Open: Adventures in Radical Hospitality
Ebook
Overview
Set in what the author affectionately calls “the spiritual-but-not-religious center of the universe,” Open tells the story of a scrappy little church in southeast Portland, Oregon, and its many encounters with the poor in its neighborhood and beyond. In the city that in 2020 became a focus of national attention because of tireless protests against police brutality, the complexity and vulnerability that characterize racial struggles in America’s whitest city also characterize the struggles of this neighborhood church and its priest’s hunger for justice and hope. The church opens its doors and hearts to people marginalized by sex work, poverty, prejudice, or addiction--people whom others cannot or will not help--while on a national and global scale 2020 shines a light on legacy racial and economic injustices. The book explores intersections between faith, social unrest, and one clergywoman’s search for meaningful work.
“Open is a deeply moving story of vulnerability and grace
about what it means to do urban ministry in these challenging
times. We are in debt to Sara Fischer for giving us this honest
account of life as a priest called to be in solidarity with those
who walk the streets or are at risk in our cities.”
—Stephen V. Schneider, Episcopal priest, Diocese of Oregon
“Sara Fischer offers a brave and compelling memoir. Rooted in the
year 2020, with COVID-19, George Floyd, and Oregon wildfires, it
weaves the story of a transition in her priestly ministry together
with the biblical story: Abraham and Sarah, Rahab, Jesus and all
the Marys. Strong, enticing metaphors propel Sara’s narrative, from
running water to hunger to a fitting pandemic tattoo. Throughout,
she relentlessly explores what hospitality might mean in church and
on the streets.”
—Mark Lloyd Taylor, Seattle University, emeritus
“Open is required reading for anyone struggling for
connection in this time of complex division. Sara Fischer’s
unflinching inquiry into her own relationship with meaning and
grace, brought to a profound climax during COVID-19, vibrates with
our deepest human impulses.”
—Suzy Vitello, author of Faultland
“Equal parts memoir and guidebook, Open offers exactly what
it promises: wisdom (like water) poured out and into the cracks of
our parched beings. Fischer paints pictures and spins stories that
inspire us to be more curious, seek less perfection, and activate
our flawed, human, yet still massive potential for the good of all
people, especially those who’ve suffered from a lack of radically
hospitable spaces.”
—Doreen Dodgen-Magee, author of Restart: Designing a Healthy
Post Pandemic Life
“Sara Fischer has written a modern adventure story of
faith-in-action in our muddled, complex world. A page-turning saga
of one woman’s search for meaning, as well as her true calling,
Open is soulful and witty, smart and captivating. Truly a
tale to treasure.”
—Karen Karbo, author of In Praise of Difficult Women
- Title: Open: Adventures in Radical Hospitality
- Author: Sara Fischer
- Publisher: Resource Publications
- Print Publication Date: 2022
- Logos Release Date: 2022
- Pages: 164
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781666745917, 9781666745894, 1666745898, 9781666745900, 1666745901, 166674591X
- Resource ID: LLS:9781666745917
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2026-02-22T02:45:46Z
Sara Fischer is an Episcopal priest at Saints Peter & Paul
Episcopal Church (www.spp-pdx.org) in Portland, Oregon. She earned
her Master of Divinity at the General Theological Seminary in New
York City and has served urban parishes in Portland and Seattle
since being ordained in 2003. She is a cofounder of Rahab’s Sisters
(www.rahabs-sisters.org).
The author is donating all net proceeds from the sale of
Open to Saints Peter & Paul Episcopal Church and Rahab’s
Sisters, dedicated to creating home and community for some of
Portland’s most vulnerable.