West Seattle, Washington
18 Wednesday
(WSB photos)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
What a time for a pastor to start a new gig: Rev. Jermell Witherspoon‘s first sermon as the new pastor of West Seattle’s oldest church will be on Ash Wednesday.
The title: “Do You Want to Be Made Well?” (From John 5, 6-10.)
That is not a reference to “fixing” anyone. In fact, one of the first things we discussed in a chat with Admiral Church‘s new pastor on Monday was the difference between being an “affirming” church and a “welcoming” church. It’s easy to say everyone’s “welcome,” he explains, but not so easy to find a place that will affirm you as what and who you are.
But before we get into that, a bit about who Rev. Witherspoon is.
He’s the new minister called by Admiral Church after the departure of Rev. Andrew Conley-Holcom. He’s from a family of ministers, though he grew up in “the Pentecostal space,” he says, so his family’s churches are “directly opposite” from what he’s been preaching, teaching, and exploring for more than seven years, most recently at Liberation UCC downtown.
UCC = United Church of Christ, same denomination as Admiral Church (along with Alki UCC and Fauntleroy UCC, making UCC the only denomination besides the Catholic Church to have three congregations in West Seattle). Rev. Witherspoon also worked with the Disciples of Christ denomination “to help churches become open and affirming.” When he chose to enter the ministry, “being a queer man, I felt the call for something more .., I said, ‘God, I want to continue to be a Christian, but I need you to show me a way that’s life-giving for me.’ I found UCC believed a lot of the things that I believed,” including standing for justice and inclusion.
Back to the difference between welcoming and affirming. Too many churches, he says, say you’re “welcome” because “we gotta get you in here and then get you saved! We’ve created a space where people have to be everything other than what God has called them to be … God manifests in so many different ways … you’re coming here so you can help to change US so we can live more like what God has called us to be … and affirm who God has called you to be.”
So how does that sound from the pulpit? “Our sermons must be relevant culturally, present-day relevant with all the craziness happening around … you gotta name what’s happening and name the hope that is there, that’s part of the gospel … not just despair but also beauty, resurrection … hope that the things we all have to go through in life, that we’re going to find a way to make it better … we have agency, and we are the hands and feet of God working in the Earth.”
But what about the seemingly prevailing sentiment of this time, that churches are dying? Rev. Witherspoon sees the hope for churches in that “we are co-creator with God.” Rather than ask God “what are you doing?” he suggests, “God says, ‘what are YOU doing? How are you being in the Earth in the ways I’ve called you to?” That, he insists, is “important as we invite people to church (who may have been) ostracized, pushed out of religious spaces … We have to stand as public apologies for the way others have been handled … we have to demonstrate the good of God.” Not, he says, the path of some churches that “have these big humongous spaces, seeking money and fame, condemning people to hell, scaring people into donating huge sums … Jesus’s way is not the most popular, but the way that leads to life.”
Speaking of spaces, we should mention that Admiral Church is currently in a cozy one, what they call their chapel, a light-filled but relatively small space at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church. They moved in because, as we’ve been reporting for several years, they chose to partner with Homestead Community Land Trust to turn much of their 4320 SW Hill campus into housing, with the church’s future home for services and the community groups they’ve long hosted.
(2024 rendering of concept for what you’d see turning off California onto Hill)
Admiral Church’s Anita Shaffer, who invited us to meet the new pastor, says groundbreaking is expected before year’s end, and construction could last up to two years, so they hope to be in their new home before the end of 2028.
And Rev. Witherspoon is looking forward to it. “When we shift into our new church, that will be so electrifying and so affirming, people will be called to come, we will listen to the spirit of God – I’m looking forward to that.”
First, he’s looking forward to the task at hand – leading Admiral Church into the season of Lent. He begins work with a reservoir of admiration for what they’ve already done: “When I … realized how brave Admiral was, what spirit was calling them to do, desiring growth not just in number but in consciousness … it seemed like the perfect setup … I can be a co-creator with the community to figure out what spirit is calling us to do next … there is potential to build community in a deeper way.”
But why do that through church? we asked. The pastor sees it as “the power of collective community, building something that honors one’s neighbor and honors one’s God … I think there will always be a call to be called to each other … definitely a space for a church like this.” And yes, he acknowledges that some churches have caused harm – “we’re doing some of that correction at Admiral and that’s one of the reasons I’m here.” He hopes to “co-create” “a place where you feel safe and honored and loved … like minds and different minds… a space where everybody can feel like they are somebody.” And, a place of hope. Including his hope, “that the spirit of Admiral becomes contagious to the community.”
He will be involved in the community beyond the church as well, including the organizations that Admiral has hosted, such as West Seattle PFLAG, meeting tonight, and others in the community at large, including the Westside Interfaith Network. As for that Ash Wednesday debut, tomorrow’s service is at 6 pm; Admiral’s temp home at St. John’s is at 3050 California SW.
Sign-waving and marching aren’t the only ways to express concern. How about gathering to pray? Jeannie asked us to announce this nondenominational event that organizers plan to try for the next three Tuesdays to see if people are interested, starting tomorrow (February 10):
So much wrong, so little cardboard.
But our prayers are never wasted. Beginning on Tuesday, February 10th, from 5:30 to 6:30 we will be holding a candlelight prayer vigil at Lady Liberty, a replica of the Statue of Liberty located on Alki Beach. We plan to meet every Tuesday in February and then potentially make it a weekly opportunity.
This will be an interfaith prayer vigil. Anyone who wants to lift our country into God’s light is welcome to join us. Please come ready to respect that we all pray in different ways. We plan to have simple songs, brief reflections, and opportunities for people to share their thoughts. If you have any questions you are welcome to contact jeannietodd97@gmail.com.
By Torin Record-Sand
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
What’s happened in Minneapolis the past few weeks poses questions that ask us about the strength of our local community. If the federal government sent a similarly sizable contingent of immigration-enforcement agents here on a long-duration operation, how would we respond? Do people here have the ability to endure as a community and protect the most vulnerable among us? What lessons can people here learn from the community organizers who have directly confronted ICE in Minneapolis?
These were the topics which Fauntleroy UCC Rev. Leah Atkinson Bilinski touched on in her nearly hour-long talk Wednesday night. As reported here, she recently returned from a brief trip to Minneapolis, along with more than 650 interfaith leaders from various congregations across the US. Together, they helped a variety of Minneapolis community organizers on the ground.
She was there on short notice. “This time [two weeks ago] I didn’t know I was going on this trip. The Thursday prior [Jan. 15th], an organization in Minneapolis […] said ‘We need help – can we put an event together quickly with interfaith leaders from across the country quickly to come?’ and they said, let’s do it. The next day there was a call out, and they sent it to [us] – I secured child care, got a plane ticket, and said I’d come.”
The gravity of the situation was immediate to her within her first day there. “[When we got to the church of the organization that was hosting us, it was obvious to us how tired they were, how exhausted they [were], because Minneapolis-St. Paul is truly a city that is under siege,” she said. After a brief training by the religious organizers, she was at first scheduled to go to a protest at a federal building, but this was immediately rescinded by the organizers due to the threat of federal agents’ presence. “They [the religious organizers] got the call that the temperature [of the situation] was not good, for five busloads of clergy to show up and even just engage in a prayer -they said it would not be safe.” she recalled.
Instead, she went on a patrol to watch for ICE activity in a close-by neighborhood. At first, nothing seemed off. The patrol finished with no events of note, and she returned to a nearby bus stop to go back and meet with the other organizers at the main church. But then others from their group on patrol in the same area came to talk to them: “Three clergy run up to us, they’re out of breath, and they share with us they had just interrupted an abduction. And where was it? It was right there, right behind us, it was in a strip mall right behind the bus shelter – and at the other end of the strip mall parking there was a van with a pregnant woman and her children. ICE vehicles surrounded it, 12 agents got out, and the clergy started blowing whistles and took video on their phones […] and after less than 60 seconds [the ICE officers left] – that is all it took for the abduction to take place. They are not sure if the ICE agents left because the woman produced the ’right papers’ or because the clergy were there, but the agents left.”
It stuck with her on how it seemed to occur both silently, literally behind her back, and quickly. “That is terrifying news – that it can happen within 60 seconds. That is how quick and sneaky this can be, and how hard it is for people to observe,” she said.
The next day, she chose to help an immigrant-focused church in the suburbs of Minneapolis. She talked about the sense that, during the time of crisis for the community, the church tried to look beyond a place of self-importance, and simply serve as an institution for the community to find peace. “They were doing things like opening the church up at night to be a place of healing, bringing in chairs for reiki and massage tables – people coming to just talk and to listen to those who needed an ear – having a nightly dance (with a disco ball) so that in the midst of a neighborhood where ICE is going door to door, they could be a place where there was joy that could be experienced in the midst of pain. That morning they packed meals. It’s said about 16,000 households in Minneapolis-St. Paul do not feel safe to leave their houses.” she said.
But even that concept of peace and sanctuary seemed short-lived in the face of constant siege. After being there only a short time, the church went into lockdown over federal activity nearby. “I was going down to the basement, where there are 3 rooms acting as clinics so people can come down here for treatment by volunteer professionals because it is no longer safe to receive care at other places – I was going down there to use the bathroom and there was a great hustle and bustle – and I heard, there was a completed abduction a block and a half away, and people were injured.” she said. “They rushed someone into the church, who was injured from a smashed windshield [during the stop], with her face being torn up.”
But even in the midst of chaos, the pastor found inspiration from the community’s resilience. “[As soon as the church went on lockdown], volunteers started opening the cabinets of the church kitchen, and taking down food so they could immediately make soup for all of us locked in there. They said they wanted something comforting for us to eat.” she said. “We all have a role to play. Everyone there had a role to play. Some of them are not glamorous or glorious – most of them aren’t. Some feel small. But they’re all connected, all important.”
From these experiences, she spoke about what she saw as the crucial infrastructure that helped Minneapolis stay so organized in the face of a seemingly omnipresent threat. A lot of it came down to the infrastructure of how community groups organized, and had been doing so since the days of the George Floyd protests in 2020. Local neighborhoods had their own independent, encrypted Signal chats, and these worked in tandem with larger cross-city political or non-profit organizations. She emphasized that the simultaneous decentralization and interconnection of power allowed groups to rapidly mobilize and respond.
“The single greatest lesson I came home with – what Minneapolis taught me – is that resisting authoritarianism requires training sustained resistance in cooperation with your neighbors. And so we need to get to know our neighbors, care for our neighbors, be a neighbor to one another, and engage in hyper-local community organization. If things can happen in 60 seconds, what matters most is the community you have right around you.” she said.
Rev. Atkinson Bilinski said she hoped her experiences, and the lessons she took with them, could help in the event that the same kind of federal deployment happens here. “I hope that you hear loud and clear, we are here, there is sustained resistance from communities against authoritarian systems, it’s not gonna be one march or one protest, it’s gonna be all of us doing what we can with each other, together, in order to be what we need to be. There is an increased ICE presence in Seattle, and we need the eyes to see it before it becomes worse.” she said.
(WSB photo/video by Torin Record-Sand)
As also reported here, two concurrent menorah-lighting gatherings in West Seattle marked the start of Hanukkah’s eighth and final night tonight. At Junction Plaza Park, Kol HaNeshamah‘s “pop-up Hanukkah” was also attended, said Rabbi Allison Flash, by members of Alki UCC, whose building is shared by the congregations. Here’s what she told the gathering as she lit the menorah and Orin Reynolds led singing:
Hanukkah officially ends at nightfall Monday.
(Photos by Oliver Hamlin for WSB)
Two concurrent menorah-lighting gatherings in West Seattle marked the start of Hanukkah’s eighth and final night tonight. At Alki Beach, the West Seattle Torah Learning Center‘s Rabbi Eli Duban lit the giant menorah, after leading those gathered in a moment of silence for victims of the Bondi Beach massacre:
After that somber start, there was also celebration, as donuts and dreidels were circulated among the crowd.
The gathering was somewhat briefer than in previous years, due to rain and wind.
(WSB photos(
Lights and messages lined the path tonight to the gathering hall at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church, where Admiral Church now worships while awaiting its future new home on its old site, and where church members and other friends gathered to wish longtime Pastor Andrew Conley-Holcom farewell.
We wrote about his impending departure – for a youth-family ministry role at a church much closer to his home in Tacoma – last weekend. Even if you didn’t already know him, that story would give you a sense of his down-to-earthiness. And that was reflected in the simplicity of tonight’s party – pizza and a singalong (Admiral Church’s Anita Shaffer wrote new lyrics for two songs including “Leavin’ on a Jet Plane,” reworked to “Leavin’ West Seattle”).
It’s not a goodbye party without a cake, and this one paid homage to the pastor’s propensity for swearing:
The minister known peninsula-wide as simply “Pastor Andrew” will lead Admiral Church worship for two more Sundays – his last one will be November 23rd, one week from tomorrow.
(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.”
Story and photos by Torin Record-Sand
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
“God’s animals inhabit the skies, the land, and the sea; we share the Earth with them, and like them rely on God’s blessing to sustain and preserve us.”
Those were the words spoken by Rev. Elise Johnstone marking today’s “Blessing of the Animals” at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Admiral, where a wide menagerie gathered. Around 35 people came together with their families and their pets to receive the blessing, which customarily occurs around the day marking the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals and ecology. This year, the blessing coincided exactly with the date of the feast, which occurs every year on October 4th.
Rev. Johnstone and Fr. Robert Stevens presided, delivering a small sermon. We recorded her reading Psalm 104 along with the crowd:
After the readings, the presiders then blessed a basket of St. Francis medals meant to confer the blessing onto the animals as the annual blessing is in honor of the patron saint of animals’ feast day. They then went out into the crowd to hand out the medals.
The event drew a variety of animals with their people. Many brought their canine companions:
We also saw someone who had brought their cat along:
Robbie, age 7)
A guinea pig was in attendance too:
(Boba)
One person even brought their stuffed dog Ginger, which they said had kept them company through many difficult times for more than 40 years.
Reverend Johnstone wanted to emphasize that the event is for all animals, no matter the size or species. She said unique highlights of past years have included people bringing stick bugs, and even a multiple-feet-long python.
The event ended with a fairly traditional and formal recitation, “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord … Thanks be to God.” Before ending, Reverend Johnstone added: “But let’s go out with a good bark as well.” And as soon as she finished speaking, the chorus of dogs started up.
In honor of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals (and ecology), many churches offer “Blessing of the Animals” events this time of year. The longest-running one in West Seattle is at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Admiral, which is offering theirs tomorrow afternoon – here’s their announcement:
Saint John the Baptist Episcopal Church (3050 California Ave SW) is holding the annual Blessing of the Animals this Saturday, October 4th at 2:00 pm. Bring your furry, feathered, or scaled friend (leashed or in a carrier, please!) to the SJB Parking Lot Saturday afternoon to honor the companionship our beloved pets provide us. Pets will receive a blessing, head scratches, and we will have St. Francis Medallions to add to your best friend’s collar! We hope you can join us!
Tomorrow (October 4) is St. Francis’s feast day.
(Wednesday sunset photographed by Tony Tschanz)
Sunsets like that one are a reminder of our region’s beauty mixed with danger, like that posed by wildfires. So what can you do? This Saturday, find out! Originally inspired by Pope Francis‘s environmental encyclical, this is the third year Our Lady of Guadalupe is hosting the West Seattle Ecology Fair, in partnership with other peninsula faith communities and environmental/sustainability organizations. The Eco-Fair is coming up Saturday (September 27) at OLG’s Walmesley Center gym:
Organizations from throughout Puget Sound will be at this fair to answer your questions on what we can do to stabilize our rapidly changing natural world. Our keynote speaker is Nicholas Bond, Emeritus Washington State Climatologist. He will discuss implications of climate change on human health, as well as broader impacts on wildlife in our region, and he will offer ideas of actions we can take.
Some exhibitors will be;
Beyond Plastic Puget Sound
Climate Reality Project (King Coungy.)
Puget SoundKeeper
Save The Wild Salmon
WA Climate Impacts Group
The keynote presentation is expected at noon. Admission is free; Walmesley Center is on the northeast side of the OLG campus at 35th/Myrtle.
You’re invited to First Lutheran Church of West Seattle (4105 California SW; WSB sponsor) this Sunday for a special service and lunch. Here’s what it’s all about:
On Sunday, September 21st, the West Seattle community is invited to celebrate musical transitions at First Lutheran Church of West Seattle. Luncheon is being served after the 10:30 a.m. morning service, to introduce Dana Robinson as our new Organist and Choirmaster, and honor Deacon Emeritus Dean Hard as our retiring Choirmaster.
Dean Hard began singing in the First Lutheran choir as a West Seattle High School student in the 1950s. It seems that he found his calling, because he went on to serve as Choirmaster, along with Andrew King as Cantor/Organist, for the last 50 years, in addition to his academic career at West Seattle High School. After Andy’s death last year, Dean postponed his own retirement to help shepherd FLCWS through numerous substitute organists and our search for an individual who could serve as both organist and choirmaster in the tradition of excellence that we have enjoyed in our liturgy and church services.
Enter Dana Robinson — who comes to us from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he was an Associate Professor of Music (Organ) for 25 years, and has an extensive background as a church Organist and Choirmaster dating back to 1978. Dana has performed nationally and internationally, and is considered by many to be, “one of the finest performers of Johann Sebastian Bach’s music in the United States.” (Music at 9th & Stewart, Seattle 2019)
How fortunate for us that when Dana retired from his professorship in Illinois last December, he intended to move back to Tacoma and find a local church that had a unique and excellent organ where he could make beautiful music and enhance worship for the congregation. Enter into the picture, First Lutheran Church of West Seattle! We so look forward to what joys will be heard from our Organs and Choir, Deo Gloria Santores, resonating in our church and surrounding us with lush tones that give us inspiration and delight as we worship every Sunday at First Lutheran. Soli deo gloria!!!
SAVE THE DATE
Sunday, September 21Following the service, you are invited to a luncheon in the Parish Hall, honoring Dean Hard’s many years of service as Deacon and Choirmaster at FLCWS and to welcome Dana Robinson as our Organist/hoirmaster
10:30 a.m. Eucharist Service
11:45 Luncheon in the Parish HallFirst Lutheran Church of West Seattle
4105 California Ave SW
206-935-6530
www.flcws.org
Larisa from Alki UCC asked us to let you know:
I just got word that our building’s water had to be shut-off, affecting toilet usage during today’s 10 am service, which will still take place.
We ask folks to kindly plan accordingly and apologize for the inconvenience!
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.
Toward the bottom of that rendering is a depiction of the future solar array planned by St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Admiral. The church is announcing the plan on Earth Day:
St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church, located adjacent to West Seattle High School, will be joining the ranks of other local, recently installed solar projects, such as South Seattle College and Highline High School, with an installation to go live later this year. Once complete, the solar panels will provide 100 percent offset of the church’s annual energy consumption while also delivering to Seattle City Light more renewable energy to meet the rising demand for power, especially during peak usage. The solar panels are one of several infrastructure upgrade projects to be funded by St. John the Baptist’s capital campaign – ‘Building Our Legacy of Hope’ – that kicked off earlier this year. The capital campaign, chaired by West Seattle resident and St. John’s member Jeana Frazier, was launched this month with the goal of raising $800,000. The campaign will conclude in early June.
“Installing solar panels, particularly given how much sun our south-facing roof receives, made so much sense and is consistent with our pledge to reduce our carbon footprint and be a responsible neighbor,” said Reverend Elise Johnstone, rector of St. John’s. “And improvements to our building mean we can continue to be a welcoming place for worship and community gatherings, contributing to this vibrant West Seattle community.”
Currently, the church provides space for Endolyne Children’s Choir, WSHS Friday Football dinners, Alcoholics Anonymous, and will become the temporary space for Admiral UCC Church as they redevelop their North Admiral property into housing and new church/community spaces.
St. John’s solar installation will be done by Solterra, after the church completes roof work that has to be finished first.
(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
With Easter just 10 days away, local churches are sending info for our seasonal list of services – including Holy Week – and other special events. If yours hasn’t, there’s still time; send the dates/times/brief descriptions to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you! (Here’s what we have so far. Several plan egg hunts, which we’ll be cross-referencing in a separate list before this weekend.)
P.S. Passover starts this weekend and we’ll list any community events we get word of, too.
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.”
ORIGINAL SUNDAY AFTERNOON STORY: If you see Holy Rosary Catholic Church‘s bus sometime soon, it’s not on a church outing – it was stolen early today. Here’s the report and photo sent to us:
(Image from Google Maps)
Early this morning (Sunday, February 23), the Holy Rosary Church bus was stolen while parked on 42nd Ave SW. We do have surveillance video and have contacted the Seattle Police Department … The bus has been used for multiple activities – transporting parishioners who do not drive to Mass, senior outing events, some school activities, and for many years to transport homeless women to our shelter until that was closed during Covid.
Other info
– 2015 Ford E-350 Micro Bird bus
– WA license C52784N
– Color white with “Holy Rosary Catholic Church” lettering on sides and back of busWe are hoping one of your readers has seen the bus since it was stolen and can provide information on its whereabouts.
Call 911 if you see it. (We’ll add the theft video if and when we receive it.)
ADDED MONDAY: As noted in comments, Holy Rosary got the bus back today. It was found in Burien and they were having it towed to a shop there, to repair damage including the torn-up steering column.
One week from today, Tibbetts United Methodist Church in West Seattle plans a tribute to the organist who’s been at their keyboard for 44 years – here’s the announcement, with some history:
(Photo courtesy John Van Lierop Jr.)
On Sunday, March 2, for the 10:00 am service, Tibbetts United Methodist Church, 3940 41st Ave SW, will honor John Van Lierop Jr’s 44 years of service as their organist. The church was not able to recognize John’s 40th year of service due to the Covid outbreak.
John started his organ playing in the church that his Father was minister of in Portland, Oregon, Hope Presbyterian Church, in the mid-’60s. His first official organ position was at Centenary-Wilbur Methodist Church in 1966 while he was a student at Lewis and Clark College in Portland. From there, John played the organ in churches in Spokane and Seattle, with his previous organist position prior to coming to Tibbetts being Mt. Baker Park Presbyterian Church in Seattle, where he served 7 years.
When John came to Tibbetts, the organ was a 2 Manuel Balcom & Vaughn pipe organ. Due to upkeep costs on that organ and other issues, Tibbetts decided to replace it with an electronic organ. After a successful fundraising campaign, a 3 Manuel Allen Digital Organ was purchased and installed in late 1989. The Dedication Recital was held in 1990, with John at the organ.
In addition to his usual organ playing in church and choir accompanying, John enjoys doing piano/organ duets during the church services. His piano partner is the talented Shirley Lindberg, who happens to be the director of the bell choirs at Tibbetts, in addition to directing the Bells of the Sound, a professional bell group based in Seattle. During these last 44 years at Tibbetts, John has worked under 7 ministers and 10 choir directors. He enjoys using the Tibbetts sanctuary with its 7-foot Steinway grand piano for his student piano recitals in Winter and Spring. Also, the Annual Guild Piano Auditions are held in church’s sanctuary.
John doesn’t plan on retiring quite yet from being the organist at Tibbetts but hopes to stay a little while longer.
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.
(Photo by David Hutchinson)
By dusk tonight, all candles on the Torah Learning Center of West Seattle‘s giant menorah at Alki Beach were lit. On the last of Hanukkah’s eight nights, it took Rabbi Eli Duban two tries to get the flames to take – facing toward the south finally worked.
(WSB photos/video from here by Tracy Record)
The rabbi noted that the Hanukkah story shows that even a “small light can dispel a great darkness.”
More than 50 people gathered for the waterfront ceremony organized by Ilana Duban, with music, crafts, and donuts.
After the menorah-lighting, everyone was invited to stay for a “fire show” – a performer dancing with small torches on the promenade.
The Torah Learning Center sponsored other Hanukkah-related activities in the days and weeks leading up to tonight’s gathering, including a story hour and a crafts event.
(Concept for what you’d see turning off California onto Hill)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Before the West Seattle Big Band‘s Christmas concert Sunday (WSB coverage here) in the Admiral Church sanctuary, the church’s pastor Rev. Andrew Conley-Holcom told the full house that it had special meaning: This is the church’s final Advent season before moving out so its half-acre site can be transformed into housing and a “new church,” including space for the many community groups that gather there.
We followed up to find out the newest details about their moving plans, as nothing specific was mentioned when last we updated the future Homestead Community Land Trust project after a community open house in June.
The church will be co-housed with another Admiral congregation, St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church, during construction, Rev. Conley-Holcom told WSB. “St. John’s is a warm, loving community with which we have been developing relationship for years, so this will be an easy, comfortable arrangement even as it represents a drastic change for both congregations.”
Admiral Church expects to move out of its current site this summer, the pastor explains, “for a few reasons, the greatest of which was made abundantly clear last night during the deluge. The building is facing pretty serious water penetration issues that can be linked to original design flaws with the current structure (downspouts concealed within the walls of the sanctuary which cannot be unclogged without risking rupture into the walls of the building). We are engaging with professionals for mitigation, but are not going to make major repairs for obvious reasons.”
The “rolling” move will start once the preschool that shares the church’s site, A Child Becomes, finishes its 2024-2025 school year – that’s when, the pastor says, “we will begin shutting the building down until HCLT is ready to take possession and begin demolition.” (A Child Becomes has its own new location.)
If you need to catch up on the backstory – Admiral Church chose redevelopment as the best path toward a sustainable future; trying to fix the (as mentioned above) deteriorating old building was not an option. They finalized a partnership plan with Homestead CLT in 2023. They plan 21 for-sale housing units – 13 townhouses and 8 condos, a mix of affordable and market-rate – as well as a new mixed-use building for the church and its programs. Kathleen Hosfeld of Homestead CLT tells WSB that they still hope to complete construction in 2026, but “construction start times and completion depend a lot on funding.” (Earlier this year, a city grant was announced for part of the funding.)
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