What Happens Next?

It has now been more than two months since I officially became your Transitional Pastor. I am slowly putting names and faces together. I have visited with some of you in your homes. We have shared in worship together. I have participated in meetings with more than a few of you. And through it all I am still very excited to be here with you.

In the coming months we will begin to move through a process which will eventually lead to the calling of your next Settled Pastor. At this point there is no firm time-line for all of this, but it might be helpful to lay out some of what you can anticipate along the way. If you ever have any questions about this process, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Thoughts Along The Way

This is a very active congregation, with lots going on. There are assorted meetings, social activities, outreach projects, worship experiences, opportunities for study and growth, music, and on and on the list could go. There is no way for any one person (including me) to be involved in all of it. And it is important for you to find those places where you can plug in. Get involved. You will benefit. The church will benefit. The community will benefit. First Congregational United Church of Christ in Hillsboro is a congregation worth celebrating. How will you participate in the celebration?

- Pastor Roger
(keeping my feet firmly planted in the flow)

Thoughts Along The Way . . .

I spent last week-end singing and dancing and praying with about 120 wonderfully open-hearted people at Inland Northwest Sufi Camp in northern Idaho. The theme for the camp was “Singing the Sacred Song of Every Heart.” Not really so very different from the phrase we use a lot in this congregation - “No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.” When we seek to be open to the presence of Spirit that shines through each person, honoring and welcoming every bearer of Spirit whom we encounter, then the result is true community that can heal the world. Each of you is a precious gift from God. Together may we allow God’s Light to shine through us.

- Pastor Roger
(keeping my feet firmly planted in the flow)

Thoughts Along The Way . . .

This week Oregon joined the growing list of states where the freedom to marry is an officially and legally recognized right for same-gendered couples. It is a milestone worth celebrating and I am grateful to be part of a church where such a decision is viewed as good news. It touches people’s lives in profoundly personal and far-reaching ways.

And there is more work to be done. Our country, our culture and our world are deeply divided on this issue. Hurtful attitudes and actions are still far more prevalent than we might dare to imagine. We can make a difference, both personally and as a congregation - with our words, with our choices, with our actions. Never doubt that even seemingly small things can contribute to a more just and life-affirming world for everyone. Dare to let your voice be heard. Dare to let your light shine.

- Pastor Roger
(keeping my feet firmly planted in the flow)

Thoughts Along The Way

You have likely heard me say this before, and in all likelihood will hear me saying it again - I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be with you as your Transitional Pastor. In the almost two months that I have been here I have experienced you to be a healthy, vibrant, and active congregation. There are so many ways in which you demonstrate a profound understanding of what it means to be the Church.

I know that this transition period is challenging for many of you, as you grieve the absence of your long-time and much beloved pastor. And I have the utmost of confidence that you will rise to the occasion as you learn to live into the bold future to which God is calling you. Life is not as it was, and it has not yet become clear what it will be. For now it is enough for us to know that God is alive and present in the midst of this community, calling forth gifts which are already manifest among us. Together we are the Church. Together we will continue to be the Church in new and exciting ways.

- Pastor Roger
(keeping my feet firmly planted in the flow)

Blue Angels

When visiting my office you might notice an angel hanging above my desk. She is a product of my late wife’s wonderful artistic creativity. One of the features of this particular angel is that she is blue. A friend of ours once asked, “Why is she blue?” Veronica's immediate response was, “Because she wanted to be!” I love that. It offers a powerful image for what it means to be the Church. We are called to be a place where blue angels are not only welcomed but also encouraged to shine forth in all of their wonderful uniqueness. Our culture is filled to overflowing with assumptions, expectations and judgments concerning “acceptable” ways of looking and acting and being. And if the truth be told none of us fit perfectly or comfortably into that unrealistic and unhealthy mold. Which is why it is so vitally important for the Church to be a safe sanctuary where each unique child of God can be celebrated and affirmed. When that begins to happen then the world becomes a more vital and enriching place for all of us. In another burst of creativity Veronica wrote a poem about watching for unlikely angels -

~ Inconsequential Details ~

by Veronica Lassen ©2009

I keep saying: “I’ve never seen an angel.”

But I’m starting not to believe myself -

My life is full of angels.

They love me and help me,

Talk to me and challenge me,

Hold me,

And believe in

Me.

I just don’t see wings.

I’m going to try squinting,

And looking out the corner of my eyes,

Quickly.

If that doesn’t work,

I’ll give up on this idea of wings altogether.

Then I’ll see angels all the time.

May we learn to see angels all the time, in all of their multi-colored glory. And may we continue to become a church where such angels are welcomed, affirmed, celebrated and encouraged.

- Roger

(keeping my feet firmly planted in the flow)

The Journey Begins

As I write these words I have officially been your new Transitional Pastor for about two and a half weeks. And already it feels very good to be with you. So many of you have warmly and graciously welcomed me. More than a few of you have helped me get settled, from those who helped me move things into my new office, to those who helped unload the truck at the house, to recommendations for good restaurants, parks and area attractions. Thank you for your kindness, and your understanding patience as I work on connecting names and faces.


I love the positive and exciting energy that I am finding here at First Congregational UCC. I am experiencing you to be a congregation filled with dedicated, committed, hard-working people who take seriously the ongoing work of being the church. So many of you are involved in the life of the church in such a wide variety of ways. It seems like there is always some group meeting about something important. And I do not have adequate words to express how much I appreciate the energy I experience on Sunday mornings as you gather for worship. On top of everything else it is very apparent that you enjoy being together.