Rector's Closing Thoughts: Drawing Closer to God

As we begin our third pandemic Lent, I’m feeling like the pandemic is more akin to the forty years the Israelites wandered in the wilderness than the forty days that Jesus spent out in the desert! And yet, one of the great themes of Lent is that God is with us through the difficult times. God taught Noah how to build an ark for the stormy forty days. God nourished and guided the Israelites for those forty arduous years of struggle and longing. The angels tended to Jesus during those forty days of deprivation and temptation.

To read Bingham’s entire article, which was originally printed in the Lent Bellringer, click “Read More.”

Vestry Report for February 2022

Our last Vestry report, which was posted on the St. Mary’s website in January, reflected back on the Christmas and Advent seasons, along with the rise of the Omicron variant back in November. We were—admittedly—a little disheartened by the extreme weather disasters and pivots back to remote activities that ushered in the new year. The joke about 2022 as 2020 too felt more cruel than funny, and we wondered how we would endure yet another “unprecedented” stage of the pandemic. So far throughout the months of 2022, our Vestry meetings have continued to be illuminating moments of community, shared hope, and excitement for this year. We remember that it is a rare and wonderful privilege to be a part of such a caring and gracious group.

To read the entire report for February 2022, click “Read More.”

How We Live: Quiet Obedience

Give us grace to imitate his uprightness of life and his obedience to your commands;

Collect for Saint Joseph, BCP page 239

There are three churches in our relatively small diocese that are named for Saint Mary, but none that claim Saint Joseph as their patron saint. That is not uncommon, there are many fewer churches throughout the Church named for Saint Joseph than for his beloved wife. While Mary is certainly worthy of all the attention and praise Christians heap upon her for her willingness to say yes to God’s call to bear a son who would grow up to be the savior of the world, much was asked of Joseph as well.

To read Sharon’s entire article, click “Read More.”

RIP Medical Debt

By putting our “little bits of good” together, St. Mary’s was able to abolish over $768,000 in medical debt for Oregonians! This good news story began in the fall when St. Mary’s Outreach Council brought forward a new proposal: to spend $5,000 of our outreach allocation funds to buy medical debt for pennies on the dollar and then forgive that debt, working through the non-profit RIP Medical Debt. At that time, it was estimated that our donation would enable us to forgive about $450,000 in medical debt. We surveyed the parish and received enthusiastic support to proceed.

Read the full story by clicking “Read More.”

Vestry Report for December and January

When the Vestry met in mid-December, the Omicron variant had just appeared in the US. As it was still new, we were in that unfortunately familiar “watch and wait” situation. We began our meeting as usual with a reflection from Thomas Merton about how (at Christmas specifically) Christ comes uninvited into a world that has no room for him at all. Merton calls this world “a demented inn,” and we were struck by the intensity and seeming cynicism of that label. What Merton calls attention to though with his harsh language are

Read the full Vestry report for December and January by clicking “Read More".”

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Alternative Gifting

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Do you have a loved one who is tricky to shop for? Maybe someone who doesn’t need a physical gift taking up space? We have some suggestions on ways to celebrate the people you love AND give back to the community at the same time. Here are some organizations St. Mary’s is connected with who are doing good things locally.

Vestry Report for November

Just as Advent is a season of hopeful expectation, so we in the Vestry eagerly watch and wait for the completion of the many projects currently happening at St. Mary’s. In the midst of the growing darkness and the freezing nights, we find light and warmth in the promise of our eventual re-gathering together in our improved building space. In addition to the completion of the ventilation system upgrade and new lighting in the sanctuary, we are looking forward to the removal and relocation of bats that have been living within certain areas of our walls for many years. Their presence has mostly been peaceful, but the work on the ventilation system has revealed the extent to which they have made themselves a little too comfortable inside our walls. They will be gently but sternly pushed to take up residence elsewhere, and there will be some new alternative dwellings nearby so they won’t be forced to travel far to find shelter.

Read the full Vestry report for November by clicking “Read More.”

Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is an Advent movie?

After setting all of the clocks, they have 37 seconds remaining. Mahoney says, “Great, well done. Now we wait.” Mr. Magorium responds, “No. We breathe. We pulse. We regenerate. Our hearts beat. Our minds create. Our souls ingest. Thirty-seven seconds, well used, is a lifetime.”

Click “Read More” to read Bingham’s entire Advent reflection.

How We Live: Armor of Light

Young people today are exposed to an entertainment world populated by a veritable pantheon of superheroes, about whom I must confess I know absolutely nothing. Truth be told, I grew up aware of only one such character: mild mannered newspaper reporter Clark Kent who would slip into a phone booth, (some of you may have to look up what those were,) whip off his suit, tie, and horn-rimmed glasses and emerge faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound… it’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s SUPERMAN!

To read Sharon Rodgers’ complete reflection, click “Read More.”

Cherish and Sustain the New Life God is Bringing Forth

We have spoken often this year of the old that is passing. We know that some way we have lived in the world is no longer working. Our last Pentecost reading from Mark ends with Jesus’s words: “The end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation; there will be earthquakes and famines. This is but the beginning of the birthpangs.”

Jesus is talking about the end times, which we all feel acutely these days, but the last image we are left with is pregnancy. The end of a pregnancy, and the beginning labor pains of delivery. The threshold of birth.

To read the Rev. Christine Marie’s full reflection, click “Read More.”

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Vestry Report for September

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Our September meeting started with a reflection from Thomas Merton about our need for relationships. Due to the myriad ways the pandemic has led us to acknowledge and treasure our interconnectedness, this reflection resonates with us deeply. Merton understands that we do not and cannot exist in isolation and that it is precisely our relationships that give our lives meaning. He writes: “we do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone—we find it with another.” This statement speaks to us of how fellowship with other people brings us closer to God and helps us to know God better.

The Vestry is St. Mary’s elected governing body. They meet monthly throughout the year. Please click “Read More” to read their entire update for September.

Update on Ventilation for the Church

We are thrilled to announce that construction for our new HVAC system for the church has begun! We are so close to having a safer and more comfortable worship space. Of course, as is often the case with construction, there will be some inconveniences as we move through this phase. As they demolish the old system and put in the new, the church and chapel might feel a little chilly this month.

To read the entire update, click “Read More.”

That's My Farmer Dinner to Support Their Low Income Fund

That’s My Farmer Dinner - Monday, October 18

Support That’s My Farmer Low Income Fund while eating a delicious dinner prepared by owner/chefs Mark Kosmicki and Tiffany Norton at Party Downtown. They have offered to cook up a fantastic menu with farm fresh meat and produce contributed by That’s My Farmer farm members. This is once again a takeout dinner to enjoy in your home.

To learn how to participate, click “Reach More.”

Zoom Services at St. Mary's: A New Kind of Listening

For me, one of the miracles of the past year has been Zoom services at St. Mary’s. Since the beginning of COVID, we have gathered nearly 200 times online, for Wednesday and Friday morning prayer, and evening prayer. (In addition, the Spanish Zoom service meets each week.)

At first, I was skeptical. Can people really feel the energy and presence of God and of other people on a computer screen?

Read Christine Marie’s full Listening Hearts reflection by clicking “Read More.”

Vestry Report for Fall 2021

Our reflection from Thomas Merton that began our August meeting focused on uncertainty. Merton states bluntly: “I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me.” His words feel uncannily appropriate to our current moment as we transition from the end of summer to the beginning of fall. We have no idea what is going to happen with the pandemic. We are fatigued and frustrated, and we cannot see the road ahead. Merton continues, writing that he wants to follow God’s will even as he doubts his ability to discern what that is. He concludes by saying that he believes the desire to please God does in fact please God, and so he strives to cultivate that desire. This is the glimmer of hope that Merton offers us—even when we can’t see the way forward, we must still seek to find and follow God’s will. It is the desire that matters. We don’t know what God will ask of us in this coming season, but if we continue to desire to desire to follow him, he will lead us in the right direction, as he has always done. We can cling to that confidence as we forge ahead.

The Vestry is St. Mary’s elected governing body. They meet monthly throughout the year. Please click “Read More” to read their entire update that was included in the Fall 2021 Bellringer.

Coming Home to Presence: A Pilgrimage Through the Christian Year

Presence is the way that human beings experience God directly. When we are fully present in our minds, bodies, and hearts, the Divine shows up. It’s that simple, and it’s that difficult.

Christine Marie and Dan Martin warmly invite you to join us for this new series, beginning October 17, 2021.

For more information, please click “Read More.”

Outreach Allocation: An Exciting New Proposal

In July, Bingham+ read an Episcopal News Service story* about St. Bede’s Church in New Mexico that was able to leverage a $15,000 donation to buy $1.4 million worth of medical debt and then, in turn, forgive the holders of that debt.

To read the rest of this article and see how you can give your input, please click “Read More.”

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