Commissions & Ministries Index

Commissions of The Diocese of Oregon

Commission on Ministry

The Commission on Ministry of the Ordained (COM-O) is advisory to the Bishop, and supports the work of the Church in discerning and shepherding those who may be called to ordained ministry. Made up of fifteen lay and ordained individuals, the Commission meets monthly on the first Thursday. Meetings include interviews of people in the ordination process, ordination and discernment policy review and revision, and strategic planning. Commission members are appointed by the Bishop, typically for five-year terms. The Commission’s partner group is the Commission on Ministry of the Baptized (COM-B), chaired in 2010 by Linda Martin.

Committee for Baptismal Ministry Development

The Committee for Baptismal Ministry Development (COM-B) has been working on developing training for discernment committees in congregations and/or convocations this year. Discernment is an important part of all of our lives as Christians – we must be able to listen and listen again for that small voice from within of where God might be calling us.

Commission for Community Missions

A commission focused on community relationships with an emphasis on ministry outside of traditional parish settings.

Ecumenical and Interfaith Commission

The mission of the Ecumenical and Interfaith Commission is to meet everyone at the crossroads of faith, to provide resources for dialogue and understanding, and to fulfill God’s word to Jeremiah: “Stand at the crossroads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.”

Commission to End Racism

The goal of the commission is to make ourselves, and others, more aware of the divisiveness (sin) of racism, to give us skills to confront racism in ourselves and in institutions, to transform ourselves, and the people around us, to become a more open and just community based on love for each other.

Environmental Commission

The Environmental Commission of the Diocese of Oregon is a group of lay and clergy leaders of the diocese who focus on environmental issues from the perspective of a people of faith.

Evangelism Commission

The mission of the Diocesan Evangelism Commission is to provide resources to support and encourage our people of our diocese as they do evangelism.

The Commission for the Fund for the Poor and Homeless

The Commission for the Distribution of Funds for the Poor and Homeless has been in existence for many years. We are made up of representatives from each convocation and we meet three times a year. Our specific task is to distribute the funds gathered from the churches in gathering’s at Thanksgiving and the monies from the basket raffle held during convention. Each year ministries of the churches apply for monies and can receive up to $1000 to help support their work on the behalf of the poor and homeless.

Higher Education Commission

Our mission is to maintain communities of worship, study, and community outreach at each of our campuses: Portland State University, Oregon State University, Western Oregon University, University of Oregon, and Southern Oregon University. We carry on God’s mission of justice and reconciliation through Jesus Christ, respond to needs, and participate in the ongoing unfolding of God’s kingdom. Each campus has its own set of challenges and successes.

Latino Ministries

Liturgical & Music Commission

This commission has recently reorganized after several years’ inactivity. Our first meeting created goals to provide leadership and planning for the Diocesan Convention Liturgy; developing, publishing, and seeking diocesan-wide consensus regarding visitation and ordination liturgies; continuing to offer a leadership program for musicians; and sponsoring or supporting effective workshops for lay ministers, musicians, and clergy.

Personnel Committee

The Personnel Committee reviews relationships regarding clergy and lay employees of the church and to make recommendations of standards and procedures in such concern as compensation, benefits, job expectations, styles of review, and mutual evaluations to Council for action and approval.

Recovery Commission

The Recovery Commission aspires to serve the community as a resource network for understanding addiction and its impact. We continue to carry the message of recovery through parish liaisons, educational workshops, and our work with national Episcopal Recovery organization.

Youth Ministries Commission

YMC stands for Youth Ministry Commission and it is made up of both youth and adults. One of the main purposes of the group is to support youth ministry in the diocese. We do this both by supporting the youth of the diocese and the people who work with the youth in our diocese.

Ministries of the Diocese of Oregon

Christian Education and Life-Long Formation

The Christian Education and Life-Long Formation program group supports all the congregations in the diocese as a resource helping them develop education programs. We maintain resources, provide training and support for educators, and offer consultation. Our future plan is to coordinate with other program groups to provide our services in a timely manner. We maintain a complete library with videos, curriculum, and other pertinent materials.

Church Periodical Club

Founded in 1888, the Church Periodical Club continues to serve people around the world by providing written, recorded and video materials to spread the message of Christ. Grants are made to adult and childrens ministries and to seminarians each year by the two granting bodies of the Church Periodical Club. The National Books Fund gives grants to adults and adult religious education programs while the Miles of Pennies Fund gives grants to children’s programs.

Daughters of the King

The ladies in The Daughters of the King, an international Order of Episcopal women and friends, are joyously celebrating 125 years of prayer and service during 2010. There are six Chapters in the Oregon Diocese – at St. Andrew, Florence; St. Hilda, Monmouth; St. Luke, Grants Pass; St. Aidan, Gresham, Grace Memorial, Portland, and St. Andrew, Portland. In addition there are many Daughters at Large who serve in churches throughout the Oregon Assembly.

Deaf Ministry

Deaf ministry, while centered at St. Hilda’s Episcopal Church in Monmouth is actually a diocesan program. A fundamental goal remains to help other churches reach out to their local deaf communities

Diocesan Altar Guild

Altar Guild is a diocesan program that provides support to the altar guilds around the diocese through workshops, consultations for altar guilds, and providing items from the “Close Closet. The diocesan altar guild provides a team for large services such as the consecration of Michael Hanley, and at convention.

Education for Ministry

Education for Ministry (EfM) provides people with the education to carry out ministry. EfM offers an opportunity to discover how to respond to the call to Christian service.

Emergency Response Preparedness Program

The Diocese of Oregon Emergency Response Preparedness Program is designed to create and implement a plan to mitigate the effects of emergencies and disasters within the Diocese.  This Program is an integral part of The Episcopal Relief & Development Program and was initiated by The Episcopal Church National Executive Council in 2005.

Episcopal Church Women

Episcopal Church Women of Oregon is affiliated with National Episcopal Church Women USA. This being the case the Diocesan ECW Board of Oregon, when financially feasible sends the following delegates to Province VIII meetings and triennial: president, vice-president, and UTO representative. Within the diocese the board sponsors an annual Spirituality Day for all women of the diocese. The board also hosts an annual meeting and luncheon during Diocesan Convention.

Episcopal Peace Fellowship

The Episcopal Peace Fellowship was founded in 1939 as a ministry within the Episcopal Church, USA. The Oregon chapter was formed in February 2005 to provide education in peacemaking and creative nonviolence as well as to be active participants working to end war and bringing about a just society. The Episcopal Peace Fellowship works to help the church remember that following Jesus Christ requires us to seek options to militarism and nationalism and also to raise awareness of the teachings of the Episcopal Church regarding peace and justice.

Episcopal Relief and Development

Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) responds to human suffering around the world. ERD provides emergency assistance after disasters, rebuilds communities, and helps children and families climb out of poverty. ERD’s work around the world addresses the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals by focusing on: food security, primary health care, and emergency relief and rebuilding. The Diocese of Oregon has a strong ERD chapter, which, over the past few years, has organized congregational and individual support for people left homeless and needy by the Southeast Asia tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, and other natural and man-made disasters.

Global Mission

The Global Mission Committee’s mission is to encourage the congregations and people of the Diocese to engage with other parts of the Anglican Communion and other Christians around the world in the mission of Jesus Christ.

Parish Nurses/Health Ministries

Parish nursing is caring for wholeness — mind, body, and spirit — by combining the knowledge and skills of nursing practice with the spiritual and religious tenets that underlie our health. The focus is to keep the congregation well by offering care when there is disease and disability. Health ministry focuses on outcomes of the congregation’s work of bringing health and healing to the community. The mission is to promote health ministry/parish nursing in the Episcopal Church. We believe that spirituality is a health issue, and health is a spirituality issue.

Rahab's Sisters

Rahab’s Sisters provides compassionate hospitality and a supportive presence to women marginalized by the sex industry, substance abuse, and homelessness. We welcome them without judgment, just as they are, no strings attached, no questions asked. Our mission is to respond to our sisters in a servant spirit and to improve their lives.

St. Anselm of Canterbury Ministry in Higher Education

St. Anselm is the Episcopal Church’s center for higher education ministry in Corvallis. In addition to the students, faculty and staff at Oregon State University and Linn-Benton Community College we seek to serve anyone who seeks God with an inquiring mind, especially those who use study, intellectual inquiry and scholarship for that purpose. Our task is to present the message of the church in its Episcopalian form to higher education and to listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit in higher education in order to enrich the church’s life.

United Thank Offering

The United Thank Offering addresses compelling human need through grants to projects that alleviate poverty, both domestically and internationally, within the Anglican provinces, diocese and companion dioceses. Approximately $2 million dollars in grants was distributed in 2009.

William Temple House

Founded in 1965, and named in honor of a former Archbishop of Canterbury, William Temple House has been serving working poor individuals and families through ministries of body, mind, and spirit by its three service divisions of emergency social services, mental health counseling and pastoral care.  Volunteers, under professional supervision, provide all services at William Temple House.

William Temple House actively seeks to partner with Episcopal congregations to support ministries of outreach and social justice. Together, we draw our strength as described in the baptismal covenant:

• Seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves
• Strive for peace and justice among all persons, respecting the dignity of every human being