Minister

The Rev. Chuck Currie is a United Church of Christ (UCC) minister in Portland, Oregon who is well regarded for pastoral ministry, advocacy on issues related to homelessness, housing and health care, and as a writer and preacher.

Rev. Currie has been appointed minister of both Portland’s SE Sunnyside Church and N. Portland’s University Park Church, two Reconciling Congregations in the United Methodist Church, effective July 1, 2012. This appointment will be affirmed by an ecumenical covenantal agreement between the Central Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ and the Oregon-Idaho Conference of the United Methodist Church.

He served as the acting minister of Salem’s First Congregational United Church of Christ (February 2011 – June 2011) when a medical crisis forced that congregation’s pastor to step down. Rev. Currie also worked as a short-term consultant to Multmomah County on faith-based initiatives (2010) and as the long-term interim minister at Parkrose Community United Church of Christ (2006-2009) in NE Portland. During his three year tenure at Parkrose Community UCC the church engaged in a strategic planning process, voted to become “Open and Affirming” towards gays and lesbians, expanded theological educational programs for adults, launched a new joint youth program with another congregation, and decided to sell their property and relocate with a new focus on mission and outreach to the community.

Rev. Currie continues to guest preach throughout the area. He writes a personal blog on religion and social issues (that The LA Times cited for “top-tier” editorial writing in 2004) and also writes regularly for The Huffington Post on religion and political / social issues.

He has appeared on ABC’s World News Tonight and been mentioned or quoted in The New York Times, The La Times, The Washington Post, Newsweek, NPR, and is seen, heard or quoted frequently in local media.

Rev. Currie earned a Master of Divinity degree at UCC-related Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis, MO. (2006) and has taken additional graduate level courses in homiletics at Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, MO., and undergraduate classes in political science at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon. In 2011, Rev. Currie began work towards a Doctor of Ministry degree at Chicago Theological Seminary.

He is a former board member of the National Coalition for the Homeless in Washington, D.C., a former chair of the Multnomah County Community Action Commission, and a former board member of Burnside Community Council (Baloney Joe’s). Rev. Currie also served on the public policy committee for Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon.

Before attending seminary he was employed as the director of community outreach at Portland’s First United Methodist Church (a position that included serving as the executive director of the Goose Hollow Family Shelter), worked with community non-profits such as Outside In and Transition Projects, and as a consultant to Portland City Commissioner Gretchen Kafoury.

He is a recipient of a 1998 Community Harmony Award from the City of Portland Metro Human Rights Center. In 2002, Willamette Week named him one of the “Best People in Portland”. Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon awarded Currie the “2003 Vollum Ecumenical Humanitarian Award”. He was honored with a “Blessed Are the Peacemakers Award” by the World Council of Churches in 2004. In 2009, he was an invited guest of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama to a holiday reception at The White House. The National Association For The Education Of Homeless Children and Youth presented Rev. Currie with their Distinguished Service and Leadership Award in 2011.

Rev. Currie is married to Liz Smith Currie, who works as a policy adviser for a local elected official. They have twin daughters, Frances and Katherine, who attend school in the Portland Public School District.