Oregon Humanities Brings Religious Spaces Discussion to La Grande in March

At 112 Depot Street in the heart of downtown La Grande, Oregon Humanities is bringing its marquee "Consider This" conversation series to Union County for an onstage discussion on one of the quieter but consequential shifts reshaping Oregon communities: what happens to church buildings and land when the congregations that built them begin to shrink.

The event takes place March 31 at 7:00 p.m. at HQ. Guests Frank So, director of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon; Rev. Amy Jayne of Cove Ascension School and Conference Center; and Brandon Rhodes, D.Min. of Coburg Commons will join Adam Davis onstage to explore how faith communities across the state are adapting church-owned land and buildings to meet emerging community needs. Davis serves as Oregon Humanities' executive director and will moderate the conversation.

As third spaces fade from civic life and church membership drops, many communities in Oregon are exploring how church-owned land and buildings can adapt. The conversation centers on "third spaces," meaning places to gather that are not home or work, and what fills that gap when churches consolidate or close. Churches occupy large swaths of town centers, and many are shrinking or closing.

A childcare center coexists with Sunday services, tiny house villages fill former parking lots, and a community pool and native land management share space with summer campers — these are among the concrete examples Oregon Humanities has cited as models for how denominations are finding new ways to serve both their communities and their missions.

HQ is wheelchair-accessible, including bathrooms. Tickets are $5 and available at lagrandehq.com. The conversation will be streamed live on Oregon Humanities' YouTube channel and will remain available for viewing after the program. More information is available at oregonhumanities.org.

This conversation is part of Oregon Humanities' 2025-26 Consider This series, Beyond 250, which looks at what the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence means. It is also part of "By the People: Conversations Beyond 250," a series of community-driven programs created by humanities councils across the United States, its territories, and the District of Columbia in collaboration with local partners. The initiative was developed by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage as a complement to the 2026 Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

Consider This is made possible by funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Oregon Cultural Trust, the Oregon State Capitol Foundation, The Standard, and Tonkon Torp LLP.