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Friday to Friday

A week ago we had just gotten word that we would need to cancel all in-person gatherings for the Parish.  In that week a lot has happened. I rewrote Sunday morning worship for an online format and frantically tried to email and call everyone so folks would know of the...

The I in Team

My proudest moments in ministry are the Community Meal that several lay people started when I was serving Valley UM in Veneta, Oregon;  working with a team of folks from the church and conference to sell the Capitol Hill UMC land to Habitat for Humanity; and beginning...

Noticing

This morning I am feeling a little overwhelmed.  There is a lot going on in the world, our community, the church, and my family. It is tempting for me to get in my head when things are like this. I become so distracted by my thought and worries. I spend so much time...

Love Yourself Lent

I am a fat person. I am 5’9” and weigh 240 pounds. Find my BMI and it will tell you that I am obese. This means that I am supposed to hate myself and spend tons of time and attention on altering my body. But the thing is I love my body. I love my double chin and my...

Oregon, My Oregon

I grew up in Oregon and love this place. The shades of green in the Willamette Valley, the way the trees change as you drive over the Cascades, and the distinct pleasures of going to the beach in a parka are all a part of what home means to me. In school I learned...

Our Why

As our storytelling group began their work this past month they wrestled with why the parish exists.  They came up with this powerful statement: When we started the Sellwood Faith Community in summer 2013 we dreamed of a place where people could be themselves and...