We have been waiting for Rally Day for a long time. Whether you’re a lover of potlucks, need a one-stop shop to dive deeper into life at First Church, or you are quite done with some of the more ‘creative’ aspects of summer worship, the arrival of Rally Day is exciting for most.

It is also the perfect time to put the invitations of the last 3 weeks into practice:

• Inviting someone into something meaningful

• Creating relationships of depth

• Showing the way

Get the full scoop on Sunday (and the surprise we have for you!)

“The loved ones we call the dead
depart from us and for a while
are absent. And then as if
called back by our love, they come
near us again. They enter our dreams.
We feel they have been near us
when we have not thought of them.
They are simply here, simply waiting
while we are distracted among
our obligations. At last
it comes to us: They live now
in the permanent world.
We are the absent ones.”
-The Loved Ones, by Wendell Berry
(August 5, 1934 – August 31, 2026)

It has felt like an early All Saints these past few weeks as we have communally mourned so many of the bright, beautiful souls that brought joy, depth, and poetic meaning into our lives.

You are not what you do,
although you do a lot.
You are not what you have collected
in terms of friendships and connections,
although you might have many.
You are not the popularity that you have received.
You are not the success of your work.
You are not what people say about you,
whether they speak well
or whether they speak poorly about you.
All these things that keep you quite busy,
quite occupied,
and often preoccupied
are not telling the truth about who you are.
I am here to remind you
in the name of God
that you are the Beloved Daughters and Sons of God,
and that God says to you,
“I have called you from all eternity
and you are engraved from all eternity
in the palms of my hands.
You are mine.
You belong to me,
and I love you with an everlasting love.”

-Henri Nouwen

I read this word from Henri Nouwen at the start of every program year, committee year, and committee nominations cycle. It is a balm to a weary or motivated or ambivalent soul.

You are not what you do, although you do a lot.

In a recent audit of our camp equipment in search of an excuse to go to the outdoor store, I poked through our outdoorsing bins while asking of each item, “was this from the Camino or more recently?” Equipment purchased for that 30-day waltz across Spain would be understandably out of date; I could justify buying a new headlamp with more than a piddly 70 lumens if it had been in use since that grant-funded-shoestring-budget trek 15 years ago. Post-Camino gear, however, would have to suffice until it broke down.

Until this month, Paul and I have principally explored the northern half of Oregon: the coast up to Astoria, hiking and activity in the Columbia Gorge, wine tasting in the Willamette Valley, plenty of board meetings in Salem, and outdoorsing in the Wallowas. A few events have taken us to more central latitudes: gathering of the clergy orders in Bend, Youth Winter Camp at Suttle Lake, and half-marathons in Corvallis and Newport. Apart from a quick trip to the Eugene marathon, we’ve hardly gone much south of Highway 20.

This summer break we sought to venture further afield – quite nearly to California – to find renewal in the striking blue of Crater Lake and the creativity of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland.

The only problem was our timing.

I have learned a lot, and I look forward to sharing those learnings further with you.

Grace and peace to you, through our Lord Jesus!

I have been attending the School for Congregational Development (SCD) this week in Columbus, OH. SCD is a gathering of 600 lay and clergy members from Annual Conferences across the globe coming together to learn what it means to See, Create, and Disciple folks into their next phase of ministry.

I have learned a lot, and I look forward to sharing those learnings further with you.

“And let us consider each other carefully for the purpose of sparking love and good deeds. Don’t stop meeting together with other believers, which some people have gotten into the habit of doing. Instead, encourage each other...” - Hebrews 10:24-25 

The writer to the Hebrew people implored them to gather, and to never stop gathering. 

John Wesley encouraged us to do the same. 

“I could teach… crochet and patience. How to be a friend. Basic home repair and renovations. Budgeting and shopping. Methodist theology. How to play the flute. Basic medical care. Spanish, or English to Spanish speakers. Proper insurance coverage.”

A portrait of First Church, painted through words on bright sticky notes:

“I love… arranging a floral bouquet to cheer someone. Baking cookies. Israeli folk dancing. Electrical service and repair. Helping my friend Nan resolve her problems with her computer. Humor. Leading a biking trip. Listening, speaking, praying.”

“I could teach… crochet and patience. How to be a friend. Basic home repair and renovations. Budgeting and shopping. Methodist theology. How to play the flute. Basic medical care. Spanish, or English to Spanish speakers. Proper insurance coverage.”

For as long as I shall live, I will testify to love
I’ll be a witness in the silences when words are not enough
With every breath I take, I will give thanks to God above
For as long as I shall live, I will testify to love

I was 10 years old when this song was released in December of 1997. 

Growing up in the rural south, we had to drive a long time to get to many places. 

I lamented to a teacher once during a group project that it would be easier “if everyone was like me.” My teacher politely pointed out that I would be equally frustrated with them if they were, and that the world would be quite a boring place if we all held the same gifts and interests. 

Last summer we asked some hard questions of one another during our “I’ve been meaning to ask...” sermon series. One of those questions was “What do you need?” 

This summer we’re asking a different question.

“525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear. 525,600 minutes- how do you measure, measure a year?” – Seasons of Love, Rent

“If I speak in tongues of human beings and of angels but I don’t have love, I’m a clanging gong or a clashing cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and I know all the mysteries and everything else, and if I have such complete faith that I can move mountains but I don’t have love, I’m nothing. If I give away everything that I have and hand over my own body to feel good about what I’ve done but I don’t have love, I receive no benefit whatsoever.” – 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (CEB)

Do no harm, do good, stay in love with God. - The Three General Rules

Loving our neighbor is our core commitment to one another as a Christian people. As Pastor Lowell preached on Sunday, where we sit determines where we stand. Because we sit together at the table of God’s grace, we stand with one another in all of life’s assorted joys and difficulties.

How we accomplish this requires careful discernment, prayer, and a lot of practice. Through generous listening and discussion, we are often able to do real good for and with one another, mitigating the harm by the broken structures of our world.

Greetings from Boise and the 58th session of the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference. Conference started with joy and celebration today as we remembered how we are called and created: to love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously.

This year, Lay Members to Annual Conference Alina Klimecky and Bob Wilson join Pastor Rachel and myself in Boise with Lay Member to Annual Conference Harriet Ottaviano representing First Church and voting online. We are also joined by Blake Whisenhunt who caravaned with all the conference youth coming from the Portland area, Em Rigler in her capacity as chair of the Board of Faith Foundation Northwest, Jim Teisher as part of the conference’s newly minted Green Team, and Paul Nickell who is the Conference Lay Leader.

For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well. - Psalm 139:13-14 (NRSV)

Happy PRIDE Month, First Church! Celebration of our LGBTQIA+ siblings is a time-honored tradition for us; last month marked 32 years as an officially Reconciling Congregation.

“Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people.” (Revelation 21:3)

The United Methodist clergy credentialing process is chock full of interviews, papers, and vote after vote. Sometimes, these votes are painful. Sometimes, they are a delight! On Monday, the clergy session of the Texas Annual Conference voted and prayed over Paul and I, releasing us from covenant and membership with them.

The thief enters only to steal, kill, and destroy. I came so that they could have life – indeed, so that they could live life to the fullest. - John 10:10 

Some translations of this text say “I have come so that they could have life, and have life abundant.” However you put it, Jesus makes it clear that he has come so that people may not just survive, but thrive. 

Much to the chagrin of the rest of the household, our house is ready for new furniture.

We have sofa shopped for two years, never quite finding the perfect fit. We weren’t in a hurry, as the existing couch was… fine. Despite its shredded upholstery far from the possibility of patching, the couch had plenty of cushion. Only half was covered with blankets and sisal to prevent our 13-pound shredding machine from scratching loose its thick threads (a serious feline digestive hazard).

There are so many women on whose shoulders we all stand: champions of justice and faith, stewards of our stories and our souls. For the women who have raised us up in the faith, I give tremendous thanks!

By the time you read this, I will have wrapped up my time at City Hall for the week. On Wednesday I, along with a whole crew of other clergy, met with the mayor’s immigration representative and housing bureau representative to talk about the biggest challenge our immigrant neighbors have named to us – their housing.  

Families are afraid to leave their home for work, meaning their income for rent and mortgages suffers. Families who have had a breadwinner taken from their household are struggling, too, and for many, it is a matter of time before their housing is at risk (if it isn’t already). There are not enough resources to go around to support these families, and even in our congregation, the assistance we can offer is minimal at best. 

We met with the mayor’s representatives to ask what could be done about this and left with some clear next steps for meetings to have with others and programs we might pilot to support our neighbors. 

“Happy are those who don’t see and yet believe.” John 20:29b

When this note goes out, I will be on a brief hiatus from the work of ministry. Fear not, I’ll be back for Sunday!

When Paul and I decided to get married and knew that both of us were going to share a whole lot of our time with the church, we picked our wedding date to have the greatest chance of celebrating our anniversary not at work, but together. This meant it would be past Lent but not on another Holy Day, and before the typical Methodist conferencing season.