Notes from the Corner Office
From The Messenger 2/13/26

Dear Beloved Community,
WWJD. Have you ever seen those bracelets? The letters stand for “What Would Jesus Do?”
This phrase has always bothered me because that “would” allows for human opinion to discern the mind of Jesus. The assumption is that the person asking the question knows what Jesus would do. That feels like the sin of pride. How can we humans believe we can know the mind of God? My experience has been that WWJD is often used as cover for passing judgement on someone’s behavior. “Jesus wouldn’t do that!” Really? How do you know?
I think a better acronym would be WDJS – “What Did Jesus Say?” How did Jesus tell us to live? What did he say was important? I believe this is a more gospel-centered approach. Our answer to the question WDJS isn’t based on our opinion but on what scripture tells us.
This has all been on my mind as I try to make sense of what is happening not only in our country. My personal feelings of grief, anger, dismay and confusion sometimes threaten to paralyze me. My thoughts become muddled. The only refuge I find is in the gospel and the words of Jesus. I find clarity when I use the gospel as the lens through which I look at our world. The question of what is “truth” becomes much easier to answer when I rely on Jesus’ words rather than my own. Any time I have fumbled, it is because I have relied on my own perspective and interpretation, or that of others rather than that of Jesus. Jesus is the pundit we should all listen to. Which leads me to the following:
With the publishing of the 155 bishops’ letter on February 1 along with individual statements and postings by Episcopal clergy across the church and the country, the question of how do we, the congregation of St. Gabriel, respond to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency’s enforcement and removal operations (this is the official ICE terminology) is being asked by some.
[Edited: I hope that many of you will take advantage of the opportunity to share your opinion. ] I truly want whatever the congregation, the vestry, and I decide we should do to reflect the broadest possible opinion while still being proactive.
These are turbulent times we are living in. Our response should be the result of thoughtful prayer and discernment, asking ourselves, “What Did Jesus Say?”

In the peace and love of Christ,
Everett+

January 2, 2026 Notes from the Corner Office…

Dear Beloved Community,

Happy New Year!

When I think about 2025, it is hard to not think about the things that challenged us as individuals, as a community, as a country. But I also think about what Scripture teaches us:

Proverbs 3:5-6
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own insight.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.

Trusting in the Lord, I believe, is to take strength from God’s strength. To acknowledge God in all our ways is to constantly be sure that what we do and say reflects the message of God’s love for the world.

I want to share one reflection on 2025:

Not so long ago, we had representatives from the Western Farm Workers’ Association (WFWA) come and speak to us during our Sunday services. We already had members of our congregation volunteering there and after their visit, the number of people from our faith community who became volunteers increased wonderfully. We have also been able to offer our sanctuary as a meeting place for the WFWA and we look forward to more opportunities to deepen our relationship with them.

During the times we live it, it can feel like individual actions are futile but that isn’t true. Our work with WFWA proves that. And there are so many other ways to get involved at the community level. Acting as safety monitors at school bus stops to help prevent ICE abductions is a crucial way we can make a difference and this is just one example.

As we look towards 2026, and as we look for ways to deepen our participation in protecting our friends and neighbors, I hope that we can provide more opportunities for those who feel called to participate.

We are living in a time when being a Christian and living out our Christians values in the world around us has become as important as perhaps any time since the Civil Rights Movement. I believe we can take inspiration from those women and men.

We may not all be called to direct participation in this struggle but we can all pray and as we know and believe, prayer is a powerful, beautiful and sacred thing that can change the world.

In the peace and love of Christ,
Everett+

by The Rev. Everett Charters | Nov 25, 2025

This fall, I received training through TogetherLab to serve as a clergy presence at the U.S. Immigration Court and the ICE detention center in Portland. I had no idea how soon and how close to home I would need to put that training into action.

Washington County, where I live and where I serve as priest at St. Gabriel’s, Portland, has been one of the hardest-hit areas in Oregon when it comes to ICE enforcement. Local leaders, including the Hillsboro and Forest Grove City Councils, have declared a state of emergency in response to what they have called “racist, arbitrary, and violent” arrests and detentions.

Even before I became involved, members of St. Gabriel had begun volunteering with the Western Farm Workers Association (WFWA) in Hillsboro, which offers emergency food, clothing, legal support, and preventive health care to migrant and immigrant farmworkers. Thanks to their leadership, our congregation has committed to providing ongoing material support to this work.

We are also connecting with other trusted organizations, such as Adelante Mujeres in Forest Grove and Centro Cultural in Cornelius, that serve Hispanic and immigrant families throughout our county. Sadly, these centers of hope are often surrounded by fear. ICE presence has been reported near their locations, as well as in grocery store parking lots, at workplaces, and even near schools. In some heartbreaking instances, parents have been detained while simply waiting with their children at the school bus stop.

As formal institutions struggle to respond, informal networks—often led by educators and volunteers—have begun to organize. These groups offer practical support, maintain a presence in high-risk areas, and act as witnesses to protect vulnerable families. They work quietly and carefully, using encrypted communication and discreet organizing to ensure safety and confidentiality.

What I have witnessed is both sobering and inspiring. Neighbors, many of them white, English-speaking residents, are stepping into unfamiliar spaces to stand with their Hispanic neighbors in love and solidarity. It is a powerful reminder of what grassroots justice can look like: public organizations supported by decentralized networks of care, courage, and quiet resistance.

As for me, I’ve begun standing at school bus stops in Cornelius, wearing my clerical collar, as TogetherLab advised, to be a visible, pastoral presence. It’s a small act, but a meaningful one. I have not personally witnessed an arrest, but I have seen the tension in parents’ faces as they wait with their children. And I have seen the profound relief that washes over them when those children return home safely.

As disciples of Jesus, we vow in our baptismal covenant to resist evil, to seek and serve Christ in all persons, and to respect the dignity of every human being. These are not just words for the sanctuary, they are calls to action. Right now, our neighbors need us. Right now, we are being invited to live our faith in the parking lots, schools, and street corners of our own communities.

May we heed that call with compassion, courage, and hope.

1. WashCo for All Resources to Protect our Immigrant Neighbors Flyer

[As a vestry member] I’m writing today about an important piece of the background to St. Gabriel’s current financial situation – our transition from Mission to Parish in 2017. Many of you were here at that time and had a front row seat to the changes, but many of us were not here, and may not know how that change affected our budgeting and our finances. You’ve probably already noticed that this communication is long, but I hope you will take the time to read it. I think it’s important, and I hope you will too.

The beginning

Let’s start at the beginning. A mission is a congregation that is not yet self-supporting, and receives direct financial assistance from the Diocese. Leadership is provided by a vicar (a priest appointed by the bishop, rather than chosen by the congregation), and decision making is directly overseen by the bishop. rather than an independent vestry. St. Gabriel’s was founded as a mission in 1984 because a need was seen for a parish located in this community. The Diocese purchased the land on which St. Gabriel’s was built, and provided a loan for construction of the church building (we currently owe approximately $26,000 on this loan, which is paid at $500 per month). Some missions remain missions out of necessity, but every congregation that desires to discern and live out its own unique mission hopes to become a parish. It is no surprise that the independent-minded people of St. Gabriel’s charted that course.

New financial commitments

Becoming a parish did involve additional financial commitments. One of the basic hallmarks of a parish is that it possesses the financial well-being to employ a full-time rector. Additionally, although both missions and parishes contribute financially to the mission work of the diocese (a percentage that is decided by the diocese, based on income, and adopted by the general Convention each year), the percentage that parishes give to support the work of the diocese is significantly higher than that of missions, for obvious reasons.

How we view this financial contribution is important. It is one link in a chain of contributions that support the mission of the church, both individual and collective, both local and indeed, global, and it provides the pool of resources that makes a lot of the good work done by the churches in the diocese possible. The diocese, in fact, makes its own percentage-based contribution each year to ECUSA, the national church. And it all begins with us, making our own contributions toward the mission of our own parish. We want to be cheerful givers of our fair share, not only because it furthers good work, but also because it is not hyperbole to say that without the support of the diocese, powered by the contributions of other churches, St. Gabriel’s would not exist.

Where we are now?

This diocesan contribution, and our full-time Rector’s salary, are our two largest expense categories, and as your Vestry and Finance Committee have wrestled with trying to balance the 2026 budget over the past weeks, there is just not enough to cut from the other line items to make a serious difference in the shortfall. As of today, we’re not actually sure how we’re going to make it work. That’s why Fr. Everett has been apprising you of these details in recent communications. The Vestry will be meeting next week to discuss options, and many of them are not ideal, to say the least.

But the future is bright!

This financial situation, although challenging, is not unusual for a new parish in their first decade – new parishes typically struggle for a time as they find their financial footing in their new circumstances. Our journey has been even more challenging because shortly after we attained our parish status, the pandemic arrived, resulting in some major financial hits, and stalling our growth for an extended time. We are back on track, and the future is bright for us, but we still need to make that delayed financial leap in income. It will not happen overnight, but some of it needs to happen sooner rather than later!

Who we are

St. Gabriel’s is important. Its continued existence as a parish is important. My family and I have been coming to St. Gabriel’s for over a year now, and there is not a single Sunday that I am not filled with gratitude when I sit in the pews and look out at all of you. I see a diverse congregation full of talent and kindness and deep connection to God and to each other. I see people with all gradations of political and social views, still coming together in love to be a community and work together to serve others, which is exactly what I believe God is calling us all to do in this tumultuous time. We have so many teenagers (and soon-to-be-teenagers) that are growing up in this complicated world, and I see a congregation utterly devoted to them, treating them with respect and love, and letting them know they are not going to do this alone. When all the younger kids enter the sanctuary just before communion, I see all of our faces light up, not just the parents. We have music that stirs the soul, and sermons that stir the intellect. We are a congregation that inspires both lifelong church-goers, and the newly baptized. And so much happens at St. Gabriel’s! There are more opportunities here for connection, worship, education, service and community than there are at parishes twice our size. All of the above, combined with being the most welcoming parish in town, puts us on the cusp of exciting growth. This is the time to take steps forward, not steps back!

What we can do

Going to church during the annual stewardship campaign is like listening to public radio during the pledge drives. You know it’s important, but sometimes you think “Can’t they just play the music already?!” Our official stewardship season ended during the ingathering, but we are not yet where we need to be, and as your Vestry gathers to make decisions next week, we are hoping that some new pledges, and/or some additions to existing pledges will push us out of the red and into the black. Every little bit will help! Thank you!

~Robin Mullins, Member of the Vestry

Notes from the Corner Office
Dear Beloved Community,

Building the Kingdom of God. That vision has been on my mind a great deal lately.

The Catechism in the Book of Common Prayer teaches that the mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ through prayer, worship, proclaiming the Gospel, and promoting justice, peace, and love. This mission is carried out through the ministry of all members of the Church.

That tells us the Church’s mission, Church with a capital “C.” We have dodged the mission statement debate because our mission is the Church’s mission. What we say about ourselves is what we are and what we do.

The St. Gabriel’s website tells people that “We are an open, affirming, and progressive Episcopal parish working to restore all people to unity with God and each other by sharing our knowledge and love of Jesus Christ.”

It also says that “we gather together to praise God with song and prayer, share scripture, and receive Christ’s Holy Communion.”

Our worship materials tell people that “In the knowledge that God loves us all without exception, St. Gabriel the Archangel Episcopal Church welcomes and affirms everyone as they are. St. Gabriel is a church that seeks to bring those in spiritual need ever closer to God.”

Open, welcome, affirming. Simply put, these three words mean that any person, regardless of age, ability, gender, ethnicity, or any other human characteristic, is fully a part of St. Gabriel. This is who we are.

Working to restore all people to unity with God and each other by sharing our knowledge and love of Jesus Christ and seeking to bring those in spiritual need ever closer to God by gathering together to praise God with song and prayer, share scripture, and receive Christ’s Holy Communion is what we do.

Put that all together and it means that we are working to build the kingdom of God on earth. What a vision that is!

The understanding that we, the people of St. Gabriel, are working to build the kingdom of God on earth, can also be both inspiring and slightly overwhelming.

“We, the people of St. Gabriel.” Those words are worth thinking about. We really aren’t members of St. Gabriel. We are St. Gabriel. St. Gabriel isn’t a thing separate and distinct from us, it is us. Yes, we pay people (Ann, Page, Tara, Jessica, Stephanie, and me) to “manage” it for us but at the end of the day, St. Gabriel is ours. We each “own” a stake in it. We stake our claim. We stake our souls, literally, on that claim. Just as we take care of ourselves, we take care of St. Gabriel. Taking care of St. Gabriel is taking care of ourselves and of those we know and love.

What a vision that is!

Our work to build the kingdom of God on earth isn’t something separate and distinct from us, it is us. And we are St. Gabriel.

The author, professor, and pastor, Henri Nouwen believed that there was a spirituality to be found in, what he calls, fundraising. He understood it first and foremost as a form of ministry. I would interpret fundraising as pledging or stewardship though both those words create a sense of separation in my mind. I would say that it is claiming our stake and that this is a spiritual practice.

I believe that every moment of our lives is an opportunity to experience God. There is no such thing as the mundane. Every moment is sacred. So, that means answering the phone is an opportunity, cooking a meal, driving to soccer practice, paying the bills are all opportunities. God is found in the discreet as much as God is found in the profound.

Claiming our stake in St. Gabriel maintains our own health, the health of those we love, and the help of those who need our love. It is not foolish to say that helping to build the kingdom of God on earth includes keeping the electric bill paid. We support ourselves when we support St. Gabriel. When we support St. Gabriel, we support the building of God’s kingdom on earth.

In the peace and love of Christ,

Everett+

~St. Gabriel image by SoulArtAlchemist on Etsy

Pentecost Duke Ellington Service

Sunday, June 8th 10:00 am

Hear it here: Oregon Arts Watch

Ever hear someone talking about an awesome event they attended and you’re like “doggone it, why didn’t you tell me?” Okay, consider yourself told. Duke Ellington’s Sacred Music is being performed by The Chuck Israels Jazz Orchestra in a “profound and joyous experience of music and worship” (media post) on Sunday, June 8 in St. Gabriels Church in Beaverton’s Bethany area. St. Gabriel’s choir director soprano Jessica Israels and her composer/bandleader father have curated and arranged the music for choir, an outstanding group of vocal soloists, and – let’s say it again – thee Chuck Israels Jazz Orchestra. Here’s a phenomenal 1965 video of Israels with the Bill Evans Trio: https://youtu.be/d3nLoJuFBzc

Joining the voices of St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church Choir are vocalists Margot Hanson, Erik Hundtoft, Jessica Israels, Brandon Michael and Orchestra: Paul Mazzio, Trumpet; John Moak, Trombone; Tim Willcox, Alto Sax; David Evans, Tenor Sax & Clarinet; Joe Manis, Baritone Sax; Darrell Grant, Piano; Chuck Israels, Bass; Michael Rodenkirch, Drums.

St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church, with the Chuck Israels Jazz Orchestra, offers a “Duke Ellington” Pentecost service on Sunday, June 8, 10 am. Come and enjoy.

Opera Masterworks Concert Monday, June 16 7:00 pm —–Oregon Arts Watch

Multnomah Women’s Chorus members must be excited about this upcoming “Opera Masterworks” performance. Opera choruses are good music but when sung out of context, without the stage drama swirling about them, their luster can be lost. That’s why this [Monday] June 16 concert looks so special. The drama is invited to the concert stage.

Chorus selections like “O Pastorelle Addio” from Giordano’s Andrea Chénier and trios like “Spogliati Bambolino” from Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi will be interspersed with solos and duets by choristers and special guests. Erik Hundtoft will perform “Pierrot’s Tanzlied” from Korngold’s Die Tote Stadt with MWC wafting above. There’s Purcell, Humperdinck, Mozart and Bizet – much more opera music for you to enjoy. Kelly Bard and Rebecca Stager share the enormous accompaniment duties and Chuck Israels joins in on double bass.

“Opera Masterworks” are performed by MWC on Monday, June 16, 7 pm, at St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church. The concert is free. More information is here.

Notes from the Corner Office
Dear Beloved Community,

It is my great joy and pleasure to announce that after ten years, St. Gabriel’s will once again be celebrating the Day of Pentecost Sunday, June 8th with a 10:00 am Rite Two Eucharist service filled with the inspiring music of Duke Ellington!

Jessica Israels, St. Gabriel’s music Director has assembled selections from Ellington’s Sacred Music repertoire. She and her composer/bandleader, father, Chuck Israels, have curated and arranged the music for an outstanding group of vocal soloists, the St. Gabriel choir, and the Chuck Israels Jazz Orchestra.

Those of you who were members of St. Gabriel in the early 2000’s, will remember this wonderful experience of music and worship.

An Ellington Pentecost is a major undertaking and there is the opportunity/need for members of the congregation to participate as the stage manager, the sound engineer, and the PR person. These three positions are critical to pulling something like this together. Please let me know if you are interested.

Starting this Sunday, we will also be having a special collection for the Pentecost service. You will find envelopes with the bulletins that you can use if you would like to make a donation.

I have only heard stories about the past Ellington Pentecost services and I am so excited that we are going to be offering this gift to our congregation and our community. So, spread the word to family and friends. This will be a great opportunity for us to show off a little bit and to invite folks to experience St. Gabriel. I’ll be keeping you all updated as things progress.

In the peace and love of Christ,

Everett+

You know the two priests who are members of St. Gabriel, The Rev. Dr. Rob Voyle and The Rev. Karen Tiegs, so we’d like you to meet the third priest filling in for us, The Rev. Christopher Decatur.

Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Chris was ordained as a Transitional Deacon on May 26th, 2020, and as a Priest on January 6th, 2021, in The Diocese of Ohio. Chris is a graduate of Virginia Theological Seminary ’20 where he received his Master-in-Divinity degree and a Certificate in
New Mission Practices, and of The University of Pennsylvania where he earned his Masters of Education (Elementary).

Chris recently relocated to Portland to serve as The Head Chaplain at Oregon Episcopal School. Before relocating to Portland, Chris served as a 1st grade teacher in The School District of Philadelphia, as The Interim Priest-in-Charge at The Church of The Holy Comforter in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, The Interim Director and Assistant Rector at St. Paul’s Day School and Church in Westfield, New Jersey, and as Deacon/Priest-in- Charge at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland, Ohio. He also served as The Associate for Children, Youth, and Young Adult Campus Ministries at Trinity Cathedral before arriving at VTS.

Chris is active in the wider Church and has recently served as Faculty for The Preaching Excellence Program, The Taskforce for Liturgical and Prayerbook Revision, and as a Catechist and Advisor for the Episcopal Discipleship initiative: “Baptized for Life”.

Welcome Chris+!

Clergy Sunday Worship Schedule
Covering for Everett+
Late Winter- Early Spring 2025

We are blessed to have these priests be our celebrants and preachers at St. Gabriel’s while Everett+ is on leave. Everett+ may be in attendance on Sundays if he feels up to it. Keep up your prayers!

February
2nd Rev. Chris Decatur
9th Rev. Chris Decatur
16th Rev. Karen Tiegs
23rd Rev. Dr. Rob Voyle

March
2nd Rev. Chris Decatur
5th (Ash Wed.) Rev. Karen Tiegs
9th Rev. Christ Decatur
16th Rev. Karen Tiegs
23rd Rev. Dr. Rob Voyle
30th Rev. Dr. Rob Voyle

April
6th Rev. Chris Decatur
13th Rev. Karen Tiegs
Holy Week to be determined
20th Rev. Karen Tiegs

• Last year, Kim Voyle conducted a wonderful series on “Boundless Compassion,” and is considering how to offer further learning this year.
• Ginger Hess hopes to offer another book discussion on a spiritual topic.
• Connie Brown, who held the first “Lunch and Learn” session on Bystander Training, will continue with other Social Justice learnings.
• The Bible Reading group will continue meeting weekly on Tuesdays and would be happy to see some new members join.

• We will feature a series on “Hospice: How to Meet the End of Life with Dignity and Love,” focusing on caregivers, family and friends, as well as those who are dying. Annie Ritter will be co-hosting, and we will use the best-selling book “Nothing to Fear” as our guide.
• We are also beginning to work with Tara Garrett, our Youth Group leader, to explore Stories from the Old Testament after the 10:00 am service every other Sunday, with an additional goal of greater communication between adults and our young adults.
• Finally, Carol, Abby Mulcahy and I will hold a series of sessions on “Satan and Hell: How did they evolve from the Old Testament to today?” This promises to be a particularly spirited discussion!

Holden Village is a retreat center for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), located off of Lake Chelan, Washington.  The village was built from the remains of a former copper mine work camp which was donated to the Lutheran Church in 1961.  Holden Village operates year-round spiritual retreats to people of all faiths to this day.

 Composer Marty Haugen wrote Holden Evening Prayer during a stay at Holden Village in 1986.  It has since become a favorite prayer service in the Lutheran Church, especially during the season of Advent.  I first became acquainted with the service during my time as a member of the ELCA and have wanted to introduce it in an Episcopal Church since joining.  The themes of Jesus the light of the world overcoming darkness are especially comforting during the darkness and depression of winter.

St Gabriel seems like the perfect community to bring this prayer service to and I invite you to join us Saturdays at 6:30 pm at the church during the month of December.

Phillip Hackney

P.S. from Everett+: I am including a YouTube link to a recording of this service. It is truly a beautiful experience. Click here: Holden Evening Prayer.

We rejoiced!

A Celebration of New Ministry:
The Rev. Everett Charters is installed as Rector of
St. Gabriel the Archangel Episcopal Church
Thursday, November 14, 2024

The congregation welcomed Everett+ as our rector with Bishop Akiyama and clergy from throughout the diocese in attendance, including those formerly and currently serving at St. Gabriel’s including Rev. LouAnn Pickering, Rev. Marlene Mutchler, Rev. Marianne Allison, Rev. Linda Potter, Rev. Karen Tiegs, and Deacon Greg Rainey. Joann Charters, Everett’s+ mother, was an honored guest.

Mother LouAnn regifted Everett+ a fantastic blingy sash that said “RECTOR” that she had been given when she was made rector at St. Gabriel’s, made by Kathy Finn-Brennan. Our sr. warden Greg Law gave Everett+ the monetary gift which church members had contributed to in honor of his becoming rector. Ministry leaders symbolically gifted him with a Bible, Book of Common Prayer, wine and wafers, and such. Everett sprinkled the congregation with Holy Water to remember our baptisms.

Anna Law, Sara Longworth, Joan McCumby, and Ann Horton put on an elegant spread of cheese, fruit, and desserts on silver trays with glasses of sparkling cider. The tables were decorated with white tablecloths, candles, flowers, and greens. It was an event full of thankfulness and joy!

We’ll never forget this special night celebrating our fortune at having Everett+ as our rector at St. Gabriel’s.

Rejoice!

The Vestry of St. Gabriel the Archangel
Invite You to

A Celebration of New Ministry:
The Installation of
The Rev. Everett Charters
as our Rector

Presided over by our Bishop,
The Rt. Rev. Diana Akiyama

Thursday, November 14 at 6:30 pm
at St. Gabriel the Archangel Episcopal Church

There will be a cheese, fruit, and dessert reception following the service and all are welcomed.

If you would like to help, please contact Anna Law at scheduling.ministry@stgabrielpdx.org or Sara Longworth at sdlongworth@gmail.com.

An Evensong
for the Victims and Survivors
of the Indian Boarding Schools

“If I were a pony,
A spotted pinto pony,
A good racing pony,
I would run away from school.
I’d gallop on the mesa,
And I’d eat on the mesa,
And I’d sleep on the mesa,
And I’d never think of school.”
~Poem by Abigail Echo-Hawk 2021

Last Saturday, September 28th, St. Gabriel offered a beautifully moving service full of readings, poetry, and reflections. The services of Lament used materials developed by the Rev. Kurt J. Huber and the Rev. Ellen B. Huber of the Cheyenne River Episcopal Mission, with the sermon and the service officiated by The Rev. Everett Charters. Sacred music inspired by the service was performed by David Saffert on piano, and Jessica Israels and Margot Hanson-Israels as vocalists.

The service based on the Slaughter of the Innocents was created to lament the boarding school and to remember the victims. Although the Episcopal Church historically was only involved with a few of the schools, we still want to acknowledge the sin of genocide that occurred in many of the schools in the U.S. and Canada and play our part in the healing of the nation.

The Episcopal Church is also working to support legislation that will establish a Truth and Healing Commission on Indian boarding school policy, which would complement the Department of Interior’s new initiative for developing culturally appropriate liturgical materials and plans for education Episcopalians across the church about this history.

“As followers of Jesus, we must pursue truth and reconciliation in every corner of our lives, embracing God’s call to recognition of wrongdoing, genuine lamentation, authentic apology, true repentance, amendment of life, and the nurture of right relationships. This is the Gospel path to becoming beloved Community.”

From September 29th through November 3rd our 4th-7th graders have agreed upon 10 goals for the People’s  Ecochallenge. The international group based in Portland’s justice mission includes three main components:

• Inspiring people that hold power and influence to change their actions for a better world.
• Ensuring historically marginalized communities have access to resources and tools to enact change where they are.
• Helping connect diverse groups of people to work together to create the world we all want.

Here are our jr. youth group’s weekly challenges:

Every Sunday during church school:  (1) Commit to writing down at least 1 thing they are grateful for during church school and clip to the peace tree; (2) practice gratitude for the Earth and our natural surroundings with prayer, activity, or meditation; (3) engage in a nature-based activity with observation, journaling, or art; (4) collect all the plastic the church goes through during the time period and put it on display to the congregation, then recycle as much as possible, what isn’t recyclable make into an art piece.  

Sept. 29th: (5) This day we made sure people were registered to vote; (6) and went on a plalk and picked up litter around the church and on West Union (see photos).

Oct. 13th: (7) Watch a documentary about racial injustice and discuss. 

Oct. 20th: (8) Bring an item from home to offer for free to a sharing economy-based local free trade group.

Oct. 27th:  (9) Listen to a nature podcast as we create our nature- based saint shields.

Nov. 3rd:  (10) Prepare and serve our Ingathering feast using organic ingredients. 

~Page Clothier and Tom Martin

An Evensong for the Victims and Survivors

of the Indian Boarding Schools

Saturday, September 28, 2024    6:30 pm

St. Gabriel the Archangel Episcopal Church

17435 N.W. West Union Road Portland, Oregon 97229

“The truth about the U.S. Indian boarding school policy has largely been written out of the history books. There were more than 523 government-funded, and often church-run, Indian Boarding schools across the U.S. in the 19th and 20th centuries. Indian children were forcibly abducted by government agents, sent to schools hundreds of miles away, and beaten, starved, or otherwise abused when they spoke their Native languages.” From the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition.

The people of St. Gabriel Episcopal Church invite you to join us in an Evensong for the Victims and Survivors of the Indian Boarding Schools. Through words and music, sounds and silence, we will grieve the Native children, families, and communities who were victims of the boarding schools, acknowledge the ongoing intergenerational trauma and commit ourselves to the work of truth and reconciliation with the Indigenous communities in the church.

This evening donations will be accepted to support Indigi-Aid. Indigi-Aid is a partnership between the Indigenous Ministries of the Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan and scores of many Episcopal communities to raise money for food, basic need items, and medical supplies to aid our Indigenous communities across the Episcopal Church.

All are welcome to attend.

~Painting by Bobby Von Martin, Choctaw Nation

Such joy and fun on Sunday, September 8th when we blessed our refurbished playground that was church member and scout Aiden McKee’s Eagle Project. Everett+ blessed the playground, Aiden cut the ribbon, and the rest of the congregation celebrated with a hot dog roast and picnic. Wonderful day at church!

>>>>>UPDATE to this Important Rite-of-Passage

Sr. Youth Group starts with a planning meeting Sunday, Sept. 8th 10:00 am—with breakfast!

Confirmation Class starts Sunday, Sept. 15th 10:00 am

>>>We are now using a trusted curriculum that most Episcopal churches use, Confirm, not Conform. The course is flexible and has been updated for 2024. Students will still prepare for the ceremony of confirmation and get familiar with the Episcopal Church’s history, modern reality, traditions, and their personal place in the Church. >>>Each session Sept. 15th- Nov. 24th will be (roughly) 40 minutes long during the service Sunday morning 10:00 am in the sr. youth room classroom #1. 

>>>Sr. Youth should attend as many Confirmation classes as they can. If they miss a class, we will be able to provide you with the written information. 

>>>We are fortunate to have Tara Garrett step up in September to be our youth minister and teach the Confirmation Class, with Rebeckah Sellers as the assistant youth leader and family minister Page Clothier also assisting. HOPE YOU CAN JOIN US!

Why was the Creation Care Ministry formed:
During the 2023 Annual Meeting of the Diocese of Western Oregon, there was a call for parishes to
become carbon-neutral by 2030. This is in keeping with a 2022 resolution by the National Episcopal Church.

What is carbon neutrality?
Carbon-neutrality refers to eliminating carbon emissions from a building and church operations so that no carbon (carbon dioxide, methane) is added to the atmosphere. Energy generated through the use of fossil fuels for space and water heat, cooking, electricity, and church programs is the main source of carbon emissions in our facilities. Alternative energy production (wind, solar, water) creates fewer if any such emissions. To achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 will require substantial reductions in the use of carbon-based energy.

What is St. Gabriel’s doing to address carbon neutrality:
The Diocesan Creation Care Congregational Resources document outlines steps toward reaching the
carbon-neutrality goal. They include: 1) forming a Creation Care Team, 2) conducting an energy audit of our facility, 3) calculating our carbon footprint, and 4) creating a plan and timeline.

In early 2024, St. Gabriel’s formed a Creation Care Team which has been meeting monthly to implement this mission and to create an action plan to achieve the carbon goals set by the diocese. The Creation Care Team has met with an energy assessor and also the Energy Trust of Oregon to assess our energy use and achievable solutions to make our facility more energy efficient. Data from the utility bills of the church were used to conduct a footprint analysis for energy use of the building, showing a current net carbon output at 19.5 metric tons of CO2 per year. Natural gas usage accounted for 16.2 metric tons of that total. Based on information from the energy assessment, the Creation Care Team created a plan and is working on a timeline to achieve carbon neutrality goals. These include:
Installation of solar shades to prevent excessive heating in the sanctuary;
Replacement of incandescent lights with energy efficient LED lights;
Replacement of an aging HVAC system with a geothermal or conventional heat pump system.

Who are the Creation Care Team members?
Henrietta Laustsen
Gary Laustsen
Gene Dietzman
Diane Leonard
Sara Longworth
Ian Smith

The Creation Care Team is working hard to make St. Gabriel’s a leader in caring for our Lord’s beautiful Earth. We welcome questions, ideas, and congregational expertise as we move forward. For additional information, please contact Henrietta Laustsen, henriettalaustsen@stgabrielpdx.org.

Dear Beloved Community,

[After attending Beaverton Pride Celebration with some of the congregation last Sunday, June 30th] I’vebeen thinking about the t-shirts I had made for Beaverton Pride. They say, “St. Gabriel the Archangel Episcopal Church: A safe space for queer faith.” Given where we will be wearing them, the message makes sense. We want people in the queer or LGBTQIA+2 community to know that they are welcome among us, especially since so many churches are not welcoming.

But again, I’ve been thinking – St. Gabriel the Archangel Episcopal Church is a safe space for faith – full stop.

Yet, given our times, it is probably worth being a bit more specific. So, I’ve been playing around with a few ideas.

St. Gabriel the Archangel is a safe space for ______faith.
welcoming faith
affirming faith
social justice faith
anti-racist faith
creation care faith
heterosexual faith
queer faith
youth faith
family faith
your faith
my faith
St. Gabriel the Archangel is a safe space for all our faith.

Some of these things are aspirational. Some of these things are actual. There are probably many other things that could be added, but I like the idea of 12 things for some reason. I like the idea that it lists different kinds
of faith as if they were all separate from each other but then ties them all together at the end. I’m wondering if this might not be another t-shirt design. More importantly, I wonder what you all think about this. (Truly, I want to hear your thoughts. fathereverett@stgabrielpdx.org – that is my email; please use it!)

As rector, one of my dreams is that we are always discerning God’s call to us – listening for where the Holy Spirit is calling us to move towards – which means we are always dreaming, always seeking, always praying for guidance to help us understand how we can best serve God and God’s world. I think we are called to mission by God – and that mission changes and evolves over time as we – disciples and apostles of Jesus – grow and
mature in our faith and develop our ability to hear God when God speaks to us.

I believe I have been called to St. Gabriel as your rector to help us grow into what we are being called by God to become. I have talked about this almost since I arrived here. The world, our country, the Church, and we, as a parish, are on the cusp of something. We all are being called – you can practically feel it in the air. What will it be? Who will we become? It is exciting and frightening at the same time, but the Holy Spirit is always
moving, and we, well, we are invited – no, we are called – to move along with and beside. I honestly don’t know what this will look like, but trust me, God is and always will be with us every step of the way, leading us inevitably to God’s kingdom.

More prosaically, but no less important, I’ve also got some news about a change we are making to our Rite II services in July and August regarding our music. We will only be singing the first three verses for our Opening, Gospel, Communion, and Closing hymns. I know it has been the tradition to sing the entire hymn, but I’ve been told that sometimes 6 verses can feel like just too much joyful noise (this from the man who loves it). So, during our months of experimentation, we will be shortening our hymns. At the end of August, I’ll be interested to hear, just like with the alternative lectionary, what folks thought about this change.

In the peace and love of Christ,
Everett+

Dear Beloved Community-

Starting June 1, we are, with Bishop Akiyama’s consent, going to be using A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church by the Rev. Wilda C. Gafney as the source of our lectionary readings for June, July, and August. As Bishop Akiyama wrote:

“The purpose of the Revised Common Lectionary is to make available for use on Sundays Scripture readings that are consistent across worshiping communities. Yet, the manner in which the narrative of females in our Scriptures has been neglected in terms of critique regarding the problematic practice of omitting or ignoring them is hardly “Good News” for women.”

The Rev. Gafney’s lectionary is an attempt to right that wrong, and I am happy that we are going to get the chance to experience her amazing scholarship and passion in developing this alternative lectionary.

Next, on June 9th, our liturgy at 8 am and at 10 am will be drawn from The Common Liturgy of the Eucharist Holy Communion for The Church of North India, The Church of South India, and The Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar. Summer has become a time when we experiment in our worship and so we are going to celebrate with this wonderful liturgy from our cousins in the Anglican Communion.

On June 15th, I will be leaving to participate in the “The Leader’s Way” program at the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale University. Beginning with 6 days at Yale and continuing with 6 months of online learning, the Leader’s Way supports Episcopal clergy called to be change agents in their communities.

On Sunday June 30th at 10:00 am we will have Mass on the Grass, our now annual outdoor service on the hillside.

June 30th is also the day of the Beaverton Pride 2024 Celebration.

Also, remember that starting in July and going through August we are going to have only one service on Sunday at 9:00 am. We will be going back and forth from Rite I to Rite II. There is a calendar of services on the opening page of our website.

In the peace and love of Christ,
Everett+

New to the Episcopal Church? This 53 minute Instructed Eucharist video produced by the national church would be very helpful in understanding how Episcopalians worship and the meaning of terms you hear in the service.

I am delighted to introduce to you the St. Gabriel Creation Care Team. The team consists of myself, my husband, Gary, our Junior Warden, Gene Dietzman, Ian Smith, and Diane Leonard. Our group was formed because our Diocese announced a call for all churches in the Diocese to become carbon-neutral by the year 2030. This was announced during last fall’s annual meeting. It aligns with the National Episcopal Church’s carbon-neutral-by-2030 mandate, which was adopted at the 2022 General Convention.

Carbon-neutral by 2030. What does that even mean, and how on Earth do we get there? Basically, becoming carbon-neutral means to “eliminate carbon emissions from a building and church operations so that no carbon (carbon dioxide, methane) is added to the atmosphere.” (CCWG) This is a big goal, with a short timeline.

The exciting thing about our position here at St. Gabriel is that we have an aging HVAC system – or really, just HV system, because we have no AC at all, and we need it. This puts us in the perfect position to transition away from fossil fuels if we choose to do so. Our current heating system burns natural gas, and it alone is responsible for 80% of the carbon emissions of our building.

So, what alternatives might there be? Many of you are probably already thinking the next two words I’m about to say – heat pumps. Probably many of you already use heat pumps for your home HVAC. They use a remarkable technology that is able to produce far more heating or cooling that the electricity it takes to run them, and they provide not just heating, but air conditioning, too. Now, another thing to know is that heat pumps for HVAC come in two flavors – air to air and geothermal. One uses outdoor air as the heat reservoir, and the other uses the Earth as the heat reservoir. (It’s not that you have to drill down till the Earth actually gets hot, it’s just that the temperature of the ground at 6 ft depth or more remains a relatively constant 50-60 o year-round, and you take advantage of that fact to run the heat pump.)

Geothermal heat pumps are the most efficient, lowest maintenance HVAC technology currently available. They have a high upfront cost, but are usually warrantied for much longer than it takes for them to pay for themselves in utility bill savings.

Heat pumps, whether air-to-air or geothermal still use electricity, so if that were the only change we made here at church, it would reduce our carbon footprint by a huge amount, but it would not get it to zero. To do that, we would want to consider installing a solar array. In fact, because of all this work for St. Gabriel,
Gary and I are in the midst of having a solar array installed for our home (we already have a heat pump).

Even before installing a heat pump system or solar array, we will want to tighten up our building envelope as best we can, so we are not installing systems that are larger than we actually need. Also, since HVAC decisions and install will not happen before this summer, we are working to find low-tech solutions to help us get through this coming summer in some degree of comfort.

One thing I really do need to mention is that even though things like geothermal heat pumps and solar arrays are expensive, there are grants, incentives, and rebates available to make these systems much more affordable. In fact, there is a 30% rebate that has long been available to homeowners for installing these systems, and that rebate is now available to houses of worship through the Inflation Reduction Act.

Your Creation Care team has a big job. We will be collecting proposals from contractors, investigating funding opportunities, and learning how we might achieve the goal of carbon-neutral by 2030 here at St. Gabriel. We will present our findings and offer choices for you and the Vestry to make.

If you have experience with any of the technologies I have mentioned, we would like to hear from you. If you would like more information about Creation Care as a church-wide initiative, you will find links to Creation Care on both the Diocesan website and the website of the national Episcopal Church. And of course, we your team members are available to answer any questions we can.

I would like to offer one final image that I find lovely. Creation Care as a mission has come about because we wish to care for our Lord’s beautiful creation. If we are somehow able to utilize geothermal HVAC here at St. Gabriel, getting our heating and cooling from the Earth, and solar panels getting our electricity from the sun, then not only will we be caring for creation, but creation will quite literally be caring for us.
~Henrietta Laustsen

image from wattsstreet

It hasn’t been just work, work, work on the May 12th testimony for our youth- the jr. and sr. youth went to a magical place called Wonderwood in St. John’s for mini golf and lunch (fairy popcorn!) in a space designed by graphic artist Mike Bennett. GO!

Please join us at St. Gabriel the Archangel for Holy Week Services and Events-

All are welcome and we’d love to see you!

At St. Gabriel’s we have lots of ways for you to fulfill our Lenten practice of giving.

Compiling Toiletry Care Kits
Sr. Youth Group is working with St. Gabriel Community Outreach to collect mini-hygeine items to put together into toiletry care kits for those who are homeless. We are asking for donations of hotel-type items, sample and travel sizes (Dollar Tree has a good selection), or items purchase in bulk on Amazon. Put donations in the basket on top of the indoor donation bin by the front door or place in the outdoor donation bin.
-Shampoo
-Body or baby wipes
-Deodorant (most needed)

-Hand sanitizer
-Toothpaste
-Toothbrushes (most needed)

Our knitting/crocheting group is creating washcloths to include.

We are collecting until Easter Sunday, March 31st.

Sr. youth are also creating Prayer Stations in the narthex for the congregation to engage with each week to learn more about homelessness and support/solutions.

Collecting Empty Prescription Bottles

Sr. youth are collecting empty prescription bottles to fill with shampoo for our hygiene kits. If you have any, remove or block out the label with a Sharpie and bring them to church and deposit in the basket with the mini hygiene items.

TO REMOVE THE LABEL EASILY: Take a hair dryer and warm the label on the bottle up for a short time. The label should peel right off. If you don’t want to take the time, just block out your name and our youth will do it for you!

Collecting will be ongoing.

Selling Pre-purchased Full-sized Shampoo, Conditioner, and Soap 

SGCO is selling pre-purchased full-size shampoo, conditioner, and soap for people to purchase and donate for $1.25 a piece. Bring cash or use our Venmo account to pay. We sold out on Feb. 18th but will offer again Feb. 25th and perhaps beyond. Donations will go to Beaverton Resource Center for their Essentials Closet.

Youth Collecting Used Fabrics

One of our sr. youth is collecting donations of worn but CLEAN shirts, towels and washcloths and similar types of used fabrics to be turned into hand towels to reduce paper towel usage. These towels will be sold, and all funds will go to SCRAP or Habitat for Humanity, helping to further reduce items going into landfills. Over the next few weeks, there will be a box set out to collect these items labeled with a poster attached.

Thank you for all the generous donations so far!

Our Epiphany Play “The Visit and the Flight,” presented on Sunday, Jan. 7th, included 30 kids and youth from ages 2 to 17. It concentrated on the Visit of the Magi and the Flight to Egypt. Sometimes it was serious, and sometimes it was so much fun! Thanks to everyone who participated!

A documentary inspired by presiding bishop’s teachings on love due for nationwide theatrical premiere Jan. 23rd- ‘A Case for Love’ grew out of Episcopal filmmaking ministry

BY DAVID PAULSEN- Episcopal News Service

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry was one of hundreds of people interviewed about the Christian notion of unselfish love for “A Case for Love,” a documentary premiering Tuesday, Jan. 23. Photos: Grace-Based Films.

A nonprofit movie company led by Episcopalians is about to unveil its biggest project yet. Its feature-length documentary inspired by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s message of unselfish love is headed for a nationwide theatrical release on Jan. 23.

The film is scheduled to appear in at least 1,000 theaters for the one-day initial release, and more dates could be added if large numbers of moviegoers turn out for the premiere. The nonprofit, Gracie Films, hopes to generate interest from streaming services.

The new film is structured as seven chapters featuring 14 individual stories of people from a wide range of backgrounds, whom Ide described as “ordinary people doing ordinary-to-extraordinary things.” The stories cover a wide range of experiences, from racial justice issues and the fight for LGBTQ+ rights to the foster care system and the military.

Between each chapter, the filmmakers include clips from some of their “people on the street” interviews, as well as some well-known public figures in politics, the arts, and religion, such as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, actor Sam Waterston and the Rev. Kelly Brown Douglas, canon theologian of Washington National Cathedral and interim president of Episcopal Divinity School.

Though some church leaders are interviewed, the target audience extends beyond churchgoers.

When Cur preached in May 2018 at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan, duchess of Sussex, his sermon was viewed by an estimated 2 billion people around the world and generated an immense wave of interest in the presiding bishop’s teachings about Jesus’ way of love, the biblical “agape.” Curry followed up with a two books of sermons.
Robertson added that the timing of the movie’s release at the beginning of a presidential election year, though not by design, has proved fortuitous. “If Bishop Michael’s message of unselfish love was important when he talked about it at the royal wedding, how much more so as we go into what could potentially be such an incredibly divisive year for many?”

Ide said the project talks had been gaining momentum in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. He and the rest of the filmmakers turned their focus for the rest of the year to helping their parish, All Saints’, transition to online and hybrid worship offerings.

By early 2021, they were eager to get back to “A Case for Love” and began traveling the country for interviews and to ask hundreds of people what they thought about the power of unselfish love. We will share the theater information where the movie will be shown when it is available.

Advent Outreach Cookie Project

Sunday, December 10th 10:00 am, 11:30 am

We need lots of people to bring homemade or purchased cookies by 10:00 am to place in bakery boxes to be delivered to people who could use a little holiday cheer. We also need delivery drivers after the 10:00 am service- sign up on the poster in the narthex if you can help.

There are two more Sundays to donate to the Giving Tree in time for the PCC Student Fair

Handmade hats and scarves

There are lots of beautiful handmade hats and scarves to be blessed this Sunday. An amazing number of people created and gifted these special items that add up to a bin full of hats and scarves for PCC students. Thank you!

Hygiene items needed
As part of your Advent practice, please bring items unwrapped and place them under the tree in the narthex by Sunday, Dec. 10th

Here’s your hygiene product shopping list:
O Shampoo
O Conditioner
O Body wash
O Bar soap
O Toothbrushes
O Toothpaste
O Floss
O Razors
O Shaving cream
O Menstrual products
O Deodorant
(Full sized items are preferred)

Other shopping list items needed:
O New and gently used coats and jackets in adult sizes.
O New gloves
O New hats
O New socks
O Gift cards for grocery stores.

We are also collecting paper grocery bags for the fair. Please place them under the Giving Tree or in the indoor donation box by the front entry in the PCC section.

PCC’s Student Fair Monday, Dec. 18th needs volunteers

Join other church members and volunteer at the market! It will be held on Monday Dec. 18th from 11:00 am- 2:00 pm on the PCC Rock Creek Campus, 17705 NW Springville Rd. Portland, OR 97229, Building 5 Lobby. Parking is free. You will need to fill out a volunteer form available by the Giving Tree or at this link here.

We Gave Beaverton School District’s Clothes for Kids a $1000 Donation!

St. Gabriels Community Outreach was honored to gift $1000 to the Beaverton School District Clothes for Kids to buy items that are most needed. They have a special partnership with Fruit of the Loom and can purchase items needed at cost.

The Beaverton Clothes for Kids center is located in a portable at the school district office. Families can sign up to come and select clothing, accessories, shoes, and even books for the kids. They just recently expanded into two portables and have double the shopping space than before.

They also partner with Eco-World, the Assistance League and Northwest Children Outreach who take any clothing items that they can’t give away.

The most pressing need they have at this moment, is gloves and mittens for children and jeans for elementary age.

They’re always excepting gently used clothing and new socks and underwear for children K through 12 as well as adult sizes appropriate for high schoolers. If you have items to donate, you can put them into the outdoor or indoor collection bins by the front entrance doors of the church.

by Allison Gannett

Dear Friends in Christ,

Ever since my visitation to St. Andrew in Florence, this hymn has been going through my head: “Day by day, dear Lord, of thee three things I pray: to see thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, follow thee more nearly, day by day.” We sang the popular rendition from the musical “Godspell,” complete with a guitarist, a tambourine, and soloists. The tune is upbeat in the style of popular musicals of our day, which makes it easy to get stuck in a loop in one’s head.

My first exposure to this hymn was from Godspell; only much later did I discover it in our hymnal. The tune is different, but the lyrics are the same. The hymn stands out in our hymnal because of its simplicity. Instead of a multi-verse theological poem, Day by Day is more akin to a mantra or a simple prayer. This is likely one of the reasons it is easier to remember. It’s simple, gets to the point, and has surprising depth.

Only after repeating it numerous times do we start wondering, “How do I see Jesus more clearly?” As we go through our day, what are we seeing, and how are we understanding what we see? Are we seeing with only our eyes or also with our hearts?

Praying that we will love Jesus more dearly can sound wonderfully sentimental. But after several repetitions, this phrase might draw us into wondering what would it look like for me to love Jesus more dearly? To hold something dear is to cherish and to guard it. How might we live into loving Jesus that goes beyond mere sentiment? What would it look like to hold him so dear that nothing and no one will separate him from us?

What does it mean to pray that we follow Jesus even “more nearly”? This nearness is not about distance measured in inches or feet but by imitation and fidelity. How near are we to imitating his teachings, ministry, and way of life in our lives? How faithful can we be to keeping in step with Jesus such that we will know God revealed through him?

Being drawn into meditation inspired by a hymn is a form of prayer. And sometimes, the simple hymns, the ones that keep playing in our heads, can inspire the deepest and most soulful encounters with God.

In Christ,

+Diana

Many of us probably know something about Día de los Muertos or The Days of Dead, a holiday that originated in Mexico which coincides with the 3-part Roman Catholic holiday of All Saints Eve, All Saints Day and All Souls Day (October 31 – November 2). Día de los Muertos is not Mexican Halloween, rather it is meant to honor the lives of the deceased. Celebration of Día de los Muertos includes building ofrendas (home altars) on which are placed the favorite foods and beverages of the departed. A common symbol is the calavera (skull) which appears as masks, skeleton figures called calacas, and as the calaveras sugar skulls. There is much more to the celebration of Día de los Muertos and I invite you to take some time and explore this wonderful holiday.

European American culture in the United States doesn’t really have anything comparable to Día de los Muertos. Halloween has lost any religious meaning that it might once have held. However, as Episcopalians we do have a Service for All Hallow’s Eve (October 31) in The Book of Occasional Services, and the Episcopal Church (and the greater Anglican Communion) recognizes All Saints Day (November 1) as one of the seven principal feasts of the church year, and one of the four days recommended for the administration of baptism. All Soul’s Day (November 2) was abolished at the time of the English Reformation but in the Episcopal Church’s 1979 Book of Common Prayer it reemerged as the Commemoration of All Faithful Departed, though it is commonly called All Souls Day.

Our liturgical calendar allows for us to observe an All Saints’ Sunday when the holiday falls during the week. This year on Sunday, November 5, we will be observing All Saints Day as well as acknowledging All Souls Day. We will acknowledge All Souls Day by the recitation of a necrology.  A necrology is a list of the dead. In parishes where the reading of a necrology is done yearly, it only includes the names of those who have died in the past year but since St. Gabriel has never done a necrology reading, we will be reading the names of all those whose deaths we have recorded. We are also asking members of the congregation to submit the names of friends or family members who may have died who weren’t members of St. Gabriel or whose names we may not have in our records. To have the name of a loved one included in the necrology please get their name to Ann Horton, Parish Administrator by Tuesday, October 31.

On Sunday, November 5, folks are invited to bring photos or mementos of loved ones who have died to place on the display in front of the altar. The necrology will be read aloud at both services by various members of the congregation to commemorate those who have gone before and are waiting for us at God’s heavenly banquet table. For coffee hour after each service, you are invited to bring a dish that was a favorite of the person(s) you are remembering. Please let our office know (503-645-0744 office@stgabrielpdx.org) if you are planning on bringing something to share. We hope you can join us on November 5th at 8:00 or 10:00 am.
~Everett+

Dear Friends in Christ,

In a recent meeting, the convener began our work saying, “I have been feeling very overwhelmed and disheartened by all that is happening around us. So I want to open us with this prayer.” She proceeded to read the Prayer for the Human Family from The Book of Common Prayer. After the meeting, I reflected on her words and the prayer she chose. I appreciated her matter-of-fact confidence in knowing that in the midst of chaos, uncertainty, discomfort, and discord our core response ought to be prayer.

The next morning, I read this scripture verse for my usual devotions and it seemed as if I was reading it for the first time: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3)

In that moment the words “living hope” leaped off the page.

We refer to hope, hoping, and having hope a great deal in our everyday lives. “Let’s hope it doesn’t rain on game day.” “Hope you feel better soon!” “Hoping all will work out fine.” In these and so many other uses of the word, we are signaling our understanding that we are not in total control. There is an almost passive nature to hoping in this way. These secular references to hope are perhaps obvious in their acknowledgment of those things we cannot control.

But what does it mean to us as followers of Christ to be born into a living hope?

If our hope is alive, then we are meant to participate in this hope. Our participation is active; it is alive because Christ is alive in us. There is nothing passive about a living hope because this kind of hope is stirring up within us a desire to participate in life as revealed to us by God. To have a living hope is to embrace the work of this world, as mundane as it may be at times, with hearts that seek to truly see how we are called to love in this place at this time.

To have hope is to look ahead and wish for something good. However, a living hope calls us to look ahead with sure and certain confidence in the Good News of God in Christ. It is to know that God’s boundless mercy, known most assuredly in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, breathes new life into us even on our worst days. To be sure, I do not believe that having a living hope suggests that we ought to be jocular and upbeat all the time. It does ensure that whether laughing or solemn, we carry within us the quiet and undying confidence that following Jesus is how we know God. And this is, I’m fairly certain, the reason that having a living hope feels like hard work by which we float into God’s grace-filled embrace.

“…but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength;
they will fly up on wings like eagles; they will run and not be tired;
they will walk and not be weary.” (Isaiah 40:31 NIV)

Blessings,
+Diana

image from pptxworship

A Message from Our Bishop: Living in Harmony with God and Creation
Dear Friends in Christ,

One of the joys in serving this diocese is driving through the beautiful landscapes: woods and forests, rivers and streams, beaches and mountains. In the summer and early fall especially, the scent of the earth, of ripening wild berries, and the sparkling water of our ocean, bays, and rivers all remind me of the grandeur of God. The harsh reality of fires, floods, and earthquakes also reminds us of the vulnerable nature of our natural world. The beauty enjoyed one day can be swept away in minutes by a natural disaster. The tragedy of the fire on Maui continues to remind us of our fragility.

The frequency of these disasters, along with the magnitude of destruction, has drawn critical speculation and careful reflection on the ways in which our management of our natural world has accelerated these events. I recently read a Pew research report on the correlation between those who identify as “religious” and those who are aware of concerns about the science related to climate change. Those who describe themselves as religious believe, in overwhelming numbers, that the earth is sacred and created by God. Yet, of those same believers, very few believe that climate change is a matter of serious concern. One of the factors the researchers point to as an explanation for this disparity is that the faithful report they do not hear about climate change in church. Apparently, religious leaders are not lifting up climate change as a real and present danger.

I can only speak from my context within the Episcopal Church as I direct our attention to the Catechism. The second question of our very long Catechism sets forth the Q. and A. that directs our attention to our created world.

Q. What does it mean to be created in the image of God?
A. It means that we are free to make choices: to love, to create, to reason, and to live in harmony with creation and with God. (Emphasis added)
BCP p. 845
Surely as the second question, we are to surmise the importance of this teaching. Positioned to emphasize the first book of The Bible, Genesis, in which God creates and breathes life into all that is, this question in our catechism is prioritizing where we ought to start: with creation. And although some interpretations of the Creation story use verbs like “subjugate” or “dominate” to describe how humans are to interact with the created world, the overarching message about creation throughout the Bible is one of fecundity, generativity, and capacity to nurture and support life. God’s love, activity, and desire for us is that we should live in harmony such that the created world lifts us up with its life-giving force.

We are called, if not commanded, to become faithful stewards of the created world – to care for the water, the soil, the vegetation, the air. Without these, we cannot live. Without these, there is no life as we know it.

I was delighted to speak to one of the members of our Creation Care Working Group this past weekend as he described to me the important work they are doing to engage both the science as well as the common sense needed to respond to our rapidly changing climate. Earlier in the month, I met with a group of high school student leaders at Oregon Episcopal School who are passionate about climate change education. They told me they are eager to meet with our Creation Care Working Group to explore ways they can work together to address climate change in our diocese.

These conversations give me great hope about the way forward as we hasten to respond to a natural world that is groaning from neglect and misuse. We are called to “live in harmony with creation and with God.” There is an undeniable assumption that living in harmony with creation assumes that we are also living in harmony with God. There is an intrinsic connection and one that, in fact, cannot be separated. This returns us to the disconnect revealed in the Pew study. If we believe that the created world is sacred and that sacredness begins and ends in God, then our response to climate change ought to be informed by our desire to live in harmony with God. Living in harmony with God is living in harmony with creation.

Let us, in our worship, praise, and mission, shine a light on climate change and the unique ways God calls us to step up to live in harmony with our Creator, from whom all things have their being.

Blessings,

+Diana

For the first time, we are devoting a portion of the community garden to help Jyoti Rout run some experiments using corn to test some hypothesis that he has. Jyoti is trying to discover a new way for fast breeding corn, methods he thinks should be applicable to breeding other crop plants. His experiments involve growing many different corn lines, making different test crosses and observing the progeny.

By 2050, the world population is expected to grow to 9.8 billion from the current population of 7.6 billion. According to estimation reported by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), by 2050 our world would need to increase food production by about 60% more. Therefore, developing faster breeding methods are necessary.

Current breeding methods involve crossing two or more parents and transferring the desired traits by repeated back-crossing with the chosen parent. This process is time and labor intensive and may take anywhere from 3-7 yrs. Jyoti hopes that his methods should speed up the processes of varietal development and save cost and resources.

This is not genetic modification. Jyoti will be happy to explain the difference and to and teach you about different corn lines that he is currently growing and even teach you how to make crosses in corn and other plants.

To reach Jyoti, please contact our church office 503-645-0744 office@stgabrielpdx.org and we can connect you. He invites you to visit the corn field and bless his experiments.

In our community garden, being situated so close to a place of worship, it gives Jyoti an immense happiness while he works with these plants for a noble cause. Jyoti appreciates all the support he has been receiving from the church and its leadership and his fellow gardeners. 🙏

We invite you to make a peaceful visit to our small corn field at the west side of our Community Garden and bless Jyoti Rout’s experiments.

~Tom Horgan

St. Gabriel is happy to announce that we have a new musician joining our music ministry in September as the pianist and organist for our 10:00 am Rite II Eucharist on Sunday mornings, Stephanie Thompson.

Stephanie takes delight in exploring textures and tone colors in solo and collaborative repertoire. A passionate advocate of art song, she is committed to text analysis and expressing poetic nuance in music.

She is staff accompanist and teaches classical piano and piano accompaniment at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, where she performs with all three choral ensembles. When not playing piano, Stephanie can usually be found entangled in yarn or trapped under cats.

She is an alumna of the Aspen Music festival and is a founding member of the Lewis & Clark Faculty New Music Ensemble, The Friends of Rain. She studied piano at Willamette University and USC and her teachers include Jean-David Coen, Antoinette Perry, and Daniel Pollack.

Welcome Stephanie!

Due to the extreme heat, our roof project has been delayed one week- please note new approximate dates.

What’s the status of our new church roof?

First of all, the repair of the water-damaged siding on one side of the church is complete, and it looks great (see photo)! Thanks to all who helped with this part of the project.

Now- we have a roofing update since the announcement last Sunday. On Tuesday August 8 we had the pre-job meeting with the roofing contractors. We are now scheduled to start on the three tab roofing on the steeple portion on Wednesday, August .

On Monday, August 14 the three tab shingles will be delivered and placed on the roof. No cars can be parked that day in the handicapped parking or on the other edge of the circle driveway because we do not know what time the shingles will arrive. The delivery truck will need to use the whole circle to deliver the shingles moving from one place to the other.

On Monday or Tuesday August 14 or 15 the porta-potty will be delivered. It will be placed near the bicycle rack. Therefore, they will need all of the handicap spaces empty to unload the porta-potty.

On Tuesday August 22 the 40-yard dumpster bin will be placed in the circle. They will need the entire circle to place it. If you are there on Tuesday, please do not park in the circle parking lot. As soon as they have unloaded the dumpster, the circle parking lot will be again available.

On Wednesday morning August 23 at 7:00 am they will start working on the pitched roof. They anticipate being done by Friday night August 25.

The crew will work from 7:00 am until 6:00 pm each day until completed. If we get an Oregon rainstorm, they will delay the roofing for one day at a time until they get it done. The entire time they are working on the pitched roof there can be no parking in the circle area, including the handicapped spaces.

On Sunday, August 27 the circle area will be available for parking including the handicap spaces. However, the dumpster will still be there and we will have to avoid it.

On Monday, August 28 the replacement of the flat roof will begin. The crews will work 7:00 am until 6:00 pm Monday through Thursday August 28-31 until it is completed. We anticipate the flat portion of the roof taking two weeks. The circle parking area will be available on Friday, Saturday and Sunday August 25-27 except the dumpster, will still be there.

If you have any questions, please email jr. warden Gene Dietzman at genedietzman@stgabrielpdx.org.

Thanks so much for your patience during this time of upgrading the building!

~Gene Dietzman, Jr. Warden

Roofing/Parking Lot Use Schedule:

NOTE: Dates could change if there is a rain delay or other circumstances

Aug 14- Tuesday, Aug. 15: Please don’t park in handicap parking spaces in circle parking lot
Tuesday, Aug. 15: Don’t park anywhere in the circle parking lot until the dumpster is delivered. Once it is placed you can park there again Tuesday only.
Wednesday, Aug. 16- Saturday, Aug. 19th: Don’t park in the upper circle parking lot including handicap spaces at all. Upper circle lot can be used on Sunday, Aug. 20th.
Monday, Aug. 21- Thursday Aug. 24: Upper circle parking lot closed.
Friday Aug. 25- Sunday Aug. 27: Upper circle parking lot open.

Join Us for an Adult Formation Class on Understanding the Parables

Come Monday, May 8, from 6:00 to 7:00 pm, in the church library or online via Zoom to learn what to look for and discuss Jesus’ parables. What is a parable anyway, and how is it different from a fable or moral tale? What is unique about Jesus’ parables? How might his listeners have received them? How can we take meaning from them in our world today?

Parables were important to Jesus – the Gospels relate at least 30 of them. But if you sometimes read or listen to one of Jesus’ parables and are left scratching your head, wondering what it means, you’re definitely not alone! Even his disciples sometimes asked for help. How can we gain a better understanding of these very special stories?

Carol Reifsteck will be facilitating our group, looking at several parables in depth. Put May 8 on your calendar and join us for a lively discussion. Newer members are most welcome – this is a great way to get involved and meet more people.

To get the Zoom link, please contact the church office office@stgabrielpdx.org or 503-645-0744. For those of you on Zoom, we have new equipment that will improve the sound and visual quality.

Hope to see you there!

Rod MacDow
Adult Formation Ministry

Our Jr. Youth Group of 4th-7th grade church school at St. Gabriel’s is going to busy the rest of the school year with their twice-yearly Ecochallenge challenge. Last Sunday April 16th the group cleaned the playground as their first project, raking leaves, pulling weeds, picking up toys, removing trash, and doing small repairs. It was raining, but the group voted to go ahead with the planned project, saying, “Hey- we’re Oregon kids- a little rain won’t hurt us.” The playground looks great now! The Ecochallenge ends in April officially but will go on for us through June 4th. Below are the goals they chose:

8 Jr. Youth Group Ecochallenge Goals 2023 April 16- June 4th

Climate and Ecosystems:
CREATE & SHARE A LOVE LETTER, POEM, SONG OR PICTURE: May 21st
(1) We will express our love and gratitude for our planet by writing a love letter, poem, song or taking a picture. We will share in the Ecochallenge feed/St. Gabriel’s social media.

WATCH A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE OR NATURE: June 4th
(2) (3) We will watch 1 documentary about climate change and then go on a Ecochallenge field trip TBD.

Economy and Communities
MEND (UPCYCLE) CLOTHING: May 7th Create something new from old socks
(4) We will mend clothing for myself, family or friends.

Health and Equity
DONATE FOOD: April 23rd Make soup kits for food bank
(5) We will find out what food programs are in our area and donate food and/or other items that they request.

Education and Livelihood
MAKE CLEANING PRODUCTS: April 30th
(6) We will make a few homemade cleaning products.iCloud Photos (2)

HOST OR JOIN A CLEANUP EVENT: April 16th Playground clean up
(7) Within my community at home or work, we will organize or attend a local cleanup event.

Basic Needs and Security
PREPARE AND SERVE A VEGETARIAN MEAL May 14th
(8) Prepare and serve a vegetarian meal for after service coffee hour in honor of Mother’s Day for the congregation.

Palm Sunday worship and then a fun community event for kids was a good start to Holy Week at St. Gabriel’s!