Communications | St. James Lutheran Church

“Are you better off today, than you were four years ago?” –Polling Question

From Pastor David’s Desk … The presidential election will occur November 5th and many of us have already completed our mail-in ballot. Anxiety stirs: Who will take up residence in the White House? Who will represent us in Portland’s City Hall? Are we better off...

“…100 back to back cruises.” –Conde Nast Traveler

From Pastor David’s Desk … Want to live on a cruise ship? Mario Salcedo did for over 23 years. At age 45, he stepped onboard for the first time. Now at 65, he stays on the same ship, in the same room and has booked over 850 trips on Royal Caribbean alone....

“Keep the Bible in one hand, and the newspaper in the other.” –Karl Barth

From Pastor David’s Desk … Known as one of the most influential theologians of the 20th century, Karl Barth insisted that followers of Christ live in the real world. According to Barth, we are called to hold the Bible with the newspaper. Like the martyred...

134 Years of St. James Ministry

Pictured above (photo by Albert Alter) is our St. James congregation as we paused July 28th, 2024 to thank God for 134 years of ministry in this neighborhood. We also marked the thirty-year anniversary of our ministry with lower-income residents at our St. James...

“We unanimously hold and teach…” –The Augsburg Confession

From Pastor David’s Desk … The Augsburg Confession became real in July 1530; that is, 494 years ago this month. In late June of that year, Martin Luther’s colleague Philipp Melanchthon traveled to the town of Augsburg, Germany to present twenty-eight statements...

“Viriditas” –Saint Hildegard of Bingen

From Pastor David’s Desk … The Latin word “Viriditas” means greening power – the connection between the green earth and human health. Our Sunday morning readings this summer are all about that intersection. The term came from the pen of Saint...