Open

Set in what the author affectionately calls "the spiritual-but-not-religious center of the universe," Open tells the story of a scrappy little church in southeast Portland, Oregon, and its many encounters with the poor in its neighborhood and beyond. In the city that in 2020 became a focus of national attention because of tireless protests against police brutality, the complexity and vulnerability that characterize racial struggles in America's whitest city also characterize the struggles of this neighborhood church and its priest's hunger for justice and hope. The church opens its doors and hearts to people marginalized by sex work, poverty, prejudice, or addiction--people whom others cannot or will not help--while on a national and global scale 2020 shines a light on legacy racial and economic injustices. The book explores intersections between faith, social unrest, and one clergywoman's search for meaningful work.