Evergreen Community

Note: this isn’t so much a review as a «what to expect.» I think that different types of people need different types of churches, but I’m partial to this one.
The Evergreen Community is a gathering of people to study the Bible and encourage one another in their faith. I heard about them from a friend. I really hate being the «visitor» in a church on a Sunday morning, but I got some friends together and went yesterday.
Evergreen meets every Sunday at the Lucky Labrador Pub in NW Portland before the pub opens for business. You can read reviews of the Lucky Lab here:

The group isn’t huge (sixty, seventy people?), but everyone at Evergreen was very friendly. Friendly in a neighborly way, not in a salesman-​at-​a-​kiosk-​in-​the-​mall sort of way.
There were tons of kids, but they all disappeared into the childcare room on the side when the meeting began. There was a band in the corner, an overhead projector, and some wine and candles on small tables in the center. The pub’s tables had been pushed out of the way, and the chairs were arranged in rows in a semi-​circle.
The groups was pretty mixed in terms of age. The atmosphere was casual. The pastor, Bob Hyatt, didn’t just preach at us. Instead, he lead a thoughtful discussion of politics, hope, and the Bible. People participated, but there wasn’t any pressure at all.
Afterword, everyone moves all of the tables and chairs back to the Lucky Lab’s school cafeteria style and orders lunch. People kind of hung around talking as if they, you know, liked each other. There was no pretense with this group– everyone came as they were and was accepted. It was as almost an extension of what a pub should be– a place to hang out and interact casually with friends.
The Evergreen Community isn’t a traditional church. It really is more of a community than anything else. They do a lot of social action (they pass out blankets to homeless people and do humanitarian work in Haiti), and they like not being very big and not having a building. If you’re looking for Christian community that is personal, relevant, and active, you should check out Evergreen.
Meeting times: Sundays, 10:00 AM– 11:30 or so. Besides the NW Quimby meeting, they also meet (different group, same time) at the Lucky Labrador Brew Pub at 915 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
Childcare: Yes. The kids had a great time, the workers were parents and young adults.
Parking: plenty on the street. You should ride your bike or take public, though (TriMet buses #s 17 or 77).
For more information, check out Evergreen’s website: