Summer Picnics 2026

FOCUS Summer Picnics are hosted by area churches at location around the Portland area. They are a relaxing time of dinner, games, sports, sometimes music, and of course new friends. This summer we have picnics every other week. 

Friday Picnics

For rides to the picnics: 

• Meet at 5:30 PM at PSU at the south end of the park blocks at SW College St and SW Park Ave.  

  • see FOCUS Meeting Place at PSU for Transportation for details about pickup location.

• From 5:30 PM to 5:45 PM, attendees will be placed in vehicles.

• We will return to the PSU campus approximately 9:00-9:30 PM depending upon distance from PSU.

Saturday Picnics (generally true but see 7/11 and 7/18 for different start times)

For rides to the picnics: 

• Meet at 9:30 AM at PSU at the south end of the park blocks at SW College St and SW Park Ave.  

  • see FOCUS Meeting Place at PSU for Transportation for details about pickup location.

• From 9:30 AM to 9:45 AM, attendees will be placed in vehicles.

• We will return to the PSU campus approximately 3:30 PM 

• meal will be for lunch at noon, see specific details for each as there may be special events

• 7/11 and 7/18 Special Time (see date for details)

Schedule

Friday June 19 - Location:  Sellwood Park, Picnic Site "I" (picnic site nearest to this park's north-end parking lot), Drive time is estimated to be 15-25 minutes from PSU.

     Host:   FOCUS Potluck 

      Address:  SE 7th Ave & SE Malden St. Portland
      Parking lot location   Picnic Location

Friday June 26 - Location: Woodstock Community Church grounds, Drive time is estimated to be 25-30 minutes from PSU.

     Host:  Woodstock Community Church

     Address:  6911 SE Flavel St. Portland, OR

A meal will be served by our hosts around 615pm.

     Saturday July 4 - Mollala Rodeo

Mollala parade, potluck picnic and rodeo. See for more info and to register at the July 4th Rodeo site

Saturday July 11 - Location:  Sellwood Park, Picnic Site "I" (picnic site nearest to this park's north-end parking lot), Drive time is estimated to be 15-25 minutes from PSU.

PLEASE NOTE: Unlike some of our other Saturday picnics, we will meet at PSU at 11:30. Drivers will leave from PSU between 1130am and 1145am. 

Host: Bread of Life Christian Church

Address: SE 7th Ave & SE Malden St. Portland

A meal will be served by our hosts around Noon.

   Parking lot location   Picnic Location

Saturday July 18 - Location: Church facility and nearby park-like grounds, Drive time is estimated to be approximately 25-30 minutes from PSU. 

Host: Chinese Evangelical Church of Vancouver

Address: 900 SE Ellsworth Rd, Vancouver, WA. Drive time is approximately 25-30 minutes from PSU.

The time frame is similar to the Friday night picnics:

• • Meet at 5:30 PM at PSU at the south end of the park blocks at SW College St and SW Park Ave.  

  • see FOCUS Meeting Place at PSU for Transportation for details about pickup location.

  • From 5:30 PM to 5:45 PM, attendees will be placed in vehicles.

  • We will return to the PSU campus approximately 9:00-9:30 PM depending upon distance from PSU.

Friday July 24 - Location: Village Church grounds, Drive time is estimated to be 20-40 minutes from PSU.

     Host:  Village Church

     Address:  330 SW Murray Blvd., Beaverton, OR 97005

A meal will be served by our hosts around 530pm.

Saturday August 1 - Location:  Sandy Fish Hatchery, Sandy, OR, Drive time is estimated to be 50-60 minutes from PSU. Drivers will leave from PSU between 930am and 945am.

Host:  Charles & Hannah Baker

Address: 39800 SE Fish Hatchery Rd, Sandy, OR 97055 

Students will be driven to the activity location starting at 930am and returned to the same location around 3pm that afternoon. A meal will be served by our hosts around Noon. This is an all-day activity so bring comfortable walking shoes to go on a brief hike beforehand, a refillable water bottle, and $10 cash to help defray your FOCUS volunteer driver’s travel expenses. 

Saturday August 8 - Location: Hobby farm of Kevin Nichols, Drive time is estimated to be 55-65 minutes from PSU. Drivers will leave from PSU between 930am and 945am.

Host: The Well Church / Nichols family

Address: 36440 SE Gordon Creek Road, Corbett, OR. 

Students will be driven to the activity location starting at 930am and returned to the same location around 330pm that afternoon. A meal will be served by our hosts around Noon. This is an all-day activity so bring comfortable walking shoes to go on a brief hike beforehand, a refillable water bottle, and $10 cash to help defray your FOCUS volunteer driver’s fuel expense.

Friday August 14 - Location: Captain William Clark Park at Cottonwood Beach, Drive time is estimated to be 35-45 minutes from PSU. 

Host: Bethel Church Young Adults Group, Washougal, WA

Address: 3333 Index St, Washougal, WA

A meal will be served by our hosts around 615pm.

See additional information below the schedule. Each picnic a different church group hosts FOCUS students, scholars & families, providing food and an exciting location for lots of outdoor fun! We'll travel to that location for a picnic meal and other activities. Sometimes this will be a park or church facility where there are recreation opportunities.

Like FOCUS Friday Nights!, the FOCUS Summer Picnics are for Portland-area international students, scholars, and a special invitation to family members. There is no charge for the picnic. 

Occasionally we will not have a group to host the event. On those weeks we will have a "potluck." For those times, we ask that all people bring some prepared food (a "dish" that doesn't require microwaving or additional cooking time) to share with others. The times that will be "potluck" will be listed above and will also be in the weekly FOCUS email.

Depending on traffic and the driving distance to the host church's designated site, we will eat sometime between 6:15pm and 6:30pm for Friday night picnics and about noon for most Saturday picnics. The 6/18 picnic will eat around 5:30pm.