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March/April 2010 Community Spotlight
New Thought Finds a New Home

by Rev. Roberta Winn

The New Thought Center for Spiritual Living has found a new home in Lake Oswego, Ore. in a church location known for helping congregations to grow.

Now located in the former Korean Young-Nak Presbyterian church, the New Thought Center is the fourth organization to occupy a space known for high congregant attendance. Rev. Roberta Winn, executive director of the New Thought Center, hopes that the positive energy of the location will help the center to expand and be of greater service to the community.

Led by Rev. David Alexander, one of the youngest and most dynamic ministers in the New Thought movement, the New Thought Center is a spiritual community and way of life that honors all paths to God.

"For five years our community has held a vision of a place to lay down our roots and grow as a community, a place that would nurture the growth of our families, build community and provide deep and authentic connection to spirit and each other,” says Alexander. “We've found that place.”

At the first services in January, nearly 500 people filled the sanctuary at the center’s 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. services on Sunday and 7 p.m. service on Wednesday. That’s double the weekly attendance the center had at its former location at the Kingstad Center in Beaverton, which served as the organization’s church home since 2004. The center also gained 100 members from a merger with the former Whole Life Church of Lake Oswego in late 2009.

The new location offers ample space for a new bookstore, lending library, meditation room, conference rooms and a soon to be finished commercial grade kitchen. Children have their own special childcare classrooms at both services and a ministry program is offered at the 11 a.m. service. As a venue space, the center is available for rental for meetings, workshops and concerts.

The center’s inspiring 50-member choir, led by musical director David York, presents Jesus Christ Superstar on April 2. Singing a variety of styles from gospel to pop to classical, the choir performs monthly at regular Sunday morning services.

The New Thought Center is located at 1040 C Ave. in Lake Oswego. Visit www.newthoughtcsl.org.