Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon has an exciting job opening:

The primary focus of this position is to develop and initiate an interfaith health justice campaign targeted at Oregon’s diverse religious communities, in order to educate, engage, and mobilize religious Oregonians to speak out for state and federal level health care reform that increases health care access and that reduces racial, income, and geographic disparities in access to health care.

This campaign is based on a unique partnership among a religious organization (Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon), a health reform advocacy organization (The Archimedes Movement), and an advocacy group for social and economic justice that organizes under-represented communities (Oregon Action). This education, engagement, and advocacy campaign will give special emphasis on outreach to the following three constituencies: congregations whose members are largely drawn from low or moderate income communities of color; congregations located in rural areas of Oregon, especially rural areas East of the Cascade Mountains, in the Willamette Valley, in Southern Oregon and along the Oregon coast, and small business owners in any of the above or other congregations.

Click here to learn more.

This e-mail arrived yesterday:

With sadness, I wish to inform you that Samaritan Counseling Centers of Portland will be closing its doors on February 28, 2009.  Our closure is due to the negative effects of this economic time and the reality that needed donations to subsidize care for those with less just isn't available.

Clients of the agency will be notified throughout the month of February.  Most classes scheduled for the month will be held despite the closure.  Many current staff will be ramping down their practices here and moving on to new locations as private providers.  Others will be seeking work with other institutions.  To all, we send our kindest thoughts for success.
 
"We fought the good fight with a mission that is meaningful and necessary but we just haven't been able to weather these tough economic times," said Board Chair Mike Stastny.  "Roughly 50% of the agency budget is from federal sources, 30% from donations and 20% from fees.  We have not been able to realize these funds as there just isn't much extra (money) floating around in the community."
 
Michael Sorensen, MPA, will volunteer to assist existing staff with the agency's closure, ending his 3 plus years as the agency executive director.

Samaritan Counseling Centers has had a 25 year history of providing mental health care, pastoral counseling and skill building education to the greater Portland Metropolitan community.  Thousands of children, individuals and families are healthier today because we have been here to help.

Samaritan Counseling Center has played a special role in the life of Portland for many years.  The program was supported largely by churches and many of the therapists also had background as clergy.  They understood that a healthy spiritual life was important for those seeking good mental health.  I referred parishioners to SCC and I used their services myself after my father's death.

The closure of this important agency points to the growing lack of mental health care in our community and how the economic crisis is impacting non-profits.  We're going to see more of this, I'm afraid. 

Pope Benedict has always been a worrisome figure.  When he was named pope the decision brought words of concern from the general minister and president of the United Church of Christ.  UCNews reported on April 19, 2005:

"Today as the conclave announces its decision, the offering of prayers for this new pontificate is the most appropriate response from other Christian leaders," the Rev. John H. Thomas, UCC general minister and president, said in a written statement to United Church News. "Nevertheless, I acknowledge that I personally greet Cardinal Ratzinger's selection with profound disappointment. Cardinal Ratzinger's long tenure in the Vatican has been marked by a theological tone that is rigid, conservative and confrontational."

Thomas said that, during the papacy of Pope John Paul II, Ratzinger often "lacked the warm pastoral heart that is so central to the ministry of bishops, including the Bishop of Rome.

"The harsh treatment received by many gifted Catholic theologians over the years from the Cardinal's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has been profoundly troubling," said Thomas, who served as the UCC's chief ecumenical officer before being elected the UCC's leader in 1999. "[Ratzinger's] interpretations of the ecumenical vision of Vatican II have been narrow and constrained, and he has persisted in describing the ecclesial status of non-Catholic churches in ways that have been insensitive and demeaning."  

Two teens are dead and others wounded in the worse mass shooting in Portland history.

Bryan Kellim sold Erik S. Ayala the gun that was used and he feels just awful.

"It just makes me sick. I didn't sleep hardly at all last night," Kellim told The Oregonian. "I just feel for the families."

Kellim makes his living putting these weapons of war on the streets at 99 Pawn & Guns off McLoughlin Boulevard, which he owns.  What did he think would happen when he sold the Italian-manufactured EAA Witness 9 mm?

"Each day in America eighty people die from guns. For each gun death, two more are wounded," according to The Brady Center and Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.   

Hopefully the legal system makes Kellim pay some price for his chosen profession.

Related Link:  Learn about ways your community of faith can become involved in these issues by visiting God Not Guns. 

Late last week I posted a statement from the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice praising the decision by President Obama repealing the global gag rule.  RCRC stated:

Also known as the Mexico City policy, the rule prohibited American dollars from being granted to foreign family planning clinics unless they agreed not to use their own private, non-U.S. funds for abortion services or counseling. The rule also prohibited organizations from lobbying to reform harmful anti-abortion policies and laws.

Over the last several decades the General Synod of the United Church of Christ, our high deliberative body, has reaffirmed the right of women to make their own health care decisions.  But that does not many everyone in the UCC is pro-choice.

Douglas e-mailed this morning to say:

I am a member of the UCC.  I do not condone the wholesale murder of embryos that is taking place in abortion clinics.  I feel that this is not a right bur a crime against humanity.  There are only two situations where one has to question the use of abortion and then it is questionable.  The life of the mother or baby is in jeopardy or in cases of rape.  I am a parent and cherish the memories of my daughter growing up.  I would not have given that up for anything.  Children are gifts we receive from God and entrusted to us by Him for our care and nurturing.  When someone flushes this gift away it is a terrible crime which should not be alowed. On other maters I consider myself a liberal.

One of my favorite aspects of the United Church of Christ is that we allow the freedom to disagree.  You don't have to agree with a General Synod ruling, for example, but be do ask that people respect those involved in the decision making process.

On the issue of abortion, I still wonder where we can find common ground?  Perhaps in legislation that seeks to end the need for so many abortions by providing family planning, critically needed birth control, and support for families with young children. 

Nutty old Lars Larson had his producer call again this morning to ask that I be on the show. Once again, I declined. I did, however, tune in for the first hour and heard Larson briefly try to link me with the Sam Adams mess and another Portland scandal that took place twenty years ago. Oddly, he told listeners that I was defending Adams. The mayor might feel differently since I asked him to resign (Larson had even called on Friday to ask me on air why I’d called on the mayor to resign). Lars never mentioned me again during that first hour but he did use the public airways to promote just about every hateful stereotype about gays and lesbians you could come up. Portland’s own Rush Limbaugh-wannabe has become a pathetic excuse for a journalist, a term he sadly clings to.

Update:  Need a little more proof that larson is a hateful bigiot?  Consider this from Media Matters for America:

Radio host Lars Larson played a spoof "Barney Frank for President" advertisement, in which a person said: "Now remember, this Erection Day -- Election Day, vote for Barney Frank for President. I'm Barney Fag -- uh, Frank and I approve this massage -- message." Larson also baselessly suggested that Frank allowed his relationship in the 1990s with a Fannie Mae official to improperly influence his conduct as a member of the House Financial Services Committee. In fact, Frank repeatedly took actions over the years to strengthen oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Last night there was a mass shooting in downtown Portland that left two teens dead and another seven people injured.  This morning at Parkrose Community United Church of Christ we offered prayers for those impacted by this tradegy.  Communities of faith need to be at the forefront of efforts to reduce gun violence in America.  I encourge those concerned about this issue to visit God Not Guns to learn more.

My blog post from Thursday calling on Mayor Sam Adams to resign has brought in some feedback and created a little bit of news.  Willamette Week linked to the post yesterday.

A web site called "Recall Sam Adams" is also linking to my site.  I want to be clear that I would oppose a recall election and I am in no way affiliated with this effort.  I do not know the people involved and have never talked with them. 

Lars Larson's producer also called yesterday asking that I come on his show.  I declined.  Larson does more damage to our city and our state on a daily basis with his wild rants and uniformed opinions  than anyone I know.  As a radio talk show host using the public airways his show is essentially paid for by tax-payer money.  He makes his living by dividing our city and attacking our public institutions while living it large through corporate welfare.  If there was a way to "recall" him I'd be all over it.    

Like most Portlanders, I’ve been wrestling with whether or not Sam Adams should be forced to resign after admitting that he lied about and then covered up a sexual relationship.  I’ve come to the conclusion that the best move that Mayor Adams could make for Portland’s future is to resign now.

I think Mayor Adams is a good and decent man who fell into a trap that many before him have fallen into (think President Clinton or Newt Gingrich, or any of our family and friends who have one time or another failed us).  All things being equal, I would like to give the mayor a chance to redeem himself.  He is, in theological terms, a broken and sinful person (so are we all in one way or another), but grace ought to be offered at times like these.  His twenty years in public life have been productive and I suspect he still has plenty of good to offer.

But two weeks ago I sent the mayor a letter, copied to the city council, offering concern that the mayor’s otherwise ambitious 100 day agenda did not deal with the issue of poverty.  Poverty is a growing issue in Portland and it needs the attention of the mayor.  Now, however, the entire 100 day agenda is in ruins.  The next hundred days will be taken up with investigations and debate will center not on the needs of Portland but on the actions of Sam Adams. 

Some are now rushing to the mayor’s defense.  Even Steve Duin today urged the mayor not to give up without a fight.  The Oregonian columnist wrote:

I have a suggestion on how we all might channel our frustration and move this process forward:  

A recall.

 

And a recall that Sam Adams openly encourages -- and privately supports -- because the voters deserve a referendum on whether or not he is still qualified to serve as Portland's mayor.

 

While calls for Adams' resignation are the crusade du jour, a recall allows both the mayor and the multitude the opportunity to step back from the week's numbing revelations and assess the damage.

 

State law bars the filing of a recall petition until July, after Adams has served six months in office.

 

Mix in the time necessary to gather and verify the required number of signatures -- 32,183 -- and schedule that vote of the people, and we're talking about either a Sept. 15 or Nov. 3 referendum.

 

That would give the voters valuable time to assess the full measure of Adams' truthfulness, contrition and effectiveness. And it would allow the mayor to make the case that lying about sex, however pathetic and opportunistic, does not fully eclipse his potential to reshape this city.

In part, I like the idea.  But does anyone really want the central debate in Portland during a time of deep economic recession to be about the mayor’s personal life?  I want it to be about poverty, the economy, how we protect Portland’s environment, and how we provide the best education possible for our children.  Basically, I want the debate in Portland to be centered on the ideas and challenges that Sam Adams ran on and not on Sam Adams himself. 

As I said earlier this week, in truth, his winning campaign only succeeded in the fashion it did (with a weak opponent and broad public support) because he lied and never let Portlanders grapple for themselves with his actions. When a politician doesn't trust the people how can the people trust the politician?  He brought this on himself. 

Mayor Adams needs to resign so that we can get to the business of quickly finding a new mayor who can meet the challenges we commonly face.  His resignation would be a gift and would set him on a path of recovery.  There is still a place for Sam in Portland.  It just isn’t in City Hall.

In time, however, I hope he finds his way back into the public arena.  Sam Adams is smart, dedicated, and deserving of the forgiveness he has asked for.       

Use the below link to download the podcast of this message from Rev. Chuck Currie for your iPod or personal computer.  

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You can download a PDF copy of this message by clicking  here.

Today on the UCNews Blog, I have a post up about the National Prayer Service held this morning in DC and The Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins' excellent sermon.  Check it out.

The Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery offered the benediction at the Inaugural today.  He offered words to God that were inclusive and prophetic.   

Portlanders have been forced to consider whether or not their newly elected mayor is morally fit to serve in office after Sam Adams admitted to a sexual relationship with a 18 year old he'd first met when the young man was 17 and an intern at the State Capitol. Adams had previously vehemently denied a relationship existed and called whatever type of connection he had with the young man a "mentoring" association.

There are several questions worth considering:

First, did Adams do anything illegal? Determining legality depends entirely on when the sexual relationship began. Was the young man 17 or 18? 18 is the legal age of consent and Willamette Week, which broke the story, told KGW last night that they had no evidence the affair began before the man was 18. A relationship between two consenting adults shouldn't be a news story. The young man was not an employee of the city.

There is more to the story, however. When these allegations first came to light – at the start of the mayoral race when Adams was a city commissioner – he attacked the person spreading the story (a potential political opponent) and said all elements of the story were false. He lied to the people of Portland to further his political career.

But even here there is moral ambiguity to wrestle with. Adams now claims that had he first come clean and admitted that he had had an affair with an 18 year old that as a gay man he wouldn't have been believed because of old and false stereotypes about gay men preying on young boys. His fear was legitimate. But in the end he should have had more faith in the ability of Portlanders to understand the details (assuming he is telling the truth now about when the sexual relationship began).

Trust is now where the story will end. Can voters trust Sam Adams again? In truth, his winning campaign only succeeded in the fashion it did (with a weak opponent and broad public support) because he lied and never let Portlanders grapple for themselves with these questions. When a politician doesn't trust the people how can the people trust the politician?

For what it is worth, I endorsed Adams in his race for mayor. I wouldn't make that same decision today. I'm proud of Sam's courage in being one of the nation's highest ranking openly gay people and I've been impressed with his leadership qualities. It would seem – with the evidence we know – that the cover-up was the real mistake here. How deep that cover-up went is an open question. Willamette Week has suggested that it went far enough that Adams hired a reporter to join the mayor's staff who was totally unqualified for a high paying job. The reporter in question had been digging around this story. Was she hired to shut her up?

Whether or not Adams should remain in office rests entirely on whether he can convince Portlanders he still has the integrity to govern. At this moment, for me, it is still an open question.

I refuse to accept the cynical notion that nation after nation must spiral down a militaristic stairway into the hell of thermonuclear destruction. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant. I believe that even amid today's mortar bursts and whining bullets, there is still hope for a brighter tomorrow. I believe that wounded justice, lying prostrate on the blood-flowing streets of our nations, can be lifted from this dust of shame to reign supreme among the children of men. I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down men other-centered can build up. I still believe that one day mankind will bow before the altars of God and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive good will proclaim the rule of the land. "And the lion and the lamb shall lie down together and every man shall sit under his own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid." I still believe that We Shall overcome!

- The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., accepting the Nobel Peace Prize

We pause to give thanks today for the life and ministry of Rev. King.  He was a prophet sent from God to help lead us all to the promised land. 

We listened to a bit of the “We Are One” inaugural concert this afternoon. Liz said she felt as if a war had just ended and finally there was reason for hope and celebration. Clearly, millions of Americans are feeling the same way. We’ve endured another “long national nightmare” that will finally end on Tuesday as Americans unite under a new president.

I said in July 2007 that…

All of the candidates running for president in 2008 bring different gifts to the debate over our nation’s future and my endorsement of Senator Obama is not a reflection on any of them but rather because of my faith in the senator’s leadership and ideas. I believe in Barack Obama.

As a minister in the United Church of Christ, I trust deeply in the Constitutional principle of separation of church and state and my endorsement is therefore a personal one and does not reflect on the church I serve or my denomination. But as a citizen I believe that all Americans must engage in the political process as individuals for democracy to thrive. So I choose to add my voice today with millions of other Americans concerned about the direction of this nation.

Barack Obama has shown leadership on the most pressing moral issues of our day – such as the war in Iraq and the global AIDS crisis. During his time in the Illinois Legislature and in the United States Senate he has demonstrated that his values cannot be compromised by prevailing political winds.

Christians, Jews, Muslims – all people of faith in America – share in a deep and abiding love for this nation. But many of us, as William Sloane Coffin would have said, have a “lover’s quarrel” with America. We know things can be better. We know all Americans need health care. We know that no one should be homeless in the world’s richest nation. We know that global warming threatens God’s own earth and that as the stewards of creation we are called forth to protect this planet. We are also called to be peacemakers in times of conflict.

Barack Obama shares these values and when elected president will embody them as he makes decisions in the Oval Office. When that day comes we will be a better nation.

The problems that America faces now are even greater than when this campaign first began. The economy has collapsed and we face challenges not seen since the Great Depression. No president can fix this mess alone. It will take millions of Americans working for a common purpose…that American ideal that tomorrow can be better than today.

At some point our children and our grandchildren will look back and ask what we did in this moment of history. Did we do something to lift a generation out of poverty? Did we work to stop the war? Did we fight to end to global climate change crisis? We are all called to this task, regardless of party or any of the other labels we might try and apply to one another. Each one of us is needed for the world to change.

Good news!  President-Elect Obama has invited the Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins to preach at the National Prayer Service in the National Cathedral on January 21, according to the National Council of Churches (NCC) and The New York Times.  Click here for the full story.

This nice piece of mail showed up today at our house:

We'd love to go, of course, but after attending the convention in Denver and meeting the President-elect twice on the campaign it just isn't possible to get away to Washington.  Liz and I were both at Clinton's 1993 Inaugural (though we didn't know each other then) and maybe one Inaugural is really all anyone should hope for. 

The New York Times ran a great story a few weeks back about the printing of the invitations:

ON Thursday, Dec. 11, Jim Donnelly got the call at his office on Jay Street in Dumbo for the biggest job he had ever had. Emmett Beliveau, the executive director of the Presidential Inaugural Committee, told him that Precise Continental, Mr. Donnelly’s 26-year-old printing company, had won the bid to produce one million gold-and-black engraved invitations for the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama.

Mr. Donnelly gathered his staff for the announcement, and a cheer went up. “They were ecstatic,” he said. “They wanted to be a part of history.”

To meet the Jan. 2 deadline, Mr. Donnelly’s 65 employees have to work around the clock. But no one was complaining, Mr. Donnelly said, and he put out dozens of calls for rush orders of paper, ink and the like.

According to Mr. Donnelly, Precise Continental was selected over rival printers because it is a union company, it uses recycled paper and it is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, which promotes responsible forest management. Although Clark Stevens, a spokesman for the inaugural committee, would not confirm that those factors were decisive, he did say, “These are issues that President-elect Obama campaigned on and that have concerned him throughout his career...”

Click here for the full story.

Letter sent 01/09/08 via e-mail

Dear Mr. Mayor:

Congratulations on your recent swearing in.

This evening I had the opportunity to read your ambitious First 100 Days Agenda.  I personally support many of the goals but was concerned to not read about any concentrated effort to combat poverty.   

First, the emphasis you place on public education is particularly important.  As you know, education is the key to a better future for Portland's children.  The United Church of Christ has been a long-time advocate of public education.

Portland Public Schools receive no funding from the city of Portland or Multnomah County to assist Project Return, the nationally award winning program to help homeless children succeed in school (Multnomah County, however, does support a failed model of educating children that is so inadequate that it is illegal to use federal dollars to fund such programs). 

Likewise, your emphasis on economic development is important.  We need to focus our public resources on neighborhoods that were left behind during the 1990s.  Portland is more than the Pearl District.  The decision to hold your swearing-in at Parkrose High School sent a clear message that you intend to be the mayor of all of Portland.   

Your proposed local economic stimulus plan is the only area where you mention the needs of low-income workers.  But what we need from your office is bold leadership on this issue that focuses on the goal of poverty reduction.

I would urge you to amend your First 100 Days Agenda to include a section on poverty reduction.  You list perhaps two dozen or more specific tasks you hope to undertake to support the arts in Portland.  Do the same for the issue of poverty.  Name a committee of leaders representing a broad section of Portland to help you develop such a plan.  Poverty is a growing problem locally and nationally and it will take both federal and local efforts to address growing human needs. 

My offer for Parkrose Community United Church of Christ to host a meeting of religious leaders willing to meet with you to discuss your plans still stands.

Please let me know if I can provide you with any assistance.

Sincerely,

The Rev. Chuck Currie

My prayers tonight are with the late Rabbi Aryeh Hirshfield, his family and the people of Congregation P'nai Or in Portland.

The Oregonian reports on this tragic loss:

The death Tuesday of Aryeh Hirschfield, 65, rabbi of Portland's Congregation P'nai Or, has spurred Oregon's faithful to reach across religious lines to comfort and challenge one another.

"With his passing, the loudest voice for interfaith work and peace between religions has been silenced," said Imam Mamadou Toure of Beaverton's Bilal Mosque. "The greatest tribute that we can give to him is to pick up where his voice left off."

Hirschfield, who was an accomplished composer and musician, was vacationing in Oaxaca, Mexico, when he died. He was snorkeling near the town of Pochutla with his family. His wife, Beth, and his youngest sons had returned to shore but left the boat for him so he could continue to snorkel.

The family was in Mexico to attend the wedding of Hirschfield's son Isaiah. Hirschfield's other survivors include sons Jonathan, Aviel, Dove and Elisha.

Details about Hirschfield's death and his funeral arrangements are uncertain, but the outpouring of grief on his behalf was intense and immediate.

Cassandra Sagan, a member of P'nai Or who has known him for 15 years, said Hirschfield was a brilliant liturgist.

"A service was not just talking about things, it was the thing itself," she said. "It was holiness. It was forgiveness."

Katharine Cahn, who had known Hirschfield for more than three decades -- he sang at her wedding 30 years ago -- said he "brought life back to Judaism. ... He was able to go down into a well and pull up a jewel from the bottom, a jewel that for many people had gotten to be rote, and he could bring it to life."

Click here for the full story.

This Sunday at Parkrose Community United Church of Christ our Scripture readings included Psalm 72: 1-7, 10-14 and Matthew 2:1-12.

Use the below link to download the podcast of the sermon for your iPod or personal computer.   

Download “The Plot Against Jesus Begins”

(click with the RIGHT mouse button on the hyperlink and choose “Save Target As” and save to your desktop or other folder – once downloaded click on the file to listen).

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Use the below link to download the podcast of this message from Rev. Chuck Currie for your iPod or personal computer.   

Download JAN012009.m4a

(click with the RIGHT mouse button on the hyperlink and choose “Save Target As” and save to your desktop or other folder – once downloaded click on the file to listen).

Now On ITunes

You can now subscribe to Rev. Currie's podcasts on ITunes by clicking here.

You can download a PDF copy of this message by clicking here.