Featured Events

You can find all the details on the latest stuff going on at theeffect right here. For a month-at-a-glance look at all gatherings and events, see our Calendar.

Good Friday

friday | april 7 | 7:00 PM | physical gathering and streaming

Good Friday: worship gathering

Good Friday, the Friday before Easter Sunday that commemorates Jesus’ crucifixion and burial has become a tradition of our own at theeffect. We move into a more contemplative posture and give the day its reverence and gravity. With the cross covered in purple as the church has done for millennia, images depicting Holy Week scenes of Jesus’ passion roll in the background as we delve into the deeper meaning of these events and their relevance to us today. We have communion together and spiritually nail our cares and concerns to the cross in preparation for the new life of the resurrection.

Come join us In person or online Friday evening, April 7th starting at 7PM for a time of connection and introspection at the end of the Lenten season that will take you on a journey toward Easter.

If you’re joining us virtually from your computer, iPad, or smart phone go to our Video and Streaming page here and simply click the play button in the streaming window. To fully participate, set a small table with bread and grape juice or wine for communion and pens and paper for each family member to write their cares, concerns, or prayers to symbolically nail to the cross as we will be doing in our sanctuary.

Easter Sunday

sunday | april 9 | 10:00 AM | physical gathering and streaming

Easter Sunday: worship gathering

Easter Sunday, the morning of the day that changed everything two millennia ago is just as present today if we allow. In fact, that’s the meaning of Easter, of resurrection, that life continues, that Jesus is just as present to us now as he was to his first followers if we are present and paying attention. Our Easter gathering reflects these convictions with a recounting of the events of that amazing day with a focus on how we enter the story ourselves. 

Come join us in person or online Sunday morning, April 9th starting at 10AM for a time of remembering the origin of Easter and the message of new life that is central to our lives as followers of Jesus. With a music-filled message that takes us back to the emotions and thoughts of Jesus’ first followers as they begin to realize that he still lives, we’ll have communion together and will decorate the cross with fresh cut flowers as the symbol of new life Easter represents.

If you’re joining us virtually from your computer, iPad, or smart phone go to our Video and Streaming page here and simply click the play button in the streaming window. To fully participate, set a small table with bread and grape juice or wine for communion and fresh cut flowers for each family member to place in a vase or some special place in your home to symbolize new life as we cover the big cross with flowers in our sanctuary.

book study: Practice of the Presence of God: Online

wednesdays | 6:30PM | online study

book study: The Practice of the Presence of God

Our weekly book study is beginning a new study starting Wednesday, March 1st @ 6:30P PST on the book, The Practice of the Presence of God, Br. Lawrence.

Our Book Study remains online via Zoom connection. Click here for links and more information.

The Practice of the Presence of God is a spiritual classic that is really a collection of conversations and letters from Br. Lawrence of the Resurrection, a 17th century, French Carmelite monk. Starting life as a poor, uneducated, peasant and soldier, Br. Lawrence, from the kitchen of his monastery as lowly cook, created a personal discipline and way of practicing a constant awareness of God’s presence that transported him into a radically different way of perceiving life. He inspired those around him, and through his few surviving letters, notes of conversations he had with a friend, and a few other bits, he has continued to inspire us for over three hundred years.

All our book studies deal with better understanding our spiritual formation and especially, contemplative practice, and after working through Falling Upward, a look at second half of life spirituality, the direct simplicity of Br. Lawrence’s practice of presence seemed a perfect way to make second half spirituality an intimate reality.

Come join us Wednesday nights at 6:30P PST to dive into a different world of experience and a different level of presence.

Since this is an online study, you’ll need to get your own copy of the book. The Amazon link is here. It’s important to get this specific edition or we won’t be able to follow each other in the study. There are many translations, versions, editions available that vary greatly. Amazon shipping should be quick, but order as soon as you can.

Hope to see you on the little screen for this!

Conversations: Online

Conversations

tuesdays | 6:30 PM | online

Conversations: applying faith to life

Sunday morning messages go by quickly.

And the format doesn’t give time for the processing and discussion that gets us down to real understanding–and maybe more importantly, how concepts and issues actually apply to daily life and make it better. Tuesday evenings, we’ll dig back into material from the previous Sunday to discuss, dive into completely new topics, hear personal stories, see how our faith applies to real life…and makes it better.

During the current virus outbreak, Conversations will be online via Zoom connection. Click here for links and more information.

Join us Tuesdays: 6:30PM PST.

Prayer: Online Gathering

Conversations

first mondays of month | 6:30 PM | online gathering

Prayer: stronger together

Since the pandemic started, we’ve been isolated to one degree or another, and the issues we face individually and collectively, in our families, community, nation, globe seem to have increased exponentially.

Praying together and having time to talk about the issues we face and for what we’re grateful, to listen and support and realize God’s empowerment in our lives is what this gathering is all about. Come join us online to pray and support each other when we need it most.

You can pray with us through Zoom connection online. Click here for links and more information.

Join us on the first Monday of each month: 6:30PM PST.

Latest News

Upcoming events, announcements, ministry updates, blogs.

Message Archive

Watch us live online, watch and listen to archived messages and gatherings.

Personal Stories

Stories from people who’ve experienced the effect of theeffect in their lives.

Everyone is recovering from something… Admitting this is the first step in spiritual life, because any unfinished business in our lives–trauma, unforgiveness, fear-based perceptions–fosters compulsive behavior and keeps us from connecting spiritually and emotionally.

Since we’re all recovering, we accept everyone right as they are—no expiration dates or deadlines. We don’t tell anyone what to believe or do. We present points of view that we hope will engage seekers in their own journey; help them unlearn limiting perceptions, beliefs, and compulsions; give opportunities to get involved in community, building the trust we all need to find real identity, meaning, and purpose. In other words, to engage the transforming Way of living life that Jesus called Kingdom…non-religiously understood from a first century Hebrew point of view.

 

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Embedded in the fun and laughter of each of our gatherings and events is the connection and accountability as well as the structure, discipline, and opportunity for service that authentic community is all about. We help create programs for physical support, emotional recovery, and spiritual formation that can meet any person’s needs. Such programs work at two levels: first to address a person’s physical and emotional stability—clinical, financial, relational,professional—anything that distracts from working on the second level: true spiritual formation centered around the contemplative way of life defined by an original Hebrew understanding of the message of Jesus.

Rather than telling people what to believe or think, we model and encourage engagement in a personal and communal spiritual journey that allows people to experience their own worthiness of connection and acceptance, to find the freedom from underlying fears that brings real meaning and purpose into focus.

 

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Seeing ourselves as a learning and recovery community that worships together, the focus isn’t on Sunday morning alone, but on every day of the week as we gather for worship, healing and support workshops, studies, 12 step meetings, counseling and mentoring sessions, referral services, and social events. We maintain a food pantry for those needing more support, a recovery worship gathering, and child care for those with little ones.

Our Sunday gathering starts at 10AM and our Recovery gathering on Tuesdays at 7PM. Both gatherings include worship with one of the best worship bands in the area. See our monthly calendar and our Facebook page to stay in touch with what is happening each week. You can also sign up on our elist for email enews updates.

 

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