July 3, 2025

With the great green growing time of summer upon us, we travel too much to make ongoing classes viable. To stay green and growing, as we did last year, beginning this Sunday, July 6, formation will be taking a plan as we go, week by week approach. To accommodate folks from both services we will continue to meet in the Yurt at 9:15 with a different topic every week, announced the preceding Sunday and here in the Tune-Up (see the following article). 

Some weeks, the topics will be things that I feel would be good for us to discuss. These might be developments within our parish, current events in the world, or spiritual and pastoral topics that I feel we may need as a community. Some weeks I will use the time to build up the ministries of the church, with in-service times for various groups like the Altar Guild, or Eucharistic Ministers. These gatherings will be not only for current ministers, but for any who would like to know more about what the ministry does and how it works. On most Sundays, my hope is that we will discuss topics that you want to know more about. Beginning this Sunday, there will be a box in the back of the church for your topic requests or any specific questions you might have. You can ask about anything from the church policies or budget to an obscure point of theology to a bible study question and everything in between. Based on our experience last year, we will be amazed at how deep and wide our conversation is, even about the simplest questions. Kids are welcome too! They usually ask the best questions of all!

Watch this space for news about what’s coming up, and join us Sundays at 9:15 for community and conversation.

Formation this week:
Our 9:15 class this week will take up where our Christian Spirituality class left off. Michelle Cornwell will lead a conversation about the spiritual practice of pilgrimage. A pilgrimage might be as simple as a trip to a holy site, like Jerusalem or Canterbury, or it might include the journey itself, like the Camino de Santiago. It can be far away or as close to home as our own labyrinth. Pilgrimages are undertaken by people from every religious tradition and of all ages. The Journey to Adulthood program youth formation program even incorporates a pilgrimage in its curriculum. Come and learn more about how pilgrimage can enrich your spiritual life and take a great opportunity to get to know Michelle better.

Next Sunday, July 13, the Rector will lead conversation about the current state of the church. We’ll talk mostly about our own parish and community, but feel free to bring questions about the Episcopal Church in Western Oregon or the wider Episcopal church.