Bereavement Support

For those experiencing grief and loss

“Grief Watch” is an umbrella term that covers all of the efforts by residents of the Peace House and other Metanoians to give spiritual, emotional and other support to people who are grieving, and to address the systemic injustices within our society which give people reason to grieve.

Grief Watch is also a publishing enterprise, publishing books DVDs, and other resources and distributing these throughout the world by means of a mail order distribution system operating out of the 18th Ave Peace House.  Pat Schwiebert is director of this program which is also staffed by several full and part-time, paid employees and  volunteers on stipend (after the manner of VISTA or Jesuit volunteers). Income from the sale of resources helps support other ministries within and beyond Metanoia Peace Community.

Grief Watch's companion program, called Perinatal Loss, sponsors several local "Brief Encounter" Groups for parents whose unborn, stillborn or newborn infants have died, and hosts meetings of Parent of Murdered Children and Suicide Bereavement Support.

To learn more about Tear Soup, a Recipe for Healing After Loss, and other Grief Watch resources for persons who are grieving go to www.griefwatch.com

 

 

Hard Times Supper

Together with volunteers from two other United Methodist congregations, we prepare and serve a free supper every Wednesday evening, to which we invite and welcome persons who are low-income, homeless and/or chronically mentally ill.

More than a “feeding program,” or “soup kitchen,” the event, which is held at Sunnyside-Centenary United Methodist Church, is a place where church people, street people, and people who are simply lonely, can share a meal together, served family style. Metanoia handles the financial administration and food purchasing, and much of the advance food preparation is done in the 18th Ave Peace House kitchen, under the supervision of Pat Schwiebert.

Military & Draft Counseling

From our church budget we pay the monthly telephone bill for the Northwest Military and Draft Counseling program, and get involved in the program’s efforts to reduce the presence of military recruiters in public schools.

[The website for this doesn't exist anymore.  Are we still actually supporting this program, and, if so, how does one get in touch with it? - Michael]

Peace & Justice Links

We are linked in various ways to several local and global efforts to address issues of oppression and injustice, especially as it involves disturbing actions by multinational corporations and government bodies in the United States and elsewhere. These peace and justice efforts include, but are not limited to

• the Campaign for Secure Dwellings, challenging U.S. support of Israeli oppression of Palestinians;
• School of the Americas Watch (SOA), advocating closure of the Pentagon’s training program for counter-revolutionaries in Latin America;
• Voices in the Wilderness, urging an end to the U.S.-led blockade against Iraq; 
• Jobs With Justice, advocating higher pay, better working conditions and workplace democracy for the working poor;
• and Shalom Ministries, Love Makes a Family and other Portland-based efforts in support of gay men, lesbians and others who are discriminated against because of sexual orientation.
• Peace House Friends, a direct action affinity group in Portland, Oregon.

Shared Ministries

As a congregation of the United Methodist Church, we gladly contribute our fair share of the cost of extensive denominational programs for global ministries, peace and justice advocacy, disaster relief, interdenominational cooperation, campus ministry and more.