The writer of Hebrews begins one of the most famous chapters in all of Scripture with these words, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) Faith is only necessary for things that we hope for that we cannot see. As Paul says, “Hope that is seen is not hope, for…

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18-19 Church of the Open Door…

A couple weeks ago, Darla Elder, our Discipleship Facilitator, extended a discipleship invitation to us as a church community. She shared, "I'm a 1st grade teacher, and in education we want our students to be lifelong learners. In the same way, as believers, discipleship invites us to be lifelong learners about Jesus! When we’re with other people who love the…

You’re likely wondering why the Finance Elder is communicating to you, and thinking it is either something really good, or something really challenging. To that I would say, “Yes, you’re correct on both accounts.” I am writing to you in a time of blessing, but also a time of need. I’m going to flip the script here and start with…

If my memory serves, Church of the Open Door started Trunk or Treat in 2010. Our friends had a little orange car that we turned into a trunk full of spaghetti and meatballs. We dressed as chefs and passed out candy as “CODinis” (say it with an Italian accent). I didn’t really think much of that first night, but many people…

As the summer comes to a close, our staff and elders are in awe of the mighty work of God among us! God answered so many prayers these past months! We rejoiced as children came to Christ through Vacation Bible School, Camp IDRAFOJE, and our recent Open Door Basketball Camp. Our youth dove deep into discipleship and community as they…

Ed & Judy Underwood are two of our stellar missionaries. They love the bride of Christ and have a ministry focused on helping churches and leaders get healthy and thrive. Below are some thoughts Ed recently shared as he reflected on the life of Vin Scully. I think these four lessons are worth pondering, for leaders and lay people alike, and…

Eleven young people and three leaders recently took our Vacation Bible School (VBS) program (remember Boot Camp?!) to La Pine, Oregon, to share with La Pine Community Church. This La Pine Team trip marked the 16th year of this partnership! I’m excited to let you know that the week was full of answered prayer! Our prayers before going were for…