Our Story
In 2012 a series of conversations began with friends and neighbors Joel and Sabrina Sommer had been spending time with in their Southeast Portland neighborhood. People in cross-cultural marriages. People accustomed to being “the only one” of their ethnicity in the room. Misfits of one kind or another--who were curious about what it would look like if church gatherings reflected the ethnic diversity of God’s people.
We didn’t have the language then for “decentering whiteness.” We hadn’t heard the term “anti-racist.” But we had seen God at work as we intentionally resisted the racial divisions and stratifications that continue to exist--even in the white progressive haven of Portland, Oregon. And we wanted to know what would happen if racial justice was moved from a side project of the church to the heart of the mission.
Since that time, God has been abundantly faithful in giving us opportunities to love each other and our neighbors. We have had the privilege of interrupting deportation proceedings, building interfaith friendships, partnering with local schools, and serving the tangible needs of our neighbors. Within our church, the Spirit has worked powerfully to bring healing and deepening of faith as we learn to trust Jesus in our changing world.
The years have also taught us that we have much to learn. For the past several years we have worked to intentionally elevate the voices of Women of Color within our church and in our theological imagination. Who knows where the Spirit will lead us next?
We’d love to have you join us Sunday.
Our Values
Contemplative Spirituality.
Jesus did not use guilt or shame to motivate people, so we don’t want to either. Our approach to Scripture and faith is non-coercive, non-manipulative, and non-anxious. We practice careful listening to Scripture, each other, and the Holy Spirit.
Emotional Health.
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, and self-control. This does not mean we bypass difficult emotions — rather, we invite Jesus into the full range of our emotional lives so the Spirit can meet us in our joy and our grief to produce that fruit. Full-throated, ugly-cry lament and giddy, wild celebration are both normal parts of our life together in Christ.
Racial Justice.
Jesus always challenges dominant social structures by lifting up the oppressed. That’s why we prayerfully and tangibly confront the outward traumas of racial injustice, as well as the more subtle ways that BIPOC are marginalized in theological conversation, church life, and our city.
Our Beliefs
Access is part of the Covenant Church, a multi-ethnic movement of over 800 churches in the USA. The Covenant has distilled their theological commitments into six affirmations that allow local churches the freedom to follow Jesus in contextually specific ways while preserving a common identity.
The Covenant Affirmations are:
—the centrality of the Word of God
—the necessity of the new birth
—a commitment to the whole mission of the church
—the church as a fellowship of believers
—a conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit
—the reality of freedom in Christ
To learn more about the Covenant Church, you can click here. You can also meet our leadership team here.