PMC Joins Oregon Peace Pilgrimage

​The Center for Christian Studies, based at Reedwood Friends Meeting in Portland, Oregon, organized an all-day Saturday bus trip, christened the first Oregon Peace Pilgrimage.

Declaring our three traditions are arguably a spiritual family, the bus trip was joined by Mennonites (mainly from Portland Mennonite Church), Quakers (from Reedwood Friends Meeting), and members of Peace Church of the Brethren – 55 in all! The trip was initiated by the new Director of the Center for Christian Studies at Reedwood Friends Meeting, Dr. Daniel Smith-Christopher, who is a life-long Quaker, but also a MDiv graduate of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Goshen, IN.  The Center for Christian Studies is seeking to be a new partnership between the three “Historic Peace Churches” in Portland, and this bus trip was a first event to explore the concept with an enjoyable but also educational day dedicated to getting acquainted, celebrating the 500th Anniversary of Anabaptism, and thinking about future possibilities in this new cooperative arrangement.  The Bus Tour stopped at the Brigittine Monastery, which produces chocolates (a popular stop!) but also gave the “bus pilgrims” the opportunity to be reminded of the role of Hershey and Cadbury in Mennonite and Quaker traditions. 

The second stop was the Old Colony Museum in Aurora, dedicated to perhaps the most important Christian Commune in Oregon history, from the 19th Century. Over lunch, Museum curators shared, but this stop also gave an opportunity to think about the role of intentional community and “mutual aid” in the three traditions. 

The final stop was Zion Mennonite Church in the countryside outside Hubbard, featuring the locally famous “Amish Barn”, and the Pacific Northwest Mennonite Historical Center.
Over a catered chicken dinner, the bus pilgrims further developed their new friendships, and the Mennonites led some special hymns while their new friends from the other two traditions joined in. After a full day of travel, the bus pilgrims returned to Portland and began to dream about where we go for NEXT year’s Oregon Peace Pilgrimage together!

Daniel L. Smith-Christopher Prof. Theological Studies
Dept. Theology
Loyola Marymount University 
Los Angeles, CA