May 8, 2025

Ascension Day Service

For the last months the clergy and many of the wardens of the Eugene and Springfield area churches have been meeting together. As all the smaller congregations in the area have been struggling, we have been thinking as a community about how best to be the Episcopal Church in Eugene. We’ve brainstormed about ways to cooperate, things like sharing clergy, combining youth groups, sharing office staff and supplies, and the list goes on. Through it all, one critical component has come up again and again – All five congregations need to become a single Episcopal community. Cooperation and shared ministry cannot be simply a business arrangement, instead it must be an outgrowth of a loving relationship between congregations and parishes.

An opportunity to build that relationship is coming up. On May 29, the Feast of the Ascension, Resurrection will host the other congregations for a shared Eucharist. The service will begin at 6:00 pm and a dessert potluck will follow. Even though it is one of the high feast days of the year, coming as it does on a Thursday, we often don’t notice the feast of the Ascension. Christ rose above all things so that he might fill all things. I hope this year we’ll set aside the time both to celebrate the feast and to celebrate Christ’s presence in the Episcopal community in Eugene and Springfield.

Christian Spirituality Class

Beginning this Sunday at 9:15 and continuing through Pentecost the Adult Forum will be discussing Christian Spirituality. Guided by the book Life in Christ by Julia Gatta, we’ll be examining the interface between spiritual practices and the theology that undergirds them. This Sunday we’ll start with the most foundational practice of all – Baptism, which is so much deeper than just “having the baby done.” We’ll be discussing the Introduction and Chapter 1 of the book. If you are not able to obtain a copy in time, please drop me (Fr. B) an email and I will send you a scanned copy of this week’s reading. Sadly, we are unable to offer childcare during this class.