Find a Bible study in Portland, or start one at your table.

Room guidance refreshed October 1, 2026.

If “Bible study” sounds like an invitation to be corrected for an hour, say what you mean before asking someone to come. Tell them the passage, how long you expect to stay, and that they can disagree or decline to speak. You can take Jesus seriously while allowing a question to remain unfinished.

Reserve for the people who are coming

The county reservation page gives small rooms a two-hour daily limit and medium rooms four hours, with one small/medium booking at one location per day. Medium rooms may be reserved up to 30 days ahead. Select the room's actual capacity, then check access and availability with staff. A longer reservation isn't a reason to make readers stay longer.

For a larger gathering, read the large-room policy before announcing it. It is a public event, and the reservation guide says personal-information collection such as sign-in sheets is not allowed. Don't require attendees to hand over contact details to enter. Ask staff about your proposed use, and keep future contact voluntary within the rules.

An hour that leaves space for somebody else

One workable first plan is ten minutes to settle in, twenty to read Matthew 6:1-18, then enough time to compare what each reader noticed. Jesus speaks about giving, prayer and fasting without making a performance of them. Someone can bring a question about hypocrisy; another might wonder why prayer matters at all. Read the relevant sentences again before proposing an answer.

When somebody describes harm from a church, let them say only as much as they choose. No host needs to defend a denomination to protect Jesus from criticism. We can distinguish His teaching from behavior that contradicts it, and admit where we have failed to practice it ourselves.

An audio option from GotLuv.org makes Matthew available to someone who would rather listen. Later, read John with its stated purpose in John 20:31. Keep a record of unresolved textual questions, not private stories or a score of who agrees with you.

Before leaving, decide what this passage changes in a normal day. You could stop mentioning a generous act you did, pray privately to the Father, or make a quiet visit to someone who asked for company. At the next gathering ask what was difficult. The point is to become faithful in practice.

For the shared meals and daily care in Acts 2, The Tiny Church offers a free longer discussion. A living-room meal can happen separately from a room booking; check the host's willingness and let guests know the arrangement.

Put a first reading on the calendar

If you'd like company for Matthew, tell us when you could join. A Portland host can offer a room or table without having every answer. Agree on the passage and finish time before inviting guests. While local contacts develop, ask about reading with a small group on Google Meet. We'll confirm the actual arrangement instead of sending you to an unbooked library room.

Portland's Black church history includes household beginnings

The city's African American historic-resources study, section E-111, records an 1862 gathering in Mary H. Carr's home on SW First Avenue. Known initially as the People's Church, it incorporated as First AME Zion in 1869. That history begins with people sharing a home before the later moves and buildings.

The same study records Bethel AME's founding in 1889 by Shepard S. Freeman and Lenora Freeman near the earlier Union Depot. The Freemans also operated a boarding house and restaurant for Black railroad workers; their work helped fund a later meeting place. These are distinct community histories, worth learning from the people who preserve them.

Neither congregation is represented by this guide. Historical roots deserve care without turning a building into the definition of church. Acts 2:42-47 describes the believers' shared life; Acts 17:11 gives a further task for a reader today: examine the Scriptures when someone tells you what to believe.