Who We Are

Portland Mennonite Church is a congregation of people striving to be an authentic community that is shaped by the life of Christ, acts with the compassion of Christ and worships in the name of Christ. We have been part of the Hawthorne neighborhood for forty years. Though the congregation is spread through out the metropolitan area, we are committed to the vision of the ancient prophet Jeremiah - "Seek the peace of the city where I have sent you ... and pray to the Lord on its behalf" (Jeremiah 29.7). As a congregation, we are seeking shalom, the holy, just and reconciling peace of God, in our lives and community, in our neighborhoods and around the world.    

Portland Mennonite Church is rooted in the Anabaptist tradition of Christianity. Our core impulse is to follow the way of Jesus daily and practically. We hold much in common with many other Christian traditions. Distinctively, though, we are one of the Historic Peace Churches (along with the Quakers and the Church of the Brethren). Jesus calls us to love even our enemies and to actively work for reconciliation, so we are committed to non-violence. We also have historic commitments to service and simplicity of life. To learn more about the Mennonite Church, visit Third Way Café.

A Dream

From the beginning in 1525 through the present, Mennonites have dreamed that it is:

Reasonable to follow Jesus Christ daily, radically, totally in life.

Practical to obey the Sermon on the Mount, and the whole New

            Testament, literally, honestly, sacrificially.

Thinkable to practice the way of reconciling love

            in human conflicts and warfare,

            non-defensively and non-resistantly.

Possible to confess Jesus as Lord

            above all nationalism, racism, or materialism.

Feasible to build a church which is voluntary, disciplined,

            and mutually committed to each other in Christ.

Conceivable to live simply, following the Jesus-way

            in lifestyle, in possessions, in service.

(David Augsburger)