This past week as we set up for our monthly Taize worship experience I was once again visited by the realization of what a great house we get to live in while we do the work of building this new faith community. The dwelling which serves as our home and the base of the faith community was built in 1930 and spent 80 years as the parsonage for the Sellwood United Methodist Church. This house was home to many pastors and some of my pastor kid friends. It was rented out for a while, with the income helping maintain the Sellwood Church. Now it’s our home and the place where we host parties, join in worship, spend time in small groups, and where Jeff and I both work.
This house is ours for now because of the work and generosity of countless others who invested in ministry in this place. I wonder if those first folks who built this house saw the potential uses we would have for it. The giant living room/ dinning room is so easy to use for everything from parties to worship. We just need a few strong arms and we can quickly change the space from hosting brunch for 14 to a worship space and then to our family space with lots of good room for tv viewing and playing the wii. The office on the first floor is my work space, but also convent storage for all of our clutter when we’re getting ready to host something. The kitchen is spacious with room for a cookie decorating table for the Christmas Party and flows into a nook that is where our daughter has her desk and where we keep a variety of toys for when young friends and visitors come over. While the bathroom on this floor may be small, it serves our needs well.
The layout with the three bedrooms and bathroom upstairs provides us with private family space and room to host guests, which was such a blessing this summer and fall especially during dad’s chemo rounds. The giant basement is home to Jeff’s music studio and all of my various worship kit from bags of dominos to boxes of fabric and a forest of candles.
This place where we live informs our ministry and is a wonderful resource for the new church start. I am thankful for the gift of this house and the way that worshiping, partying, praying, and working here has influenced the vision of the new community.
This past week as the Taize worship was wrapping up our cat Max decided to curl up under the altar. As we prayed and sang there was something about having him with us, at peace in his home, joining us in our holy work that spoke to me about the heart of what we are doing. It captures the feeling of this ministry of presence here in the house and neighborhood that is our home. A place where we are so lucky to be able to love and work. Thanks be!
-Eilidh
 |
| No home altar is complete without a cute kitty. |
Recent Comments