A creative collaboration between Trinity United Methodist Church and Sellwood Faith Community

This has been a hard season in my life for a number of reasons.  I am weary and worn. Today, out of the blue a parishioner dropped by with a gift, a book by Madeline L’Engle.  Her lovely card suggested I read the italicized paragraph on the first page of the forward. ...

Last month I bought a pair of blue light filtering reading glasses.  I get migraines and while I tend to don my sunglasses when that happens during a meeting, which helps a ton, I thought it might be a good idea to engage with some preventative measures.  Plus I was...

We as a faith community are doing alright.   While our building has been closed our community has moved in to the virtual space. After two weeks of streaming with our music director, associate pastor, and my daughter at the Trinity building for morning worship, we...

This week as much spectacle was made of my faith I am reminded that my faith is not a faith of peace.  It is not a faith of niceness or goodness. It is not a faith of law and order. Jesus came to fulfill the law and move us beyond rules and regulations to...

I have always known I am in a dangerous business. This Jesus dude is a radical who makes the comfortable uncomfortable, champions the poor, calls us to justice, and constantly challenges us with notions like love and peace. My work, my very life, is based on some one...

On Thursday May 7th Oregon Governor Kate Brown held a press conference to update Oregonians about the plans to reopen.  Parish leadership began to have conversations about what reopening might look like and how we could be the most safe when our county eventually...

A long time ago we identified that our dinner gatherings were often very verbal.  We discussed scripture, told stories of our own faith experiences, wrestled with theological positions, and chatted about our lives. Not everyone expresses their faith or experiences...

This week I find myself surrounded by flowers.  Some I bought for myself, some from friends, and some from parishioners.  I love flowers, and at one point in my life I bought myself flowers every week for the dining room table. Cats who ate flowers and knocked over...

Sellwood Faith Community has always been about experimenting and adapting as we try to follow God’s call in our neighborhood. We’ve always had gatherings for meals as the heart of our community, but over the 7 years we have been doing this work in this place we’ve...