Fall 2024
September 15
Overview of WeShine
Jan McManus, Executive Director
WeShine builds/operates micro villages that provide safe, transitional shelter with wrap-around services for Portland’s underserved, unsheltered adults as they prepare to become successful tenants in permanent, affordable housing. WeShine has been operating its Parkrose Village since August of 2022 and anticipates opening its Avalon village at SE 19th and Division St. this month. Work on a third micro village is underway in North Portland on the grounds of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. Each village has 10 sleeping pods, each with a locking front door, windows, a small front porch or patio, and electricity. Villagers share community toilets, a shower, a kitchenette, washer & dryer, and a community room. Examples of the under-served populations served at WeShine micro villages include adults who identify as LGBTQIA+, Black, Indigenous, or People of Color, adults with disabilities, older adults, adults who identify as female, and adults who have experienced domestic violence.
September 22
What’s Next for the Presbyterian Church (USA)
John Wilkinson, Director of Ministry Engagement and Support, Presbyterian Church (USA)
The Presbyterian Church (USA) is living into significant change, reflecting the larger religious and cultural landscape in the U.S. In this conversation, we will explore current trends and directions, including a recap of the recent General Assembly.
September 29
New Glory to God Hymnal
Dr. Mary Louise Bringle, Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies
Dr. Mary Louise (Mel) Bringle is a Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies and Coordinator of Integrated Studies Major at Brevard College and is an award-winning hymn writer, translator, educator, scholar, and hymnal committee chair for the Presbyterian Hymnal, Glory to God. A professor at heart, a published author and a theologian by training (with a Ph.D. from Emory University and an assortment of publications in pastoral theology), Dr. Bringle became an award-winning hymn writer whose original texts and translations appear in hymnals around the world. Dr. Bringle’s publications in the field of hymnology include Joy and Wonder, Love and Longing; In Wind and Wonder; and Introducing Glory to God. Published books in pastoral theology explore three of the seven cardinal sins: Despair: Sickness or Sin?, The God of Thinness: Gluttony and Other Weighty Matters, and Envy: Exposing a Secret Sin. As we adopt and learn about the new hymnal, Mel will share the process of selecting the hymns that are included in Glory to God; what recent hymns have been added, what older hymns have come back, and what changes, additions, and improvements have been made that convinced us that it was time to purchase this hymnal. Her research is beyond thorough, compelling, and grounded in her deep scholarship and experience in hymnology and congregational singing.
October 6
Ranked Choice Voting in Portland this November: Amplifying Your Voice
Melanie Billings-Yu
This year, Portlanders are using a new voting system to elect the city’s Mayor, Auditor and City Council. Instead of a primary followed by a general election, these positions will all be elected in a single November election using ranked-choice voting (RCV). Melanie will summarize these changes, then dive deeply into how to vote under the new system, to ensure that your vote counts to the greatest extent possible. This will be a strictly non-partisan, interactive workshop, including live voting in a mock RCV election.
October 13
Upcoming Ballot Measures
League of Women Voters
A lecturer from the Speakers Bureau of the Portland League of Women Voters will join us to talk about the ballot measures we will be deciding in November. The speaker will give a lecture on how the questions on the ballot might affect us, followed by a generous time for Q & A. In the past, these sessions have been informative and lively. Our ballots will likely feature a number of interesting measures. [Note: We will not be discussing candidates.]
October 20, 27, and November 3
The Doctrine of Discovery
Dr. David Groff, The Rev. Randy Woodley, and The Rev. Aric Clark
In the mid-1450s, Pope Nicholas V issued a series of papal bulls authorizing Christian monarchs to conquer and take possession of lands inhabited by non-Christians. What came to be called the doctrine of discovery became a principle of international law that justified European expansion throughout the world. A three-part series will examine this doctrine as the religious and legal basis for the colonization of the Americas and other parts of the world, as well as New World slavery. On Oct 20 Rev. Randy Woodley will look at the Doctrine from an indigenous perspective. On Oct 27 Dr. David Groff will lead off with an historical overview of the doctrine and its consequences. And on Nov 3 Rev. Aric Clark will discuss current efforts by churches to address and dismantle the Doctrine.
November 10
Affordable Homeownership as a Solution to the Housing Crisis
Tor Ostrom, Chair of Faith Committee, Habitat for Humanity Portland Region
Habitat for Humanity Portland Region partners with local families to provide affordable homeownership opportunities. Habitat is making big investments in homeownership that is permanently affordable for future generations. The stability homeownership provides is life changing for the hundreds of individuals living in the 50-60 new homes Habitat builds each year in the Portland area.
November 17 and 24
Ethiopia and Sudan
Caroline Kurtz, Founder and Executive Director, Maji Development Coalition, and Jane Kurtz, Author
From 1955 to the present, members of the Kurtz family have been loving Ethiopian people, food, culture, and mountainous beauty. Caroline and Jane Kurtz will share their experiences growing up in Ethiopia with their siblings and parents, Harold and Polly Kurtz. And they will also share what it’s been like to return as adults to collaborate with Ethiopians in literacy and development work. After Caroline Kurtz spent six years teaching English to Ethiopian girls in a school started by Presbyterians after WWII, she went with her family to Nairobi to work with Sudanese church leaders who had fled the Sudanese civil war. This was before Sudan and South Sudan became separate countries. Forces from the capital in Khartoum and militias in the south of the country were fighting. And two ethnic groups in the south had also been fighting each other. More people had been killed or displaced than in all of the other global conflicts in the 1990s put together. Caroline helped organize and participated in a people-to-people peace conference at one point. She will give some perspective on the present crisis in Sudan.
December 1
Poetry for Advent
Mary Ann Wish
Advent is a fine time for investigating the beautiful poetry of this blessed time of the year. If you like poetry, or even if you’re not sure you do, you will enjoy hearing and discussing these poems.
December 8
No Class
December 15 and 22
Where Did Jesus Come From?
Dr. Stephen Patterson, George H. Atkinson Professor of Religious and Ethical Studies, Willamette University
Where did Jesus come from? In the Gospel of Mark, he simply appears one afternoon in the company of John the Baptist. In Matthew, he is born in Bethlehem, his hometown. In Luke, his hometown is Nazareth; he is born in Bethlehem by accident. In John he is the Word of God who is said to have existed from the beginning of time. At Christmastide, we celebrate them all. But do they all mean the same thing? In this series, we will look at each account separately to see what surprises we have missed in their conflation.
Winter 2025
January 5, 12, and 19
Biblical Theology for a Climate-Changed World
Rob Kugler, Paul S. Wright Professor, Religious Studies & Classics, Lewis & Clark College
Heat waves, droughts, overheated oceans, torrential rains, devastating floods, vast wildfires, and more leave no doubt that ours is a climate-changed world. With that comes the double imperative to adapt to a transformed environment and to alleviate the suffering of the most vulnerable. Yet on both fronts, from the local to the global, progress is slow if it comes at all. Particularly in America, a deeply rooted and fiercely held commitment to self-determination is among the reasons for our struggle to live cooperatively with nature and generously toward our neighbor. In this brief series we will wrestle with some biblical traditions that call us out of ourselves to simultaneously partner with nature and serve the disadvantaged. We will see how the Christian scriptures provide compelling theology for a climate-changed world.
January 26
Warm Springs: 150 Years and Counting
The Rev. Jim Moiso, Pastor Emeritus, Westminster Presbyterian Church
Our ministry with the Warm Springs was established shortly after the reservation itself . This Presbyterian Church has been an island of safety and hope and faith. We’ll talk about history and trauma, and challenges and opportunities. Join with us in the conversation as we look to God’s future in this precious place.
February 2 and 9
The Doctrine of Discovery and Russian Imperialism
Dr. Dawn Nowacki, Professor Emerita of Political Science, Linfield University
In two class sessions, we explore how actions based on the “doctrine of discovery” played out in the two very different contexts of Russia and the United States. Rather than acquiring far flung external colonies, the Russian state expanded east and south into the contiguous lands of Eurasia from the 14th century into the 20th. This expansion, which the Russian Orthodox Church saw as part of its mission, was accomplished mostly by ethnic Russians designated as superior to the indigenous peoples and even to other Slavs and Balts. Over the centuries, Russia developed into a multi-cultural internal empire whose power hierarchies exist to this day.
Lecture 1 will cover the expansion of the Muscovite state, the incorporation and subjugation of diverse peoples and lands over time. In the justifications for expansion, we see parallels with the doctrine of discovery in terms of civilizing, Christianizing and land use narratives. We discuss parallels with the settling of the American West as justified by the doctrine with the settling of Siberia in the context of the symbiotic relationship between the Orthodox Church and tsarism.
Lecture 2 focuses on Russian Alaska as an example of church/state cooperation for claiming and exploiting that territory in the 18th – 19th centuries. While the terminology used might be different, there are marked similarities in Russian imperial policies around the “doctrine of discovery” idea related to land title as well as to the treatment of indigenous peoples. At the same time, the Orthodox Archbishop in Sitka appears to have related to indigenous peoples with more humanity than what was demonstrated in US territories. Native peoples ultimately retained control of their lands before the “sale” of Alaska to the US. Finally, we examine the implications of Russian imperial domination for the
present, including in Ukraine.
February 16, 23, and March 2
Problem of Evil and Punishment
Alan Bernstein, Ph. D.
Alan Bernstein is a professor emeritus of medieval history at University of Arizona. He also taught at Stanford. He is the author of two books on the history of the belief in hell, The Formation of Hell (1993), which traces belief in punishment after death from its origins to its articulation in early Christian writing, and Hell and Its Rivals (2017), which shows patristic Christianity, rabbinic Judaism, and early Islam each taught eternal suffering for the wicked. He has a website dedicated to altruism and its implications for public policy: www.tempoandhup.com.
The first Sunday will focus on the character of Satan in (chronological order) Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (with a mention of other religions). The second Sunday will focus on the conceptions of Hell, again in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, with a mention of other religions. The third Sunday will look at modern punishment with the focus on the incarceration system in America today.
Previous Class Recordings
The Adult Education Committee is pleased to offer recordings of many recent classes. The recordings are available here.
Toothmarks on the Lectionary
Every Sunday, 9:15-10:15 a.m., in Room A. Morning participants will read the Bible texts for the 10:30 a.m. worship service that day. Classes include pastoral participation and background material to help prepare more fully for worship and listening to the sermon.
“Exploring Membership” Classes
Whether or not you’re ready to become a Westminster member, in our “Exploring Membership” classes you are invited to learn what it means to be Presbyterian and consider opportunities for spiritual growth and meaningful mission. These classes are generally offered in spring and fall, either on Saturdays or Sundays. Childcare may be available on request. There is no charge to attend, but advance registration is requested so we can adequately prepare. For more information, please contact Alaina Smith in the church office.
Church Library
Westminster Presbyterian Church has a library with a wide variety of books. You don’t need to be a church member to use the library. The library is located on the ground floor of the church near the 16th Street entrance. You are welcome to browse through the bookcases and table displays.
We recently updated and remodeled the library. It’s both an organized resource area as well as a place to meet in a cozy, relaxed atmosphere.
If you have any question, please contact the church office during weekdays at 503-287-1289. Please note that our library is no longer taking book donations.
Additional Opportunities
We have more educational activities offered in small-group settings, including a variety of book groups. Please check out our Community Life page for more information.