Writers Connection – Faith & Culture Writers Community

February 16, 2018February 21, 2018

Michael Badriaki is Thursday April 19 Writers Connection speaker

Our final Writers Connection of the 2017-2018 season features Dr. Michael Badriaki on

Thursday, April 19, at 7 p.m. at Oak Hills Presbyterian Church. The church is located at 5101 SE Thiessen Road in Milwauikie, Oregon.

Michael Badriaki was born in Kenya and raised in Uganda. His book When Helping Works: Alleviating Fear and Pain in Global Missions was published by Wipf and Stock in May of 2017.

Michael earned a doctorate in Leadership and Global perspectives from George Fox University; he also holds a Master of Arts in Intercultural and Pastoral Studies from Multnomah University. He has worked for 20 years globally in holistic missions, education, global health, and consulting and leadership development. Michael is passionate about sharing Christ’s message with people; he has a passion for caring for those who are affected by war, poverty and certain hardships.

Michael and his wife Kristen co-founded the Global Leadership Community where they nurture leadership through quality education.

In the past, Michael has worked for Medical Teams International and now travels around the world sharing his experiences of working with HIV and AIDS patients in Uganda.

Say you’re joining us on our Facebook Event page here: https://www.facebook.com/events/2031692717109758/

January 9, 2018January 9, 2018

Marc Schelske to speak at Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018 Writers Connection

Mark your calendar for the next Writers Connection Thursday, January 18, 2018 at 7 p.m. when Marc Schelske is set to speak! The meeting will be at Oak Hills Presbyterian Church located at 5101 SE Thiessen Road in Milwaukie Oregon.

Marc Schelske is a writer, speaker, hobbyist theologian, recovering fundamentalist, tea drinker & motorcycle rider. Sometimes he’s a chef or a songwriter. Much more importantly, he says: “I’m also a daddy and a husband.

Marc is also the teaching elder at Bridge City Community Church in Milwaukie, Oregon. Marc served on the leadership team for past Faith & Culture Writers Conference events.

Writers Connection is for everyone who is interested in story, writing, poetry, culture, art, blogging. Come each time, come once, come as you are. All are welcome!

You can check in to let us know you are joining us by visiting our Facebook event page for this meeting here:

October 18, 2017October 19, 2017

Gina Ochsner is set to speak at Oct. 19, 2017 Writers Connection!

Gather with us for Writers’ Connection Thursday, Oct. 19, 2017 at 7 p.m. at Oak Hills Presbyterian Church (5101 SE Thiessen Road, in Milwaukie, Oregon). This is our first quarterly meeting of the calendar year! We will hear from Gina Ochsner, who teaches writing and literature at Corban University and with Seattle Pacific University’s Low Residency MFA program.

Gina is the author of the short story collection The Necessary Grace to Fall, which was selected for the Flannery O’Connor Award and the collection People I Wanted to Be Both collections received the Oregon Book Award. In 2010 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt released The Russian Dreambook of Color and Flight. Her latest novel entitled The Hidden Letters of Velta B was released in July 2016; the paperback edition will be released this summer. To find out more about Gina, please visit Gina Ochsner

Oak Hills Presbyterian Church is located at 5101 SE Thiessen Road in Milwaukie, Oregon!!

Visit our Facebook Events page to say you are joining us: FCWC October 2017 Writers Connection

Bring a friend! You belong!

April 1, 2017October 20, 2017

A.J. Swoboda to speak at April 20, 2017 Writers Connection

It is an honor to welcome AJ Swoboda back to Writers Connection Thursday, April 20, 2017. The meeting will be held at Oak Hills Presbyterian Church in Milwaukie at 7 p.m.

Dr. A.J. Swoboda is a professor, author, and pastor of Theophilus in urban Portland, Oregon. He teaches theology, biblical studies, and Christian history at George Fox Evangelical and Fuller Seminaries, including a number of other universities and Bible colleges. He is also the lead mentor of a Doctor of Ministry program on the Holy Spirit and Leadership at Fuller Seminary. In addition, A.J. is the founder and director of Blessed Earth Northwest, a center that helps think creatively and strategically around creation care issues in the Pacific Northwest.

A.J. is the author of The Dusty Ones (Baker), Tongues and Trees: Toward a Pentecostal Ecological Theology (JPTSup, Deo), and Introducing Evangelical Ecotheology (Baker Academic). You can follow him on Twitter @mrajswoboda.

January 17, 2017October 18, 2017

Joshua Ryan Butler is speaking Jan. 19

We’re thrilled to announce that Joshua Ryan Butler is our January 2017 Writers Connection!

Joshua is the author of “Skeletons in God’s Closet” (2014) and most recently “The Pursuing God,” published by Thomas Nelson in 2016. He loves helping people wrestle through the tougher topics of Christian Faith. Currently he is a pastor at Imago Dei Community.

Join us this Thursday, Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. at Imago Dei to hear from him and a chance to enter a FREE giveaway of one of his books! Click here to RSVP.

Here’s a little taste of his newest book “The Pursuing God.”

Is God lost? Many of us feel that way. It’s as if God’s gone missing, out in the universe somewhere–and we must pick up the hunt, following any trail of breadcrumbs to go find him. We speak of “searching for God,” exploring spirituality,” and “finding faith.”

But what if we have it backward and God is the one pursuing us? What if our job is not to go find God, but to stop running and hiding? Not to discover the light, but step out of the shadows? Not to earn God’s love, but simply receive it?

Jesus reveals a God who comes after us, who is on the prowl, hunting down his world for reconciliation. And the question we’re left with is not whether we’ve been good enough, jumped high enough, or sought hard enough…

The question is: “Do we want to be found?”

October 25, 2016October 25, 2016

Read the first three chapters of “Assimilate or Go Home” for FREE!

We’re thrilled that D.L. Mayfield is speaking this week at Writer’s Connection!

If hearing from the author of “Assimilate or Go Home: Notes from a Failed Missionary on Rediscovering Faith” wasn’t enough, she’s sharing with us the first three chapters of her book! FOR FREE.

That’s right. You read it correctly.

We’re getting an exclusive sneak peak of Mayfield’s new book about her experience working as a missionary with a group of Somali Bantu refugees in her hometown of Portland, Oregon.

Click HERE to read the introduction and first three chapters of D.L. Mayfield’s “Assimilate or Go Home.”

Also, we are giving away a FREE copy of “Assimilate or Go Home” at our gathering!

Join us at Writer’s Connection on 7 p.m., Thursday, October 27 at Rolling Hills Community Church, Tualatin, Oregon to hear her speak. This is a free gathering, so bring a friend or two!

Click here to let us know if you’re coming! Can’t wait to see you there!

October 10, 2016October 10, 2016

D.L. Mayfield to speak this quarter!

Writer’s Connection is excited to announce our first speaker of the new year — D. L. Mayfield!

D. L. Mayfield has just released a new book, Assimilate or Go Home: Notes from a Failed Missionary on Rediscovering Faith. A regular contributor to Christianity Today and a past columnist for McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Mayfield is a fearless writer who pushes herself and her readers to grapple with what it really means to join God in loving the least of these. We can’t wait to hear the wisdom she has to share with us! Join us on October 27 at 7 p.m. at Rolling Hills Church.

With this new year come a few changes to Writer’s Connection. Please note that we are now meeting quarterly instead of monthly. Dates, locations, and speakers for January and April will be announced at the October meeting.

Another change: Cornelia Seigneur, after heading up Writer’s Connection the past 10 years, needs a break to focus on her continued healing since the accident. She looks forward to continuing in a role as chief cheerleader! Astrid Melton and Sarah Sanderson have stepped up to slide around in the big shoes Cornelia leaves behind. Astrid and Sarah love the Writer’s Connection community and are eager to continue creating this space for faith-filled Portland writers to gather.

February 15, 2016August 8, 2016

A Faith & Culture Sabbatical

When we started the Faith & Culture Writers Conference in 2011 at Western Seminary in Portland, our initial idea was to offer our creative event every other year at alternating higher education institutions. As the years went on, the passion for the Faith & Culture Writers Conference grew beyond the Pacific Northwest, and we began attracting attendees from across the country. Advisory board members and key team leaders suggested we reconsider our timeframe, and return a year later rather than wait two years.

Humbled and honored by the positive enthusiasm and support we began holding our conference yearly, and this last one in 2015, we even added a mini retreat to the program as well as a creative art space. And, another highlight: Rachael Thomas created this beautiful masterpiece during our two-days together. So much beauty which was reflected in our awesome feedback this year. We heard: “Faith & Culture changed my life,” “This is such a life-giving event,” “You’ve helped me launch my writing dreams,” and “I’ve found my people in you.”

Yet, 2015 was a trying year for me and this year continues to be a struggle. As most of you know, I was in a near-fatal accident suffering a brain injury in January 2015; and it was only because of the FCWC leadership team rallying together, that we were was able to pull off the 2015 event in April. It truly was God, who has always been our focus.
After the 2015 conference, as I have continued to try and focus on healing and my family and the rest of my life, I have slowly been meeting with lead team members, advisors and FCWC cheerleaders, both veteran and new, to regroup, reimagine, plan and dream for future FCWC events. I knew I needed to step back this year.

After much consideration and prayer, brainstorming about possibilities, we have decided to rest for the remainder of 2016, and look to 2017 for our next Faith & Culture Writers Conference.

We are calling it a Faith & Culture Sabbatical.

I am so incredibly grateful for the wonderful people who have come along to bring this wonderful conference to the creative community of faith. They are lifelong friends and I will never forget their hours upon hours of service. So many others have made this conference possible. I am also incredibly thankful for the various higher education institutions that have hosted us. It takes a lot to put a conference on!
Thank you for your encouragement, your prayers, your ideas, your support, your help, your believing in the vision. You are all part of our Faith & Culture Community.

In the mean time, other creative conferences have been reaching out to us to cross-promote their events, so we will let you know via our social media accounts and our blog.
And, if you are in the local PORTLAND, OREGON area, be sure to join us for our monthly Writers Connection. Our 2014 and 2015 conference emcee Velynn Brown, who came up with the word Sabbatical for our year of rest, is our new Writers Connection co-leader. We now alternate locations each month, between Rolling Hills Community Church in Tualatin, Oregon, and Genesis Community Fellowship in Northeast Portland. Our next meeting is Wed. March 17 at Genesis, featuring Paul Pastor, and in April, we return to Rolling Hills (Thursday April 21). Thursday, May 19 we have our end of the year celebration, location, TBA!

We will be keeping our blog going, so please consider contributing a piece! Email: faithcultureteam@gmail.com

Keep in touch, with questions, email:
faithcultureteam@gmail.com

Our Social Media handles:

Twitter: @FaithCultureArt
Instagram: @FaithCultureArt
Facebook: www.facebook.com/FaithCultureWriters
And, to end, I share with you our first theme verse from our inaugural event in 2011, one that keynote speaker Paul Louis Metzger gave us:

“But if I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.”
– Jer. 20: 9

Share your story; the story God has given you, His story in you! And tell us and the world when you do! Do keep in touch.

[Note: WORDS art created by Martin French. Dove art created by Rachael Thomas]