Anticipation, longing, eagerness, expectation, hope. Thrilling, life-sustaining words!
For many in EMO’s more liturgical network, the term for this season is Advent. At its Latin root, advent means “coming.” In my free-spirited Pentecostal community, we didn’t pay much attention to the liturgical calendar. While Advent was not a word we used, we did turn everything between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day into one long festive holiday celebrating our Savior’s birth.
For me, this season is all about the music, especially the sacred carols that still live deeply in my heart! As a lad, we sang them in every one of our three-a-week services. We sang them in the hospitals and down the halls and stairwells of our small town’s two senior high-rises. And we sang them house-to-house for those we called shut-ins. It was all about announcing the greatest news we could imagine.
As I age, I have come to deeply appreciate the concept of advent—the promise of great things to come. For me as a person of faith, such hope has well-grounded meaning.
Here at EMO, we’re full of anticipation for another reason as well—excited about a new chapter opening with our new president, Frank So, arriving on Dec. 14. We’re kicking off his first day with a meet-and-greet with all our staff and then putting him through 60 days of meet-and-greets with our program sites and all sorts of stakeholders. With his immigrant parent heritage, his roots in Oregon, his experience with refugee work, and his time spent in the White House, he’ll fit right in with our amazing EMO community. If you missed the announcement, you can read all about it here.
Meanwhile, the vital work of EMO moves forward. For us, December is filled with year-end donation appeals to our many faithful supporters, extra efforts by our various direct service programs to ensure our thousands of clients have adequate resources, and final preparations for the looming long Legislative Session in Salem. And, we do all this while anticipating EMO’s fiftieth anniversary, just a year away!
This time of year, more than any other, we pray for peace. I pray for peace for you and yours—and for the light of hope that abides even in the darkest seasons of our world.
|
|
Howard N. Kenyon, Ph.D.
Acting President
|
|
Give a gift to a Second Home student to make their holiday full of cheer!
For the holidays, we asked Second Home students what their dream gift would be. And now we need your help to make their wishes come true! Please check out our students' Amazon wish list. Gifts can be new or lightly used in good condition. To participate, sign up for the gift drive now!
You also have the option to make a financial donation, and we'll buy the student gifts for you:
-
Go to the Second Home GIVE page.
- Donate using your preferred method.
- In the comments, write "Second Home Holiday Gift Drive."
Each year, the HIV Day Center facilitates a "Giving Tree" for our clients.
Clients can place a request for a holiday gift at a $35 value. Community members then come together to fulfill the holiday wish list. If you or your community members are interested in participating in the Giving Tree this year, please contact Connor Feliu at the Day Center at (503) 460-3822 or cfeliu@emoregon.org.
|
|
Recording of the Collins Summit on Religious Trauma now available |
|
If you missed the 2022 Collins Summit last month, "Religious Trauma: Understanding the harm and supporting the healing," the recording is now available to view for free!
Religious trauma is a topic of vital importance in today’s world. Why are so many people walking away from faith? Why do so many people have issues with religious institutions? Often, people have been mistreated by the religious leaders they were told to trust, creating trauma that can linger for a lifetime. Watch keynote speaker Connie A. Baker, a Licensed Professional Counselor and author, address these issues during her Collins Lecture. For a panel discussion, Baker is joined by survivors of religious trauma and professionals who provide support and healing.
|
|
To learn more about upcoming EMO events and faith community events, visit our Event Calendar. If you would like to submit an event for our website, please fill out an Event Form.
|
|
Save the Date for EMO's Interfaith Earth Summit: Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023
If your faith community is interested in being a regional host for the Oregon Interfaith Earth Summit 2023, please join us for an info session on Dec. 12 at 7 p.m. After registering for the info session, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting. Sign up for the info session.
The topic of the 2023 Summit will be “Care for Our Common Home: Building Neighborhood Climate Resilience,” and it will be held on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023.
|
|
Employment Opportunities at EMO |
|
Join EMO's talented team making a difference in Oregon! EMO offers a generous benefits package. Visit our employment page for more details about the positions below and how to apply.
|
|
Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
