Vision & Mission
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Portland City Blessing Church aims to transform communities by equipping the volunteers for ministry work. There are four pillars that support the vision and mission of the church: care cells, compassion ministries, workplace ministries, leadership development. Care cells are small groups where members can nurture each other and grow in a holistic manner. In compassion ministries, the church is connected to World Blessing Foundation (established in 1998) to bring relief aids across the world. Workplace ministries equip the volunteers to become a positive impact in their workplace, and leadership development aims to build and equip leaders through several partnerships such as Wagner Leadership Institute.
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Overview of Ministries at Local Church
Reasons to Volunteer and Responsibilities
I choose to be involved in Portland City Blessing Church because it is a small and dynamic community. The members know each other very well, and that condition allows me to connect better with other people in return. I am challenged in several ways as I immerse myself in the music ministry as a keyboardist. I learn how to communicate with my peers about musical ideas, and learn how to utilize non-verbal communication while playing music by listening to each other. In addition, I am learning how to be more adaptable and go out from my comfort zone. For example, the worship leader may change the intensity of a song spontaneously during the worship service or requesting unexpected key changes. The music ministry also expands my capabilities as a leader as the keyboardist is responsible to lead other singers and musicians in the flow of the worship service.
Apart from my responsibilities as a keyboardist, I am also responsible for dining hall and kitchen cleaning, assisting fundraising events, and handling other tasks (e.g. decorating, photography).
Apart from my responsibilities as a keyboardist, I am also responsible for dining hall and kitchen cleaning, assisting fundraising events, and handling other tasks (e.g. decorating, photography).
Outreach
Portland City Blessing Church is involved in community outreach through several means. IPFest (International Praise Festival) for example, is held during each Summer at the Pioneer Square and it involves several churches such as Portland City Blessing Church, Casa Del Padres International, and New Day Family Church. The event features family-friend entertainment, free school supplies, and free food for low-income families and the homeless among others. Other than that, IPFest also highlights multicultural experience as the participants represent different cultural roots and countries such as Indonesia, Nigeria, Congo, and Guatemala.
The church is also involved in mission outreach to Passo Village in North Sulawesi, Indonesia on regular basis. The mission is led by Ps. Paul Pitoy, and a few church members are involved in the project through evangelizing. Initially, the village was deemed as dangerous due to high criminal rates especially in gang related crimes. However, the situation changed as the gang leader in the village converted to Christianity and became a pastor. As result, gang violence declined dramatically and the village won two times consecutively as the safest village in the Kakas subdistrict. Currently, the mission outreach is expanding to other areas such as agriculture to boost the village's economy and the villagers' well-being.
The church is also involved in mission outreach to Passo Village in North Sulawesi, Indonesia on regular basis. The mission is led by Ps. Paul Pitoy, and a few church members are involved in the project through evangelizing. Initially, the village was deemed as dangerous due to high criminal rates especially in gang related crimes. However, the situation changed as the gang leader in the village converted to Christianity and became a pastor. As result, gang violence declined dramatically and the village won two times consecutively as the safest village in the Kakas subdistrict. Currently, the mission outreach is expanding to other areas such as agriculture to boost the village's economy and the villagers' well-being.
Reflection
I am very honored to be involved in Portland City Blessing Church and the experience enriches my perspective. First of all, the experience teaches me to become more humble. Everything that I do while volunteering is not for my own sake, but for the sake of the others by serving them. Even while I am on stage as a keyboardist, my capabilities are to be used for other people so that they can fully immerse themselves in the Sunday services. It is a privilege to work alongside inspiring and vibrant people around me, and I appreciate the fact that they care about each other's well-being.
Going out of the box in terms of flexibility is not always easy for me because I tend to demand clarity and certainty about the tasks of volunteering while in reality, things tend to unfold beyond my own control. That being said, great results can happen from going out from the usual routine and they can be much better than what we initially expected. I stated before that the worship leader may decide to change the flow of music spontaneously for example, and it can pack more emotional impact to the church members as a result.
Going out of the box in terms of flexibility is not always easy for me because I tend to demand clarity and certainty about the tasks of volunteering while in reality, things tend to unfold beyond my own control. That being said, great results can happen from going out from the usual routine and they can be much better than what we initially expected. I stated before that the worship leader may decide to change the flow of music spontaneously for example, and it can pack more emotional impact to the church members as a result.