Community Announcements

Holiday flower arranging at the Garden Club
Seed Quality in the Garden
Cultural Coalition Seeks Participants
Almost Time for Traction Tires
BSD Budget Committee Opening
Surviving The Holidays
CMBC offers Tuesday evening meals
Indoor Goals collects canned food
January Series returns to Oak Hills church

Holiday flower arranging at the Garden Club

Just in time for the holiday season, the Cedar Mill Garden Club will hold its annual hands-on flower arranging meeting November 16th at 11:30 am. Attendees will first watch a demonstration by Marion Buckman, flower arranger and flower show judge, who will demonstrate the incorporation of fruit and natural materials into an arrangement. The group will then will create their own Holiday arrangement.

The meeting will be held at the Beaverton Community Center, 12350 S.W. 5th across from the Beaverton City Library on Hall Blvd. All are welcome. Contact Barbara Cushman at 503-649-7741 or thecedarmillgardenclub.com for more information on this event or about the Club.

Seed Quality in the Garden

Want to learn more about creating the perfect garden? Chip Bubl, OSU Staff Chair and Extension Agent, will cover genetic, physical and environmental factors affecting seed quality and best practices to assure good seed quality for your home garden use.

The presentation begins at 7:15pm at the First Baptist Church at 5755 SW Erickson Ave. in Beaverton, following the Washington County Master Gardener Association Meeting that begins at 6:45 pm. The public is welcome. No charge and no registration. Visit washingtoncountymastergardeners.org for more information.

Cultural Coalition Seeks Participants

The Washington County Board of Commissioners is seeking applicants to fill up to six vacancies on the Cultural Coalition of Washington County (CCWC).

The CCWC distributes state funds from the Oregon Cultural Trust to local organizations through the Community Cultural Participation Grant Program to address goals of the Washington County Cultural Plan. Members may be Washington County residents or members of a business or organization significantly involved in the arts, heritage or humanities activities of Washington County. Terms are for three years. The CCWC is interested in increasing the geographic, artistic and demographic diversity of the Coalition. Details and an application are available at this link. Applications will be accepted by the County through November 22.

Almost Time for Traction Tires

Visit the Oregon Department of Transportation website for information about which types of chains/traction tires are legal in Oregon, and when to put them on your vehicle.

BSD Budget Committee Opening

There are three vacancies on the Beaverton School District's Budget committee, including one in Zone 2, which includes Bethany, Findley, Jacob Wismer, Oak Hills, and Rock Creek elementaries; Springville K-8; Stoller Middle, and Westview High School.

The Budget Committee is responsible for reviewing and recommending changes to the Beaverton School District's budget. After approving the budget, the Budget Committee passes it on to the School Board for final approval in June. Public meetings are held monthly for January to June.

Those interested in applying must live in the zone they would like to represent, be a qualified voter of the District, have lived in the District for one year and cannot be a District employee. To be included in the candidacy, submit a letter of interest, a resume or both by November 30 to Beaverton School District, Communications & Community Involvement Department 16550 S.W. Merlo Road Beaverton, OR 97006, or by email to community_involvement@beaverton.k12.or.us.

The School Board will choose the members of the committee to serve three-year terms.

Surviving The Holidays

Sunset Presbyterian Church is again offering programs for men and women who are experiencing, or have recently experienced the trauma of divorce. This is a very difficult time in life and there is no need to travel this journey alone. Meet with leaders and other class members who have also experienced what you have been going through. Share if you like or just watch the videos and hear what others are experiencing.

Surviving The Holidays is a one evening program that includes a 30-minute video with practical tips for dealing with divorce and family dynamics during this time which is supposed to be joyful, but is often filled with stress and changes to family traditions.

Surviving the Holidays will be held at Sunset Presbyterian Church, 14986 NW Cornell Rd, on Tuesday, November 8, from 6:30-8:30 pm, in the Fireside Room. Follow the signs to the West Entry. Registration is $15/person.

CMBC offers Tuesday evening meals

Members of the Cedar Mill Bible Church wanted to do something to help people in the Cedar Mill community who find themselves struggling to meet their basic physical needs from week to week. They formed a non-profit called The Jesus Table to provide a hot, nourishing and free meal to anyone who is hungry and would like a meal with an opportunity to connect with others, and have a sense of community.

A leadership team runs the overall planning and operations, but operations are staffed each week completely by volunteers. Anyone high school age and above with a heart for serving is welcome and encouraged to come and help.

A one-time grant from the City of Beaverton's Social Services grant program provided the initial seed-money. Daren Connor, a member of the leadership group, says, "On a regular basis we acquire food at reduced cost from local non-profit agencies. We're also collaborating with nearby grocery stores for food donations. To cover on-going expenses, we ask for a suggested donation of $5 per volunteer."

Washington County required some upgrades to the CMBC kitchen facilities before they were permitted to serve food to the public, so the church stepped up with the funding, and the remodeling is nearly done. They're planning to be ready in time for the first scheduled meal in mid December, 6-7 pm at the church, 12208 NW Cornell Rd

Following the meal, from 7-9 pm, Cedar Mill Bible Church hosts "Celebrate Recovery," which is a Christ-centered healing and spiritual growth model for people suffering from hurts, habits and hang-ups. Like The Jesus Table, Celebrate Recovery is open to anyone in the community who's interested.

For any questions, including how to volunteer or donate to The Jesus Table, please send an email to thejesustable@gmail.com. Additional information about The Jesus Table can be found on the Cedar Mill Bible Church web site, www.cmbc.org.

Indoor Goals collects canned food

During the month of November, Indoor Goals Arena, at 16340 NW Bethany Court, will be a nonperishable food drop-off site for the Oregon Food Bank. Indoor Goals, which runs indoor soccer, indoor lacrosse and roller hockey leagues, as well as soccer classes and birthday parties, has collected for the Food Bank during November for the past five years. "We've had tremendous response from the people who participate in classes and leagues here at Indoor Goals" says Todd Griswold, who with his wife Meg, opened the arena in 1997.

The need for donations is great. The Oregon Food Bank distributed more than 1 million emergency food boxes last year in Oregon and southwest Washington. This is a 12% increase from the previous year.

The food drive culminates with a coed indoor soccer tournament on Thanksgiving Day. The tournament is great fun for those who participate. It starts at 8 am and is over by 1 pm, so all of the players can make it to their holiday dinner, and not feel guilty for indulging in an extra slice of pie! For more information about the food drop off, or about leagues, classes and tournaments at Indoor Goals, visit www.indoorgoals.com.

January Series returns to Oak Hills church

Calvin College, a midsized liberal arts college in Grand Rapids, Michigan, holds a lecture series each January featuring thought-provoking speakers from a wide range of disciplines and accomplishments. Once again, the series will be brought live to remote locations around the country through the internet, including the Oak Hills Community Church.

This year's lineup of speakers includes journalist David Gergen discussing the 2012 elections; farmer Joel Salatin, whose sustainable practices were made famous in Michael Pollan's book The Omnivore's Dilemma; and Broadway singing star Deborah Lew who will return to her alma mater to share stories and songs from her career.

The 15 programs will air at 9:30 am, starting on January 4 and continuing weekdays through January 24. Admission is free and refreshments are served. Remote audience attendees can send questions directly to the speaker via an on-site Internet station. The church nursery is available by request. For more information on the series, visit calvin.edu/january.