Stephen Carnahan is the pastor of The Open House.

He has been pastor of several churches in the United Church of Christ, in Reading, PA,Long Island, NY, and Portland, ME. He has been working with The Open House since it began.

Here is a message from him about the work at The Open House.

I had a life changing moment when I was 16 and felt that God was calling me to work to become a pastor. I had only an inkling then exactly where that would lead me.

I guess the call wasn't very surprising. I was raised in church, and my father was a pastor. Even growing up in the 60's didn't shake this sense that God had some work for me to do. I assumed I would do as my father had done: go to college, go to seminary, go to work in a church somewhere.

What I didn't know was how much things would change in society. When I was a kid, everyone went to church, and every church was full. That changed as I grew. Churches all over America began to decline. And I thought I knew why that was.

The culture had changed, but churches hadn't. My church was still singing songs that had been written in the between 1850 and 1950. (A lot happened in music after 1950, you know.) My church was still assuming that there was a consensus about what were the core values in our society. I had been involved in enough protests to know that that consensus was gone. Most churches assumed that their authority was as strong as ever. But I doubted it myself and knew that most people my age were skeptical of the almost all authorities.

I figured that there would be a shift in the church's way of doing things. The message of God's love known through Jesus was still wonderful, but the way of presenting it would have to change. In many churches it did, and guitars began to replace organs. People coming to church began to be more casual. But this happened only in churches with a narrow, conservative approach to the Message.

There were more progressive churches. They had picked up on the importance of the civil rights movement and the fact that a central message of the Bible was to bring about peace and justice. They were progressive on social issues. But, let's face it:  their services were boring. The music was too traditional, the people dressed up a lot, and we sat silently while we heard people speak and sing in archaic languages.

Was that my choice? Good music and contemporary language wrapped around a narrow, exclusive point of view, OR a message of God's love and acceptance of all, dressed up in boring music and stuffy church services?

Well, here in Portland there is a new choice. The Open House combines a free and open style of worship and a loose structure with an open and inclusive message of love for all. We are one of the few churches you can find that is progressive both in belief and style.

At the OPEN HOUSE, I feel like I have finally been set free to do the kind of work that God called me to in the first place:  to teach about the love of God that we see in Jesus Christ, without having to get involved in all the religious trappings and wrappings that obscure the message.

Here's what we have to say: You are a child of God and are of infinite value. God has created us to be creatures who love, and we find that life works much better when we do. We should work for the freedom of all people and a world that lives by justice. We are happiest when we are part of a community that honestly cares for each other. We can understand God when we know Jesus Christ, and in Jesus we also see what we are to be like.

So at the OPEN HOUSE we do our very best to communicate this message in ways people can understand. We don't use religious jargon, or make references to old hymns or obscure Bible passages. We don't assume that people know what we are doing or why; we explain everything. I do my very best to be honest with you, and that means NOT pretending to have all the answers. We talk to each other and learn from each other.

I hope you will give us a try. Come in some Sunday evening and see how easy it is to be with us. Have a cup of coffee and a cookie, or some popcorn. Sit down and listen to the great music. Sing along and clap if you like. Feel free to laugh (I'm really a funny guy!). Open your heart to love and truth and beauty and hope. Cry if that's what you need to do. You won't be the first.

Check us out. If you think we can nurture your spirit, then we invite you to be part of our community.