The children at Lincoln Street Church play a vital role in the life of our community. You will get a sense of that as children participate in worship through the children's chat and as they come and go freely throughout the worship service.

I'm glad that you have visited Lincoln Street Church's website. I hope as you read about our worship and programs, about our commitment to children and community service that you will begin to get the sense of what a remarkable community Lincoln Street Church is.

Out on the signboard of the church reads the following statement: "Our church is a small, warm-hearted, and open-minded congregation. We come to this family of faith because, unlike many churches, we know that here our questions will be respected, our diversity will be embraced, and our own unique search for God will be encouraged. We welcome people of all ethnicities, income brackets, ecclesiastical traditions, and sexual orientations. Furthermore, since we believe that all language about God is allegorical, we use images of God which come from the width and breadth of creation."

Perhaps you have seen this sign as you have walked by on the way up to Mt. Tabor Park. These commitments guide us in all we do. They preface our worship each Sunday. And they are a true reflection of the community gathered.

Lincoln Street Church is remarkable in the way it retains the best of Christianity while embracing various forms of worship and the wisdom from many faiths. It is inspirational in the way it does not shy away from difficult questions and issues. It is admirable in the way that it is guided by scripture reverently, but not doctrinally.

Elastic. The community bends, stretches and changes as new people with new ideas and skills grace our community.

I have been blessed to stand with and alongside this creative and exciting community for over a decade. Their gentle honesty and heartfelt questions have fed and guided my preaching so that together our worship is truly a shared conversation of respect and learning. Before coming to serve at Lincoln Street I worked as the protestant chaplain at Portland State University. I bring to our community the pastoral gifts I developed while working with a very diverse student and faculty body. I learned there, and continue to experience at Lincoln Street, the beauty of spiritual and religious diversity. Besides parish ministry I engage the world as the mother of two, as a long-term student in the enneagram, as a published author and as the wife of nurse/minister.

I hope that you will feel free to contact me - lincolnstreet@gmail.com - if you have questions about the church. I would love to share about this great community!

And in the meanwhile, maybe I'll see you around the neighborhood!

Peace,
Elizabeth Winslea

lincolnstreet@gmail.com

For a small church there are a lot of events and activities to choose from at Lincoln Street. It's a reflection of the interests that individual members bring to the community and the community then embraces.

Every week:

Sunday School: Sundays, ~9:15 a.m. (following the Children's Time in worship) - A program for 3 year olds through grade school children. Please see our Children's page for further details.

Other Gatherings for study and play arise monthly or seasonally. See our calendar for further information:

Book Group - Titles we've read in the past year are: The Moor's Last Sigh, The End of Life Book Club, City of Light, The Tiger's Wife, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet, and Damascus Nights

Scrapbook and Craft Project Parties - Sometimes the only way to get to those projects is to make a date with friends. We gather in the church basement, share treats and stories and get a few hours to work on those projects that are fun but never get our time.

Special Concerts- Svila: a Portland-based, women's Balkan choir, John Nilsen: jazz fusion pianist and his band, Harpers for Heifer Concert: area harpists performing to raise awareness of and funds for Heifer Project International

Neighborhood Seasonal Festivals - Easter Egg Hunt, Trick or Treating Stand, Gingerbread House-Making Party

Poetry Nights - In the dark days of winter, we gather to share our favorite words of poetry and song, in order to share a little light and love.

A Service Blessing the Animals - Outdoor worship to which those unseen members of our families were invited and celebrated. Dogs, cats, a rabbit, a gecko and even a stuffed penguin were among our special guests.

Used Book Sale - We are avid readers at Lincoln Street. And, we have discovered the fun in pooling together our used, read, dog-eared books and sharing them with the neighborhood in our sale to raise money for service and outreach.

Use of the Building

Please click here for information and forms regarding use of Lincoln Street buildings and/or property. The forms should be addressed to Attn: Building Use, Lincoln Street United Methodist Church, 5145 SE Lincoln Street Portland, ORLincoln Street United Methodist Church, Portland Oregon 97215.