The Reverend Arthur Schwabe was the pastor of Savage Memorial Presbyterian Church in Portland, Oregon for 41 years. He was a long-time activist in East Multnomah County, Oregon. Over his years as a pastor he wrote many sermons and articles for the Parish News of the church. This blog site is place to share Arthur’s wisdom and thoughts with all who care to read his words.

Reverend Schwabe was born in Ottawa, Canada in 1917. He graduated from Moody Bible College, in Chicago, Hastings College, in Nebraska, and McCormick Theological Seminary, in Chicago. He was ordained into the ministry of the Presbyterian Church in 1946. He received his Doctor of Ministry from San Francisco Theological Seminary
He helped found SNOW-CAP, an East-Multnomah County community-action project, which provides food, clothing, and counseling for families in crisis. He was president of the Portland chapter of Habitat for Humanity, an international organization dedicated to providing housing for low-income families. He was a member of the Board of Trustees for Lewis and Clark College, where he taught religion and Greek. He hosted several spiritual and community-issue television programs, including “East County Pathways” for the Multnomah County Cable Access channel.
He passed away in September, 1988. He is most remembered for his good humor, his compassion for people with spiritual and emotional problems, and his boundless energy. He also liked to fish in the waters of Oregon and hike in the Northwest USA, another kind of spiritual quest for peace and beauty in this world.
Great idea Paul. Only saw him a few times. One couldn’t miss the kindness and compassion that was part of him.
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Thank you for the support. It is a way to honor his legacy by sharing his words.
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Thanks for this
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Paul thank you for memorializing a great man.
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I am deeply grateful for the mentoring and friendship given to me by this devoted pastor who saw Christ in everyone, preached love and compassion and lived a life of service and justice. Plus, he taught me how to fish!! His family was like our family and I’m grateful to you, Paul, for keeping his memory alive. Blessings.
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Thank you SO MUCH, Paul, for ALL the work you have to have dedicated to this project!!! Certainly Arthur was SUCH an important role model for our family, and a tribute to him is so appropriate!!! I have enjoyed each of the “mailings” from you about your Dad! He meant a LOT to our family!!
Peggy Randall
A member of Savage Memorial since 1955
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Wonderful idea, Paul. Am so happy you are doing this. Thank you! I have saved some of his sermons printed in the Parish News also. Hos and I first met Arthur when he was teaching Religion at Lewis and Clark College, and Hos was one of the returning servicemen attending in 1946. They had a great rapport. So when Hos was hired on the original staff at David Douglas High School in 1948 and we built our house in the neighborhood, Arthur immediately encouraged us to join Savage Memorial and we have always been pleased we did. He was a great inspiration with excellent sermons. It was a terrible loss when Arthur passed away. Thanks for carrying on his legacy.
So nice to have you and David attend our congregation whenever you are able!
Holly Hosford
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Keep up the great piece of work, I read few articles
on this site and I think that your website is really interesting and
has lots of wonderful information.
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Hi Paul,
Thanks for doing this. Your Dad made quite an impression on me as I was considering a call to the Pastoral ministry. It was 35 year ago last month that I was ordained at Savage Memorial and Arthur happened to be the Moderator of Presbytery that year.
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Thank you for the kind comments and the memories. I am trying to keep the light going after all these. I have a lot words he wrote and it is very enlightening to revisit them.
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