Barbie's Village

Each year, APCE chooses a local mission partner in the Annual Event host city—an organization whose work reflects the values at the heart of our shared ministry.

In Portland, we are honored to support Barbie's Village, an Indigenous-led community creating a place of stability, belonging, healing, cultural connection, and hope for Native families.

Barbie's Village brings together housing, early childhood services, health and wellness resources, cultural programming, and community. It is also the remarkable story of a Presbyterian congregation that closed its doors—and discovered that the ending of one ministry could help make possible the beginning of another.

What Is Happening at Barbie's Village?

The vision for Barbie's Village grew from the needs of Native families, including parents with young children experiencing houselessness. The developing village is intended to provide tiny-home housing for Native families together with the services and relationships families need to thrive.

The former church building is already being used for early childhood programming, public health work, meetings, training, and community gatherings.

Barbie's Village is about more than housing. It is a place where family, health, culture, relationship, and community belong together.

Because Barbie's Village is our 2027 Annual Event Mission Partner, our relationship with this community is about more than raising money. APCE participants also have a special opportunity to listen, learn, and experience this work firsthand.

Participants will travel from the Annual Event hotel to Barbie's Village for an immersive experience on the campus. The visit will include a tour of the property, an opportunity to hear about programs serving Portland's Indigenous community, the story of the Land Back transfer, and conversation about practices that can help churches and faith communities approach relationships with Indigenous communities and questions of land with greater understanding and care.

This extended experience spans the Friday D and E workshop blocks and is selected through Annual Event registration.

Give to Our 2027 Annual Event Mission

Throughout the Annual Event, APCE participants will have opportunities to support Barbie's Village and the continuing work of Future Generations Collaborative.

Every gift becomes part of something larger: creating stability for families, nurturing children, strengthening community, supporting Indigenous leadership, and helping a vision born from one woman's legacy continue to grow.

Can These Bones Live?

A congregation closes.
A familiar ministry comes to an end.
A community makes the difficult decision to relinquish a place it once called home.

And then something new begins.

Land is returned. Relationships are formed. Children and families gather. A community dreams about housing, health, culture, belonging, and a future together.

At our 2027 Annual Event, we will spend several days asking Ezekiel's haunting and hopeful question:

Barbie's Village does not give us a simple answer. Instead, it gives us a place where we can listen, learn, and witness what can happen when people are willing to relinquish, repair, build relationships, and make room for new life.

APCE is honored to stand alongside Barbie's Village as our 2027 Annual Event Mission Partner.