Westminster Presbyterian offers many ways to get involved with our church community, including through arts and crafts, book groups, fellowship groups, recreation, retreats and special events, and spiritual opportunities. For more information about participating in one of the following groups, please contact the Reverend Lindsey Hubbard-Groves at 503.287.1289 x 115, unless another contact is noted for that group. Also check out additional opportunities featured on our website pages for adult education, caring ministries, and service to the world.
For more information about the dates and times that groups meet, see our calendar page.
RETREATS AND SPECIAL EVENTS
Retreats
Men’s Retreat
Next retreat: May 30 to June 1, 2025
The Men’s Retreat happens annually in late spring, usually between mid-May and mid-June. All men are welcome and encouraged to attend. Join us for fellowship, learning, healing, and discernment. For more information, contact the Rev. Gregg Neel at the church.
All-Church Retreat
All-Church Retreat Registration is Open!
You’re invited to Westminster’s 2025 All-Church Retreat at the Columbia River Gorge, held July 11 through 13 at the Menucha Retreat and Conference Center (menucha.org) in Corbett, Oregon. This fun weekend for all ages will include shared meals, games, time to relax in nature or by the pool, and worship. The cost is $200 per adult, but the church will cover the cost for children and youth age 18 and younger to attend for free with family! Meals are included.
The last day to register is Sunday, June 15, unless we reach capacity sooner, in which case registration will close when full. Payment is due upon registration unless you’re following up with pastor Lindsey regarding a scholarship or you’ve made alternate arrangements with her.
HOW TO REGISTER
To register, you will need to (1) fill out the registration form, and (2) make a payment or arrange for a scholarship. You are not considered to be registered until you have completed both steps. For scholarship information, contact Lindsey at lgroves@westprespdx.org.
Registration Form: Please fill out the online registration form here.
If you are unable to register online, or if you have questions, please call Terri Banasek. Terri can take your reservation over the phone if you need help. Contact the church office if you need Terri’s phone number.
To Make Your Payment: Important: Please make your payment after you have completed your registration form. The registration form will help you determine your total cost due. The registration form contains more information (at the top) about costs, cancellation, the refund policy, etc.
To pay by check: Please make your check payable to Westminster Presbyterian Church and write “All-Church Retreat” in the memo line. Please note how much is for a payment, and if applicable, how much is a retreat donation. Mail it to Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1624 NE Hancock, Portland, OR 97212.
To pay online: If you would like to pay online with a credit card or bank account, go to https://onrealm.org/WestminsterPres74275/give/ACR to pay.
Please keep in mind:
- If the amount you are submitting online is only a payment: Fill in the amount field beside the fund marked “All-Church Retreat Registration.” Click the “continue” button to provide your financial information and complete payment.
- If the amount you are submitting online is part payment and part donation: (1) Fill in the amount of the payment portion next to the “All-Church Retreat Registration” fund line. (2) Click the “another fund” button. A new line will appear. (3) Fill in the amount of the donation. (4) Select “All-Church Retreat Donation” as the second fund using the drop-down menu. (5) Click the “continue” button to provide your financial information and complete payment.
Women’s Retreat
Next retreat: October 11, 2025
The annual Westminster Women’s Retreat in October is a time for fun, rest, and renewal. Join us for a day of faith, fun, and relaxation. Details will be available in September 2025.
Pride Celebration
Every year, Portland celebrates its LGBTQ community with the Pride Northwest festival. Westminster celebrates Pride, too, and in past years our members and friends have participated in the festival’s Sunday-morning parade or have gathered as a group to watch the parade in person.
Westminster is committed to being a welcoming congregation, and we’re proud to show it to our community. We are an inclusive church and will perform same-sex marriages. To watch a video about LGBTQ welcome at Westminster, click here. To hear news on what Westminster has planned for Pride each year (generally in June or July), check back on this page close to the time.
For 2025, Westminster is not organizing a group to go to the Pride Northwest parade, but for those interested, here is more information directly from the organizers: https://portlandpride.org/.
This spring, Westminster is offering a class that we hope will be of interest to all those in our congregation:
“Widening Our Congregational Welcome”: Each June, LGBTQ+ Pride Month celebrates and commemorates lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer culture and community—but honoring our LGBTQ+ siblings means more than simply celebrating Pride once a year. It means ensuring, on an ongoing basis, that we each consider our own biases and examine how we can best fulfill Westminster’s mission to strive “to be a welcoming and nurturing Christian community” that works “to foster justice, promote human rights, and advance peace.” How do we truly welcome our LGBTQ+ siblings into our community, every day of the year?
On Sunday, May 25, at 9:15 a.m. in the chapel (and via Zoom), the Reverend Rivka Gevurtz will help us consider that question, presenting an adult education class called “Widening Our Congregational Welcome.” As the Reverend Gevurtz points out, “Often, we are not aware of our unconscious biases and microaggressions that have unintended impacts on LGBTQ folk (who may experience other intersecting oppressions as well). In this hour, we will explore how our own social locations of privilege and oppression help or hinder our ability to manifest our intention of welcome, between a queer person feeling like they have to fit in versus their having a sense of belonging.” Please mark your calendar to join us for this special opportunity to discover what it means to be genuinely welcoming. (If you’re joining remotely, Zoom link information will be available in our e-news.)
Collins Lecture: “A Call to Justice”
On Thursday, May 29, from 7 to 9 p.m., Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon presents the 2025 Collins Lecture, “A Call to Justice: How Faith Communities Can Support LGBTQIA2S+ Rights.” The lecture explores “the duty and responsibility of faith leaders to protect the human rights of all people and what that looks like specifically for our LGBTQIA2S+ neighbors. Our guest speakers from the faith community will share their unique perspectives on LGBTQIA2S+ rights.” The lecture will be at the Pearson Auditorium at the Pendleton Center for the Arts in Pendleton, Oregon, and a virtual option to watch a livestream of the event will also be available. Tickets are $25 for both in-person and virtual options. For more information or to get tickets, visit https://emoregon.org/event/2025-collins-lecture/
ARTS AND CRAFTS
Knitting Group
Beginning and experienced knitters are welcome.
Quilters
Beginning and experienced quilters are welcome.
Westminster Cloisters
Cloisters curates ongoing visual art shows and literary fairs and offers workshop opportunities. The Cloisters Art Studio is located in the lower level of the education wing, just inside the doors at the 16th Avenue (elevator) entrance. All artists are invited to come to the studio to work on their own projects, in any medium, in a fun and supportive atmosphere. The studio’s hours are Wednesdays, 1 to 5 p.m., and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Cloisters’ “poetry post” located outside, next to the church building at the intersection of NE 16th & Hancock, posts poems that broadly reflect the vision and mission of our church, liturgical seasons, and life in the community. For more information on posting poetry, contact Westminster member Mark Hess or the church office.
BOOK & WRITING GROUPS
Monthly Book Group
This book discussion group reads and discusses a variety of books including fiction, current events, history, science, and sociology. An optional lunch follows afterward at a nearby restaurant.
Women’s Bible Study
Join us during the school year for Bible study, fellowship, fun, and prayer using the Horizons Presbyterian Women’s study guide. Theme changes annually.
See also our adult education page for other Bible study opportunities.
Westminster Writers
This small peer group of writers meets monthly offsite and works in various genres, with diverse skills and experience levels. They help each other develop as writers by taking turns presenting material for each other to critique.
FELLOWSHIP
Mariners
Mariners are small groups of Westminster members and friends who meet monthly in members’ homes or other locations to share activities, to encourage Christian faith and fellowship, and to seek ways to serve the church (including hosting post-worship coffee hours in the Great Hall) and the community.
Pub Conversations
Pub Conversations historically has been a fellowship hour centering young(er) adult voices and concerns, primarily enjoyed by those in early and middle adulthood. We meet quarterly or thereabouts for appetizers and conversation. Contact the Reverend Lindsey Hubbard-Groves at lgroves@westprespdx.org if you’re interested in attending.
RECREATION
Bridge
Fellowship and fun; open to all levels of bridge-playing skills.
Deep Play
This workshop series involves improvisational movement rooted in contemplative practice. RSVP required. Contact the office for more details.
Pinochle
Cards, fun, and socializing. Group meets offsite.
SPIRITUAL OPPORTUNITIES
See also Women’s Bible Study, above.
Bible Study
Please see our adult education offerings for various Bible study opportunities.
Lectio Divina
This group discusses scripture and how it relates to and informs our daily lives. The group doesn’t meet in July and August.
Stephen Ministry, Taize, and More
To learn more about Stephen Ministry, our Taize Service of Healing and Wholeness, and other opportunities for compassion and spirituality, please see our caring ministries page.