A church for slow readers
We believe that attentive reading of Scripture changes people and the places where they live.
Why we publish
Sanctuary Journal began in 2016 as a printed sermon booklet handed out on Sundays. Members asked for more essays and longer series. The booklet became a newsletter, the newsletter a website and the website a congregation.
We still publish every week. Each sermon is edited for reading, set in type and archived. Our hope is that a sermon can be heard on Sunday and read on Tuesday and still say something true on Friday.
We are small, bookish and slow to anger. We are glad to share a pew with doubters, scholars and the plainly curious.
What we prize
Attention
We read slowly and listen hard.
Honesty
We name doubt as well as hope.
Craft
Good words are a form of love.
Table
Truth is best tasted with company.
How we got here
A few moments that shaped who we are today.
The booklet
A single sermon is printed and handed out on Sundays.
The journal
Weekly sermons and essays begin appearing online.
The Sunday table
Lunches after worship become a congregational habit.
Issue 40
Four hundred pages of sermons and essays published to date.
Editors and preachers
Preaching PastorRev. Rowan Aldridge
Rowan writes every sermon longhand before typing it up.
Teaching PastorDr. Marianne Vos
Marianne holds a doctorate in New Testament and teaches the Wednesday class.
Managing EditorTheo Lindgren
Theo edits the journal and has a soft spot for semicolons.
Hospitality LeadSara Whitcomb
Sara plans the Sunday table and knows who is gluten-free.
Our confession
- We confess the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds.
- We receive Scripture as God's authoritative Word.
- We trust that Christ is risen and reigning.
- We practice baptism and weekly Communion.
- We seek the good of Portland and the world.
Support the teaching ministry
Come for the sermon and stay for the lunch. Here is what to expect.