Powers Church of God, 410 W Cedar Street, Powers, OR (2026)

06/04/2026

Last Sunday in our kids’ Sunday school class we played a game where each child had an opportunity to win a small piece of candy. I was pretty sure not everyone would be able to win one, or maybe only one, and some kids would be able to win several. At the conclusion of the game I was going to talk about sharing and have a conversation about when is it easiest to share…. when we have a lot? What if we only have one or two? But as usual they were way ahead of me. Before the game was even finished everyone had shared generously with each other…even me!

We went on to talk about the account in Mark, chapter 12, where Jesus pointed out to his disciples the widow who quietly gave two small, thin coins that were worth very little. This was in contrast with the attention a wealthy person would attract when he or she would give an entire bagful of coins. Even though the monetary value of the widow’s offering was negligible she gave generously of all she had. The wealthy gave from their excess that was easy to part with.

The point Jesus wanted to make with his disciples, and us, was God’s measure of generosity focuses not on how much we give but why we give. The kids and I discussed ways other than financial of giving. They suggested giving of our time, showing love to others, sharing resources, and helping those who are in need. Our classes are a time of learning for all of us!

Hans Kistner will be bringing the message this Sunday at the 11:00 worship service, hopefully driving his own pickup into town. 😁 Sunday school for all ages at 10:00.

Come on in and share a good time as we learn and worship along the way!

05/30/2026

Summer camps at Camp White Branch are coming up! Time to make your plans! Scholarships are available through the Powers Church of God. If you need more information contact JoAnne Shorb, Kathy Rector, or leave a message on this post. Great things happen at camp!!

05/29/2026

Last Sunday we listened in again on a sermon Jesus gave, recorded in the book of Matthew. He was basically giving guidance on how to live a blessed life, specifically mentioning that those who work for peace will be called his children. Another way of saying that is if we call ourselves a child of God, a Jesus follower, we will work for peace.

When Jesus was spending his last few days on earth with his followers he had much to tell them. He wanted them to be prepared for the days, weeks and months ahead. He did have something to leave with them, though, a gift, if you will. It wasn’t any of his earthly things… he had very little of those.

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”
‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭27 NLT

He gives us peace with God when we are adopted into his family. We then are called to be peacemakers. As such we can see where peace is needed, realizing it’s not about us, but holding onto God while we reach out to those who need his peace. This involves forgiveness of others and ourselves.

We’ll be eavesdropping in on more of Jesus’ sermon this Sunday. Come and be blessed!

Sunday school kids will be talking about what it means to give generously!

Hans Kistner speaking at the 11:00 worship service, Sunday school for all ages at 10:00.

05/20/2026

“God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬ ‭

Seeing God…. Oftentimes we think seeing God will only happen in heaven. But seeing God can begin now. If our hearts are pure, we can see God now, in this life. That leads to the question, how can our hearts be made pure?

Pure hearts… How does that happen? I don’t know how much you’ve heard about the life of David but you probably recall the account of when he killed the giant, Goliath. He went on to become the king of Israel, a very blessed and successful king. But he was not without sin in his life. When he was made aware of his profound transgressions he humbled himself before the God of creation, recognizing his guilt and sin. This led to his prayer of confession found in Psalm 51.

“Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me— now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭51‬:‭7‬-‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What promise comes with confession?

“If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Confession leads to cleansing. We are made new with pure hearts. See that new child of God! Let God remind you he has made you a new person and leave the past in the past. As we continue daily to become that new person, we see with the new heart he gave us, free to focus on loving and being loved by God. Then, in turn, we can focus on loving and being loved by family and friends.

Isn’t it amazing how one short verse can carry such an impact?! I do believe Hans will be sharing and expounding on another short verse this Sunday as we continue on through one of Jesus’ famous sermons, the Sermon on the Mount.

Sunday school for all ages at 10:00 am. This Sunday our kids will be learning about another story (parable) Jesus told about the prodigal son.

Morning worship at 11:00 am with Hans Kistner speaking.

Do a God watch the rest of this week with those new “eyes of the heart” and see God!

See you Sunday!

05/15/2026

“One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”

The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!” The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭10‬:‭25‬-‭29‬ ‭NLT‬‬

And then Jesus told the story about the Good Samaritan. I find it interesting that the expert in religious law already knew the answer to the question he posed to Jesus. He was spot on with his answer. But he was looking for a caveat. There must be exceptions for whom he must love. Surely not everyone!

By the end of the story the man realized a neighbor is one who shows mercy and compassion, considering the needs of others ahead of our own, regardless of ethnic or religious backgrounds.

We need to demonstrate our love for God by loving every person he places in our paths.

Are you wondering what this kind of love looks like? Here’s a nice definition from
1 Corinthians.

“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭4‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If you break that down, sentence by sentence, it’s not a bad concept to guide your life! Imagine if everyone lived life that way! But then, I guess that would be heaven! 🥰

Hans Kistner will be bringing the message this Sunday at 11:00 am. Sunday school classes for everyone at 10:00 am with children’s craft time during the worship service.

The kids will be learning about neighbors and what being a Good Samaritan looks like!

05/07/2026

Hunger and thirst… have a strong desire.
Righteousness… live like Jesus… or, WWJD?

“Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.” 1 John 2:6

These are some of the thoughts Hans Kistner shared with us last Sunday as we continued through the be-attitudes in the book of Matthew. What Would Jesus Do? A good question for every situation!

We are pleased to let you know that after much consideration and prayer Hans has accepted the position as interim pastor for a year. He will be sharing from the pulpit Sunday mornings and also available for officiating weddings, funerals and baptisms. Gabe Shorb will continue to fill in the pulpit occasionally as needed. During this time the search for a full time pastor will continue. We are excited to take this step forward as God’s church continues to grow!

Mother’s Day this Sunday! Come worship together with the family!

Worship service at 11:00, Sunday school for all ages at 10:00.

04/30/2026

It’s that time of year again that I very optimistically start planting seeds and fresh flower starts. In my mind I picture harvesting bushels of fresh flavorful vegetables and fruits and massive bouquets of colorful flowers on a weekly, if not daily, basis. In reality my harvest is not usually quite that bountiful. But still, the flavors of the home grown tomatoes, fresh picked cucumbers and leafy greens just don’t compare to what you buy at the store. And the freshly picked strawberries to just pop in my mouth…! It makes my mouth water just thinking about it!

Unfortunately, living where we do, it’s difficult to have all the fresh produce from our own gardens year round. Thinking about that reminded me of the verse below. Although the things of this earthly life are only temporary we can count on God’s word to stand the test of time. This assurance can help us focus on the parts of life that make a difference with eternity’s value in view.

Don’t forget about Sunday’s services coming up! Morning worship speaker is Hans Kistner at 11:00 am. Sunday school for all at 10:00 am with a kids’ craft time during the 11:00 am service. The kids’ lesson will be teaching them how God can use our gifts of love and time that may seem small but can make a big difference!

See you Sunday!!

04/23/2026

I see Sunday coming around the corner! This Sunday our speaker for morning worship at 11:00 am will be Boyd Bjorkquist. He has served as interim superintendent at our schools this past year and we’re grateful to him for being willing to share with us before his tenure is up.

Sunday school classes for all ages at 10:00 am! During the worship service, craft time with an activity reinforcing the Sunday school lesson is held for 4th grade and younger.

Some things I’ve been thinking about since Hans’ message last week on God blessing the meek…
Meekness is you and God and an opportunity to love even in difficult circumstances.
The opposite of meek is valuing ourselves over Jesus and choosing our own way.
We have choices every moment, every day to live as God’s people. As we make the right choices we grow in strength that is in God.
Know that God loves us deeply and in that knowledge we may also esteem ourselves.

Hope the rest of your week is blessed and we’ll see you Sunday!

04/16/2026

“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT

Sometimes circumstances in our lives can seem overwhelming and it’s hard to see past the pain. But what we do in that moment in time is important. We can allow that pain to be a doorway through which the comfort of Jesus can enter. It can become a time of renewed closeness and stronger relationship with Jesus as we surrender our will to his and focus on what has eternal value. As Hans Kistner said in his message last week… “Trust God’s heart when you can’t see his hand”.

What do we know about God’s heart?

“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We can trust his heart!

Hans will be speaking again this Sunday at our 11:00 am worship service. Sunday school for all ages at 10:00! The kids will be learning about the parable of the seeds. Check it out! It’s in the book of Mark, chapter 4, verses 1-20. Prizes for the kids who come knowing the memory verse from last Sunday!!

See you Sunday!

04/10/2026

The Sunday after Easter….

We are actually going to backtrack a bit in our kids’ Sunday school classes. We jumped ahead of our journey through the Bible to cover Palm Sunday and Easter. Now we’re going back to where we were talking about the life of Jesus after he called his disciples.

We will be doing an overview of the Sermon on the Mount. It is told in the book of Matthew, chapters 5, 6, and 7 if you want to read it. It is interesting to consider what our world might be like if human society would claim the standards set forth in this sermon as its own and acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God.

Hans Kistner will be bringing the message at our 11:00 service.

Sunday school classes for all ages at 10:00. Extra points if you can guess what song we’ll be singing before our classes!!
*hint* the clue is in the verses below. ☺️

Powers Church of God

06/04/2026

05/30/2026

05/29/2026

05/20/2026

05/15/2026

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04/30/2026

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