Pacific University

A Prayer Of Healing For The Coronavirus

04DF9F2D-9F5D-4E99-B3C4-09860C6A3BB6God of many faiths,

A new virus has emerged.
With it comes grief, suffering, and fear.
Heal the sick, we pray.
Comfort the afflicted, we pray.

God of all nations,

Your people are quarantined in cities and on ships.
Help those impacted find hope.
Help relieve fear.
Spark courage in all your people.

God of all people,

Help us to reach out with compassion.
Remind us to reject bigotry.
Encourage us to lift up reason.
Demand that we respond with love to those in need.

Healing God,

We ask for your blessings on scientists.
We ask for your blessings on doctors and first responders.
We ask for wisdom for government officials the world over.
Bring comfort to all.

We pray all this and more to a God who knows no borders, who loves all people, and who heals the sick and broken-hearted.

Amen.

A prayer written by The Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie, a minister in the United Church of Christ, and director of the Center for Peace and Spirituality and university chaplain at Pacific University.


Personal Statement on International Day of Peace and Global Climate Strike

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As we note International Day of Peace and the Global Climate Strike, I personally stand with students at Pacific University and other young people across the globe, including my children who are participating in the Climate Strike, calling for urgent action to address the Climate Crisis.  We need every generation to stand up before it is too late. The proposals in the Green New Deal, endorsed by the General Synod of the United Church of Christ, provide a roadmap forward. Climate change contributes to the international refugee crisis, makes war more likely, and is causing great pain and suffering.  Young people deserve a more peaceful and just world. For people of faith, there is a deeply spiritual connection to this issue. We are called to be stewards of Creation; not exploiters of it.

 

Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie

Director, Center for Peace and Spirituality

University Chaplain

Pacific University


A Prayer and Meditation for Commencement at Pacific University

As director of the Center for Peace and Spirituality and university chaplain at Pacific University, I have the privilege of offering prayers such as the invocation at Commencement. Yesterday, we held both the undergraduate and professional and graduate Commencement exercises.  Below is the prayer and meditation I shared:

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Good morning.

In 1849, members of what is now called the United Church of Christ founded what would become known as Pacific University. The United Church of Christ, the church of the Pilgrims, has over the centuries evolved into an open and affirming denomination that values diversity, religious pluralism, education, and a just society.

The mission of Pacific University embodies these same principles: to inspire “students to think, care, create, and pursue justice in our world.”

As we gather, let us first begin with a moment of silence for those we have lost in our Pacific family this past year…

Now please join me in a time of prayer and meditation:

Will you please join me in a time of prayer and meditation:

Loving God,

As we gather today, we do so in a moment of celebration.

We celebrate the accomplishments of graduates, who have given their all in the pursuit of higher education.

We celebrate the faculty, staff, alum, and donors, who have done everything possible to mentor a new class of scholars.

We celebrate the families and friends gathered here, whose support have meant the difference between failure and success.

There is much to be thankful for today. Not only do we give thanks for all the academic accomplishments that are being recognized, we give thanks for the friends made, for love we have found, and for the support this community has given to one another in difficult moments.

Commencement represents an ending, but also a new beginning. The Pacific University mission of helping to create a more just world does not end with a diploma; it is a charge given to all who are part of the Pacific community to propel us into the future.

We ask for strength and wisdom in this task, as the challenges before all the world are as complex as any moment in human history.

Help us to listen for voices which call us to support the common good over voices that demand walls between us.

Help us to be voices for justice and reconciliation, even as other voices are lifted up that preach messages rooted in racism, xenophobia, sexism, and homophobia.

We face a political crisis in the United States and an unparalleled ecological crisis across the globe. Racism, bigotry, and inequality plague us. It would be easy and even understandable to surrender to the complexity and difficulty of it all.

If we did, however, we would betray those who came before us at other moments of crisis to demand that the realities of their time bend. The 19th-century Unitarian minister and abolitionist Theodore Parker once offered this wisdom:

”I do not pretend to understand the moral universe. The arc is a long one. My eye reaches but little ways. I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by experience of sight. I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends toward justice.”

That belief - that the universe bends towards justice - propelled the abolitionist movement that ended slavery, the suffrage movement that won women the right to vote, and the Great Civil Rights Movement.

The world needs movement leaders today who are ready to bend the moral arc of the universe. Help us to be those leaders.

We know that this generation represented among graduates today have been dealt a terrible hand, but we recognize these same young people have the moral and intellectual capacity to change the course of history.

Let us close this time of prayer and meditation with these words from the Book of Isaiah.

If you remove the yoke from among you,
the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
if you offer your food to the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the darkness
and your gloom be like the noonday...
Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to live in.

May we be repairers of the breach, the restorer of streets.

Amen.


Young Americans Take On Gun Violence; Offer Hope

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Photo by Tanner Boyle, Pacific University

As the United States continues to grapple with the problem of gun violence, young people have reenergized the movement for gun control. The leaders of this reborn movement are young people who have been directly impacted by the issue.

As he surveyed the human rights issues of his time, Robert Kennedy spoke these words to South African students living under the oppressive system of Apartheid:

Our answer is the world's hope; it is to rely on youth. The cruelties and obstacles of this swiftly changing planet will not yield to obsolete dogmas and outworn slogans. It cannot be moved by those who cling to a present which is already dying, who prefer the illusion of security to the excitement and danger which comes with even the most peaceful progress.

This world demands the qualities of youth; not a time of life but a state of mind, a temper of the will, a quality of the imagination, a predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease.

American youth today have changed the terms of the debate over guns in our culture by refusing to accept as normal the gun violence present in our society.

Katie Lightcap, president of Pacific University’s undergraduate student senate, helped to organize Pacific’s participation in the #NationalWalkoutDay. The Forest Grove News-Times reported on what she told the crowd of 500 students who participated:

Lightcap is from Roseburg, which was shaken on Oct. 1, 2015, by a school shooting at nearby Umpqua Community College.

"Recognizing over half of the names of the victims was like a sucker punch to the gut," she recalled after the rally. "I couldn't believe it."

That personal familiarity with gun violence motivates Lightcap to be involved with this issue, she said.

Since the Parkland shooting last month, after which student survivors of the shooting made appearances in the national media — including a televised CNN town hall in which they directly addressed members of Florida's congressional delegation, the sheriff of Broward County, Fla., and a spokeswoman for the National Rifle Association — some conservative commentators have criticized students for speaking out on the issues of gun violence and gun control, arguing that they are not knowledgeable or experienced enough to speak with authority on the subject.

Lightcap rejected that notion.

"The great thing about being in a democracy is that every person has a voice," she said. "That's why it is a democracy. So in hearing that criticism, like we don't know enough, we aren't old enough to fully understand the breadth of this, I almost want to, like, laugh, because we have been directly impacted. … I have a friend who was shot nine times. She was one of the survivors in the UCC shooting, and she's alive. And so visiting with her and seeing her, they can't tell me that I don't know that."

Many believe that we will never find an answer to gun violence. America’s young people provide evidence that we will.


White House Easter Prayer Breakfast 2016

ImageWas it worth a 36-hour round trip from Portland to DC and back again to attend the White House Easter Prayer Breakfast. Absolutely. Here's why.

First, it provided the opportunity to thank President Obama personally for the kindness he and his staff have shown me since 2007. It took amazing moral courage to get the Affordable Care Act passed. The Iran Deal moved us off the path toward another war in Middle East. Saying thank you in person was important and this could be my last chance before President Obama leaves office.

It also gave a chance to see many friends - both White House staffers and religious leaders - who I've come to know and care about. There was a sense of nostalgia today. The president said so in his remarks. This will be his last Easter in The White House.

I was able to briefly share with Vice-President Biden my support for his cancer "moonshot." I'm a cancer survivor. But the wound of my mother's death from cancer is still raw. He understands this as well as anyone. We also got a few seconds to talk about our friend Les AuCoin.

Other conversations were just as important. I spoke with a senior State Department official about my hope that the president take a resolution before the United Nations outlining a path toward peace between Israel and Palestine. It was an opportunity for me to share my belief - shared widely - that the Palestinian people need hope and relief from suffering. Nothing justifies terrorism. I strongly support the right of Israel to exist. But I also strongly believe the human rights of the Palestinian people are not being met.

Many conversations dealt with the ugly rhetoric of this campaign season. If you're thinking that those gathered were a bunch of progressive Christians, well, you'd be wrong. Evangelicals and Roman Catholics, some of them conservative, were in attendance. They were just as upset as me regarding the Islamaphobia and misogyny evidenced in this campaign. As religious leaders, I think we are all struggling within our own contexts with how to best offer a prophetic word this election year.

President Obama said this morning:

...in light of recent events, this gathering takes on more meaning. Around the world, we have seen horrific acts of terrorism, most recently Brussels, as well as what happened in Pakistan -- innocent families, mostly women and children, Christians and Muslims. And so our prayers are with the victims, their families, the survivors of these cowardly attacks.

And as Joe mentioned, these attacks can foment fear and division. They can tempt us to cast out the stranger, strike out against those who don’t look like us, or pray exactly as we do. And they can lead us to turn our backs on those who are most in need of help and refuge. That’s the intent of the terrorists, is to weaken our faith, to weaken our best impulses, our better angels.

And Pastor preached on this this weekend, and I know all of you did, too, as I suspect, or in your own quiet ways were reminded if Easter means anything, it’s that you don’t have to be afraid.


Bringing light to dark places. That has always been a central understanding of what it means for me to be a Christian.

So I talked with faith leaders today working to assist refugees. I talked with faith leaders working to combat climate change. I talked with faith leaders working for civil rights and police accountability. I talked with people who disagree with me on important theological and social issues and asked where we could find common ground and work together. You better believe I invited all of these people to visit Pacific University.

Yes, it was worth the trip. I'm a little bit tired typing this out on my iPad while flying back to Portland (a very first world problem to have) but my own hope is restored after breaking bread this morning with a group of faithful Americans who, like President Obama, are trying in difficult and conflicting times to bring light to dark places.


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Public invited to Pacific University for Middle East Peace Forum on Thursday, Oct. 29

By Joe Lang
Monday, October 19, 2015

Pacific University's Center for Peace and Spirituality invites the public to a reception and forum with leaders of The Abraham Fund Initiatives of Israel, an entity that promotes coexistence and equality among Israel's Jewish and Arab citizens.

The events will take place on Thursday, Oct. 29, in rooms 223 and 224 of Jefferson Hall on the university's Forest Grove Campus, with the reception beginning at 6 p.m. and the forum commencing at 7. Admission is free, but seating is limited on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Abraham Fund Initiatives work to "promote coexistence and equality among Israel’s Jewish and Arab-Palestinian citizens. Named after the common ancestor of both Jews and Arabs,The Abraham Fund works toward a prosperous, secure and just society by promoting policies based on innovative social models, conducting large-scale initiatives, advocacy and public education.”

Co-executive directors Amnon Be’eri-Sulitzeanu and Dr. Thabet Abu Rass will be joined Center for Peace and Spirituality director Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie and Dr. Raymond Haija, a member of The Abraham Fund’s U.S. board of directors.  

“This summit will provide an opportunity for the Pacific community to begin an important conversation about the on-going crisis in Israel and will look at effective peace-building models,” Rev. Dr. Currie said.  “Not every issue will be addressed and we will not solve the issue of peace in the Middle East. We will meet two important Jewish and Muslim leaders working toward that end.” 

Pacific University's Center of Peace and Spirituality provides students with the opportunity to engage in meaningful study, reflection and action based on the recognition that inter- and intra-personal peace are inherently connected and that concerns for personal spirituality are intimately related to concerns for one's social, historical, cultural and natural environment.

For more information, please contact Rev. Dr. Currie at [email protected] or call 503-352-2032.


Faith Leaders Respond To Oregon Shooting #UCCShooting

#UCCShooting

Joint Statement on Umpqua Tragedy from Oregon Faith Leaders Jan Elfers (Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon) and Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie (Pacific University Center for Peace & Spirituality)

Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon and the Pacific University Center for Peace and Spirituality join Oregonians and Americans in grief and shock over the mass shooting today at Umqua Community College (UCC). We are in contact with colleagues in ministry in the Roseburg area to see what assistance is needed.

“All of our faith traditions abhor violence, and Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon has joined the National Council of Churches in calling for action to prevent gun violence,” said Jan Elfers, interim executive director of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon.“Our prayers go out to all those who lives have been impacted by this terrible tragedy; to the victim’s families and friends, and to the entire Roseburg community. We are grateful to those who responded to the emergency and undoubtedly prevented the loss of even more lives.”

A Resolution and Call to Action by the National Council of Churches of Christ, U.S.A.
http://nationalcouncilofchurches.us/comm…/…/gun-violence.php

“Mass shootings like this happen too often and Oregon has not been immune,” said Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie, director of the Center for Peace and Spirituality and University Chaplain at Pacific University. “Today we offer our prayers for those killed and injured. We also lift up the families of those impacted. Still, we must also work to take steps that reduce gun violence this day so that there are no more days like this.”

Dr. Currie is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ.

Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon is a statewide association of Christian denominations, congregations, ecumenical organizations and interfaith partners working together to improve the lives of Oregonians through community ministry programs, ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, environmental ministry and public policy advocacy.

Pacific University’s Center for Peace and Spirituality provides students with the opportunity to engage in meaningful study, reflection and action based on the recognition that inter- and intra-personal peace are inherently connected and that concerns for personal spirituality are intimately related to concerns for one's social, historical, cultural and natural environment.

Founded in 1849, Pacific University offers more than 84 areas of study within its colleges of Arts & Sciences, Optometry, Education, Health Professions and Business.

Views and opinions expressed by Ms. Elfers and Rev. Dr. Currie do not necessarily reflect the position of Pacific University.


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#PopeInUS Finding Common Ground With Pope Francis


#PopeInUS The Unity and Disunity of the Church Universal: A Sermon On John 17:20-21

The Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie, director of the Center for Peace and Spirituality and University Chaplain at Pacific University, has been invited to attend the arrival ceremony for Pope Francis at the White House on Wednesday, September 23.

Pope Francis, making his first trip to the United States since becoming the world leader of the Catholic Church, will address the the US Congress before visiting Philadelphia and New York City.

Dr. Currie, a long-time advocate for social justice, was invited by the White House earlier this month to join President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama in welcoming Pope Francis to the US.

“It is obviously a great honor to be able to attend this historic event,” said Dr. Currie, an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. “I have enormous respect for Pope Francis, his welcoming inclusion of all, and his work to bring about peace, economic equality and support for the environment. It is a special gift to be able to represent Pacific University at this gathering."

Prior to the ceremony, Currie will present, "The Unity and Disunity of the Church Universal," on Sunday, September 20 at Ainsworth United Church of Christ in Portland (2941 NE Ainsworth). The service begins at 10 a.m., and his sermon will focus on Pope Francis' visit to the US and where people of faith from different traditions can find common ground.

Pacific University’s Center for Peace and Spirituality provides students with the opportunity to engage in meaningful study, reflection and action based on the recognition that inter- and intra-personal peace are inherently connected and that concerns for personal spirituality are intimately related to concerns for one's social, historical, cultural and natural environment.

Founded in 1849, Pacific University offers more than 84 areas of study within its colleges of Arts & Sciences, Optometry, Education, Health Professions and Business.

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Pacific University Chaplain to Attend Pope Francis Arrival Ceremony at the White House


Personal Testimony Before Portland City Council On Pembina Propane Terminal

Good morning.

My name is Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie. I am a resident of NE Portland and serve as a minister in the United Church of Christ, currently in the capacity of the Director of the Center for Peace and Spirituality and University Chaplain at Pacific University.

I can share with you this morning theological concerns to projects such as this one under consideration. Like the Audubon Society of Portland, I believe this project is inconsistent with Portland’s Climate Change Action Plan.

In 2005, I joined over 1,000 religious leaders across the United States in signing a document called “God’s Earth is Sacred: An Open Letter to Church and Society in the United States.” We declared:



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Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie & Rev. Kate Lore at Council hearing
The imperative first step is to repent of our sins, in the presence of God and one another. This repentance of our social and ecological sins will acknowledge the special responsibility that falls to those of us who are citizens of the United States. Though only five percent of the planet’s human population, we produce one-quarter of the world’s carbon emissions, consume a quarter of its natural riches, and perpetuate scandalous inequities at home and abroad. We are a precious part of Earth’s web of life, but we do not own the planet and we cannot transcend its requirements for regeneration on its own terms. We have not listened well to the Maker of Heaven and Earth.
The second step is to pursue a new journey together, with courage and joy. By God’s grace, all things are made new. We can share in that renewal by clinging to God’s trustworthy promise to restore and fulfill all that God creates and by walking, with God’s help, a path different from our present course. To that end, we affirm our faith, propose a set of guiding norms, and call on our churches to rededicate themselves to this mission. We firmly believe that addressing the degradation of God’s sacred Earth is the moral assignment of our time comparable to the Civil Rights struggles of the 1960s, the worldwide movement to achieve equality for women, or ongoing efforts to control weapons of mass destruction in a post-Hiroshima world.

In that spirit, I urge you to reject the proposal before you.

* as prepared for delivery

 


Center for Peace & Spirituality Releases Annual Report

1795975_1494559500818577_9172863885512003863_oThe Pacific University Center for Peace and Spirituality (CPAS) has released an Annual Report for the 2014-2015 academic year.

As one of Pacific’s newer centers, CPAS has had a year of tremendous growth: sponsoring forums on racial inequality, hosting Pacific’s first-ever interfaith worship service, co-sponsoring a social justice retreat for students, launching new social media accounts, and bringing nationally known speakers, such as Sister Simone Campbell, to Woodburn and Forest Grove.

“We hope this report provides a glimpse into what has been an exciting year for us,” say Rev. Chuck Currie, CPAS director and university chaplain. “CPAS has been fortunate to have found strong support from President Lesley Hallick, diverse faculty and staff, students, and community members.”

2014-2015 Annual Report | Center for Peace and Spirituality


A Nun on the Bus: Sister Simone Campbell at Pacific University

10688446_1572099626397897_3797482980906984400_oYou've seen her on 60 Minutes, The Colbert Report, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as she travels across the country with "Nuns on a Bus" advocating for the least of these in society. The Pacific University Center for Peace and Spirituality is excited to announce that Sister Simone Campbell will be on Pacific's Forest Grove campus at the Taylor-Meade Performing Arts Center on Monday, April 6, 2015 for a 7 pm public lecture. Her talk will focus on the role faith can play in promoting public policies that advance the common good.
 
"It is an honor to host this nationally known advocate," said Rev. Chuck Currie, director of the Center for Peace and Spirituality and university chaplain at Pacific University. "Sister Simone is an inspiring leader in the effort to create a more just nation.  More people would be living in poverty without her leadership."
 
Sister Simone has served as Executive Director of NETWORK: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby since 2004. She is a religious leader, attorney and poet with extensive experience in public policy and advocacy for systematic change. In Washington, she lobbies on issues of peace building, immigration reform, healthcare and economic justice. Around the country, she is a noted speaker and educator on these public policy issues. Her latest book is A Nun On the Bus.
 
ticket is required to attend. Seating is limited. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
 
Contact Rev. Currie at 503-352-2032 or at [email protected] for additional information.  

Oregon Minister Responds to President’s State of the Union Address

Oregon Minister Responds to President’s State of the Union Address

Rev. Chuck Currie, chaplain at Pacific University (Ore.) and director of the institution's Center for Peace & Spirituality, is available to discuss President Obama's State of the Union speech (503-208-6521, [email protected]).

His initial thoughts: "Having read President Obama’s State of the Union Address and spoken today with White House officials about the proposals the president is making, I can report without hesitation that the president has put forward an agenda people of faith concerned about families, poverty and education can support.

We need a tax system that benefits all Americans and not just the wealthiest. Tax cuts now for middle class families will help those struggling during the recovery. Paid family leave will help create new opportunities for healthily communities. Free community college will help a generation move into higher education and we all know education is the best way to escape poverty.

Diverse faith leaders across the United States have been calling on President Obama and Congress to pass many of the initiatives announced by the president. There has already been strong support from the faith community for the president’s executive action on immigration and climate change. As a minister in the United Church of Christ deeply concerned about the future of America, I support President Obama’s vision and call on members of Congress to work with President Obama."

Rev. Chuck Currie
Director, Center for Peace and Spirituality
University Chaplain
Pacific University


Unfulfilled Dreams: A Sermon Remembering The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

ScanThis morning people gathered in the chapel of Old College Hall on the campus of Pacific University for an Interfaith Service to remember to life and legacy of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  We also gathered to consider the "UnFulfilled Dreams" of King's movement for social justice and how we from our various faith traditions and different backgrounds might continue to further the work of building up the Beloved Community.  View some of the photos from the service on Facebook.

You can download a podcast of the sermon here:

Download Rev. Chuck Currie - Unfulfilled Dreams

(some browsers - like Firefox or Google Chrome - will allow you to simply click on the link and listen...otherwise 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).

The Pacific University Center of Peace and Spirituality plans to hold future interfaith gatherings - both to promote interfaith worship and to promote interfaith dialogue and understanding.

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Rev. Chuck Currie, Pacific University Chaplain

Nearly 200 Faith Leaders Condemn President’s Lifting of Civilian Protections in Syria Strikes

Reposted via Faith in Public Life

Washington, DC – Nearly 200 Protestant, Catholic and Evangelical faith leaders and professors issued a statement calling on the Obama administration to take stronger steps to protect civilians when carrying out airstrikes in Syria. Prominent signers include Dr. Susan Thistlethwaite, professor and former President of the Chicago Theological Seminary, Sr. Simone Campbell of NETWORK: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, and Baptist ethicist Dr. John Shelley.

The administration recently announced that it had scaled back criteria for ensuring that civilians are not harmed in strikes aimed at ISIL.

“News that your administration has abandoned the stated policy of making every effort to protect civilian lives in the course of drone strikes undermines America’s moral authority,” they wrote. “As people of faith, we see this as a grave moral issue.  We urge you to put back in place your policy that no strikes will take place unless there is a ‘near certainty’ that civilians will not be harmed.”

“When you mirror your enemy, you risk becoming your enemy,” said Dr. Susan Thistlethwaite, a United Church of Christ pastor and former President of the Chicago Theological Seminary. “The U.S. is now on that path and it is a profound moral mistake.”

“Our faith traditions argue that civilians must be protected in war,” said Rev. Chuck Currie, a United Church of Christ pastor and Director of the Center for Peace and Spirituality and University Chaplain at Pacific University. “We are at our best as a nation when we live up to our highest ideals. It is our sacred responsibility to protect the most vulnerable. The president must order U.S. forces to resubmit to his original policy regarding the use of drones.”

The statement and full list of signers is available here. Titles are for identification purposes only.


From Ferguson To Forest Grove

We had a powerful discussion Thursday night at the Pacific University Center for Peace and Spirituality forum Ferguson to Forest. Our panelists spoke from a variety of perspectives on how racism impacts us here in Oregon. Students and community members spoke up. Not everyone was in agreement on every subject but it was the kind of discussion we need to continue to have to make the changes needed in our society to further address racism.


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

Invocation for Pacific University Commencement Service(s)

Invocation for Pacific University Commencement Service(s)

Saturday, May 17, 2014

as prepared for delivery by The Rev. Chuck Currie, incoming Director of the Center for Peace and Spirituality and University Chaplain at Pacific University 

Photo-97Good morning. One hundred sixty five years ago members from what is now called the United Church of Christ founded what would become known as Pacific University. The United Church of Christ, the church of the Pilgrims, has over the centuries evolved into an open and affirming denomination that values diversity, religious pluralism, education, and a just society.

These same principles are embodied by the mission of Pacific University: “A diverse and sustainable community dedicated to discovery and excellence in teaching, scholarship and practice, Pacific University inspires students to think, care, create, and pursue justice in our world.”

As we gather in celebration, let us first begin with a moment of silence for those we have lost in our Pacific family this past year…

Now please join me in a time of prayer and meditation:

Creator of us all, we join together on this Commencement Day in joyful anticipation of the future. We come from different places, different backgrounds, different faith traditions (or no faith tradition), but whatever differences we have we are bound together by the love, friendship and sense of family we feel for those gathered among us, and a hope that with our help the world can become a better place for all.

For our faculty and staff, we offer every thanksgiving for the service given to our graduates.

To the friends and family who have come from near and far, we recognize the sacrifices made for this day to have come.

Invocation - Rev. Chuck CurrieFor our graduates, we offer congratulations for your hard work and ask every blessing as one chapter of life ends and another begins. You inherit a world of challenges. Put the needs of the “least of these” around the world ahead of personal gain. Work to free the oppressed and continue the work of building the Beloved Community – a place where the Earth itself is protected so that generations yet to come can enjoy this gift we are simply stewards of. Love your community but always respectfully challenge it – and yourself – to better serve the common good. Do so with a spirit of reconciliation and compassion. Be bold, not timid, as you seek justice, love kindness and yet still walk humbly with the Spirit of all (Micah 6:8) through your life.

Peace be with you this day and every day.

Amen.


A Brief Word About Peace

Remarks delivered by Rev. Chuck Currie, incoming Director of the Center for Peace and Spirituality and University Chaplain at Pacific University, before the 2014 annual symposium of the Peace and Conflict Studies Consortium, on April 26, 2014

Unknown-4This coming fall I’ll assume the duties of Director of the Center for Peace and Spirituality and University Chaplain here at Pacific University. As an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and a community activist, I have long standing interests in peacemaking and how we build just communities that sustain peace.

In the mid-1980s, the General Synod of the United Church of Christ voted for our denomination to become a “Just Peace” church. This was seen as an alternative to the Christian model of “Just War” which sanctioned war under some conditions. Just Peace, on the other hand, tried to envision a world without war – a world where just systems of commerce and diplomacy would negate the need for war.

Theologically, Just Peace is predicated on the belief that…

A Just Peace is grounded in God's activity in creation. Creation shows the desire of God to sustain the world and not destroy. The creation anticipates what is to come: the history-long relationship between God and humanity and the coming vision of shalom.

and that…

Just Peace is grounded in covenant relationship. God creates and calls us into covenant, God's gift of friendship: "I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; and I will bless them and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore" (Ezekiel 37:26). When God's abiding presence is embraced, human well-being results, or Shalom, which can be translated Just Peace.

The concept of a Just Peace was originally developed within the context of the Cold War and largely within the confines of Christian bodies, both Protestant and Roman Catholic. With the end of the Cold War the Just Peace movement largely went dormant. In the last decade, however, new life within the movement has emerged and this time the movement has been reborn as an interfaith enterprise.

Unknown-3Ten organizing principles were developed to advance Just Peace, and have now been expanded to include Christian, Islamic and Jewish perspectives in Interfaith Just Peacemaking, with The Rev. Dr. Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite as editor:

1. Support nonviolent direct action.

2. Take independent initiatives to reduce threat.

3. Use cooperative conflict resolution.

4. Acknowledge responsibility for conflict and injustice and seek repentance and forgiveness.

5. Advance democracy, human rights, and religious liberty.

6. Foster just and sustainable economic development.

7. Work with emerging cooperative forces in the international system.

8. Strengthen the United Nations and international efforts for cooperation and human rights.

9. Reduce offensive weapons and weapons trade.

10. Encourage grassroots peacemaking groups and voluntary associations.

These principles, which Glen Stassen also first helped to develop, have the potential to help create a more just and peaceful world.

While many Christians are pacifists, with great justification, other Christians have found room within these principles to advocate a responsibility to protect in the event of genocide or other crimes against humanity. I myself advocated limited military intervention in Libya to stop Col. Muammar Gaddafi and his forces from carrying out their clear intent to inflict massive civilian casualties in a vain and hopeless attempt to maintain their grip on power.

My default position is always non-violence. My own belief is that even with the best of intentions that use of violence always falls somewhere in the category of sin.

As much as I am concerned about the larger world, I am also concerned about what happens here at home. From gun violence to domestic violence we live in a society that cries out for peacemakers.

The biggest obstacles to peace in our time include not just power hungry leaders intent on conquest but world citizens paralyzed into inaction when faced with the magnitude that is climate change and a sizeable part of the population that has abandoned reason and logic for absolutes that end dialogue and crumble the common good.

Is there hope in the midst of such difficulties?

As usual, I turn to William Sloane Coffin, the one-time chaplain of Yale University and later the long-time minister of New York City’s Riverside Church. Rev. Coffin told NPR:

"Hope is a state of mind independent of the state of the world. If your heart's full of hope, you can be persistent when you can't be optimistic. You can keep the faith despite the evidence, knowing that only in so doing has the evidence any chance of changing. So while I'm not optimistic, I'm always very hopeful."

Thank you for your time today.  

Footnote:  Moments following this presentation I learned of the death today of Glen Stassen. I give thanks to God for his life and offer my prayers for his family. 


The Fierce Urgency Of Easter

The Fierce Urgency Of Easter from The Rev. Chuck Currie on Vimeo.

Easter 2014 Bulletin CoverThe people of Sunnyside Church and University Park Church gathered this morning for Easter in Portland.  This was my final joint service with the two congregations before I step down in June and begin my duties full time at Pacific University as the new Director of the Center for Peace and Spirituality and University Chaplain.  This morning was a joyful occasion with diverse people celebrating the life and ministry of Jesus.

Each Easter we are given the opportunity to decide whether or not we will walk in a world of darkness or embrace the light of God which offers a path toward salvation for all people, regardless of faith tradition. We must embrace our calling as people of faith with the same fierce sense of urgency (a phrase often used by Martin Luther King, Jr.) that Jesus embraced his. As Christians, we believe that Jesus is the “the way, and the truth, and the life (John 14),” as told in the Gospel of John. Unlike our early Christian brothers and sisters, however, we recognize that God speaks to all of creation and that there are different paths to truth and the divine. But all truth paths point the same direction Jesus did.

We have inherited, and sometimes help create, a world in peril. In sin, we have participated in cycles of living and commerce that have created a global climate crisis. Too many people each die in war and far too many die and suffer from hunger and poverty. God has called us to work towards the building up of the Kingdom – a place without war, poverty, or bigotry. This message was such a threat to the Roman Empire, which thrived on war and economic systems that benefited the few, that they put Jesus to death. It is a mistake to say that Jesus died for our sins. Jesus died to show us a new world was possible.

My prayer this Easter is that we embrace the way that Jesus showed us – and that we find new opportunities in concert with one another to see in Jesus’ death and resurrection those million fragments of light that Walter Wink talked about (and which I mention in the sermon video) and bring them to dark places, even sometimes our own hearts, so that Creation will know God’s light, love and peace forever more. 


#GetCovered: The Story of Erica Martinez

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My latest on The Huffington Post:

"It is particularly important that young people get covered so that no accident or illness leaves them with medical bills and debt that rob them of the opportunity to further their education or one day own a home."

#GetCovered: The Story of Erica Martinez


Is gay marriage coming to Oregon?

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My latest op-ed in The Forest Grove Leader / The Oregonian:

Good people of faith can have differences of opinion on marriage equality – and the proposed measure making marriage equality legal in Oregon also writes into law that no clergy or religious institution can ever be forced into performing a same sex marriage – but anyone who uses religion as a shield for arguing that gays and lesbians should be subject to discrimination in the marketplace is committing theological malpractice.

Is gay marriage coming to Oregon?