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The other Junction building boom: 3 church projects on 42nd
June 1, 2008 3:40 pm
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 |   Development | West Seattle religion | West Seattle video

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After this morning’s groundbreaking for the Hope Lutheran School/Church expansion/renovation project, we caught the video above, as an illustration of the church building boom in that block of 42nd alone – Hope Lutheran leaders and members in a procession past the West Seattle Christian Church (WSB sponsor) construction project, on their way to continue their service at the Seattle Lutheran High School Gym, where they’ll hold services all summer while site work is under way. More on what’s happening with these projects, and another one under way at Holy Rosary a bit farther north along the same street, ahead:Read More

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Another West Seattle school (and church) on the move
May 28, 2008 1:04 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle religion | West Seattle schools

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Thanks to Debbie for sending word that this is the last day for K-8 classes at Hope Lutheran School – the big construction project for the school/church is about to get under way, and there’s moving-out work to be done. Checking the Hope school newsletter online, a groundbreaking ceremony is planned this Sunday morning – then for the summer, Sunday services will be held in the Seattle Lutheran High School gym. The city project page for the construction work is here; permits were issued just yesterday.

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Learn about the Koran — from a Lutheran pastor
May 25, 2008 9:31 am
|      26 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle people | West Seattle religion | West Seattle video

(video no longer available due to blip.tv shutdown)

That’s Pastor Ron Marshall, longtime leader of First Lutheran Church of West Seattle, getting ready for the next session of his Koran course (starting in early June). He’s been teaching a course about the Koran for several years, but a recent note from him is the first time it’s come to our attention since we started WSB, so we thought it would be interesting to talk with him about the admittedly unusual circumstance of a Christian leader teaching about the Muslims’ holy book:Read More

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Welcoming the newest WSB sponsor: Fauntleroy Church
May 19, 2008 10:10 pm
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 |   West Seattle online | West Seattle religion

We’re welcoming a new sponsor tonight — Fauntleroy Church (UCC), currently counting down to its centennial celebration (last month, we brought you this video feature previewing the daily bell-ringing that’s under way till the big party in late July). churchlogo.jpgAs is WSB custom, we offered the folks at Fauntleroy Church a chance to tell you what they’d like you to know about themselves, and here’s what we received from the team led by Senior Pastor David Kratz: “We’re delighted to be one of the advertisers for the West Seattle Blog. We appreciate how hard they are working to keep the community informed about issues and events. This year Fauntleroy Church, United Church of Christ is celebrating its 100th anniversary. From our beginning as ‘the Chapel at Fauntleroy Park’ in 1908, until today, we’ve been an integral part of the West Seattle community. Our spectacular window at the front of the sanctuary has been an inviting place to have literally thousands of weddings, of members and non-members alike. Our Little Pilgrim School serves over 80 children, ages 2 to 5. And, our relationship with the West Seattle/Fauntleroy YMCA continues to serve the wider community, for over 80 years. This year we begin phase one of a major capital remodeling with the replacement of our sanctuary window, which, over the last 55 years, has suffered significant structural damage. It will look the same, but will meet code requirements and provide a wonderful view of God’s creation for the next 100 years. The work will be completed at the end of August. You can learn more about who we are and what we do at www.fauntleroyucc.org.” Thanks to Fauntleroy Church for choosing to sponsor WSB; if you would like to look into the possibility of doing that too, here’s the place to start (that page also includes our full current list of sponsors, all of whom thank you — as do we — for your support!).

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Looking ahead: 1 night, 4 major West Seattle events
April 28, 2008 11:36 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Neighborhoods | West Seattle parks | West Seattle religion

Tonight’s kind of quiet but look out for Thursday – much happening including:
**Seattle Public Schools public hearing on the proposed Fauntleroy Schoolhouse sale
**National Day of Prayer @ Alki Statue of Liberty, 12 local churches participating
**Next public meeting on the Myrtle Reservoir park project
**First-ever West Seattle Food Bank “Instruments of Change” fundraiser
Much more, from tonight through fall, on the WSB Events page.

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Fauntleroy Church bell-ringing countdown about to start
April 16, 2008 11:52 am
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 |   West Seattle history | West Seattle religion | West Seattle video

That’s a quick look up at the steeple/bell tower at Fauntleroy Church, which is celebrating its centennial this year. As we told you two weeks ago, starting this Saturday, the church bell will be rung daily at noon for 100 days, counting down to the centennial-celebration weekend July 25-27. People are signing up in the church lobby to take turns ringing the bell during those 100 days, in honor of birthdays, anniversaries, you name it. We got a sneak preview of the bell-ringing with the help of the Fauntleroy Church parishioner who’s been a member the longest, David Galbraith — whose parents rang the bell on their wedding day in 1917! — and 4-year-old Eli Johnson, a student at the church’s Little Pilgrims School:

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Local church leaders share an idea: Share the “stimulus” $
April 12, 2008 11:20 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle religion

Out of the WSB inbox, for your consideration as a way to help West Seattleites in need:

To Our Friends in West Seattle
From a Gathering of Concerned Spiritual Leaders

We greet you in this season when Christians proclaim the joy of Easter. Spring is a time when many faiths mark holy days and observe special traditions, a time when many of us are reminded that we are truly blessed.

Recently you received a letter from the Internal Revenue Service, with the heading, “Economic Stimulus Payment Notice.” It stated that individuals who qualify may receive as much as $600 ($1200 if married filing jointly) in our government’s effort to stave off an economic downturn. The coming payment is intended to boost the economy with extra spending that will follow. Whether or not you agree with this strategy, it appears the money will be on its way some time in late spring or early summer.

Recently, members of one of our congregations presented their pastor with an idea. What if a large number of people in our community decided to share a portion of this extra, unplanned “bonus” with neighbors? What if, for instance, households from all over West Seattle used the Biblical standard of 10% and gave $60 or $120 to local charities to help ease some of the financial pain so many are feeling. Food banks have been stretched, emergency funding sources are tapped out, and shelters are facing budget cuts. A thousand individuals giving at least 10% would provide $60,000. Why not several thousand people? Why not more?

We are the spiritual leaders of a number of Christian congregations in the West Seattle/White Center/Burien area. While we encourage folks to give any amount to whatever organizations they might choose, we are inviting members of our congregations to contribute to a special “Sharing Our Share” (S.O.S.) fund. It will be collected at each of our local churches and 100% will be divided equally among the West Seattle, West Seattle Senior Center and White Center Food Banks, along with West Seattle Helpline, Westside Baby, and a new community-based emergency-shelter program, “Family Promise.”

We invite anyone in the community or beyond to join us in this effort by contributing to the Sharing Our Share, S.O.S. fund, care of any of the congregations listed below. [WSB editor’s note: We have linked their church names to their websites, if available, where you will find contact info.] Your gift is, of course, tax-deductible. Again, we encourage a contribution of 10% or more with the assurance that every penny will go to these community based organizations. Together, we will not only help stimulate the economy, but help make an important difference in the lives of our neighbors and friends who are facing difficult times. What a great opportunity!

With Appreciation,

Terry Teigen and Kendall Baker
Admiral United Church of Christ

Diane Darling
Alki United Church of Christ

Paul Winterstein
Calvary Lutheran Church, L.C.M.S.

David Kratz and Susan Towner-Larsen
Fauntleroy United Church of Christ

Philip Lee
Glendale Lutheran Church, E.L.C.A.

Keith Eilers
Hope Lutheran Church, L.C.M.S.

Erik Kindem
Peace Lutheran Church, E.L.C.A.

Peter DeVeau and Kate Wesch
St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church

Joanne Brown
Tibbetts United Methodist Church

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Movie night tomorrow to help local teens’ unusual road trip
April 11, 2008 9:46 pm
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 |   How to help | West Seattle people | West Seattle religion

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Tomorrow night, West Seattle Christian Church (WSB sponsor) invites you to come watch a movie, “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” for free, 6 pm in the downstairs social hall, with concessions sold — popcorn, snacks, and Italian sodas — as a fundraiser for a special trip some WSCC teens are taking to Mexico this July. No, it’s not a trip to go lie on the beach; they will be driving from Seattle to Tijuana in rented vans as part of a 19-member group helping Amor Ministries build a home for a family. Above, you see some of the participants; left to right, they are 15-year-old West Seattle High School sophomore Thea N, 14-year-old WSHS freshman Miriam N, 13-year-old Madison Middle School 8th grader Lauren S, 12-year-old Madison 6th grader Darrian T, 15-year-old WSHS sophomore Dominique T, 15-year-old Chief Sealth High School sophomore Ian H. WSB interviewed three of them by e-mail with the help of WSCC’s Norma Hernandez, who says, “We’ve been told to expect the temperature in the hundreds; they’ll be sleeping in tents, with no running water or flushing toilets. The group is payig 100% of the cost of the materials, travel expenses, and tool rentals (manual tools, since no electricity is available).” Here’s what the teens have to say about their trip and other ways they’ve helped people near and far:Read More

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Fauntleroy Church bell-ringing plan: The sound of history
April 3, 2008 12:35 pm
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 |   West Seattle history | West Seattle news | West Seattle religion

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Judy Pickens shares that historic photo of Fauntleroy Church and its bell tower, along with word that the church will begin 100 days of bell-ringing — every day at noon — starting Saturday, April 19, in honor of the church’s centennial observance. The 100 days will take the observance up to the anniversary of Fauntleroy Church’s first-ever service (July 26). Judy says, “Folks are signing up to ring the bell as a family, to observe a wedding anniversary, to memorialize a loved one, etc.” She also notes, “In the early days, the bell was also rung to alert people to a fire in the neighborhood. In fact, after our evening wedding in 1978, Phil and I rang the bell and a nearby church member came down to see what the emergency was!” So that’s why they’re getting the word out now – make a note that if you’re in the Fauntleroy area, you’ll hear bells daily at noon April 19-July 26. The centennial celebration the weekend of July 25-27 will feature major events including a Friday night community bean feed reprising the event that Judy says was “a community staple through WWII,” vespers on the beach afterward (reprising the beach gatherings that sparked the idea of building a church), a formal Saturday dinner for present/past church members and invited clergy, featuring the premiere of the forthcoming Fauntleroy documentary. We told you earlier this year about the search for a producer for that production; the hire’s been made, and here’s the announcement Judy wrote for the Fauntleroy Church newsletter:Read More

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UCC churches’ Alki sunrise service: Truly “rain or shine”
March 23, 2008 8:42 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Holidays | West Seattle religion

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Those intrepid Easter-morning beachgoers at water’s edge were worshipers from the Admiral, Alki, and Fauntleroy UCC congregations who clearly meant it when they said “rain or shine” for their sunrise service on Alki Beach. We took this photo from a distance, with zoom, so as not to intrude; just as we walked off the soaked sand at about 7:25, we noticed the group breaking up. The rest of today’s West Seattle services are listed here.

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West Seattle Easter Sunday services list updated
March 22, 2008 10:46 am
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 |   Holidays | West Seattle religion

If you are thinking about attending church tomorrow and haven’t decided where yet – just wanted to let you know we’ve added updates to our as-comprehensive-as-we-could-make-it list of West Seattle Easter Sunday services; check it out here. (Thanks to Amy for the most recent addition – she noticed Freedom Church’s marquee at 35th/Roxbury had an added 6 am service tomorrow and e-mailed to let us know.)

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Happening today/tonight – plus Easter egg hunts/services
March 20, 2008 9:03 am
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 |   Environment | Fun stuff to do | Holidays | West Seattle religion

Highlights from our West Seattle-wide Events list (frequently updated here) and beyond:

THIS MORNING: Toddler Spring Egg-stravaganza at High Point Community Center; fun starts at 10 am, egg hunt for the little ones at 11 am sharp.

TONIGHT: Help shape and protect the future of our Puget Sound shoreline – be at the “visioning” meeting tonight; open house at 6:30 pm, workshop starts @ 9, High Point Community Center.

TONIGHT: One of West Seattle’s liveliest community councils meets — Alki Community Council, 7 pm, Alki Community Center. Here’s what happened last time.

EASTER UPDATES: The Events list now includes a section with Saturday egg hunts in West Seattle (more than half a dozen!); also, thanks to the WSB’ers who have sent us added info for our West Seattle Easter Sunday Services page (which includes the sunrise services at Forest Lawn and Alki as well as more than 30 WS churches). As we mention on the page, many of these churches also have breakfasts, brunches, even egg hunts in addition to the Sunday services (plus other Holy Week events today and tomorrow) so follow the links to their websites for the added details.

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More parking news: Mars Hill-WS announces a change
February 22, 2008 2:32 am
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news | West Seattle religion

Starting a week from Sunday, the megachurch branch on 35th says no more shuttle buses – it’s asking all its attendees to park in the lots at the old Hughes (South Lake) school. Here’s the announcement (which doesn’t explain why the shuttles are going away; perhaps they’ll be needed for the new Belltown branch opening in March, plus their WS holding lot is slated for development).

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Happening tonight, in West Seattle and beyond
February 7, 2008 1:22 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Neighborhoods | West Seattle religion | Wildlife

Besides the Clinton rally tonight at the Pier 30 Event Center (the time is now listed as 8-10 pm in some spots, 8:30 pm in others; we’ve got a message out to the port to find out if parking will be free), here are other events of note on this busy night:

MORGAN COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION QUARTERLY MEETING: As mentioned in the post below, 7 pm, The Kenney. Agenda items include RapidRide.

HIGH POINT PEDESTRIAN SAFETY: Concerned residents meet 6 pm tonight @ High Point Library. Ongoing issues include school-crossing safety (including the intersection featured in our video-enhanced report here).

DUWAMISH VISIONING: Tonight at Youngstown Arts Center, 6-8 pm. One of several events inviting area residents to imagine the future of the Duwamish Valley. (Flyer here.)

CO-EXISTING WITH WILDLIFE: The open house organized after the Discovery Park coyote controversy is happening tonight in Magnolia, Blaine K-8, 6:30-8:30 pm. Suddenly relevant to WSB HQ, as a neighbor stopped us this afternoon to say two coyote pups ran through his yard this morning!

STRESSED OUT? Starting tonight, Tibbetts United Methodist Church will be holding a Taize Service Thursdays at 7 pm in the sanctuary. Tibbetts’ pastor, Rev. Joanne Brown, says, “This is a time to slow down from our usual frantic pace through the use of music, readings, prayers and times of silence and reflection.” (Tibbetts UMC, 3940 41st Ave SW, 932-7777)

ALSO RELAXING: Art reception at the Alki Bathhouse (as mentioned yesterday), 5-8 pm, several artists showing and selling (free Tully’s Coffee, we’re told!).

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From the city Land Use Bulletin: Church-project progress
February 1, 2008 10:03 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news | West Seattle religion

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Less than a week after West Seattle Christian Church (WSB sponsor) broke ground for its multipurpose building, the latest Land Use Information Bulletin from the city (subscribe here) includes the permit application for Our Lady of Guadalupe‘s new Parish Administrative Center. This will be built at the site of the existing offices, north of the parking lot (which is at the northeast corner of 35th/Myrtle; the green rectangle at the top right of the art shown above from the church’s online brochure). According to the OLG website, it’s part of a two-phase project, first building the administrative center, then a parish Family Life Center. (We reported the capital-campaign kickoff last March.)

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More construction about to start in The Junction
January 27, 2008 10:33 pm
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 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle religion | West Seattle video

This time, it’s not another mixed-use development — it’s the West Seattle Christian Church (WSB sponsor) multipurpose building, which will be available for community use as well as church functions, with auditorium, gymnasium, and banquet-type space. Construction begins Wednesday, but the first symbolic shovel of dirt was turned at a brief ceremony today:

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Participants in today’s ceremony included representatives of several generations of WSCC church members, from someone who just joined 2 months ago, to someone who’s been attending for more than 60 years. And the project’s been a while in the making, according to Allan Weber:

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You can find out more about the project here; the city project page has the bullet-point facts (height, square footage). WSCC is on the southeast corner of 42nd and Genesee (map).

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Happening today: Busy Sunday
January 27, 2008 7:47 am
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 |   West Seattle religion | West Seattle schools | WS culture/arts

Highlights from the West Seattle Weekend Lineup and WSB Events page:

–West Seattle Farmers’ Market continues on its winter schedule (11 am-2 pm)

–West Seattle Christian Church (WSB sponsor) breaks ground today for its new multipurpose building

–Holy Rosary and Our Lady of Guadalupe schools both have open houses this morning/afternoon

-A concert to benefit the Chief Sealth High School Library will feature 15-year-old violinist Daniel Perrine tonight at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church

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West Seattle congregation helping Lewis County flood victims
January 19, 2008 4:28 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle religion

Checking the website of West Seattle Christian Church (WSB sponsor, but fyi we check many local churches’ websites weekly for event listings etc.) – we discovered part of the congregation was headed to Lewis County today to help the people down there who are still having a terrible time recovering from the December flooding. We wrote WSCC’s Dan Jacobs to ask for more details, and he tells WSB, “A group of about 15 people are going down a second time (the first was just before Christmas) to help with cleanup for families who were flooded. They’ve been working through the United Way and this weekend will again be helping to dig out / mud out / and clean out homes. I believe this weekend they will be working with some elderly people who can’t physically do the work. … Feel free to let people know that they are going and that there is still a need for others to follow in the future.” If you are interested in helping Lewis County flood victims, we found this state page with some info on how to help.

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Memorial service today for Mars Hill pastor’s wife
December 21, 2007 10:15 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle people | West Seattle religion

We recently mentioned that Jeanne Clem, wife of Bill Clem – a Mars Hill-West Seattle pastor after leading Doxa, the church that had the space previously – was losing her fight with cancer. Now there’s word she died this week, and a memorial service is set for 3 pm today (more on the Mars Hill website, which says the church will be running shuttles from the Chief Sealth HS parking lot for attendees).

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Help wanted: 1st-ever director for Family Promise Seattle
December 18, 2007 2:06 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle religion

On the day one local nonprofit organization says its sad goodbye, another one is expanding by looking for its first Executive Director. Here’s what Ann Kendall wrote about the search in e-mail to WSB:

Family Promise Seattle is a new nonprofit here in West Seattle – we are seeking our first-ever director. We’re part of a national network (familypromise.org) – helping newly homeless families with temporary shelter (in local congregations of all faiths), and by operating a Day Center where folks can have an address, phone, internet and a case worker who will assist the families with all transitional needs. Goal is to get folks into permanent housing asap. Nationally the average stay for a family in the program is just about 40 days and we are hopeful we can do the same once we get going.

… Finding someone with ties to W. Seattle area would be great in getting us started. Full job description is located on our “director search” page. We will be operating our Day Center right next to West Side Presbyterian.

Here’s the direct link to the page Ann mentioned.

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If the words “happy” and “holidays” don’t synch this year
December 16, 2007 8:29 am
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | West Seattle religion

Tonight at 7, Tibbetts United Methodist Church is presenting what its new pastor calls the “Blue Christmas/Longest Night” service. Rev. Dr. Joanne Carlson Brown describes it this way:

No, it is not just an Elvis song. For many people, Christmas is not the most wonderful time of the year. Maybe someone you loved died this year and this is the first Christmas without them. Maybe you lost someone around Christmas time and the anniversary is painful. Maybe you’ve lost your job or even your faith. Maybe it is just the holidays are way too much to handle. For whatever reason, if you find yourself at odds with the holiday cheer, come spend an hour with others in a time to acknowledge the grief, the sadness, the pain and to find a way to hope. This is a service of readings, prayers and music.

Tibbetts UMC is at 3940 41st SW (that’s 41st/Andover; here’s a map). When we first heard from the pastor about this, and she mentioned having just been appointed, we asked her for a short bio:Read More

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Mars Hill money trouble?
December 10, 2007 6:47 pm
|      70 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle online | West Seattle religion

So suggests the fifth bullet point in this entry on “Pastors’ Prayers,” one of the many official Mars Hill Church blogs. Quoting here:

Multiple pastors request prayers for our financial state. With the deep deficit, it is a test for all the staff to choose Jesus over anxiety when ministry funds are cut short and the possibility of lay-offs and additional budget cuts is on the horizon. Please pray for repentance by those who are disobeying God in their giving …

Now, before the Mars Hill critics fire up their typing fingers to snark, we also did want to note there is a sad West Seattle-related item in the same long Mars Hill blog entry: Jeanne Clem, wife of Bill Clem, the pastor who led Doxa in the building that became MH-West Seattle, is described as “slipping away” in her battle with cancer. (She is interviewed starting about 3 minutes into this recent Mars Hill video clip we found on YouTube.) TUESDAY MORNING ADDENDUM: Thanks to Adam on Alki, who points out in the comments below that Mars Hill has gone back and edited out the “disobeying God in their giving” line. We briefly cursed ourselves for not getting a screen grab, then remembered the miracle of Google caching, where it had already been captured. So just in case you didn’t believe us (full cached version here):

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New WSB page, new WSB sponsor
December 4, 2007 8:51 am
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | West Seattle online | West Seattle religion

This morning, we launched a new WSB page to help you enjoy the holiday season — our Holidays page (it has its own tab in the navigation under the header throughout the site, or you can bookmark it here). Right now, it features West Seattle holiday events through New Year’s, plus our ongoing West Seattle Christmas lights map and a link to our West Seattle Christmas tree price check; at the top of the page each day, you will also see highlighted holiday events for that day/night. wscc.bmpThis page is presented by a brand-new WSB sponsor, West Seattle Christian Church (on the north side of The Junction, at the SE corner of 42nd/Genesee). West Seattle Christian Church is a growing church offering a lot more than worship services — it also is parent to the Ginomai artists’ studio facility right across the street at the SW corner of 42nd/Genesee — which among other things is a must-visit stop during the monthly West Seattle Art Walk; the next one is coming up Thursday 12/13 — we stopped at Ginomai during last month’s Art Walk and met several artists, then browsed the merchandise others were selling in the Ginomai community room. In addition, WSCC is home to West Seattle Christian Preschool, which is currently enrolling (find out more here). We thank WSCC for supporting WSB, along with our other sponsors, who are listed on this page along with info on how prospective advertisers can join them. (And if you have suggestions for additional features to add to the Holidays page, please let us know – we’ll be tweaking it at least once daily as the season rolls on!)

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