Who We Are
Episcopalian
The Episcopal Parish of St. John the Baptist is a parish in the Episcopal Church in Western Oregon and strives to follow Jesus and his way of love. We are catholic (i.e., universal) and we are Protestant.
We seek and serve Christ in the world around us, believing God’s beauty is revealed everywhere: in Creation, in music, in art, and in the glorious language of our Book of Common Prayer— but especially in the faces of poor and marginalized people, whom Jesus loved especially, and whom we are commanded to include, to serve, and to love as ourselves.
The Episcopal Church is a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It was founded in the United States after separating from the Church of England in 1789.
“There was a man sent from God whose name was John the Baptist. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.”
-John 1:6-8, NRSV
icon of St John the Baptist found in our chapel
Our Distinctives
Beauty & Art
In worship, in the exquisite prose, prayer, and song of our Episcopal liturgy and our dedication to doing it well; in the serene, natural beauty of the trees around our campus; in the eclectic beauty of our space: the icons, and lanterns, modern and traditional stained glass windows and art; and especially the quality and rich variety of our music.
Love & Kindness
Our parish is held together by healthy and sincere relationships; welcoming and caring for others; and respectful and gentle people. We bear each others’ burdens; we pray for each other; we check in with each other; we love each other and we like each other too; we laugh together, and we celebrate.
Social Ministry
With our active social ministries we believe that what we do for others undergirds any claim of integrity we make as Christ followers. Despite our tucked-away location, we are actively engaging with communities of need. Approximately 85 percent of our members are engaged in social ministries in one way or another.
“We must commit to creating a Beloved Community in which we can disagree without shaming or blaming or tearing each other apart. And here’s an idea: let’s use our anger at injustice instead of turning it inward and our desire to bring about God’s realm to forge a strong and respectful community of leaders. It might be nice if we took one more step toward behaving as if Jesus’ teachings of forgiveness and reconciliation are not just words, but the way we order our lives and our relationships with one another.”
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe
Inclusive
We welcome all people to receive Holy Communion.
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We preach inclusion from the pulpit: against Christian nationalism; against hate; and for the dignity of all people. This is nothing more than the Gospel itself, which speaks to an upside-down kingdom in which how we regard Jesus is revealed by how we regard “the least of these.”
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We welcome, affirm, and involve LGBTQ+ people in every ministry of our parish,
including ordained ministry, our music team, our Vestry, and our Children’s Corner.
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We strive to accommodate people with disabilities in our worship space, with special accommodations for wheelchairs and walkers; accessible gender-neutral restrooms; and a “Holy Roller” (golf) cart that will meet you in the parking lot.
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Our Zoom stream allows us to include significantly more people in our Sunday worship, or to join us in Zoom-based prayer services during the week. And, thanks to our OWL meeting software, some of our members can remain involved in parish life via hybrid ministry gatherings, meetings and forums.
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In humility, we know we have work to do. But we bid you a loving welcome.
