The Youth Leader cohort has been busy planning for some in-person youth gatherings this spring. They plan to meet at Normandale Park on Halsey, the same park as in the fall, from 5:00 to 6:30 pm. The dates are this coming Sunday, April 25; Sunday, May 16; and Sunday, June 6.
St. Michael’s Advocacy Action team and the Episcopal Public Policy Network (EPPN) invites you to support the Equality Act (H.R. 5) by communicating your position as a Christian to our leaders and elected officials before it comes up for a vote in the Senate.
Do you have a devotional practice around what you read in the morning? Would you like to develop one? Many people of prayer have kept books of inspirational texts and poetry nearby to tune their hearts with first thing in the morning.
Padre Beto Arciniega is offering Stations of the Cross/Viacrucis in Lent on Fridays at 7:00 pm. These are in Spanish and on Zoom for a more interactive experience.
This Lent, Rector Chris Craun will be using 40-Day Journey with Howard Thurman as a daily practice of reflection, prayer and writing. If you would like to join her, please order the book or reserve one with the office as a few have been purchased. She will be offering space for mutual sharing and conversation on Wednesdays at noon, starting February 24, throughout the season. Please email her if you would like to receive the Zoom link.
“Uplifting” may not be the first thing you associate with Lent, but we hope it will be by the time Easter comes around this year. We’ve all suffered enough over the past year, but Lent was never about suffering more, anyway. Lent is a time for us to focus as much of our attention as one community as possible on who God is lifting us up to be, right here, right now. There are a range of ways you can help Lift Up Lent this year at St. Michael’s.
On this day of the Feast of the Epiphany, Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry invited Episcopalians and people of faith to turn and pray on behalf of our nation
Oregon’s statewide eviction and foreclosure moratorium has been one of the most successful remedies for communities bearing the brunt of the pandemic, according to a recent op-ed printed in The Oregonian. It was written by leaders of the Oregon Food Bank, Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (EMO) and the Oregon Law Center.
Who knew back in the spring that the scourge of COVID-19 would still be with us as we head in to the holidays? Portland is suffering along with the rest of the country. Many members of our parish have been impacted by the loss of jobs or having had their work hours reduced.
In the spring, many St. Michael’s parishioners and friends offered to donate money to help those less fortunate, include some who lost most or all of their income and/or were not eligible for federal funds. At the beginning, volunteers bought and delivered actual groceries to two to four families. Then, as the number of families needing help grew to around 15, the team switched to giving grocery gift cards.
The Outreach & Justice Council has met online every month since the COVID-19 outbreak began and have divided the funds allotted to them from the Operating Fund between many areas of need.
Here’s the latest about the Global Climate Strike as it pertains to St. Michael’s and Portland: EcoFaith Recovery and Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon are hosting an interfaith service and gathering
The 1:00 pm Spanish-language Misa, or Mass with Eucharist, began at St. Michael’s 25 years ago, originally organized and supported by Fr. John Scannell and Deacon Marla McGarry-Lawrence. In the
The first youth group meeting of the new school year is happening at Normandale Park on Sunday, September 12, from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm. Masks will be required, and dinner will be provided 🙂 We hope you had a wonderful summer. We missed all of you!
If you missed the offertory solo from last Sunday, take a listen to the marvelous duet from St. Michael’s Singers soprano Beth Ilem and Choir Director Brian Fairbanks on flute as they present Craig Courtney’s “Be not afraid,” set to Isaiah 43:1-4.
We’re looking for some social-media and tech savvy volunteers to help with such things as online moderation and video production.
As we face continued uncertainty with COVID variant surges and the suffering of our world in war and climate chaos, the work of the church goes on. I am grateful for the work of a small team of people who began a conversation last year about how structural racism relates to our use of sacred music.
Many of our connections that predate the pandemic have grown stronger, and even some new ones have grown deeper
The month of August is the perfect time to pick up a backpack and school supplies to help support local children in the foster-care system. Donations can be dropped off at the church on Sunday mornings inside the courtyard doors, or you can bring them during the week (call first). Monetary gifts are also very welcome to help “fill in the blanks” when more supplies are needed to complete the backpacks. Please bring your donations the next three Sundays—August 8, 15 & 22.
One melodic composer you’ll hear on Sunday during the offertory is Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel (1805-1847). Fanny was the older sister of fellow composer Felix Mendelssohn. She is finally starting to get the recognition she deserves as a monumental composer of over 400 pieces, particularly for voice and piano, matching the genius of her more famous brother.
If you have not attended an 11:00 am Courtyard Service watch this video sampler. Come early and join in socializing with the 9:00 am group and then grab a folding chair or bring your own for the courtyard experience.
We are capable of deep vulnerability. It is possible that we grow in our awareness of being beloved when we allow someone, particularly a stranger, to sing to us.
An evening of music with countertenors and multi-instrumentalists, James Walton and Tim Galloway, assisted by Adaiha MacAdam-Somer and Bruce Neswick.
