NAYA Board Chair Molly Washington, left, and Bishop Laurie Larson Caesar sign the proclamation of partnership at Bethany Lutheran Church in Portland, Ore., on June 24, 2026. The church closed in 2024 after its membership had declined to 20.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
Months of conversation and reconciliation culminated at Bethany Lutheran Church in Portland on Wednesday.
Dozens celebrated the transfer of the church to the Native American Youth and Family Center, or NAYA. Leaders said it’s a small step example of returning land they say was stolen from Indigenous people in the name of religion.
The Oregon Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America voted to return the church after Bethany Lutheran closed in 2024. The church was founded in 1889, but its membership had dwindled to less than 20.
Bishop Laurie Larson Caesar of the Oregon Synod said the 18-month process had been a difficult one, full of learning and partnership.
“I want to make sure that we honor the past and the legacy, and it feels like this is a continuous piece of that story of love and life,” Caesar said.
People cheer to celebrate the return of Bethany Lutheran Church to Portland Indegenous organization NAYA on June 24, 2026 in Portland, Ore.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
Various speakers addressed the audience to commemorate the moment Wednesday. State Rep. Tawna Sanchez, D-Portland, works for NAYA and said the building is a valuable resource they would not have otherwise been able to access.
“It’s not going to heal what happened in the past entirely, but it will be one of those points in time where you can say, ‘OK, now it’s a little bit different,’” Sanchez said.
The celebration ended with the signing of a “Proclamation of Partnership” between NAYA and the Oregon Synod. The two groups then exchanged gifts: The Synod provided local honey from across Oregon, while NAYA gifted smoked salmon, locally grown tobacco, necklaces and other items.
Related: After church closes, Oregon Lutherans return land to Portland Indigenous organization NAYA
The project is part of NAYA’s efforts to turn the Cully neighborhood in Northeast Portland, once home to a thriving Chinookan village, into a center of Indigenous life in the city. In addition to its headquarters, it has also opened housing projects and multiple satellite offices.
Eventually, the site will be converted into housing for Indigenous elders.
Former NAYA Board Member Renee Rank Ignacio has deep ties to the Indigenous community and the Lutheran church. Her mother was the first Indigenous woman to be ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. She said her mother would’ve been happy with the land transfer, but likely wouldn’t have stopped there.
“She would be pushing us to move forward and saying great, ‘We’ve done this, what’s next?’” she said. “How are we going to do more?”
