Spirit of Grace is a community of Lutherans, Catholics, and other faith traditions. From our beginning in 1986, we have been recognized both by the Oregon Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Archdiocese of Portland (under four different archbishops). In December 2023, Roman Catholic Archbishop Alexander Sample disallowed Catholic priests from presiding at Mass at Spirit of Grace, but our Catholic congregants continue to live out the Catholic faith, striving to build on the vision of Vatican II and live into our unfolding future. Our ecumenical community continues to worship, study, work for justice, and serve those in need as it has for almost four decades. We are a dynamic, questioning, relational community seeking to embody the Lutheran ideal of ecumenical unity in Christ and Catholic Social Teaching, while offering a radical welcome to all people seeking a spiritual home. If you have questions, please contact our Director of Catholic ministries,
Vinci Halbrook-Paterson.

We believe

• What unites us as children of God is greater than the theological differences that separate us.

• We believe in the full welcome, inclusion, and equity of LGBTQIA+ people in all aspects of the church and community.

• We are called by Christ to be on this journey together.

• We are called to attend to not just what Jesus died for, but what he lived for.

• Centuries of misunderstandings and violence can be best undone by listening to each other and serving the world side by side.

• The best theologies emerge when we take each other’s stories seriously.

• We haven’t read the Bible correctly if it doesn’t impel us to go out to love and serve our neighbor.

• Jesus invites personal and cultural transformation into God’s non-violence, inclusion, healing, and wholeness.