Honoring Godly Servant-Leaders

Honoring Servant-Leaders
This year’s Sunday School Fellowship Annual Meeting presented a great opportunity to thank the Lord for his hand in developing servant-leaders on the InFaith: Northwest Oregon field.  Lisa Helmberger accepted InFaith’s 2024 Bryce 0. Bartruff Servant-Leader Award on behalf of her late husband, Pastor Mark Helmberger, during the Sunday School Fellowship gathering at Portland’s Woodland Park Chapel, Saturday, March 23.  Pastor Mark was remembered as a passionate evangelist, shepherd, nursing home chaplain and InFaith Associate during his years as co-pastor at Woodland Park.  Mark went home to be with the Lord in 2022.

Two other honored servant-leaders were also remembered in prayer at the SSF meeting: Helen Hoffman (who received the 2020 Bartruff award along with her husband Louis) and Janet Droullard (who received the 2023 award along with her husband Bob) are both facing serious health struggles and in need of the Lord’s ongoing presence.  Janet is being cared for at her home while dealing with ongoing difficulties.  Helen was admitted to Kaiser-Sunnyside medical center last week at the age of 99 and was expected to pass into the arms of Jesus in a matter of days.

Message from the Hoffman Family
We received the following note this morning (Tuesday) from, Helen’s son and daughter-in-law Tom and Judi Hoffman:  “Thank you for your prayers. Helen is still with us and is in Hospice care. Her final lesson to us appears to be PATIENCE. God’s timing is perfect and we are waiting on Him to finish this chapter.”

 We give thanks to the Lord for Sunday School Fellowship leaders.
At the conclusion of Saturday’s meeting, the SSF board selected their 2024 slate of officers.  Please keep these volunteers in your prayers as they guide the Fellowship’s ministry efforts:

Chairman – Pastor Seth Lewis, Carver Church

Vice-Chair – Elder Scott Brownlow, Shiloh Basin Community Church

Secretary – Bonny Klukas, Columbia Bible Church (Rainier)

Treasurer – Frank Campbell, Dover Community Church
Trustee – Jim VanVoorst, Hudson Park Bible Church

Trustee – John Abraham, Mountain Home Church

Trustee – Pastor Robert Klukas, Columbia Bible Church (Rainier)

Staying on Path with Nathan Bath!
While we are being thankful, let’s remember InFaith’s Northwest US Field Director Nathan Bath.  Nathan joined us at the SSF meeting during a very busy 10-day tour of the field, which includes Oregon, Washington and the western half of Idaho.  Nathan’s tour included one on one visits and prayer to encourage a number of InFaith missionaries and field staff.  His stop in Northwest Oregon also included a brief visit to Aims Community Church, where Nathan was baptized as a child.  He and I also took the opportunity to hit the trail together for a few hours, to take in some of God’s creative handiwork in the Columbia River Gorge.

May you all have a blessed Resurrection Sunday!  He is risen!

Tom Hiscox, NW Oregon Area Missionary thiscox@infaith.org