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

According to a blog I read not so long ago 12 is the number a new church start needs to have as the core group to really begin succeeding.  I'm not sure what the statistics and research are behind this number, or if it's just conveniently biblical, but it's been...

This Easter a group of us from the Sellwood Faith Community met down at the river in the darkness.  There we sang songs, prayed, and read scripture. As the sun rose we thought about the ways people in our community could feel God's presence through the risen...

In the mainline church we have a church calendar that we follow, with special seasons full or colors and symbols with meanings meant to encourage our spiritual growth.  Some of these seasons are based around specific, important parts of the Christian narrative...

At dinner last night we talked about all the things participants in the Sellwood Faith Community do outside of the monthly SFC organized community service projects.  We have people who are passionate about car seat safety and so they volunteer at car seat checks....

A few years ago I was able to go on a retreat led by one of my favorite theologians, Rob Bell.  If you aren't familiar with him go watch this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loFBGdeXGtg (my favorites are Dust and Lump if you want to pay to watch more)....

About a year ago our community decided we needed a sign out front.  We wanted to declare our presence to the neighborhood.  We purchased a yard sign that says Sellwood Faith Community and we started our weekly practice of writing positive, loving messages on...

Our dinners have been known to have almost the same number of children as adults.  One of the lovely things about our model is it provides a great space for everyone, regardless of age to be an active participant in worship.   The kids eat with us and share...

Lent is the church season before Easter.  It's 40 days, plus Sundays, are a time when for centuries Christians have engaged in a discipline or practice that helps them recenter on God.  This is based on the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness after his...

This is our daughter when she was two.  This blog is not nearly as cute.2 years ago we started documenting our journey with this blog.  In that time we've had 83 posts and just under 12,600 page views.  That means on average 150 people read each blog....

At a meeting this fall I was asked how what I was doing was any different than a community organizer.  The man, a retired clergy person, wanted to know how my job was one of a pastor.  It's a good question, one that has had me thinking on and off about it...