503-654-1705 office@stpaulsumc.us

The newest committee at Saint Pauls is the housing research committee. With the blessing of trustees, Pastor Marshall has created this committee which has this trustees created goal: “To gather facts for the best consensus housing decision to be made by the congregation at Saint Paul’s.” This committee consists of Pastor Marshall, Ervin Miller, Linda Cook, Bonnie and Mike Smiley, Dave Smith, and Diane Rheos.

The good news we heard before even starting, was that our efforts to look into housing options can be done with the blessings of our District Superintendent, Tim Overton-Harris and our new Bishop Bridgeforth. This project also coincides with the goals of our new Pastor Courtney.

Our first meeting was held on May 31st with three experienced experts sharing their wealth of knowledge. These experts were Steve McMurtry, who you heard presenting options for housing at a church meeting, plus Anna Hoesly, and Julia Nielsen who are both with the Land and Housing Coalition. This is the coalition we have had a few members of Saint Pauls participate in. While helping 50+ churches of varying denominations achieve their goal of creating housing, these three experts are willing to share their years of experience with us, and will be invaluable assets for any questions that arise.

This first meeting replaced our concerns and questions with the confidence that, with their guidance and experience, Saint Paul’s can figure out what the best plan of action will be for our desire to create needed housing. This new committee was inspired to the point of having another meeting in two weeks to decide on first step details. Please continue to read your weekly and your epistle for future notifications and opportunities for your much needed input.