Today was my first full day in Portland, OR and i woke up to a snow storm that grounded the Vanagon.  Wade Ollinger, a networking giant in the Northwest, helped organize several meetings with key leaders in the Portland area…he drove down this morning from Seattle to help facilitate a gathering of pastors at Solid Rock Church near downtown Portland.  Wade will be a staple for the remainder of the Catalyst Road Trip visit to the Northwest, he has been a HUGE help in making this trip happen.

His decision to drive down from Seattle proved to be a necessary component to the success of the day - he was able to come pick me up :)

John Mark Comer, associate pastor of Solid Rock Church in Portland, OR, served as our host this afternoon.  John Mark is the consistent voice for The Way, a Friday night gathering of young adults (18-28) that most people around Portland look to as having a pulse on next generation leaders in the area. 

Because of the early morning snow and terrible road conditions I think there were quite a few of people that avoided the drive - but huge thanks to Sarah Nashif, Aaron Von Reuter, & Chuck Bomar for braving the elements and joining us for a round table discussion about ministry to young leaders in the Portland area.

• Sarah Nashif (27) - Lay Pastor at City BIble Church and key leader for their ministry at “The Pearl” - an area of downtown frequented by the younger generation. 

• Aaron Von Reuter (28) - software developer and volunteer leader at City Bible Church in their ministry to business leaders, Business With A Purpose

• Chuck Bomar (33) - Pastor of Colossae Church, a young church plant in Tigard, OR.  Chuck started the college ministry at Cornerstone Church Simi Valley, CA & served there for almost 9 yrs.  In April of 2008 Chuck began weekly meetings in Tigard, the start of Colossae Church.
  

Kyle Zimmerman, worship pastor at Mariners Church in Irvine, CA, flew up to meet me today.  He is going to join the Catalyst Road Trip for the next couple of days - he just wants to drive the Vanagon!  :) 

Tomorrow we are meeting with Rick McKinley from Imago Dei Community - a great week in Portland continues…more soon!

LV