a new congregation somewhere and are anticipating a move in six months to a year. In the meantime, we will need to find  some extra space as the McCorkels are anticipating the arrival of baby #2 next year. 
Patty, Jack Read, and I recently spent time in Sellwood visiting and hopefully encouraging the brethren there. Jack just returned Tuesday morning and hit the ground running. 
Last weekend we had a Labor Day barbecue and welcomed many guests, friends old and new. We also celebrated Abby’s 4th birthday. It was a grand and glorious time.
Scott and Barb are currently in Atlanta helping with the grandkids and spending time with their daughter and son-in-law. We are glad for their chance to reconnect and pitch in but we will be thankful for their return next week. Speaking of grandparents, Jack M’s mom has been here loving and serving us and getting lots of time with her grandson Rocky, aka “Ruckus.”
My big news is that I finally retired from LAUSD after 37 years. It’s kind of weird and yet kind of wonderful. I discovered that it’s now much easier to lose track of days. Jack, Scott, and I are continuing to offer online exercise classes, and last week we also returned to in person fitness programs. It’s a bit surreal to exercise “socially distanced” and with masks on, but I am so glad to see people face to face (mask to mask?) and to be able to encourage them to be healthy and connect with others.
We are happily busy, celebrating the joy of being “neck deep in what is right and good and true.” We covet your prayers especially for Lyndsie’s health, a shared vision for moving ahead with a new congregation, loving and integrating our new partners, and continuing to love one another. May God’s Church be strong and faithful to God’s call, and may we exhibit the unity Christ appealed for in His prayer of John 17.
Thanks for your faithful friendship, love, support, and interest.
Grace and peace to you all,

For Church of the servant-King,

Regan

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Blog Hospitality Partnership Updates

Upson Downs 8.24.21

Greetings dear ones! It’s time for an update. The “summer of hospitality” continues as we say goodbye to three guests and welcome five more. What an honor and a privilege. I truly marvel that God has found us worthy to be a cup of cold water to our brothers and sisters. As Cassidie is on modified bed rest in order to maximize pregnancy health, God has graciously provided abundant help. That help has come in various forms such as light housework, dinner preparation, and primarily toting around that big baby known as Rocky. He is rambunctious and adventurous, so he needs some alert supervision. Our guests have generously offered assistance, and we are most grateful.

We started our very very early Bible study with our Burmese brethren. Friday morning is the next day in Myanmar and Jack and Scott hosted our first pre-dawn zoom gathering last week. As our brother Garu wrote, “The word of God is the only joy and hope for their lives which give us strength in time of difficulties.” We will be discussing the feasibility of adding another early morning session. Please continue to pray for Myanmar as it is under siege from many directions.
Other than a few colds, we are generally in good health here. Please continue to pray for Lyndsie as she struggles with chronic conditions and the ongoing attempt to ascertain further issues through more testing. Nevertheless, we remain hopeful and encouraged. We are finding ourselves in need of more space as our families continue to grow. We are on the lookout for housing, so keep your eyes and ears open. We’d be thankful for any helpful tips!
Our outdoor Bible study has resulted in some timely contacts in our neighborhood. It was a great blessing and joy to host the Garcia family and to offer housing to the teens while their apartment was being made ready. They are now settling in and making it a home. On Sunday we had two visitors who dropped into our gathering. I believe Rich would be very proud. I think he would be most pleased, but not satisfied, as he often said.
In our Jesus Centered Bible reading for August, in the introduction to Nehemiah, he is described as an “unstoppable hero with a sword in one hand and a trowel in the other.” May we be found as well, with the word of God as our sword, and our sleeves rolled up to steadfastly continue the work of God’s Kingdom in this world.
Thanks again for your prayers, love, support, and partnership. Grace and peace to you all, blessings all ours with “ten thousand beside!”

Regan

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Blog Celebrations Hospitality Our story Special events Updates

Upson Downs 4.1.21

two lambs in a field
All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small...

Greetings! Tonight our men are reviving an old tradition- the baseball draft. I am giving thanks for the special memories that such celebrations bring. Jack Read has been participating in this event since his teen years; now he carries on his father’s legacy. Some things, of course, have been interrupted by Covid-19, notably dinner at Phillip’s and opening day at Dodger stadium. But many others remain the same, such as delicious varieties of hot dogs, haggling and negotiating over teams, and lots and lots of laughter. We have been watching The Chosen in anticipation of Easter and also plan to watch The Passion on Good Friday. We will join together for a celebratory meal on Easter Sunday. Easter is the ultimate joke on the Devil: “He is not here. He is risen!” He is risen indeed. Hallelujah! Sean, Kirsten, and Kristy came for a wonderful visit last week. We are so glad to be opening up again, albeit cautiously. It was especially great to enjoy a special meal on the Le’s first anniversary with much of the wedding party in attendance! Our international Bible study has been encouraging and kind of amazing too. Our visiting angels drop in from Mexico, Peru, Myanmar, and closer to home, Oregon. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, we are teaching a Spanish Bible study and watching our kids. That’s a lot to cover for our little congregation. He is strong in our weakness. Well, that’s it for now. We are blessed to have the abundant life here, keeping us busy and living life with purpose. There truly is “never a dull moment.” Grace and peace to you all, and joyful Easter. God bless us all, everyone.

Regan

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Updates

Upson Downs 5-15-2020

We celebrated Mother’s Day last Sunday. Some relaxed, and some worked (or had others work) but we all enjoyed ourselves. Our families know how to honor us well. Because of the Lord, our families extend far beyond blood relatives; in this time of sheltering, all moms were esteemed even if their immediate relatives were distant. This is as it should be in the Body of Christ.

God wants family for all. Speaking of that, last night,God’s extended family gathered outside, both in person and remotely, to honor a very special 70th birthday.  It was a challenge to pull off a surprise for one who “knows all, sees all,” but we were fairly successful, enjoying a luau, hula dancing, precious memories, and “lovelies.”

Barb has been a friend to all, a gracious pastor, a mentor, a partner, a shoulder to cry on, and the touch of Jesus in all our lives. We could have spoken all night about how what Barb has meant to us, but we had bedtimes!

One missing from the gathering, but ever present among us, was Rich. God knew what He was doing (surprise!) when He put Rich and Barb together as pastors to lead Church of the Servant-King. Our small congregation is uniquely blessed by their partnership, and we will always be indebted for the ways they loved each other and us in Christ.

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Service Updates

Upson Downs

Life in the Body of Christ

Jeremiah busy helping with some projects

Like everyone else, we are practicing social distancing while still trying to maintain “the unity of the Spirit” in our body. We count ourselves as most fortunate since we are stuck together here, helping each other, and serving each other in myriad ways.

The younger members shop, while those at home cook and tend to children. We are able to support those working from home due to efficient planning and help from Jack McCorkel. Those who are out of work are finding opportunities to tackle some of those projects which are further down on our to-do list.

Going through Rich’s things is bittersweet of course. It always brings a rush of memories and not a few tears, but is also a wonderful reminder of his far-reaching thoughtfulness and prodigious library which will be available for generations to come. We are finding more occasions to hang out, pray together and study together. We have become more thoughtful about meal planning, and more forward-thinking about our provisions, being careful but not panicked.

The children seem to be adjusting well to having more adults around, with more occasions to read, do puzzles, play games, or watch Sherlock Holmes together. When we “go out” to lunch, it’s usually next door. But we know we are incomparably blessed to have each other, emphasized even more so when many are truly alone and terrified.

We are striving to be of service to our neighborhood as well as to one another, and are currently pursuing the possibility of getting a Red Cross bloodmobile to come in order to donate much needed blood. We are eagerly anticipating the arrival of three new babies, one at the end of April. There is uncertainty about what the situation will be in the hospitals when the time for delivery comes, but we are trying to remain optimistic about that.

Jeremiah has been invaluable with his skill and willingness to tackle big projects. He will be going back to Portland soon, but we hope not too soon! Our neighbor Leslie is home from college indefinitely, and she has been is pitching wherever she is needed. “Half-pint,” as she is nicknamed, has been a HUGE help. God is good.