By Kim Thomas, Mosaic Coordinator, PacNWC

On Saturday, June 5, 2021, the PacNWC hosted its very first justice conference designed to support churches and their congregants in learning and processing social justice issues impacting our local geographical area. Our goal was to provide a safe space for our churches and congregants who may not have the resources to process and engage these topics within their church community. 

We were blessed to have leaders, Jamar Tisby, racial righteousness, Eugene Cho, homelessness and poverty, Dr. Randy Wooley, the doctrine of discovery, and Shiela Wise-Rowe, exploring racial trauma and recovery. Our speakers spoke with sensitivity and understanding, aware that our viewers were all at different stages of the journey. We also appreciate Pastors Mike Thomas, Radiant, Dave Sims, Renew, and Lenore Three Stars for being gracious with their time and knowledge to lead these talks.

We incorporated prayer and worship music. We invited local conference pastors to share a prayer of lament and joy throughout the conference. We ‘shout out’ Pastors Rebecca Worl, Cedarcreek, and Ben Zabel, Shoreline, for being so positive about this new experience. They were pastoral and tenderly cared about how the entire group processed these topics. We give special thanks to the worship leaders who supported the conference. Rev. Mark Stuckey, First Covenant Church in Portland, OR, lead a worship leader team from 15 Covenant churches. It was inspiring to see how important these social justice topics are to those we watch worshipping weekly from the front of the church. We are happy to provide the video link to all to enjoy, worship, and be blessed by Pacific Northwest Conference Worship Leaders Network. 

Lastly, we thank you for providing feedback about the Justice Institutes as we process the next steps. It is excellent to have objective information about how you received the day. As a conference, we will continue to lead the way in connecting social justice topics to the Word of God. As a family, and yes, we are a family (worts and all), we strive daily to do what the Lord has required of us; in Micah 6:8, He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. We invite you to join us on this journey.

What’s next for us as a conference? We have several ideas in the planning stages, which we will share at a later date. Until then, we encourage all clergy to participate in the anti-racism cohorts that will be starting soon. 

Thank you!

Rob Bryceson, Lead Pastor, The Gathering House

For almost six years The Gathering House Church location also served weekly as a job training coffee shop and restaurant. Workers came from difficult backgrounds to receive a restart in life, gain skills, and build a resume. Union Gospel Mission, The Dream Center, Salvation Army, and other organizations sent former addicts or homeless clients in for interviews. Agencies working with disadvantaged youth and the Department of Corrections, placed clients in the Street Wise Café. The FBI hand-placed sex-trafficked girls into the care of Tonia Bryceson who managed the Street Wise Café at the church location.

Although the ministry was great, the economics of the operation were troublesome. Trying to operate a non-profit charity endeavor, that for all practical purposes was a fully functioning business model, was proving more difficult each year.

In 2019 the church had raised $50,000 and contracted to replace the leaky roof. The Church was told by the insurance company the replacement wasn’t covered because it was pre-existing. As the work began, a freak thunderstorm hit, causing massive flooding in the building. The entire flooring and subfloor would need to be replaced. It would take months to get back to normal at an additional $30,000 cost.

Tonia and the church leadership discussed what this would mean going forward. They evaluated the costs for the loss of goods, laying off the remaining staff, the stress of carrying the load of life coaching troubled individuals, and the constant struggle to raise additional funding to keep the coffee shop afloat, as well as the implication to raise future costs of restarting the business. It was decided to close the coffee shop/café permanently.

Church services were crammed into the back children’s ministry space. During the week, members dismantled the main sanctuary, disassembling the stage and barista bar, and tearing out the old flooring. Local business leaders and residents joined in. Coffee shop patrons chipped in their labor. One café’ customer was the wife of a local reserve unit navy captain. When she saw on Facebook what was being done, she called her husband, and he brought the entire unit down for a day to help. Just after the floor was installed, the insurance company sent a $60,000 check to cover the claim.

In October 2019, church leaders opened negotiations with different café and coffee shop owners to see about creating a workable sublease. None proved a fit since the church planned on staying the primary owner/operator of the space. After several failed attempts, the church opted to lay low, pray, and wait.

In January 2020, the pastor was diagnosed with cancer and announced he would need to take a medical leave of absence that spring. In March, Covid shut the world down. The building would lay quiet for a year, except for reduced attendance at services on Sundays.

In December the pastor was visiting one of his favorite area coffee shops and roasting companies. The one which had been the main supplier and trainer for the Street Wise Café. For six years, the pastor had known that Chris and Angela Pitotti, who worked for this coffee roaster, were planning on buying the business when the older owner retired. That snowy morning, he discovered that at the last moment, they couldn’t agree on a deal. The Pitotti family decided God wanted them to create their own roasting company.

“I know of a vacant coffee shop that’s looking for a good operator to take over”. The pastor said. “I got connections. I bet I could I swing you a deal.”

February of 2021, the Pitotti Coffee Roasting Co opened in the Gathering House Church Building. The neighborhood is returning. Events are getting booked, a Farmer’s Market has opened in the church parking lot in conjunction with the Coffee Shop.

Looks like God had a plan all along.

Visit The Gathering House Website for more information

Visit the Pitotti Coffee Website for more information about the coffee shop

By Dawn Taloyo, Associate Superintendent, PacNWC

Enjoy this interview with David Greenidge, Lead Pastor of Tigard Covenant Church as he shares about the ways his church practices community after Covid. Here are some highlights from this 7 minute interview.

• Beginning of our Quarter Three Emphasis on community
• Pastor David has served Tigard Covenant for 17 years
• The Tigard Lead Team met to discuss how to emerge from the Covid-19 Quarantine and decided to do three things:
• In person Free Community Dinner every Tuesday night.
• Friday Night Food Fun and Friends where the main emphasis is eating together and playing games.
• Help a houseless person for 12 months.
• The last Food Fun and Friends night had 40 attendees and facilitated connection with a houseless person the church is rallying around.

Visit the Tigard Covenant Church website for more information and to contact Pastor David Greenidge

By Dan Whitmarsh, Lead Pastor, Lakebay Covenant Church

Easter 2021 was an exciting Sunday for the Lakebay Church. We gathered in the foyer to read John’s account of the resurrection and then, throwing open the doors of the sanctuary, we entered with shouts of “Christ is Risen,” celebrating Jesus’ victory over death and the grave.

There was added joy this year, however. Earlier in January we embarked on a project to remodel the sanctuary, and this was our first Sunday back in the newly renovated room.

Everybody who walks into the Lakebay sanctuary is struck by its warmth and beauty, with high wooden ceilings and windows looking out into a forest of maple and fir trees. Built in the 1970s, it has served the church and community well, but it had grown musty and dated.

In the darkest days of Covid-19 restrictions, the church council decided to move forward with a much-needed project to refresh the room, so that we would be prepared and ready when the world reopened. We wanted to stake our claim that we were moving forward in ministry in spite of the world falling apart around us.

In the spirit of the men and women who built the sanctuary by hand, most of the work was done by current members and friends in the community. Mustard-colored pews were removed and replaced with comfortable new chairs. Carpet long stained by coffee spills, communion juice, and mud was swapped out for fresh, clean flooring. The platform was enlarged, creating more space for musicians and wedding parties. New paint covers the walls, with colors chosen to highlight the natural wood arches and ceiling, while accentuating the greenery outside. Projectors and a portable screen were replaced with a new video monitor. Artwork and other decorative features complete the space with a sense of comfort, welcome, and peace.

Most encouraging to me as the pastor was watching the men and women of Lakebay use their gifts and talents to see the project through. From deliberations about color schemes to days spent painting the walls, from developing technical drawings of a new stage to sawing wood and swinging hammers, the people of Lakebay showed up and served. Even a few neighbors who don’t regularly attend showed up to haul off pews and unload new chairs. Many donated generously to cover the cost of the work. It was a community effort from start to finish.

What had been a tired, musty, outdated room is now a clean and inviting space. It has brought new energy and excitement to the congregation, and we are praying that it will become a vibrant hub for the community, as well. It will be a beautiful room to host weddings, and convenient for concerts, public speakers, and community meetings. Through social media and word-of-mouth, we are letting the area know that we are still here, and ready to serve the world in the days and years to come.

As we approach Lakebay’s 100-year anniversary in 2025, we are praying that this building serves us, our community, and future generations for the glory of God and the good of this community.

A video of the project can be viewed at the link below

[Click Here] to visit Lakebay Covenant Church’s Web Page

By Erik Cave, Director of NextGen Ministries, PacNWC

Enjoy this interview with Jon Lemmond, Lead Pastor, and Cliff Herman, Director of Community Corner, at Trinity Covenant Church in Salem, OR as they share about their Distance Learning Program. Below are some highlights from this 10 minute interview:

• Trinity has had an after school program, called Community Corner, for 17 years that was disrupted by the COVID-19 quarantine.
• As Trinity prayed about how to care for people who are struggling in their community they decided to apply to the state to host an official Distance Learning Program which involved learning the Department of Education Guidelines for Health and Safety, hiring new staff, and training.
• A surprise $14,000 grant arrived at the church from the state which helped them achieve their commitment to host the program at no charge to participants, which has been a big blessing to the parents.
• The people of Trinity have been blessed through the opportunity to serve and their increased connection with children and families who are participating.
• Each day volunteers warmly check in students and have been told by some that this is their favorite part of the day.
• Trinity is working closely with the teachers and staff of nearby Liberty Elementary School which has led to deeper connection and relationship that has promise for the future.

Contact Jon and Cliff at info@trinitycovenant.org if you have questions or would like to hear more about their ministry

Learn more about Trinity Covenant Church at www.trinitycovenant.org