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Friends of the NRA: In Their Own Tweets

Yesterday, The Forest Grove Leader / The Oregonian published my latest op-ed:

Ending gun violence: The faithful choice means reducing easy access to powerful weapons

NRA supporters took to Twitter to support opposition to my argument. They disagreed with my basic point:

But they also dismissed my views for other reasons. For example, because I support marriage equality:

They engaged in Islamaphobia and questioned President Obama's Christian faith - strongly:

They have issues with basic civil rights and civil rights leaders:

And they don't like when clergy pray for civil rights...

And these are the folks who want to keep assault weapons on our streets. There is too much violence in our nation - too many of these mass shootings - and we can do something about that. Intertwined with the issue of how to prevent gun violence are issues of bigotry directed toward people of color, different faiths, and women (as some of the tweets I got about Secretary Clinton showed). This makes the work of faith communities even more important. Creating justice includes creating space for reconciliation.  But for progress to be made we have to recognize how these issues are intertwined.  


My Last Day

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Sunday will be my last day as the minister of Sunnyside Church and University Park Church. It has been an honor to serve these two Reconciling Congregations in the United Methodist Church as part of a covenantal relationship with the United Church of Christ.

Please join us Sunday at University Park (9:30am worship with early 8:30am coffee reception) and Sunnyside Church (11am worship with reception to follow). All are weclome!  

Two years has not been enough time but they have been filled. I’ve been blessed to work with parishioners at both congregations that take the social Gospel teachings of Jesus seriously.

In that spirit, we have reached out to support those experiencing homelessness, joined anti-hunger efforts such as Bread for the World, raised funds for relief agencies like Church World Service, and worked for the equality of all God’s children.

We’ve expanded ministries through the use of social media – reaching people that never would have heard a progressive Christian message. Pastoral care has been provided. We’ve mourned the loss of some beloved members of our churches and watched children be born and grow.

Like many older congregations, we have been blessed with older buildings that can be both a community asset and a drain. Sometimes it has been difficult to focus on mission instead of building needs.

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U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley kicks off Oregon's marriage equality campaign at Sunnyside Church

My ministry began with a lot of “issues” on the plates of both churches. We’ve thoughtfully and prayerfully worked through many of those issues only to uncover new ones. Faith is a journey, of course, and not a fixed destination. Still, working with new clergy - The Rev. Christopher Gudger-Raines at Sunnyside Church and The Rev. Julia Nielsen at University Park Church – answers to those new questions will help determine the future of both churches.

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Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek visits University Park Church on MLK Sunday

As for me, I’m off to Pacific University. There I will serve as the Director of the Center for Peace and Spirituality and University Chaplain. Pacific is historically related to the United Church of Christ. The community is religiously pluralistic – with many diverse faith traditions represented among the students, staff and faculty (and I respect that many at Pacific don't have a faith tradition but share a commitment to civic engagement) – and I look forward to both teaching and learning at one of the Northwest’s most important centers of higher learning.

During the summer, before assumng my duties at Pacific, I'll have time for vacation and to work on the last leg of my Doctor of Ministry degree at Chicago Theological Seminary.  The summer will be busy.  Pacific has kindly allowed me to open my office before the fall starts so that I have a place to work on my D.Min. 

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Members of Our Occupy The Bible Class

The people of University Park and Sunnyside will always remain in my prayers.  I invite your prayers as my new ministry begins.  

Rev. Chuck Currie

P.S. Visit Facebook to check out photos from the last two years but click on these photos for a sampling. 

Coming Out As A Person Of Faith
Portland Pride Parade
Christmas Eve in Portland
Sunnyside Church - University Park Church BBQ

Statement Of Reaction To Reynolds High School Shooting

Crossandgun1Today we once again mourn for lives lost in a school shooting in Oregon. Before this it was Clackamas Town Center. We will never forgot the Thurston High School shooting in 1998 and the countless acts of gun violence that have taken the lives of young people, those in domestic violence situations, victims of random crimes and gang activity, and preventable accidents in the years since. Our people mourn while too many of our politicians yield to the power of the NRA over the common good of the people of Oregon, and the United States. We need additional common sense gun controls and additional mental health counseling. Too many people worship guns instead of God. But God calls us to be people of reconciliation and justice. We are told to turn our weapons into plowshares. Each act of gun violence is another opportunity for all of us - politicians and citizens - to demand a better society. There is too much violence in our society. The dead will not forgive us if we do not seek a more just world for our children.

The Rev. Chuck Currie

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