For Palm Sunday we had an experiential, intergenerational worship time complete with children's story and palm branches. Listen to the podcasthere!

The last couple weeks on the North Valley Friends podcast, we wrapped up Peace Month and then we began a new series, talking about the prophetic voice in Jeremiah.

We had our annual All Church Retreat this last weekend, and for the last few years we've been enjoying just spending the weekend at the meetinghouse (though we sleep at home in our own beds...) rather than going away for the weekend. This way, lots of people can participate for the time they have available, and it's way cheaper so everyone can come. We have a lot of fun together Friday night, all day Saturday and Sunday morning, playing lots of for-fun games and get-to-know-you games, eating…

Last week we heard from one of our members, Scot Headley, continuing our Peace Month conversation, about being "Pulled in Both Directions," and this week the George Fox University Players visited and presented "Enough Already!"

January is Peace Month in Northwest Yearly Meeting, and at North Valleywe kicked off the month with a discussion led by Lynn Holt on "Unity through Tension."

We looked back and looked ahead this week in worship with a message and activities led by Sarah Klatt Dickerson called "Turning the Page."

This week included our normal morning worship as well as a candlelight service on Christmas Eve. Check out Sunday's service, "Finding God in the Unexpected," and the Christmas Eve service, including videos of our cute kids telling different parts of the Christmas story.

This week we heard from Lynn Holt on a "Labor of Love," focused on Luke 2:1-7.

The Advent season begins! Perhaps it's un-Quakerly to "celebrate" Advent, but it is helpful in the busy holiday season to focus on anticipation and waiting, expectancy, in our worship times together. This week, Andy Henry shared on the topic "Becoming God-bearers," using Luke 1:26-38 as his text.

Lynn Holt wrapped up our series on the Psalms of Ascent this week.

We explored the twin emotions or states of being of sorrow and joy this week, using Psalm 126, as we continued our series on the Psalms of Ascent. Sarah Klatt Dickerson spoke on Seasons of Joy.

Josh Reid spoke this week in meeting about Psalm 131:2, "I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content."

This week we heard from Paul Anderson on Psalm 127, "Unless the Lord Builds the House...and the Home."

Hal & Nancy Thomas shared with us this week about their recent trip to visit and minister alongside Bolivian Friends. They also shared a great deal about the history of Bolivia Yearly Meeting, and Northwest Yearly Meeting's involvement there.

This week we participated in our city-wide food drive, Feed the Need. Our pastoral intern, Sarah Klatt Dickerson, brought us a message, and then we participated in a creative and fun worship element of praying over the food we collected. Here's the message, Active Peace: Being Like Jesus, which also includes a video Sarah made of some of our kids talking about hunger.

We're in the midst of a series on "Songs for the Journey" based on the Psalms of ascent, and in the last two weeks we heard from Friends Nate Macy on As the Mountains Surround Jerusalem and Shawn McConaughey on Journey with the Creator.

After the rather sudden death of our lead pastor's husband this week, we spent the worship service mostly in prayer for their families and for others on our hearts. You are invited to listen to the podcast here.

This week, Leslie Murray shared about Equipo, our spring break mission trip to Mexico, and our attempt to move away from "hit-and-run" missions to partnering with local communities to nourish body and soul of participants from the USA and those we connect with in Mexico.

This week we had a Ministry Fair during our worship service. We went out to our gym where people displayed and shared about the ministries with which they are involved, both within the meeting and outside of it.It was our "Celebration of Ministry," and we had lots of fun! Check our Facebook…

Lynn Holt brought the message this week from Psalm 90:1, "Teach us the brevity of life, so that we may gain wisdom."