From the Rector

Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart, and especially the hearts of the people of this land, that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Dear Friends,

This Sunday, we will hear the parable of the persistent widow (and the unjust judge) from the Gospel of Luke. Jesus says the example is given to encourage us not to let up with our prayers and not to let faith falter. In these perilous times, the story encourages to persist in witnessing and working for a world of justice, love, and true freedom.

On Saturday, protests are planned for cities and communities across the country. The stated goal of the organizers is to mobilize millions of Americans to declare “America has no Kings,” and that “power belongs to the people.”

As Christians, we can heartily concur with such a message and take it, for ourselves, a step further: to say that we have no king but Jesus, whose power is love, whose reign is justice, and whose way brings true freedom to all who are oppressed. In this conviction, we can stand together as siblings with all who are in danger or vulnerable, and with all who seek to serve the common good: shoulder-to-shoulder with others who will rise up to bear witness.

I will be in Salem with delegates and other clergy for Diocesan Convention this weekend. With the Bishop’s encouragement, many of us will join the Salem protest during our lunch hour outside the convention center.

In Portland, Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon invites people and communities of faith to meet together and bear witness as they walk to the rally at Waterfront Park.

If you will be on the streets this weekend, please go together with others, and be filled with the Spirit to speak boldly of God’s dream for this world and the whole human family.

With you,

Scott+

The Rev. R. Scott Painter, Rector

Email: mailto:ScottP@stmaa.org

From the Rector

Dear Friends,

Since we began our work last September, the Vision and Strategy Committee has endeavored to walk with all the people of St. Michael & All Angels to rediscover our identity in these post Covid times and create a vision for the next few years of our life together.

We’ve listened with open hearts and minds to the stories shared at our first two parish gatherings. Your feedback has been the cornerstone of our work. We have all worked together to name challenges that might hinder our forward movement and ideas for how St. Michael’s can continue to grow and evolve.

We have identified common issues and possible ways to strengthen or sustain ministries of the parish. We’ve considered what changes might help us reach our potential and how change might best be implemented as we look to the future.

Through the lens of the Holy Currencies, we have tried to understand and frame these areas with the currencies of Gracious Leadership, Relationship, Truth, Wellness, Time&Place, and Money. The dedication and thoughtfulness of all the participants on the VSC has been generous and full of love. Together, we have begun to generate ideas about the core areas needing our attention and how we might take concrete steps together into God’s future.

This Sunday, we come together once more to seek additional insights and wisdom that will help us develop and write a vision for living the next chapter of St. Michael’s story.

Join us!

Helen Crandell and Victor Salinas, Chairs

The Rev. R. Scott Painter, Rector