West Seattle religion 393 results

In-depth look at Junction-based Skate Church

The Weekly looks behind the doors (beneath the WS Senior Center) of the Skate Church, wondering about the conservative evangelism beneath its alternative surface.

Different type of Top Ten list

August 31, 2007 11:20 pm
|    Comments Off on Different type of Top Ten list
 |   West Seattle religion

The weekly religion column just posted on the P-I site features Alki Congregational UCC minister Diane Darling and her “Ten Essentials” list.

Happening tonight, and beyond

-One last reminder, the Alki Statue of Liberty meeting is 7 pm tonight, by the statue site. Up for discussion: Put the new statue on the old base and call it good, or keep the new statue in storage till a “plaza” for it can be paid for and built. (“Do it now” supporters are running this on Craigslist.)

-Tonight and every Wednesday night through Aug. 22, West Seattle’s megachurch is inviting its flock to weekly Lincoln Park barbecues.

-Not only will The Junction be jumping for Summer Fest this Fri-Sat-Sun, but tomorrow night has two big events as well: “Hair” opens at ArtsWest; and Divina plans a “post-construction celebration” to commemorate the completion of the paving project, with art as well as live music by Brazilian singer/guitarist Kiko Freitas.

-Art is also in the picture for the south edge of WS tomorrow night @ 7 pm, as Cafe Rozella premieres a photo exhibit, described as “native youth look(ing) at their environment.)

-And if you like low-tide beach walking, enjoy four days of midday low tides starting tomorrow.

Leadership change at Mars Hill-West Seattle

Love ’em, hate ’em, neutral about ’em, West Seattle’s resident megachurch branch is worth watching. Nine months after their WS arrival, 2-plus months after the official grand opening of their permanent WS home, they’re changing pastors, according to this post on one of Mars Hill’s many blogs: WS pastor Bubba Jennings returns to the Ballard branch as “campus pastor” while Adam Sinnett moves to MH-WS in the same role after serving as the MH director of student ministries (according to this page).

Help wanted

-A WSB reader from the West Seattle Unitarian Universalists asked us if we’d mind mentioning that the WSUU congregation is looking for a music director. Full posting is on their site; or send an e-mail inquiry here.

-The school year may be almost over, but learning doesn’t stop when the last June bell rings. The Youth Tutoring Program needs volunteers for its summer reading program, right here in West Seattle. We heard about it from a WSB reader who says she’s been volunteering for YTP and loves it; she adds, “The long-term effects of this impact our neighborhoods and communities as a whole, as well as each individual child.” Click to read more about YTP and how you can help:Read More

A wing, a prayer, and an application

June 9, 2007 1:51 am
|    Comments Off on A wing, a prayer, and an application
 |   West Seattle religion

Church-expansion projects are getting to be almost as common in WS as teardowns-to-townhomes. Hope Lutheran’s hopes of expanding the church & school (plans, FAQ, even a video on the church website) are advancing; the city has officially accepted their land-use application.

Surprise, it’s not condos

A couple more of those ubiquitous yellow “land-use application” signs are up at the 35th SW site that was formerly home to the Seventh-Day Adventist church, lionslambs.thumbnail.jpgnow Temenos and the Mars Hill bus pen (left). The application in question, for which a Design Review Board meeting is now set (5/24), mentions — no, not condos — an auto-repair business and offices “adjacent to existing building” and lists the same owners as Swedish Automotive a few blocks north. No reply yet to our note inquiring about their plans for the site.

What’s that Bible quote about the lion lying down with the lamb?

Or maybe “strange bedfellows” is better. Anyway, we mused last month about the proximity of the new Temenos spiritual center to Mars Hill-WS. Now, they’re truly rubbing elbows; on off-days, the MH buses have their own little pen in the Temenos lot:

lionslambs.jpg

MHC=SRO?

After tracking the march of megachurch Mars Hill into WS for almost a year, we find ourselves on their press-release e-mail list. For the benefit of its local neighbors as much as current/future attendees, we note that the newly arrived press release declares “… the congregation has already outgrown the building,” going on to note:

There was standing-room only on Easter Sunday. The sanctuary seats 850 people, including the balcony. The total attendance on Easter was 1,215 people. Over 300 people were seated on children’s chairs in a multi-purpose room and in the hallways. Over 150 people came and left as there was no room remaining, even to stand.

… Sunday (April 15), attendance remained 100 people above seating capacity. Staff members and volunteers are working frantically to equip overflow rooms with audio and video so more people can participate in the Sunday service. These overflow rooms will allow just under 1,100 people to fit in the building.

A second Sunday morning service will be opened as soon as possible. 

Delridge development update

From the “triangle” where Delridge cuts between 16th/17th before Roxbury, a former auto shop is transforming into what city records describe as “West Seattle Bible Church”:

church.jpg

Further north on Delridge, the neon sign for the sister shop to Bubbles is up and running (our camera disc decided not to capture it, sorry); not far away, in the 5600 block of Delridge, a former roofing business also appears to be morphing into a “coffee shop”:

delridgecoffee.jpg

Equal time

Lest anyone think we only mention Christian churches here at WSB … let’s meander over to the other side of the faith field. You might not know WS has a thriving Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. It’s not in its own building, but it’s apparently grown plenty since we dropped in on a then-living-room-size gathering loooooong ago (triple-digit attendance these days). And in a week and a half, on 4/21, its members are throwing a bash to which they’re inviting the entire community: a Hungarian Gala, with a Hungarian feast plus entertainment by the Kisbetyarok Hungarian Family Dancers. If you’re interested, call 932-2731 as soon as you can to ask about tickets (they hope to get something of a headcount ahead of time); proceeds, by the way, go to the village of Torockoszentgyorgy in Transylvania, Romania.

Another church moves to West Seattle

Though a “for sale” sign is still up in front of the ex-Gatewood Baptist Church south of Morgan Junction, it’s been sold, and its new owners have their own big sign up on the Cali-facing side of the building: Seattle International Church. According to the church’s website, it’s moving here from Belltown. The site doesn’t say much about the church’s philosophy or any denominational affiliation; the church got a couple paragraphs in a Belltown Messenger roundup of neighborhood churches last year, and there’s a bit of biographical info about half its husband-wife pastor team, Dr. Ray Hampton, at this online-shopping page for a book he wrote.

For the Easter early risers

April 7, 2007 11:34 pm
|    Comments Off on For the Easter early risers
 |   High Point | Holidays | West Seattle religion

Might be too early in the morning for you if you’re still up as we post this, but worth a mention anyway, however belated: West Seattle does have a bonafide Easter sunrise service, with several churches participating — 6:30 am @ Forest Lawn (east of High Point).

Remodeling review

April 4, 2007 7:02 pm
|    Comments Off on Remodeling review
 |   West Seattle online | West Seattle religion

For those of us curious what Mars Hill changed inside the former Doxa church on 35th, but not planning to attend a service there to find out, they’ve conveniently written it up online.

Park-n-pray

As Mars Hill prepares today for its first services at the ex-Doxa location on 35th, seems it’s not the only local church coping with parking challenges. Just north of The Junction, West Side Presbyterian Church has posted a detailed “parking possibilities” plan, made necessary by the Cali Ave repave-o-rama.

Mars Hill’s plea to parishioners

With the first major service in its new West Seattle digs just days away, Mars Hill has just posted a blog entry pleading with its parishioners to not fulfill neighbors’ worst fears regarding a potential neighborhood parking nightmare. The post’s heading, “Obey Jesus: Park and Ride,” kinda says it all.

Finally moved

March 25, 2007 2:48 pm
|    Comments Off on Finally moved
 |   Development | Gatewood | West Seattle housing | West Seattle religion

Note on the front door of Gatewood Baptist says they’ve finally made their move to the new digs on 35th (formerly Calvary Lutheran), and the name change (Life Church) too. Meantime, the townhouses on ex-church property across the street are moving fast … frames are up for at least two of the buildings.

More church expansion on 35th

March 24, 2007 8:59 pm
|    Comments Off on More church expansion on 35th
 |   West Seattle religion

Our Lady of Guadalupe, one of West Seattle’s three major Catholic churches, is using this weekend’s services to kick off its campaign to raise at least $3 million to build a “Parish Life Center” and administrative building. A flyer on the church site has a few more details.

More parking news

March 15, 2007 9:21 am
|    Comments Off on More parking news
 |   Transportation | West Seattle religion

repaveparkingsign.jpg-City DOT crews are putting out the “no parking” signs on Cali right now, south of Charlestown, blocking off street parking as of Sunday, looking ahead to the restart of repaving work next Monday.

-Mars Hill has unveiled more of its parking plan. It includes buses as well as the Hughes School (currently temporary home to South Lake HS) parking lot as overflow and “midweek programming” parking.

35th SW, center of the WS spiritual universe

From Freedom Church and Eckankar to the south, on toward Our Lady of Guadalupe to the north and beyond, the area of West Seattle showing the most spiritual growth seems to be a 3-mile-ish stretch of 35th SW. Not only is Gatewood Baptist moving there … not only has Mars Hill chosen this stretch of street as its new home … now, a new neighbor has suddenly manifested itself a couple blocks south of MH at the ex-Adventist site, and its grand opening is just days away. And given what this spiritual “center” seems to be about, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the MH folks staging pray-ins outside to try to save them from h-e-double-hockey sticks (and the Temenos folks can just out-healing-vibe them right back):

temenos.jpg

More on the Mars Hill move

The church blog is asking for MH members from all over the city to help prep for the Easter opening on 35th SW by coming to a work party on St. Patrick’s Day. Picking up from a comment below — perhaps their labors will be best utilized praying for parking spaces.

Mars Hill sets the date

Looks like Mars Hill is finally fully moving into its “real” WS home (ex-Doxa) on Easter.