Posts by Maria McDowell

Posts by Maria McDowell

We are worshipping in-person!

This is a reminder that we are now gathering in-person for Sunday Eucharist. We made this decision at the end of August, and have been gathering every Sunday in-person since then. It has been lovely to be in person again, to hear our voices praying in word and song together. Being Healthy, Together Our congregation is almost entirely vaccinated. Due to the Delta variant, we are asking everyone to mask when in the building. Masking keeps us and those around…

Welcoming Our Elders Home

This blog was written and contributed by the Rev. Maria McDowell and the community at St. Philip the Deacon, Portland. It appeared in the Diocesan Digest on September 30th and the full article is on the Diocesan website. St. Philip the Deacon, in partnership with Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives (PCRI), Urban League of Portland, Northwest Pilot Project, and the Leaven Community Land and Housing Coalition, is welcoming our elders home. We are stewarding the resources God has given us to build affordable housing for Black seniors…

Listening to our Neighbors: What do we cherish?

At St. Philip, we are moving into a period of listening. Over the next six months, we are going to be asking our neighbors, “What do you cherish about this neighborhood? What keeps you up at night?” To help us learn how to do this, and to help us understand why listening is so important, we will have a special guest this Sunday (October 3rd): LaVeta Gilmore Jones, co-director of the Leaven Community Land & Housing Coalition.

reBuilding a Cornerstone Community

Over the last few months, you may have heard mention of renovating St. Philip. As we work towards building The Alcena – An Affordable Living Community, We also want to ensure that our building continues to stand as cornerstone in our community. We want to continue to be as a spiritual and community cornerstone in the Albina/Eliot neighborhood, a place where our neighbors can meet and renewed by God as we seek to welcome and care for the vulnerable. Our…

Going Deeper: What are the qualities of racial reconcilation?

The Diocese of Oregon’s Engaging Racial Justice Working Group (formerly the Commission to End Racism) is asking all parishes to discuss the following question: If the Dioceses of Oregon were to undergo a powerful transformation of racialreconciliation through the power of the Holy Spirit, what specific qualities andcharacteristics would we see? Please take the time to reflect on the question and consider concretely what the process of reconciliation and its result actually looks like. We will be discussing this question,…

Masks Update: Required until February

Masks Required Due to the rapidly increasing number of Covid cases and the Delta variant, St. Philip will be following the policy of Multnomah County. Face coverings or masks are required for all folks, ages 5 and up, in all indoor spaces at St. Philip, whether you are vaccinated or not. Following the County guidelines, this will be in place until (at least) February 8, 2022. Communion in One Kind We will be receiving communion in one kind, that is, bread…

Rector’s Note: Shuffling the Furniture of our Lives

On August 8th, when we finally worship together in the sanctuary you will see we have rearranged the furniture! As you sit with this change, both the first time and in a few months when the novelty has worn off, ask yourselves: How does this way of worshipping together connect you to God and your beloved kin and neighbors in a new way?

A Tale of Two Conversations

The conversations were revealing. A common theme, for newcomers and long-time residents alike, was the desire for safe venues and events where people can meet one another. This search for common ground forms the basis of the Neighborhood Engagement conversation. What do residents cherish about the neighborhood—and how can St. Philip respond to the needs, hopes, and dreams of those around us?

June Affordable Housing Update

Our parish has nurtured a vision of an affordable housing ministry for some years. When Portland’s housing crisis erupted, homelessness came to our doorstep—literally—and the vision resurfaced. Starting in 2019, we began to explore how faith communities can justly steward their lands, with the help of the interfaith Leaven Community Land & Housing Coalition (LCLHC). In 2020, we testified before Portland City Council and successfully changed zoning laws. We established working relationships with Second Stories, a design and development firm…

Unveiling Alonzo Tucker EJI Historical Marker (Vanport Mosaic)

Our collective memory and our collective consciousness hold power. What we choose to remember as well as how we choose to remember is a reflection of the soul of our society. The Equal Justice Initiative (Montgomery, AL) has documented nearly 6,500 African American victims of lynching in the United States between 1865-1950. At least one African American was lynched in Oregon. His name was Alonzo Tucker and he was lynched in Coos Bay, OR in 1902 in front of a…

Rectors Note: Worshiping Together Again!

Worship with us, outside, in-person, on Pentecost, May 23rd! Boxed lunches will be served after the service. As a community, we are committed to caring for one another. We are also committed to following scientific recommendations. If you are vaccinated, masks are optional. If you are not vaccinated, masks and social distancing are required. Masks and vaccines are a form of caring for yourself and others.

Holy Week: a shared journey

Holy Week is a single journey from triumphant expectations through bitter disappointment into resurrection joy. No individual service stands alone; it is a part of a whole. It begins with Palm Sunday, and ends Easter morning. So come, celebrate with us!