Dear Friends,

2010 promises to be the year we re-ignite our ministry in a permanent location. For the past 2 years, Berdell and I have taken time to search our souls and get focused about our guidance, expectations, desires and intentions. Having become clear about these, we are very excited and anxious to begin again.

Berdell's and my spiritual path was ignited by 12-step. Together, we have 57 years of 12-step recovery, and our lives today are the result of actively applying 12-step principles. We have always felt a strong pull toward expressing our worship message from the 12-step perspective, and after 18 years as Independent New Thought ministers, we have decided it is time to go back to our spiritual roots, which are not too unlike New Thought, given that 12-step spirituality grew from New Thought. We believe there is a great desire and need for a worship community based in 12-step philosophy for those who do not feel at home in the usual worship settings, but who would still very much like to be a part of an actual worship community.

Therefore, under the auspices of the Portland Center for Spiritual Growth, an Oregon 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Corporation, we will be known as:
STEP 11
A Spiritual Growth Community

Step 11 will appeal to those who follow 12-step, and who desire a worship community similar to a church or synagogue, but is based in 12-step philosophy. Those who want to grow their lives beyond meetings by more consciously applying spiritual ideas to everyday experiences, using the 12-step foundation they have come to love and rely upon will feel at home here. We've called this new ministry Step 11 because the language of the eleventh step reads: "Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood him, praying only for knowledge of his will for us and the power to carry that out." The eleventh step is all about deepening our relationship with God through ongoing and purposeful spiritual study; it's about learning, and eventually knowing what God's guidance feels like; and understanding how God empowers us to bring about "his will," the highest good (health, prosperity and happiness) for ourselves and others.

As clergy, Berdell's and my job will be: 1) to encourage each person's prayer life, 2) to help each person develop a clearer understanding of their Higher Power, 3) to support each person's increasing ability to sense God's guidance, and 4) to inspire the courage in each person to make that happen. We will continue to act as licensed, ordained clergy in matters of facilitating ceremonies such as marriage, blessings and memorials. As part of the Sunday services, we will incorporate the celebration of important worship holidays, such as Christmas, Chanukah, Passover, Easter, and the like. We will be available to be called upon to aid congregants in walking through challenging times and life events.

Services will be offered on Sunday mornings from 11am - Noon. For those who desire an intellectual approach to their spirituality, an "Ancient Wisdom Study" (the Bible, the Talmud, Bahagavad Gita, Buddhism's 4 Noble Truths, A Course In Miracles, etc.) will precede the Sunday service from 10am - 10:45am. And for those who find increased spiritual growth through social interaction, a "Message Sharing Group" will be offered following the Sunday service from 12:20pm - 1pm. Our hope is that congregants will spend quality time together, growing in faith and spiritual awareness by continuing their connection together over lunch and other social activities.

We plan to make our space available to autonomous 12-Step groups throughout the week.

We will soon be visiting 12-step meetings with our flier about Step 11, inviting those who are interested in being a part of the planning committee to contact us. We'll then call a meeting, and once we have solidified our location, a date will be set for our first service. We are asking those of you who have knowledge of possible space to email us any time.

We look forward to seeing many of you who have been with us in the past, and to meeting new seekers as they join us. Until then, we will keep you in our hearts and good thoughts.

Blessings & Hugs,

Casey and Berdell