Many of you may have watched the Vaux Swifts come in September to roost in the chimney of Chapman School in NW Portland. It is a community event! Well, this year, the Swifts have found the decommissioned chimney from Mt. Tabor Church’s old boiler. They have been roosting here each evening at dusk since the last days of August. Watching hundreds of birds dip and swirl and finally make their dive into the chimney, is an awesome sight!

I took some video of their roosting tonight. I hope you enjoy it. It is only a taste of what it is like to be in beneath the swirl, hearing the flutter of wings and the high-pitched calling.

To me, it is a sign of the Spirit’s blessing. At least, it is a welcoming of the “least of these” or the little friends of St. Francis. While we may not be open for community gatherings due to Covid 19, we can still host God’s travelers on their migratory path. It is a metaphor for us, that we as followers of Jesus, are open and available for whatever sanctuary we are asked to give. We never expected it to be Swifts. And the next opportunity may be a surprise as well. I wonder what the Spirit will blow our way next?

• Carley