Once a year, the Oregon Idaho Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church meets together for a few days of holy conferencing. At this conference, we celebrate God’s work in our churches and communities. We celebrate the commissioning and ordination of new clergy and the retirement of clergy who have served many years. We remember …
Oregon Idaho Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church Read More »
Hello Friends: As I write this, all of us are dealing with the terrible wildfires and the devastation they have caused for nearby communities. Although I’m encouraged by news and firsthand accounts from pastors throughout the Cascadia District, the fact is that many of our members, their families and friends, have experienced personal loss. And …
Hello Friends: As all of us deal with the literal and figurative fallout from the fires raging nearby us, I wanted to share some updates about efforts our people have been making to be involved in responding to the emergent crisis. All of these things are subject to change, of course, on an almost daily …
Updates About the Open Door Churches’ Relief Efforts Read More »
My Sacred Habitat Every morning I welcome the world, With words of thanks to the Lord. I close my eyes to open them again To see! To hear! To live! And experience! What is sacred in the world? The sun, the wind, and the rain, The grass, the trees, and gardens My habitat, my environment; …
Recently, I spent a couple of days at the beach with Wesley and my mom. Wesley had never been to the beach before so I was excited to see what he thought. But also a bit nervous because Wesley isn’t the biggest fan of the water. As we walked down to the beach, Wesley’s excitement …
Recently, the Pastoral Team and the Chair of our Open Door Churches Board, Vickie Plasker, sent out a letter with all kinds of news about what’s happening among the congregations of the Open Door Churches (ODC). Among the things we discussed were the members of the New Pastoral Team, the Solar Project, our good fortune …
I love rainbows; I think they are beautiful, serene, and mysterious. I’m fascinated by their beauty. It is dangerous when I drive, and a rainbow sprayed across the sky ahead of me, for they distracted me. But when I don’t drive, I enjoyed the view, and the effect they give me is calming and peaceful. …
July 28, 2020 Dear Family and Friends of the Open Door Churches: Hard to believe, is it not? Less than a month has passed since Pastors Dan Pitney and Sandra Kimbrow retired from the Open Door Churches and Pastor Wendy Woodworth became Superintendent of Cascadia District of the Oregon-Idaho Conference. In this time of transition, …
West Salem United Methodist Church has recently joined our Open Door Churches community. While they have always been friends, we are delighted they are now officially a part of our church family and are excited to get to know them better! If you come on a Sunday morning at 11 am to West Salem UMC, …
West Salem United Methodist Church Joins Open Door Churches Read More »
Friday, March 1, 2019 To the People of God in The United Methodist Church, “Spare your people, O LORD, and do not make your heritage a mockery, a byword among the nations. Why should it be said among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’” – Joel 2:17b This past week, the special session of the …