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I Heart 365 is our Outreach texting system! Short explanation? We send out needs via text, and you, upon receiving the text, have the ability to respond to those needs that resonate with you or that match a resource that you already have. (bicycles, extra coats, baby supplies, ect.)

OK! So how does it work exactly?
1. Trusted agencies, or one of our own Community Group leaders, calls Westside Church and asks if we can help with a specific need for a family or an individual.
2. We send out a brief text describing the situation and the items needed. 3. Those who would like to respond bring their donations to the Westside Church office.
4. Westside facilitates delivery of all of the donated items to the family or individual in need.

It’s that simple! And because I Heart 365 is a group of more than 800 people who want to help those struggling in our community,  there is never any obligation to respond to a texted need unless you feel inspired to.  Also, we intentionally only send out two I HEART 365 text needs a month, in order to choose prayerfully and facilitate well.

To sign up for our I HEART 365 texting line, and start hearing about specific needs and opportunities to help, text ih365 to 313131. 

From a recent ih365 request:

“We had a terrific response to our I Heart 365 text request. The Street Outreach Program of J Bar J works with youth in Bend who are living on the streets. We collected 30 warm coats, plus piles of gloves, hats, boots, scarves, socks, sweatshirts, thermals and rain pants to help our young neighbors stay warm this season. Thank you to everyone who gave!”

We are happy to be serving as the host site for the Summit High School Blood Drive. Friday, February 12th, 12:30-5:30pm. This event will be located in the Westside Church Atrium, 2051 NW Shevlin Park Rd., Bend

If you are able to support our community in this unique and needed way, please book your appointment today!

In partnership with Neighbor Impact, we will be hosting our monthly Free Food Market on January 25th, 1:30-3:00pm. We will be distributing food and essential household items to individuals and families who need them! If you are in need of any of these items, please come to our drive-through at the Westside Church parking lot. All are welcome! If you would like to serve on the Free Food Market team, please fill out our volunteer link.

What: Free Food Market

When: Monday, January 25th | 1:30 – 3:00pm

Where: Westside Church Parking Lot | 2051 NW Shevlin Park Rd

Who: ALL ARE WELCOME!

Are you interested in learning more about foster care and ways you could get involved? Join Westside Family Pastor Josh Cordell tonight as he and a panel share information and answer questions about fostering in this virtual discussion. https://fb.me/e/6pO5YoGJq

In this moment, we need contemplative leaders, not combative leaders. It is from a place of rest and connection with Christ that we move into a world that desperately needs Jesus with His life and love.

Westside YTH! On January 27th, we’ll be having a combined Middle and High School Youth Gathering. Join us for a night of community, worship, and encouragement. Limited space available, and registration is required.

Westside Worship Center
January 27th
7:00 – 8:30 pm ⁠

*Due to the continued COVID-19 restrictions, masks and social distancing is required.⁠

Parents of Middle and High Schoolers: Join us on Sunday, January 24th, in the Chapel at Westside or Online to hear from our YTH team about our vision for this coming year. ⁠If you plan on joining us via Zoom, please register, as well. We’ll email you a private zoom link the day of the meeting.
⁠
YTH Parent Meeting⁠
January 24th⁠
6:00 – 7:00 pm⁠

Experiencing loss and walking the challenging path of grief can be one of the most isolating and painful places to walk. Our hearts are committed to coming alongside those facing grief with meaningful support, resources, and hope. Our Grief Support Classes and support groups are led by compassionate people who really do understand. This 12-week class can be joined at any time in the cycle. Our gatherings will provide healing and tools to help you find steady ground in uncertain times.

• Childcare is not provided
• We provide socially distanced seating and everyone is required to wear a mask
• Winter/Spring 2021 session will run from February 21 – May 9 on Sunday afternoons in the Westside Church Chapel

Registration Links

Registration Required

2/3/2021 – 3/3/2021

Our Better Together marriage ministry kicks off on February 3, 2021! This marriage enriching small group will meet in the Westside Chapel on Wednesday evenings. The 5-week series will not only allow for you to connect with other couples, but will also help you and your spouse build a marriage foundation focusing on communication, trust, friendship, and love.

Register

Childcare is not provided.

Under the theme “All Things New,” we will focus 21 days of January on praying for the new things God wants to do in the coming year. Evan Roberts, a key figure in the Welsh Revival, prayed, “Lord, bend us.” When we think of prayer, it’s often in the context of our plans. As one year winds down, we look forward to the next with its promise, and we pray. As important as it is to go before God and ask His blessing on our work, it is so much more important to simply go before Him and pray a prayer like that of Evan Roberts. Prayer that invites God to have His way must always precede the work of the Spirit. An invitation into the same humility and trust that marked Evan Roberts. Let’s pray with a common heart and a unified vision for 21 Days of Prayer + Fasting, beginning Jan. 3, 2021.

Thank you for your continued generosity throughout such a unique and challenging year. Your faithful giving has helped Westside Church meet more practical needs in the Church and in our community than ever before! This spirit of generosity has had huge impact. People have found salvation and life in Christ because of you—Thank you! Merry Christmas and a very blessed New Year!

*Reminder: year-end gifts must be submitted electronically or post marked before midnight on Thursday, December 31st related to tax purposes in 2020.

Giving Link

Address:
Westside Church
2051 NW Shevlin Park Rd
Bend, OR 97703

For anyone who is experiencing the disorienting pain and loss of a separation or divorce, there is hope for you. Divorce Support is an 8-week support group that meets weekly on Sunday’s from 4:30-6:30pm in the Westside Church Chapel. Our winter/spring 2021 session will start on Feb 7th. The group will watch a video teaching together and then is followed by group discussion facilitated by trained leaders. Please join us and register today.

• Childcare is not provided
• We provide socially distanced seating and everyone is required to wear a mask
• $15 registration fee. This fee covers the book and materials for this course. You will receive these materials at the first session of this group.

Register

Registration Required

1/19/2021 – 2/23/2021

TRUSTWORTHY: Overcoming our Greatest Struggles to Trust God – Lysa TerKeurst, 6 weeks

When hard times come and it seems God is deviating from the plan we assume our life should follow, we’re more likely to want to tame God, not trust Him. It’s then that we begin to press into our ways and our own timing. No human can carry the weight of being their own god, but so many of us try.

In this 6-session study of 1 & 2 Kings, join Lysa TerKeurst in Israel as she honestly reveals the places of distrust in her own heart while exploring the deeply applicable Scriptures that will teach us how to truly trust God.

Purchase Study Guide

Register

Benefits:
* Identify and challenge doubts in the one true God.
* Explore how the Old Testament applies to our lives today.
* Learn to trust in the goodness and faithfulness of God.

Online Study with both Zoom groups and in-person small group sessions. Please get connected and register today!

Thursday nights at 6:30pm at Westside Church in the Chapel

Each week we meet in a Large Group for the first hour. There is time of worship music followed by a recovery lesson or a testimony. The second hour we break into Open Issue Small Groups, by gender, to work on individual issues. All groups share on the topic of the evening’s lesson and are open to newcomers. Newcomers are always welcome on any weekly meeting. Just show up and look for the welcome table (area) and we will get you started.

Recently the Oregon Governor declared the limitation on church gathering sizes a public health recommendation and not an enforceable law. This has led some to wonder if Westside will open up our church building to larger Sunday gatherings immediately. As most of our congregation knows, our decision regarding reopening the building considered several factors, only one of which was legality. The other factors included, “Is it loving and wise to begin meeting en masse at this time?” (ethics), “How can we be the faithful and prophetic witness to our community God has asked of us?” (missional), and “What will it require for us to meet again safely?” (practical). These questions guide our decision-making around our gatherings and the size of our gatherings.

When faced with the decisions regarding reopening, we take Paul’s admonitions from 1 Corinthians 10:23 to heart: “ ‘I have the right to do anything,’ you say—but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’—but not everything is constructive’”. Paul had in mind to limit his rights for the sake of love. Our first filter for any decision must always be love. If there is a high likelihood that a reopening at full capacity would put people’s health and lives at risk, the loving decision is to continue delaying the full-scale reopening of our building until we can provide a reasonable assurance of safety to our congregation.

What we do in these days, as the people of God, communicates volumes regarding our stance toward our community. It’s an amazing opportunity for Westside to help change the face of faith for tens of thousands of people regarding what the priorities of Jesus’ church will be. Therefore, we say to our community: we are for you – body, mind, and spirit. We want to stand with you in solidarity and show, with our actions, how much we love you.

On a practical note, we serve over 4,000 people as part of our church body, and gathering everyone together on a Sunday would not be practical at this time. Even if just a third of those came back to a service, we would not have space to provide a basic level of distancing and health precautions for the congregation.

Before COVID-19 became part of our reality, I encouraged our church to ask one question when it comes to decisions regarding how we live in community with people inside and outside the church: “What does love require?” It was more prophetic than we realized at the time. So, what does love require of us right now? What does love require of you right now? The way you and I answer that question through our actions in this moment will either reconfirm what people believe about Christians or could change the face of faith for someone seeking a relationship with God.

We love you, we miss the gathering of all the believers, but we know God will sustain us through this moment as he always has done in the past.

-Steve

Let’s take a moment during this final week of Advent to pause and reflect. Let our hearts and minds this Christmas be focused on Jesus, the savior of the world. As you do, sense His hope and peace for all that’s to come.