This is our last post of 2018! So many things are going well as we celebrate 18 months of the Southeast Portland Parish and 5 and a half years of SFC.
Jayde has been an incredible addition to the Parish. She brings such warmth, deep intelligence, a willingness to learn, a strong work ethic, and lots of laughter to the community. Her nurturing in pastoral care visits, her visioning in helping the Care and Mercy team expand their work, her prophetic word in sermon and prayer, and her mentoring of emerging leaders will all continue to be areas of focus for her in the coming year.
Laura’s creativity in liturgy and ritual at SFC has enriched our time together. Her leadership with Taize worship has created a much needed spiritual oasis for folks from both Trinity and SFC. She will continue to bring her wisdom, detail oriented ideas, and incredible grace to worship, gatherings, and the spiritual formation work we are undertaking in the new year through the catechumenate process launching in the fall of 2019.
Jeff and I keep on keeping on. His commitment to Night Strike this year has reached a number of new participants, folks who have found that the work of being present to our homeless neighbors can yield new insights and make a small difference in an overwhelming situation in our town. He will continue to focus on youth, service, and SFC music in the coming year. I hear rumblings from him that our long-awaited songbook might be coming to reality soon!
I’ve spent a lot of my time this year on administrative details at Trinity, helping that church present a balanced budget for the first time, and updating their building use policies and agreements. I’ve also shared in these blog about my cleaning and renewal of space at both Trinity and the SFC house. I’m plotting more updates and cleanouts to help our spaces reflect the people of our communities and the radical hospitality we long to embody.
In 2019 we will continue to engage with our neighborhoods around how to best serve children. We’re hosting several community conversations about affordable child care in January and February. We are expanding our work with Grout and Woodstock Elementary Schools and continuing to look at our spaces and programs through the eyes of children and families. The Discovery Team continues to guide this work and shape our understanding as we listen to our community.
We’re also thinking about how we grow. We’ll begin by adding a second weekly SFC gathering in Lent. Be on the lookout for these Monday night snack sessions starting March 11th. In May we’ll be celebrating 5 years of SFC. We’re hosting an anniversary party, so save the date of May 18th now!
The Parish is vibrant and on an amazing path of sustainable witness and continued expansion. If you’d like to support our work in the year ahead, please consider donating today. I feel so lucky to be on this team, doing this work as we celebrate the inbreaking of Christ in the world at Christmas.
-Eilidh
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