About Us
We are five communities of of the United Methodist faith who have come together as one, united in living out our passion to welcome all people to grow spiritually and serve our neighbors and world.
Realizing we can do far more together than we can as individual congregations, together we regularly:
- share pastoral resources
- volunteer at local missions
- host Vacation Bible Schools
- learn from workshops and speakers
- serve at local food banks
- enjoy concerts
- worship at special services
- study together during Advent and Lent
- grow our youth group
- provide community for young adults
Whatever your life story, we invite you to engage with us on this journey as we grow and serve in our daily lives through relationships of encouragement and love.
Our Pastors
Pastor Deb Olenyik spent many years in active ministry in churches and regional leadership in Colorado, Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain region before retiring a few years ago to Oregon. She continues to serve Christ and the people of Christ as the part-time ODC campus pastor for Trinity UMC. She enjoys leading worship, connecting with people, visioning possibilities, and forming teams to accomplish whatever ministry needs might be unfolding.
Pastor Deb enjoys the outdoors, music, sports, travel, good food and hanging out with family and friends near and far. She currently lives in southeast Portland.
Pastor Jenny Smith grew up in Ohio and Alaska. She attended Florida Southern College and after receiving her Masters of Divinity in 2010, Jenny served churches in Alaska and Washington, before coming to the Salem area in 2023. Jenny is a writing pastor and author. She writes a weekly Substack newsletter called The Thread. Jenny recently published, Still Here: A Poetry Memoir of Grief & Love. Her love for God, living in the way of Jesus, and the church’s invitation to embody love come through in her writing, speaking, and embodied leadership.
Jenny’s been married to Aaron for 18 years and mom to Isabella and Wesley. They adore their dog, Gracie. Jenny loves the water, exploring new towns, baking, and playing with her family.
Pastor John Fleming leads the Pastoral Team for the Open Door Churches (ODC) of Salem-Keizer and provides guidance and support for the other congregations of the ODC collaborative. Pastor John is
part of leading the spiritual life of Open Door Churches, offering leadership in worship, including weekly preaching, and offering devotionals, blogs, and other forms of spiritual guidance in digital formats.
A recent transplant to Oregon from North Texas, Pastor John enjoys many kinds of outdoor pursuits, especially hiking, exploring new places, and golf. Music is an important part of John’s life and he has been a live performer and composer of Folk/Americana for about the past 15 years. John has been married to his wife, Rona, for 26 years and they have two adult daughters—and two adorable dogs, Buddy and Mia.
Pastor Kift Hyunjae Lee is from Seoul, South Korea where his family still lives. Growing up as the son of a Korean Methodist pastor, Kift grew up watching his father preach theology and lead traditional Korean worship services, both things Kift is also passionate about. Kift earned his Masters of Divinity and his Doctorate from Claremont School of Theology. He is Particularly interested in the spirituality of Koreans and Native Americans and believes they have a lot in common due to both groups dealing with the oppression of colonialism, while they also have their differences.
Kift lives in Keizer, Oregon and makes visits back to South Korea to see his parents and older brother. He enjoys jogging in parks and playing musical instruments.
Pastor Zaida Huereca has worked for over 27 years in the ministry. Dedicated to serving God and the Hispanic community, she has spent time working in both Mexico and the USA. After studying psychology, missions, and evangelism, she has worked with kids, women, and in counseling services. Currently, Pastor Zaida is serving as the pastor at Las Naciones in Salem, Oregon.