Mystery Worshipper: Brandi Anderson
Church:
St Luke By the Sea, Waldport
Location: Oregon, USA
Date of visit: Sunday, 26 July 2026, 10:00am
The building
A small, ranch-style house, with stained glass windows in the sanctuary that offer remembrance to donors or those who have passed. A beautiful, humble space.
The church
The church feels progressive, welcoming, and not your traditional church-looking community. A white sign printed in simple black font is taped to the glass door of the building: ‘ICE Agents Not Welcome’. This is the church, the stance, the people.
The neighborhood
The church is located just outside of Waldport, Oregon, a sleepy costal town with a population of a couple thousand souls. The location is across the street from the Pacific Ocean. It's beautiful.
The cast
Two reverends, a priest, a deacon, an associate deacon, and a few others. I am not Episcopalian, so I don’t know exactly who was who. But the vicar, who was retiring, led the majority of the service. A few men from the congregation led the prayers of the people and read passages from Romans, Genesis, Matthew, and Psalms. A possible centenarian played the old-style organ located in the back. No one seemed to be leading the singing of hymns, which came from various manuals and sheets. The people in white robes helped with communion. Children from the congregation came up at certain times to see what was going on; the church seemed to honor children, see them, and love them.
What was the name of the service?
The 9th Sunday After Pentecost, Proper 12 (Sunday service).How full was the building?
Packed, standing room only near the back. Two churches had combined for one holy send off of the retiring vicar.
Did anyone welcome you personally?
It was beyond a personal welcome. I sat in a pew with an elder for an hour before the service started. When I had a hard time figuring out what hymns and books we were to read, my seat-mates helped me like I was their child.
Was your pew comfortable?
It was tolerable – an old wooden pew with a two-inch red cushion. The pews were close together, and at one point they were moving them around to make space for wheelchairs, oxygen, and walkers.
How would you describe the pre-service atmosphere?
I was an hour early, and it was quiet for about 45 minutes. Fifteen minutes before the service started, the church was full of voices, children, oxygen tanks whirling and people shuffling papers and purses to make room for the masses.
What were the exact opening words of the service?
‘Welcome on this 9th Sunday of Pentecost.’ Followed by an old soul in the front row saying, ‘We cannot hear her.’ Then again: ‘Welcome on this 9th Sunday of Pentecost,’ but a bit louder.
What books did the congregation use during the service?
A Bible, two hymn books, a 10-page printed document with additional hymns, prayers, verses, dates, and creeds. It was a full array of all kinds of books and things to read – almost too much. But there was no projection screen, so we needed something to guide us through our holy time.
What musical instruments were played?
An old organ.
Did anything distract you?
Quite a bit. I love to observe people. The diversity of this congregation was distracting, but in the best way. Babies crying, walkers clanging, lots of acrobatics and shifting around with Bibles and candles and communion wine and gluten-free options, and a tiny secret door on the wall where the folks in white robes stood, pulling out communion items. It was a lot to take in, and I loved every minute of it.
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or what?
It was clappy, creative, fun, hippy, and if we had a joint, we might have smoked it.
Exactly how long was the sermon?
27 minutes. There were lots of things going on in it – sermon, parables, poems, send-off letters, and a homemade kaleidoscope with flower petals used by the vicar to remind us that with Jesus everything looks different.
On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?
7 — I loved her. It was her last sermon, a good one, and lots of nuggets about her experiences and life to share. Her robe appeared to be handwoven with many colors of the rainbow. A gardener, she collected flower petals for the kaleidoscope. I could tell she had lived out her calling and lived it fully, serving the people of Waldport with the love of Jesus.
In a nutshell, what was the sermon about?
The sermon included multiple passages of scripture, but the main point was that Jesus used parables to teach us how to live and find God. The kaleidoscope: Jesus’ parables always look different, but mercy, peace, and love prevail. Yeast mixed with flour transforms everything. The prodigal son. The pearl of great price. Treasure hidden in a field, and a man selling everything to get the treasure. The struggle to find God and know God.
Which part of the service was like being in heaven?
The people. Every person I encountered or made eye contact with seemed to have love in their eyes – not just for me, but for the Kingdom. If the Holy Spirit occupies the physical bodies of God’s people, then the Holy Spirit was in these people and in this place. The wild thing about the people, and the feeling that this was heaven, was that most of them did not look holy or like Jesus freaks in the traditional sense. I witnessed more LGBTQIA+, queer, trans, and disabled people than I have in any other congregation, even those with thousands of people, and this congregation included about 75 souls.
And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
I almost hate to write this, but I will: the length of the service. The service was advertised online as starting at 9. When I drove up on the gravel road parallel to the Pacific Ocean, it was just me and one other car. I walked in and asked if there was a service. They said, ‘Oh, it doesn’t start until 10 today.’
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
I did not hang around. After 2.5 hours I left before it ended. But if I had hung around longer, they would have invited me to the potluck and welcomed me like Jesus.
How would you describe the after-service coffee?
There was a potluck brewing. I am sure it was served with love and an eco-conscious mind.
How would you feel about making another visit (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
10 —Did the service make you feel glad to be a Christian?
Yes.
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time ?
This is a visit I almost did not make. It was a beautiful morning on the Oregon Coast, and I did not want to be inside a small building with strangers I did not know, seeking a God experience. But I was pulled anyway. I will remember the people, and specifically the elder I sat with before the service started. She was in her 80s, a retired middle school math teacher, and told me her life story: the recent death of a daughter, several deaths of close family members, chronic illness, worries about her grandchildren. She told me how the church was there for her through all of these losses. I will remember the vicar’s partner’s eloquent letter to the congregation. This was their last Sunday serving before retirement. His words, I will remember: ‘Death is God’s renewal plan. It is all a sacrament. The fire burns low until we shuffle off into holy sleep.’