Welcome to 2nd Street Community Church
We are a church community that's seeking to become more like Jesus by loving God, loving people,
and serving our community and world.
We gather weekly at the Chehalem Cultural Center to connect with God and each other.
Join us anytime.
We'd love to meet you.
10 am Sundays
Chehalem Cultural Center
Who We Are
The Center
Our desire is for Jesus Christ to be the center of who we are and all we do. Jesus calls us to “bring good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19 NSRV). Jesus said the scriptures could be summed up with these two ideas: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:36-40). We believe this is the core message of Jesus and the Bible and we center our lives on it.
The Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is present and active in the lives of all people and it is this Spirit that transforms us and sets us free. We are called by Jesus to see other people the way he sees them and to love them as he loves them. We believe all people bear the image of God and that the Spirit can speak to and through anyone. Our worship gatherings are spaces where together we open ourselves to God and listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit.
The Bible
We believe that the Bible is a uniquely inspired library of poems, letters and stories, and we allow the Bible to hold a wondrous and unique place of authority in our lives. We believe that God speaks to us through all aspects of life including the Bible, nature, art, prayer, tradition, science, history, community, and experience.
The Friends
We are a Christ-centered Friends church. Friends, also known as Quakers, have historically been known for a passion and commitment to peace, justice, equality, simplicity, and integrity. These values lead us to act for the common good of all people here in our Newberg community and in our state, nation and the world at large.
"I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you."
John 15:15
Our Values and Practices
AUTHENTICITY
Everyone should have a space where they feel safe to be who they are.
TRUTH
We believe that the Bible, our experiences, and the Holy Spirit work together to form and guide us.
GROWTH
Life with Jesus is a life of continuous movement toward God.
COMMUNITY
We are relational beings and living in loving community with others is one of life's greatest joys.
SIMPLICITY
We desire to love God and love people; everything else is secondary.
SERVING
We are created to use who we are in service to God and others.
SEEKING
We believe Christ is present with everyone and we challenge each other to be open and honest with God.
EQUALITY
Every person bears the image of God and every follower of Jesus is a minister.
Our Vision
A now-and-not-quite-yet picture of who we are and who we are becoming.
The Art of Togetherness
God is breathing a spirit of openness and vulnerability among us that is creating a beautiful atmosphere of intimacy and unity. We were never meant to go through the pains and joys of life alone, and by God’s grace, we are learning the art of togetherness.
We share our lives, our dreams and our stories with one another over shared meals and in our worship gatherings. We care for each other when one of us is hurting or sick. We pray. We laugh. We grieve. And we celebrate together. There are no outsiders in the Kingdom of God. We see it as our joy and responsibility to invite and include as many as we can to God’s table, which is both a family and a party.
"Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”
Romans 12:10-13 (NIV)
The Art of Rootedness
To welcome people into God’s party, we must become students of God’s way of life ourselves. Only God can do the work of saving and transforming. Our part is simply to open ourselves to God and prepare the soil for God’s work in us. Various forms of prayer, the reading and teaching of scripture, and other practices from the rich history of the church are nourishing the soil of our souls and creating the best possible conditions for connection and communion with God.
We engage in these practices together on Sundays and on our own and with others throughout the week. God is faithfully meeting us and God is lengthening and deepening our roots. In many distinct and beautiful ways, we are seeing God healing us, transforming us, and filling us with an ever-increasing, abundant love.
“Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.”
Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NLT)
The Art of Flourishing
As we receive God’s goodness and love, the Holy Spirit fills us to overflowing and compels us to share God’s love with others. Jesus is making us into wounded healers. People whose scars and stories, by God’s power, are providing healing and hope to others. As Christ’s church, we have the privilege and responsibility of partnering with Jesus to bring about God’s Kingdom on earth.
We continually invite the Spirit to open our eyes and our imaginations to God’s dreams for our community. We ask, “Lord, what are your dreams for our neighbors, neighborhoods and schools? How would you like to renew our city, our systems and our land?” And God is answering our prayers! The Spirit is unleashing Kingdom seeds in each of us and is guiding us to specific works of justice and mercy for the healing and flourishing of our city.
Our community is not a perfect group of people. But we seek to be humble, growing people who have a fierce hope in our good and beautiful God. We are a community that practices the art of togetherness. Followers of Jesus who practice the art of rootedness. And neighbors who practice the art of flourishing as we partner with God in bringing forth the Kingdom.
"What happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. ”
Galatians 5:22-23 (MSG)
