Open: Adventures in Radical Hospitality - Paperback

by Sara Fischer (Author)

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.

Author Biography

Sara Fischer is an Episcopal priest at Saints Peter & Paul Episcopal Church (www.spp-pdx.org) in Portland, Oregon. She earned her Master of Divinity at the General Theological Seminary in New York City and has served urban parishes in Portland and Seattle since being ordained in 2003. She is a cofounder of Rahab's Sisters (www.rahabs-sisters.org).



The author is donating all net proceeds from the sale of Open to Saints Peter & Paul Episcopal Church and Rahab's Sisters, dedicated to creating home and community for some of Portland's most vulnerable.