Where Hope Takes Root

"Now to the One whose power is at work within us—able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine—to this One be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, from generation to generation, forever and ever. Amen."— Ephesians 3:20–21

We’re about halfway through 2025, and I’ve been reflecting on how much we’ve grown together as a community. As a congregation, First Congregational UCC of Salem, we’ve been exploring what it really means to be a Resurrecting Church—to live with hope, to welcome transformation, and to root ourselves in the sacred rhythms of renewal. Our theme this year, Living Hope: Sacred Rhythms of Renewal, has helped shape and hold us through a season of listening, experimenting, and dreaming.

The year began with intention. In January, we welcomed Amy Tobey as our Field Ed Intern and set our sights on the year ahead at our Annual Meeting. February’s theme, Love Beyond Boundaries, was playful and honest—valentines to our neighbors and former members, listening circles that made space for prayer, grief, and curiosity. And I spent part of that time connecting with other pastors across the country who are doing this same resurrection work in their own contexts.

Lent invited us into Turning Points—and it really was that. Through the Community Perspective Project, we started asking big questions about our neighborhood and how we might show up in it. We knocked on doors, listened to stories, ate soup, prayed together. We wrestled with what we’re being called to let go of—and what new life we’re being invited into. What does freedom for look like? What is freedom from? Those conversations cracked something open.

This season also brought new depth to our partnerships. Groups like PFLAG, Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, the League of Women Voters of Oregon, and the ACLU of Oregon gathered in our space for celebration, advocacy and organizing. We saw our building become not just a place where we meet, but where movements meet.

That shift feels sacred.

During Easter, our On Fire For Mission worship series brought some of those movement leaders into our sanctuary—folks from Church at the Park, Family Promise, TransMission Ministry, and Salem for Refugees. We listened, we learned, and we asked again: what’s ours to do? I've been meeting one-on-one with partners, exploring possibilities, paying attention to the overlap between our gifts and the world’s needs. I can feel something taking shape.

And now, as Pentecost draws near, I want to invite you into what comes next. On June 15th, Amy will share what she’s learned from the Community Perspective and SOAR projects in a presentation we’re calling Igniting Vibrant Ventures. And I’ll be offering a vision for our next big step as a church—one rooted in our past, responsive to the moment, and full of holy possibility. This is where we begin to imagine what it might mean to become a place where the community gathers, and resilience is fostered.

There’s so much ahead—July’s church anniversary celebration, August’s Labyrinth Under the Stars, fall gatherings, and a building feasibility study that will help us plan wisely and faithfully. Every step will help us get clearer about who we are and how we’re called to serve.

What gives me hope is that we’re not doing this out of fear or scarcity. We’re doing it because resurrection is real. We’re doing it because I believe God is doing something new among us—something we might not fully see yet, but that is already rising.

So, I’m asking you to keep being part of this journey. Mark your calendar for June 15th—and June 29th, after worship, when we’ll gather as a church family to bless whatever is next. To bless ourselves, really. To say yes together.

With Hope and Love,

Pastor Robin

"See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland."— Isaiah 43:19

A spring along the trail. March 2025