The South African Bishop Desmond Tutu said, “I don’t preach a social gospel; I preach the Gospel, period. The gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is concerned for the whole person. When people were hungry, Jesus didn’t say, Now is that political, or social? He said: I feed you. Because the good news to a hungry person is bread.”

The Gospel of Matthew records Jesus telling us something similar in ch. 25, that the true test of faith is not the accuracy of the mental constructs in your head, but whether you feed the hungry, clothe the naked, or visit the sick and those in prison?

Theology is important, right belief about the nature of reality and God is critical, but it’s not right if it doesn’t lead you into the lives of your neighbor and into the life of the world.

Intown Presbyterian Church is a community seeking to EMBODY the historic Xian gospel in the city of Portland.

We want to respond to Jesus' "Follow me" call by living into the life of our city, seeking to bring tangible signs of his healing nature wherever there is sickness, loneliness, hunger, poverty, etc.

So, though we have a long way to go and much to improve upon, our deacons are leading us to creatively-serve arriving refugees with Refugee Care Collective. And, in the case of Embrace Oregon, busy moms are initiating ways that our church can serve another vulnerable population - foster children.

But, embodying the gospel means so much more than just creating pathways of service toward communities of need, it means living Christianly in all areas of life in such a way that theology is not simply a matter of talk but of life. So we're asking:

What does following Jesus mean with regards to my finances? What could Intown be and do if everyone gave in truly costly ways to the mission of our church?
What does following Jesus mean for me as an employee or student?
What does following Jesus entail for being a good neighbor in my actual neighborhood? or with a difficult family member?
What does following Jesus require of me politically? How does being a follower of Christ shape political dialogue with others, especially those who think differently than me?

Join us as we seek to live OUT what God is doing within.