About Springwater Presbyterian Church
Our congregation has 30 members with about half of them attending each Sunday. We have deep historical roots to the Springwater area (SPC was founded in 1889) with some people having been members of SPC most of their lives. In fact, people move away from Springwater to Portland, Milwaukie, etc., but they continue to attend SPC. We also have people attending who have just moved to the neighborhood.
Springwater Presbyterian Church welcomes all to our faith community without regard to race, ethnicity, immigration status, sexual orientation or gender identity. Presbyterian Church, USA has a fundamental belief: Every human being, regardless of birthplace, is a child of God worthy of dignity, care, and love and is a central precept of our faith practices.
An important part of who we are is the answer to the question: What is our mission in this world? In our long history, SPC has gravitated to helping relieve hunger. We give ongoing support to the Estacada Area Food Bank and Heifer International. The last two years we have organized fundraisers for the Estacada Area Food Bank that involved music, food, and fun.
I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, and am a graduate of the University of Oregon. I was a technical writer for over 20 years and then followed God’s call to serve as a PCUSA Mission Volunteer at Menaul School in Albuquerque NM for a year. That experience propelled me eventually to seminary at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Austin, TX. I have served Christ in West Virginia, Milwaukee Wisconsin, Oregon, Kansas, Washington state, and now back in Oregon. I enjoy embroidery, sewing, crafts of any kind, botanical gardens, and afternoon tea. It is an honor to be part of this historic, community-oriented, welcoming, and spiritually vital congregation!
Debbie Garber
Our Pastor
Kathleen Souders
Our Musician
I started coming to Springwater Presbyterian Church in 1980 when my Mom and Dad and I moved to the Springwater area. I was a Freshman in High school. My Mom and I became members a few years later. I married my Highschool sweetheart, Vernon, at Springwater in 1990. We have 3 children - Jennifer, Tabitha and Cortlan. I have worked at Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center for almost 36 years in the Quality Department. I am the current pianist at Springwater. Music has always been a part of my life. I started playing piano at age 5. I accompanied the choir in high school and college and was the substitute musician at Springwater when Ruth, the former organist, needed a vacation or time off. I feel blessed to be able to play the piano on Sunday mornings for the church and lead the hymns in worship. In my spare time, I enjoy practicing the piano, sewing, knitting or cross stitching and working in the yard or on our house. My favorite Bible story is the Loaves and Fishes one. I love that it shows that there is enough food to feed and satisfy everyone without any worry. Blessings to you all.