(September 21 WSB photo, Pastor Andrew on the podium at Peace Day event)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

West Seattle’s highest-profile pastor won’t hold that role for much longer.

Admiral Church‘s Rev. Andrew Conley-Holcom is headed down the highway – joining a church in the Tacoma area, where he lives.

But rather than a tearful farewell, he hopes you’ll join him at a joyful party one week from tonight.

“I want people to come on November 15, I want people to roast me and make fun of me, come be playful and continue the energy …” He’ll even welcome the memories that lead to critiques. “I also want to hear about how i missed the mark … I want to say ‘thank you’.”

His gratitude is for 11 years with Admiral Church, the youngest pastor ever called by West Seattle’s oldest church.

“They helped form me into the minister I am today.” And the formation has included lessons in humility, as he recalls a church member joking after his departure announcement that “I was full of myself when I got there.” He was, and is, of a generation that “isn’t interested in church,” believing that “it’s not doing anything that matters to us.”

So how and why did he become a minister, then?

“I thought I was going to be an elementary teacher,” he reveals, inspired by a teacher in fifth grade who saw something in him. He went to college to seek a teaching credential, majoring in anthropology, but always “had a heart for the disenfranchised … a call to address violence, and people who were being victimized.”

He went to Bosnia for the 10th anniversary of the truce signing. Conley-Holcom subsequently realized that “being a teacher won’t address all this” – so he changed his educational direction and went into genocide studies, but eventually “got disenfranchised with academia … a lot of posturing and performance.”

Another life-changing event helped him reorder his priorities: A ‘bad car accident.” After recovering, he worked at a rape crisis center, and then a crisis resolution center. Then he met his wife, whose Christian faith inspired him to investigate yet another direction. “I started attending this evangelical outreach on campus [in Bellingham], but some core theology stuff didn’t sit right.” He checked out a Unitarian church, but felt there was “not enough God.” He then went to United Church of Christ, “the denomination I grew up in.”

A realization dawned: “What if all this stuff is the same thing?” As in, all the “stuff” he’d been doing – advocacy, youth work, teaching, fellowship – “what if all this is actually ministry?”

With that, he went into seminary, without a certainty of what would follow: “I wasn’t sure I could go to parish ministry.”

But – he did. Coinciding with his wife getting into a doctoral program at UW, he learned that Admiral UCC had an opening. “They originally discounted my application … but then something moved in the room, and they pulled it back out.”

Despite an uncomfortable “clandestine” visit to the church, in which he and his wife were pointed out as visitors – “we thought we’d never go back” – he was offered the job. “OK, God, you got something planned for me,” he remembers thinking. He accepted and was mentored by Rev. David Kratz, former pastor of Fauntleroy UCC. “You gotta love people,” he says Rev. Kratz told him – “and I was like, ‘you gotta radicalize them, get them in the streets’ …” while, he says, his mentor wished him “good luck with that.”

Over time, Rev. Conley-Holcom admits, “I’ve come to believe that being saved really means you’re loved and you’re lovable and capable of loving others and that’s the way you can do social change … you can resist tyranny and violence – such a big part of my call.”

He also learned that being a pastor doesn’t mean you have to be angelic: “People trust me because I swear! I said to a friend, ‘can we just admit that’s a really low bar?’ … (Churches do) a really sh–ty job of meeting people where they are. (But) I showed up and Admiral already knew how to welcome, how to greet the stranger, how to be present and curious about each other … they just needed help scaffolding that. … This congregation has existed for more than 125 years. They’re the original church of West Seattle!”

If you’re wondering about the fate of the church’s project to develop its campus into housing – plus a new home for itself and the community organizations it hosts – Conley-Holcom says that will be just fine without him: “They already had a vision for this redevelopment project … One of the reasons I’m glad I’m leaving now, I want the project to flourish as one of the core commitments of the congregation.” (Ground could break in the new year; Admiral Church already has moved its services to temporary quarters at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church.)

At Admiral, he’s served a congregation largely made up of “hard-left elders.” He’s doing a 180 for his new job, serving as children, youth and families minister for “a more politically diverse community.” That community is Mountain View Lutheran Church in Edgewood, founded as a “Scandinavian immigrant church,” in a community that’s “become a richer place, but (has) also a lot of poverty.” He says Mountain View has “walked the walk” as much as “talked the talk,” building and “giving away” facilities/programs including a food bank and community center.

It’s not just politics – he’s expecting to grapple with big questions such as, “how do you keep the faith in a time when there’s more austerity, more fear … how do we equip the youth of today” to deal with all that and more?

He’s also undeniably excited – maybe even relieved – to finally be working closer to home, which has been in Tacoma for eight years. “It’s going to halve my commute.” And it means more time with his 7 1/2-year-old son, who is growing up fast, and will be able to come to Dad’s church – “Admiral doesn’t have a kids’ program … I’m worried he won’t know what ‘church’ is, a special cultural human institution.”

And one that is “in a reformation time,” the sort he says scholars believe happens every half-millennium or so. “If (the church) is alive, it should be changing and growing … too many Christians acquiesced to the politics of the country and stepped out of alignment … (to put it) kind of broadly, Christianity has been hijacked by a white nationalist narrative.” But he says the way to take that on is the way espoused by the ACLU … rather than trying to silence, “you speak more … (we) need to gather more people who believe in humility, generosity, and welcom(ing) because that’s the way … that’s His way. We need to be addressing the fear – there’s too much self-righteousness and certainty; incompleteness is one of my core values!”

(2024 photo, Rev. Conley-Holcom and WS PFLAG co-founder Cori)

His time with Admiral Church has had many highlights – helping launch a PFLAG group – “that looks like ‘church’ to me, people coming together to care for each other” – and working what was for a time an active Moms Demand Action group, which dovetailed with one of his key questions, “how do we have a conversation about keeping kids safe?” He has also ministered to residents at Brookdale Admiral Heights almost weekly for a decade plus, and led Bible study at Aegis Living‘s Admiral complex.

(WSB photo, 2017: Rev. Conley-Holcom with Anti-Hate Alaska Junction’s Susan Oatis)

He also has taught anti-racist workshops and book discussions, and Bystander Intervention workshops. But the church’s work overall goes far beyond what he does, Conley-Holcom stresses: “There’s so much love coming out of and through Admiral Church.” He thinks he’s leaving at a good time because “they won’t have to [simultaneously] grieve me and the building,” which will likely be demolished next year as the redevelopment project proceeds. The church is also, he notes, starting a strategic-planning process: “What do the next years look like?”

As that proceeds without him, he wants “everybody to know I’m humbled and honored, blessed to (have been) part of the West Seattle community.” He was particularly moved at the West Seattle Indivisible International Day of Peace event in September, when he was introduced simply as “our Pastor Andrew.” That was “the biggest compliment I could have gotten.”

But bring those jokes as well as compliments and fond memories, to next Sunday’s party. Here are the details, provided by Admiral Church’s Anita Shaffer:

Saturday, November 15, 6:00-9:00 pm, program at 7:00. St John the Baptist Episcopal Church Parish Hall, 3050 California Ave SW. Plenty of parking in the West Seattle High School parking lot, follow the balloons to the party. Pizza baked fresh on site by Elemental Pizza; cake, appropriate celebratory beverages. FREE, donations accepted. Open to the community. Anyone who has had a connection to Pastor Andrew and his wide-ranging ministry and justice work is welcome. Come say goodbye!

As for the church’s next pastor, Shaffer explains that UCC churches choose their own, and the search process is under way, with a new pastor potentially coming on board in mid-2026. “In the meantime, Rev. Allysa De Wolf, a fine local UCC pastoral colleague of Andrew’s who has subbed for him in the past will be Admiral Church’s interim.”

On Monday, as news of Pope Francis‘s death spread around the world, we tried to reach local Catholic churches to see if any memorial were planned in our area. Today, we’ve learned of two: On Tuesday, April 29th, the West Seattle Catholic Community – Our Lady of Guadalupe and Holy Rosary – plan a memorial service together at 6 pm, at OLG (7100 35th SW). It will also be livestreamed -find the link on the OLG website. Then a week from tomorrow, on Thursday, May 1st at 8 am, Saint Bernadette Parish in Burien plans a dedication mass, at 1028 SW 128th St.

(WSB photo: Statuettes of St. Francis of Assisi, the pope’s namesake, at Our Lady of Guadalupe campus)

As you have probably heard, Pope Francis died this morning, less than a day after his Easter sermon according to a Vatican announcement. He was 88 years old, and the first Latin American and Jesuit to be elected Pope. We’ve checked with local Catholic churches and schools to see if any are planning special masses or vigils. By day’s end, we hadn’t heard back about any plans, due to closures today – but we’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, the Archdiocese of Seattle posted this statement this morning expressing their sadness at the news.

-Hayden Yu Andersen, WSB

From pulpit to podcast, two local pastors are on an audio journey this season of Lent, and asked us to share their announcement:

Admiral’s Progressive Protestants Produce Podcast for Lent

The alliteration was just too good to pass up. Admiral Church United Church of Christ and Tibbetts United Methodist Church have chosen to collaborate again this year for their Lenten services with shared Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday services, as well as exchanging pastors in their pulpits during the season.

To enrich the worship experience, they are also co-producing a podcast called God Help Us (No, Really) in which they explore the weekly Scriptures through the lens of progressive, inclusive theology. Be warned: the podcast is explicit and unedited.

God Help Us (No, Really): “A Lent podcast wrestling with scripture and what it means to be a follower of Jesus in a country where Christianity keeps aligning with empire. Hosted by Rev. Sarah Casey she/her, Rachael Phelps she/her, and Rev. Andrew Conley-Holcom he/him, with special guests. Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!”

They’ve posted four episodes so far, the most recent one early this morning.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

As Ash Wednesday starts worshipers’ journey through the season of Lent, two of West Seattle’s Catholic churches continue with another journey.

Unless you worship at Our Lady of Guadalupe or Holy Rosary, you might not have noticed signs of the two Catholic churches’ slow-motion merger.

But there are signs. Literally. Outside each church, you’ll find signage like this:

Since last July, the two have been one “parish family,” as part of the Archdiocese of Seattle initiative Partners in the Gospel. That initiative has turned 136 parishes around the region into 60 parish families, with eight stand-alone parishes (including Holy Family at the south edge of West Seattle), as announced in February 2024. By summer 2027, Holy Rosary and Our Lady of Guadalupe must become one parish, with a new name; West Seattle Catholic Community is the current “working title.” They’re already sharing pastor Father Phuong Hoang and parochial vicar Father Tim Clark.

We sat down recently with both of them at OLG’s offices in High Point, along with parish administrator Michelle Scheving and pastoral associate Helen Oesterle. On behalf of both churches, they had contacted us asking to share a simple message to the community that changes were in progress, and we asked for the chance to talk in-depth.

At its heart, this is the Catholic Church’s way of dealing with challenges described in an Archdiocese-provided FAQ as “a decrease of engaged parishioners, fewer priests, dwindling finances, deteriorating campus conditions, and more.” Oesterle noted that the merger movement started on the East Coast and “the wave has worked its way across the country, so we’ve been able to learn best practices.” But, she observes, “we’re one of the easier parish-family pairings.” Like theirs, in most parishes, new pastors came with the new “families”; Holy Rosary’s previous pastor Father Matthew Oakland moved to another assignment, while OLG’s previous pastor Father Kevin Duggan had been “planning on retiring anyway,” Scheving notes.

As they work toward unification, the parishes are taking “baby steps,” as described by Fr. Hoang. “With a predetermined end goal,” adds Scheving. “The ultimate goal is one parish with two campuses,” continues Oesterle. Decisions on property, schools, buildings, etc., are being left to the parishes, not dictated by the Archdiocese.

So they’re eight months into what’s expected to be a three-year process. For the priests, there’s been a lot of “jumping back and forth,” since both have offices at both churches. Fr. Hoang previously served multiple churches on the west side of Puget Sound, “so that’s a gift for us,” Oesterle says, “he comes with wisdom and experience.”

“I know it’s not easy, but it’s doable,” Fr. Hoang adds.

Fr. Clark agrees, especially considering “we’re both West Seattle,” unlike some “families” with churches that are a ferry ride apart (Vashon Island and Tacoma, for example).

So what are these two “family members” doing together so far? we wondered.

To start with, in August, a parish picnic welcomed the two newly arrived priests. Since then: “We’re slowly starting to worship together,” replies Scheving. Fr. Clark mentions a November 2nd liturgy for remembering the dead. “We did that together.” They’re moving toward some consolidation of the daily Masses rather than redundancies; Oesterle sys times will change gradually, and not before talking with parishioners. Currently, the two churches have six weekend Masses.

“These are two parishes still growing,” observes Fr. Clark, which is counter to the trend in some areas of the country. But, he muses, “Each parish has its own feel” – including architecturally – and each has its own history – Holy Rosary dates back to 1909, Our Lady of Guadalupe to 1960 – created, in fact, notes Oesterle, from parts of Holy Rosary and Holy Family‘s then-parish territories.

As they “deal with the reality of coming together,” there’s a leadership team with not only the four people who talked with us but Holy Rosary reps too, meeting twice a month. And as of a few months ago, they now publish/distribute a combined bulletin each week (see the current one here); Scheving says that’s been really helpful, because any questions/concerns that arise regarding the consolidation can be addressed there, along with the standard kind of announcements you’d find in a church bulletin.

They’re also forming a Parish Family Advisory Council with “members of both communities, who will create this one-parish plan, who do we want to be, where are we growing,” Scheving explains. That’s expected to be up and running by early April. There are still many details to work out over the next two-plus years, but “it’s not an option NOT to do it,” Oesterle reiterates.

How has this been received by parishioners? Mixed feelings, according to the leadership. Some sadness and anger, some confusion, some going through a “grief process,” but also some excitement, especially about the possibilities opened up by shared resources. Church leaders hope the “re-visioning” will help people adjust, as will synergy and support for both churches/schools’ traditions – “We supported WestFest, they’re supporting Loop the ‘Lupe,” offers Oesterle as an example.

Speaking of schools, they’re not planning to consolidate; Fr. Clark observes both are “very good schools.” (Both serve students up to 8th grade; Holy Rosary’s enrollment is about twice that of OLG’s.) The Archdiocese’s FAQ affirms, “Joining together does not necessarily mean any church building or schools will close.”

And of course they’ll eventually have to work out the parish’s combined finances and staffing. So far, they say, they’re not expecting layoffs, but some positions might eventually be lost to attrition. “There’s enough work for everyone!”

They hope the consolidation also will lead to more involvement in, and with,the wider West Seattle community. They’re also hoping community members from outside the churches will participate in the upcoming listening sessions, “even if they’re not Catholic.”

Oesterle observes, “It’s a unique moment – it’s been so ‘top down’ for so long.” Scheving has appreciated the chance to talk with parish families; this one has learned it’s ahead of the curve in some ways – for example, few others have moved to combined bulletins.

And in this week’s combined bulletin, you’ll find an update on what the “parish family” members are supposed to be doing right now: “… welcoming and getting to know each other, assessing the current parishes, and developing a current understanding of each parish’s gifts, needs, and hopes for the future.”

Today we welcome a new WSB sponsor, First Lutheran Church of West Seattle. New sponsors have the opportunity to tell you about who they are and what they do – so here’s a message from FLCWS’s Pastor Bryon Hansen:

We want you to know that all are welcome at First Lutheran Church of West Seattle (4105 California SW).

First Lutheran has been in West Seattle since 1918. For more than a century, the people of First Lutheran have gathered for worship and we have carried out our ministry and mission. The congregation has enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with the neighborhood and community of West Seattle.

We worship every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. All are welcome to worship at First Lutheran, whether you’ve been a church member all your life or you’re new to the church, or a seeker who is searching for a faith community and a deeper connection with the mystery of God. All are welcome! Nursery care is available for families with small children. Holy Communion is celebrated each Sunday.

First Lutheran has a long tradition of rich music. Congregational singing is ably supported by the Deo Gloria Cantores choir and, since 1976, the Noack pipe organ. Hundreds of musicians from far and near have visited the organ that has brought joy and comfort and many more who have experienced its beauties in the worship life of the church.

All are welcome to our coffee hour every Sunday. We meet in the parish lounge after the service, for coffee and cookies and conversation.

For those who desire formation in faith, an adult class takes place most Sundays after the coffee hour. Currently we are exploring “Life in Christ.” This is for all and especially geared toward those who are new and seeking to get connected to the people and ministry of First Lutheran.

One of the features of First is our commitment of care and compassion for the poor and hungry. We support the West Seattle Food Bank/Helpline, Mary’s Place, and the ministry of Riverton United Methodist Church offering shelter and support for asylum seekers and refugees.

First is part of the Northwest Washington Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the largest Lutheran church body in the United States. For more information, see elca.org or our church website at flcws.org.

I’ve been with First Lutheran since March of 2024. It is such a blessing to be with this incredibly loving community. My hope is that we will continue to open our doors wide and to be a place of prayer for all people, and that we will continue to engage the people of West Seattle in meaningful relationships and service to our neighbors in need.

God’s Peace in this new year,
Pastor Bryon Hansen

Thanks to First Lutheran Church of West Seattle for sponsoring community-collaborative news on WSB. Is your business/organization/church/school/etc. interested in becoming a sponsor too? Please call 206-293-6302.

With the weekend approaching, a few updates if you hadn’t checked our lists lately:

(WSB file photo)

EGG HUNTS: Four parks, one church, and one beer garden (Ounces, which is also bringing in the Dick’s Drive-In burgers-and-shakes truck) on Saturday, six churches on Saturday – here’s our updated list.

SUNRISE (AND OTHER) SERVICES: On Easter Sunday, our list now includes three sunrise services – on Alki Beach at 6:30 am with the pastors of all three local UCC churches, at Forest Lawn at 6:30 am with the West Seattle Ministerial Association, and at Westcrest Park at 6:45 am with All Souls. A variety of other services are on our list (which also includes Holy Week services in the days ahead of Easter); if your church hasn’t yet sent information, it’s not too late – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!