Roughly two months ago a congregation gathered in Northeast Portland to sing songs led by a band on stage, socialize over coffee and be inspired by speakers.
It looked like a church meeting, but the goal wasn’t to teach or promote religious beliefs. It was simply to celebrate life. There was no mention of religion, except to specify that the service wasn’t about religion.
They were scheduled to do it again tonight until the winter storm forced the group’s first formal meeting to be postponed.
This congregation is the Portland Sunday Assembly. Sunday Assembly congregations have been popping up all over the United States, courtesy of Sanderson Jones, one of two British comedians who founded the now international organization. Jones went on tour in the fall, launching Sunday Assemblies in cities around the U.S., the United Kingdom and Australia.
Jones said the goal is to fill a niche. It’s a service and community that has all the benefits of a church — celebratory music, inspiring talks, a sense of community — just without “the God bits.”
Portland organizer Korin Scott Leman said the feedback after the launch, which was held at the Ambridge Event Center Dec. 10, was overwhelmingly positive. She said more than half of attendees who filled out comment cards volunteered to help.
That volunteer spirit is essential to making the organization work, she said. Organizers hope to see a number of smaller groups within the congregation form to serve attendees and the larger community. Those groups could be anything from support groups to a team that provides semi-regular childcare for families to academic discussions.
The Portland Sunday Assembly plan to meet from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. the second Sunday of every month at the Matt Dishman Community Center at 77 N.E. Knott St.
