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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 15, 2017)
PAGE A4, KEIZERTIMES, SEPTEMBER 15, 2017 KeizerCommunity Pastor at home at Clear Lake UMC KEIZERTIMES.COM By DEREK WILEY Of the Keizertimes When Alyssa Baker was asked to give her fi rst sermon, she laughed. Baker, the new lead pastor of Keizer Clear Lake United Methodist Church, was a se- nior in high school and had only attended church regu- larly for a couple of years. “I was a behind the scenes type of person, really intro- verted,” Baker said. But as she preached from Psalm 139 and spoke of how she was formed and loved by God, in that moment, some- thing felt right. However, Baker had no plans to become a pastor and went to Western Oregon University to begin working towards a business degree. “I pushed it away for a while, thinking that’s not re- ally what I’m supposed to be doing,” Baker said. Baker remained involved in the church, leading wor- ship during a Thursday night community meal service at Dallas United Methodist Church. About a year into leading worship, Baker went to the pastor to tell him, “I think I’m supposed to be doing what you’re doing.” “He just laughed and said, ‘Yep, I was waiting for you to tell me,” Baker recalled. “He already knew but wanted me to fi nd that.” After fi nishing her business degree, Baker began looking at graduate school. With only 13 accredited United Methodist seminar- ies in the United States and none in Oregon and Wash- ington, she decided to attend the Boston University School of Theology, located just three blocks from Fenway Park. “I knew I would have to take a leap so why not leap across the country,” Baker said. Getting her master’s of di- vinity, Baker spent three years in Boston, which included a two-year internship at Wilm- ington United Methodist Church. Along with being on the other side of the country more than 3,000 miles from home, Baker got a different church experience as well. Instead of maybe 100 peo- ple at Sunday morning wor- ship, line in Albany, Wilming- ton had over 300 and three different services. “It was something com- pletely different than I had ever experienced,” Baker said. “To be able to offer the dif- ferent worship experiences and to recognize that people connect differently spiritually, that opened up my eyes.” Baker returned to Oregon after seminary and spent a year as the pastoral intern at The Dalles United Method- ist Church, planning worship, conducting funerals, starting Sunday School programs and helping create a Columbia Gorge-wide youth group. Baker said her favorite parts of ministry are “con- necting with people on their spiritual journeys and build- ing new relationships.” “I like connecting people KEIZERTIMES/Derek Wiley Alyssa Baker, the new lead pastor at Keizer Clear Lake United Methodist Church, is heading up the young adult ministry for the six Open Door Churches in Keizer and Salem. together as they share their stories and fi nd similar inter- ests,” she added. In Keizer, Baker is focus- ing on the young adult pro- gram for all six Open Door Spirit Chorus Churches in the area as well as taking care of the day-to- day tasks at Clear Lake. Baker felt welcomed right away and then on a recent Sunday morning found out how giving the congregation is. “With Hurricane Harvey going on, I just announced we’re helping with this and we had jars and passed them around and kids and parents and grandparents, everyone just put in whatever they had to help for that,” Baker said. “It’s nice. It’s what church should be, I think. The peo- ple here have such big hearts and so welcoming and open- ing, People turn away from church for so many differ- ent reasons. We’re not a scary place. We’re just people.” Submitted Oregon Spirit Chorus will perform with Oregon SenateAires, GQ and Flipside in A Cappella Spirit at Willamette University’s Smith Auditorium on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. Purchase tickets at oregonspirit.org. Feel Our Warmth COME IN AND TALK WITH US THE SPRINGS at SUNNYVIEW INDEPENDENT LIVING 1950 45th Ave NE , Salem • 503- 589 -1200 THE WOODS at WILLOWCREEK ASSISTED LIVING & MEMORY CARE 4398 Glencoe St NE , Salem • 503-581- 4239 TheSpringsLiving.com