West Seattle, Washington
03 Sunday
Good morning. Thanks to Mark Wangerin for the photo of a (updated) Common Goldeneye in West Seattle waters! On to a Sunday list of what is/isn’t happening – first, our second Sunday with a list of churches that have taken their services online:
ADMIRAL UCC: The video service for today is posted online here.
ALKI UCC: 10 am Town Hall-style worship with House Group Leaders, via Zoom – info and link on lower right of this page.
ALL SOULS SEATTLE (WSB sponsor): Daily online worship here
ARBOR HEIGHTS COMMUNITY CHURCH: Planning to livestrream here at 10 am.
BETHANY COMMUNITY CHURCH: Livestreaming here, 9:30 am, 11 am, 7 pm.
EASTRIDGE CHURCH: Livestreamed and recorded services, here.
FAUNTLEROY UCC: Livestreaming here,10 am.
FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH OF WEST SEATTLE: Today’s online liturgy is here.
GRACE CHURCH: Livestreaming here, 10:30 am.
HALLOWS CHURCH: Livestream at 10 am via YouTube – link will be on this webpage.
HOLY FAMILY CATHOLIC CHURCH: Livestreaming in English at 8:30 am, en Español at 10 am, here.
HOLY ROSARY CATHOLIC CHURCH: Livestreaming Mass at 9:30 am here.
HOPE LUTHERAN: Today’s recorded service will be here by 8 am.
OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE CATHOLIC CHURCH: Livestreaming Mass here at 10 am.
PEACE LUTHERAN: Watch here for the pastor’s message for today.
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH: Livestreaming here at 10 am.
TIBBETTS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH (WSB sponsor): The video service for today is posted here.
TRINITY CHURCH: Livestreaming here, 10 am.
WEST SEATTLE CHRISTIAN CHURCH: The video service for today is here.
WEST SEATTLE CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE: Livestreaming here, 11 am.
WEST SIDE PRESBYTERIAN Plans are explained here, including livestreams at 8:30 and 10 am today.
WESTSIDE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CONGREGATION: Livestreaming via Zoom, 10:30 am.
Any other churches to add? Please email us – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Also happening:
WEST SEATTLE TOOL LIBRARY: Open 11 am-4 pm – go check out something for that at-home project you suddenly have time to do. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
WESTSIDE BABY’S COMMUNITY IN BLOOM: At 1 pm, go here to be part of the “virtual brunch” supporting WestSide Baby‘s work
FREE COMMUNITY DINNER TO GO: High Point Community Dinner Church will serve to-go meals at 5 pm at Walt Hundley Playfield, as previewed here. (34th/Myrtle)
What’s NOT happening:
CANCELED: West Seattle Farmers’ Market (announcement) Miss the market? Check out this list of how to get the vendors’ products even while it’s on hiatus. And watch for our story later today on an effort to bring the market back.
Good morning. We start with that adorable harbor-seal photo by David Hutchinson, who explains, “This latest young harbor seal, nicknamed “Dandelion,’ was being watched over by Seal Sitter volunteers. Pups are born in south Puget Sound from late June – September each year, so a good guess would be that Dandelion is about 6 – 9 months old. Harbor seal pups are only with their mothers for 4-6 weeks and are then on their own.”
On to our list of what is/isn’t happening – first, what’s planned by local churches that we heard from or found online:
ADMIRAL UCC: Sermon will be posted online here.
ALKI UCC: Testing a livestream – info on lower right of this page.
ALL SOULS SEATTLE (WSB sponsor): Pastor’s message here
ARBOR HEIGHTS COMMUNITY CHURCH: Planning to livestrream here.
BETHANY COMMUNITY CHURCH: Livestreaming here.
CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS: Meetings canceled
EASTRIDGE CHURCH: Livestreaming here.
FAUNTLEROY UCC: Livestreaming here.
FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH OF WEST SEATTLE: Online liturgy here.
GRACE CHURCH: Livestreaming here.
HALLOWS CHURCH: The video service for today is here.
HOLY FAMILY CATHOLIC CHURCH: Livestreaming en Español here.
HOLY ROSARY CATHOLIC CHURCH: Livestreaming here.
HOPE LUTHERAN: Services online and updated here, or listen to sermons here. “Youth group will be virtual as well and can be found online.”
OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE CATHOLIC CHURCH: Video resources including weekly homilies here.
PEACE LUTHERAN: Pastor’s message.
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH: Livestreaming here, viewable later on YouTube.
TIBBETTS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH (WSB sponsor): The video service for today is posted here.
TRINITY CHURCH: Livestreaming here.
WEST SEATTLE CHRISTIAN CHURCH: The video service for today is here.
WEST SEATTLE CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE: Livestreaming here.
WEST SEATTLE PRESBYTERIAN Plans are explained here.
WESTSIDE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CONGREGATION: Livestreaming here.
Any other churches to add? Please email us – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
What else IS happening:
WEST SEATTLE TOOL LIBRARY: Open 11 am-4 pm – go check out something for that at-home project you suddenly have time to do. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
JAMTIME: Old-time/bluegrass music, live at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor). No cover; all ages. (5612 California SW)
FREE COMMUNITY DINNER TO GO: High Point Community Dinner Church will serve to-go meals at 5 pm at Walt Hundley Playfield, as previewed here. (34th/Myrtle)
What’s NOT happening:
CANCELED: West Seattle Farmers’ Market (announcement)
CLOSED: Libraries, Parks facilities, Log House Museum
Got something for our closures/changes/cancellations page, or our calendar, or some other kind of announcement/news? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!
With three Catholic churches in West Seattle, along with at least one chapel, this is of note – forwarded by Helen at Our Lady of Guadalupe:
Archbishop Etienne has just finished recording a message to the people of the Archdiocese. In the video, he expresses that out of abundance of caution, and despite our best efforts to slow this rapidly spreading virus down, he has suspended all public Masses effective immediately. We have not seen a contagion of this magnitude in our country for 100 years and it is important that we take it seriously. We recognize that there are many implications to this decision and there will be additional communication forthcoming as the situation unfolds. Here is the link to the Archbishop’s video.
Catholic schools in the area are also under orders to close starting Monday; we’re adding them to our newly launched school-closures list.
This is the first weekend since Seattle-King County Public Health recommended avoiding “large gatherings” to try to slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). So that’s forced a difficult decision for churches and other faith-based groups/institutions – houses of worship are not just gathering places, they’re also high-touch environments, from handshakes to Holy Communion. We’ve heard from some directly, and those with changes/cancellations are on our ongoing list, but here’s a closer look at what some are doing:
Back on Thursday, West Seattle’s three UCC churches – Admiral, Alki, and Fauntleroy – issued a joint announcement that they would cancel services for the next three weeks. “As part of the wider community, we have the opportunity to potentially make a positive impact upon the spread of this coronavirus through our actions, our influence and our care,” said Fauntleroy UCC pastor Rev. Leah Atkinson Bilinski. (A reader tipped us while we were writing this that Fauntleroy UCC has decided to stream on 2 platforms including Twitch tomorrow morning.)
Tibbetts United Methodist Church (WSB sponsor) is cancelling tomorrow’s service. “We will reassess next week on what to do for the following Sunday. … Please pray for one another and our neighbors as we navigate this uncharted territory together,” said pastor Rev. Sarah Casey.
Hope Lutheran Church also announced it’s canceling tomorrow’s service, but promising that its website will feature “an online worship experience … including worship music, a message from Pastor Peter, and an opportunity to pray for the people of our congregation and community.”
The churches that are planning to go live online include Westside Unitarian Universalist, planning a “virtual service” via the platform Zoom. The announcement notes, “We are practicing a new way of worshipping together, responding to public health concerns. We give thanks for the gifts of an emergent faith tradition that can sustain us in times of mystery.”
Others already stream as a supplement to their in-person services, and Arbor Heights Community Church is one that plans to do both tomorrow as usual. For those attending in person, they’re making a few changes such as suspending snack service.
Trinity West Seattle is also going ahead with in-person worship while also offering a live stream. No communion, no baked goods and coffee, and they’re not even passing the offering basket, according to this update.
At West Seattle Christian Church, they’re using “k-cup individual sealed communion cups (wafer & juice),” and their snack bar will either focus on individually wrapped snacks on food and coffee “served by a volunteer wearing gloves.” WSCC adds in its message, “We are prepared, if necessary, to go to an online worship service only …”
The communion challenge is one that Catholic churches are dealing with too. The specifics are on pages like this one for Our Lady of Guadalupe, which not only notes changes to Mass practices, but also points out that the holy-water font has been drained.
For more church changes, see our ongoing list of West Seattle cancellations/postponements/changes – and if/when you have something to add, please email us at westseattleblog@gmail.com or use our hotline, text/voice, 206-293-6302.
Just in, this joint announcement from West Seattle’s three UCC churches – NO illness cases, but they have decided on this response to Seattle-King County Public Health recommendations (as listed again in today’s update):
Church leadership at Admiral Congregational U.C.C., Alki U.C.C. and Fauntleroy U.C.C. have made the decision to cancel worship services and adapt operations for the next three weeks, given yesterday’s recommendations by King County. These recommendations included that those over the age of sixty or with underlying health conditions remain at home and that community gatherings of greater than ten people be cancelled.
The decision was made individually by all three churches with the utmost concern for both their own congregants and the wider community of Seattle. There are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 among the participants of the three churches at this time.
“As part of the wider community, we have the opportunity to potentially make a positive impact upon the spread of this coronavirus through our actions, our influence and our care,” Rev. Leah Atkinson Bilinski of Fauntleroy Church shared. “We are in conversation around how to best continue and possibly increase our ministry to congregants, to our friends at Camp Second Chance, and to the wider community in alternative manners during this crisis.”
“While we are called by our faith to live without fear, we are also called to care for our neighbors as ourselves,” said Rev. Andrew Conley-Holcom from Admiral Church. “Our leadership believes that this choice, coupled with critical visitations and increased on-line education and worship resources, will provide that care to our community. We are grateful that we live in a time where alternative forms of connectivity are so readily available.”
Rev. Kelly Wadsworth also shared: “Alki UCC takes seriously our role in the common good and we seek to be a good neighbor to the Alki area during these COVID-19 times by reconfiguring the ways our spiritual community meets together and by offering flexible gathering space to the groups that regularly meet in the building.”
The Fauntleroy Y and Little Pilgrim Preschool at Fauntleroy UCC will remain open until further notice from leadership of those bodies. Other groups that utilize Fauntleroy Church’s space are being encouraged to consider County recommendations. A Child Becomes Preschool at Admiral Church will also remain open until further notice. The preschool director will be in communication with the families directly for updates. Recovery groups will continue at their own discretion. Kol-HaNeshamah (KHN), Alki UCC’s partner synagogue which shares Alki UCC’s building, has also announced cancellation of all gatherings through March 15, according to KHN Acting Executive Director, Connie Burk.
All three churches are individually making plans for how to adapt their ministries in continuing to best serve their respective communities. They encourage the community to visit their websites for updates in coming days and weeks: www.fauntleroyucc.org alkiucc.org and admiralchurch.org
We will link this to our ongoing Cancellations/Postponements page (which is atop the WSB Event Calendar) as well as in tonight’s nightly roundup of local COVID-19-related developments.
P.S. Any other churches – as well as schools, organizations, groups, businesses, etc. – with changes/cancellations, please let us know! westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you.
‘Rehire! Rehire!’ That’s one of the chants heard at this afternoon’s student-led rally at Kennedy Catholic High School in Burien, four days after the school community was roiled by the announcement of two gay teachers’ sudden “voluntary resignation.” West Seattle families with kennedy students called our attention to the controversy over the weekend, and it has drawn national as well as regional attention.
Even before students walked out at 1 pm (video above) in support of teachers Paul Danforth and Michelle Beattie, South 140th Street in front of the school was filled with hundreds of people of all ages, many hoisting signs of support and rainbow flags.
The rally began with the Lord’s Prayer. From there, students took turns at the microphone, voicing both their support for the teachers, displeasure with school leadership and the Archdiocese of Seattle – believed to have masterminded the move – and their calls for change.
One adult took the microphone to huge cheers – Danforth’s fiancé Sean Nyberg.
He also spoke to reporters before the rally (video added).:
He said Danforth misses the students. And Nyberg said he wanted to be there to stress love and support for LGBTQ teens. Also present in support but not speaking, Burien Mayor Jimmy Matta and Councilmember Cydney Moore.
Multiple student speakers both demanded and promised change.”This wasn’t the first time (something like this has happened), but it will be the last,” said one. Another, describing herself as “heartbroken (and) disgusted,” asked, “Why can’t the Catholic Church get on the train? Change has been happening for thousands of years.” Students standing in support included soccer players – Beattie was their coach:
Another promised the rally was “just the beginning.” There was a demand for an all-school meeting so that the situation can be fully aired. One speaker said “the silence (of school leadership) is deafening.”
Though there were rumors of a counterprotest, none was seen, A King County Sheriff’s Office deputy told us about 10 people showed up but quickly departed. KCSO – with which Burien contracts for police services – had bicycle officers there, but the rally remained peaceful.
As 2 pm approached, the crowd started to dwindle; students told us they would remain outside the school until the official end of the day around 2:30, and continued sporadic chants, such as “We want change,” “I believe that love will win,” and “Gay rights are human rights.” Even the school’s namesake got a shout-out:
The school’s current enrollment is 851, according to a KCHS webpage that also notes, one FAQ later, that “Inclusiveness is a priority at Kennedy Catholic.”
-Report by Tracy Record, images by Patrick Sand, WSB co-publishers
(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The siding work under way at the West Seattle Church of the Nazarene is no mere renovation project.
It’s another milestone in a project that dates back more than 6 1/2 years and has created homes for six more families.
While some West Seattle churches have sold their sites and moved or closed, this one was determined to find a way to stay and continue serving this community. To do that, they needed to fix up their century-old building, not only an eyesore from the outside, but deteriorating on the inside. With a double-digit congregation, they didn’t have deep pockets to dig into. So they came up with a plan we first wrote about in September 2013 – raise money by developing and selling six townhouses on part of church-owned open space known as “the park.”
After a complex process that included partnering with local developer Joe Paar and getting the land rezoned (before HALA MHA upzoned the area anyway), the townhouses are built – and sold – and the church renovations are under way, so we asked Church of the Nazarene pastor Shaun Mattson and associate pastor Terry Mattson to talk with us for an update.
The siding is not the first work to be done. They began with the parsonage – the small house south of the main building, where they live. “We never intended to be general contractors,” Shaun recalled, but working on the parsonage first gave them some experience, “to learn all the things we needed to know.” After new roofing, siding, windows, and interior renovations, they finished last fall, and moved on to the main church building.
Heating and electrical work was a major focus – the latter being in the elder Mattson’s wheelhouse, as he has experience working as an electrician. “It’s a new building, in terms of the electrical (system).”
A heat pump replaced the old oil-burning setup. Other work included a third-floor multipurpose room that can even be used as lodging for visitors on missions. There’s also the space they’ve been offering as a free drop-in playspace as part of their ministering to the community as a whole.
And the basement gathering space and kitchen have seen some work too.
On the exterior, the siding work started earlier this month and should take about three months total.
They were still evaluating paint colors when we spoke; an artist who has a studio at the church has been among the many people with a role in the project. And while the townhouses are built and almost all occupied – “we love our neighbors!” – there’s still some work to be done.
Much of that will include visual clarification of what remains “the park” – some lighting, some signage, a bench. And this summer, for the first time in a few years, the church plans to resume outdoor movies, another community ministry, as it were. For now, their portable screen is in the sanctuary:
Also inside, work that’s yet to be done includes the sanctuary’s windows – that will take another year or so.
But it wasn’t all talk of work – they voiced a lot of gratitude, especially to the wider community who welcomed the project and the plan to fix up the church: “This is theirs, too.”
(WSB photo)
Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church has, like many local churches, ministered to the needy in a multitude of ways. In the past, it’s sheltered homeless women and families. Starting in two weeks, it’s offering refuge in a new way – several “safe parking” spaces for people living in cars. The plan came to light in an update sent to city councilmembers by Human Services Department director Jason Johnson, as first reported earlier today by The Seattle Times. We have since obtained Johnson’s email, in which he wrote that OLG had approached the city “in late 2019” about getting involved with the Safe Parking program, pioneered by a Ballard church.
The email contained few specifics about OLG’s plan, so we contacted OLG to find out more; turns out they were having a training session tonight for volunteers. OLG’s pastoral assistant for outreach, Jennifer Ibach, provided this FAQ document that’s been circulated in the church community.
Key points:
-The church was asked to provide space for up to seven cars to park; a portable toilet and “hospitality hut” will be provided by the Urban League, the program’s official service provider. OLG is planning to provide three spots to start with.
-The people offered spaces will be “motivated adult individuals and/or couples with no place to stay but in their vehicles.” The Urban League will screen people: “Participants referred to Urban League will undergo an intake and screening process, including a credit check and a national criminal background check.” They will not allow sex offenders or “persons convicted of violent offenses, with a history of violence or with current violent offenses (including restraining orders and domestic violence).”
-There will be a “zero tolerance” policy for alcohol and other drugs.
-Participants will get case management.
-There’s no time limit but it’s expected to be short-term: “This is a road to housing, not a road to parking!”
The FAQ document above has many other details. Ibach told us they expect the program to start February 24th.
Side note: HSD director Johnson’s email also mentioned an additional, unidentified West Seattle church “has also reached out” about involvement in the Safe Parking program and is in exploratory talks.
(WSB photos)
Volunteers of all ages – and multiple faiths, including Judaism and Islam – spent part of this Christmas Day providing food and warmth to neighbors in need
They served Christmas lunch in White Center, in the parking lot between 14th and 15th SW, just south of Roxbury. Volunteers from local congregations and other groups usually serve a meal there on Saturdays, but this was special for the holiday.
We heard about this from Kate at Kol HaNeshamah, who said they were also distributing “gift bags comprised of donated socks, hats, blankets, snacks, hand warmers,”etc., collected and assembled by the congregations that are part of the Westside Interfaith Network.
(Photo by Monika Lidman)
One week before a milestone birthday, a special candle – the report is from Judy Pickens:
This season, elders have been lighting one candle on each of the four Sundays of Advent at Fauntleroy Church, United Church of Christ, and today’s candle lighter was the eldest of all. Aided by son Brian, about-to-be-centenarian Bettie Porter Dunbar lit the candle of compassion to open the worship service. She was born on December 29, 1919, in Puyallup and she and her late husband, Horace, joined the church 70 years ago this month, shortly after he finished building their home in Fauntleroy.
P.S. If you’re looking for Christmas Eve church services, our list is in the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide.
That’s one of the items that were on display as Peace Lutheran Church in Gatewood celebrated its 75th anniversary. 1945 would have been the church’s first full calendar year – from the announcement of today’s celebration, some history:
Peace Lutheran Church was founded just as World War II was ending, choosing a name that expressed its hope for the future. The congregation organized in November 1944, and held its first service as a new congregation the first Sunday in December 1944, in a portable classroom at E.C. Hughes School. Using materials reclaimed from former army barracks, members built a chapel on 39th Ave SW and SW Thistle, dedicating it in 1946, Ten years later, the congregation, in a major expansion of its original building, dedicated a new sanctuary which is in use today.
The church’s Fellowship Hall was full of photos and other memorabilia before today’s service:
Pastor Erik Kindem (below), who has served at Peace Lutheran for almost 15 years, was joined by recently installed regional Bishop Shelley Bryan Wee for festival worship this morning.
The celebration continued after the service with a luncheon. One more note: Churchgoers wanted to point out Donna, the crossing guard, helping people get safely across Thistle (not far from the scene of an early-morning crash):
(King County Assessor’s Office photo)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Five years after becoming pastor of Admiral Congregational Church, Rev. Andrew Conley-Holcom has to shepherd it through a process with much at stake: The church and its neighborhood’s future.
That’s happening not through sermons, but through conversations like the one he led last week, standing before dozens of people in the church’s living-room-esque gathering space, wearing not a collar but a beanie.
“You’re here on the ground floor,” he explained, as a preface to the presentation on Tuesday night (October 8th).
If that was the ground floor, then you could say the foundation for the conversation was laid last December, when the church hosted an Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting, and the pastor told ANA the same thing: Not changing is not an option.
He began last week by putting it all in context, for those not familiar with the church’s operations and the role in the community. “Our goal is to be the neighborhood church of North Admiral.” And with the Jehovah’s Witnesses moving out, he said, “we kinda are.”
We’ve received a few questions about what’s up at Camp Long. As noted this same weekend last year, it’s the annual religious gathering Finding of the True Cross, according to the city Special Events Office‘s calendar. (Here are 2016 photos of the gathering by Seattle Times photojournalist Erika Schultz; here are EYM-TV video highlights from 2015.)
It’s that time of year – several local churches offer Blessing of the Animals services around the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals. One of them tomorrow will be followed by a special extra availability featuring three of the participants. As announced by Alki UCC:
Sugar, Mary, and Peggy … three llamas owned by Alki UCC member Charley Rosenberry, will be back by popular demand for Sunday’s Blessing of the Animals service. The 10:00 am service (as always) is open to everyone and the llamas will be available afterward for neighborhood kids to come pet.
Alki UCC is at 6115 SW Hinds.
(King County Assessor’s Office photo)
Last December, Admiral Congregational Church‘s pastor told the Admiral Neighborhood Association that the church (4320 SW Hill) was mulling redevelopment. Then in July, the church wrote this “open letter” to the community, mentioning they had hired an architect and design firm for a feasibility study. Now – they’re ready to talk with you about the future. Just announced:
Town Hall: The Future of Admiral Neighborhood’s Church
October 8, 7:00 pmAfter much deep thinking about how to serve the North Admiral community, Admiral Congregational UCC has discerned a preliminary plan for redevelopment. We are at the initial stages of surveying the site and connecting with potential development partners, and we want to keep the neighborhood as “in the know” as possible, with opportunities to share hopes, hesitations, and help as folks feel so moved. Please join us in envisioning a vibrant Admiral neighborhood with a sustainable center for justice and mercy at its heart.
Nothing is on file with the city yet, and pastor Rev. Andrew Conley-Holcom tells WSB they’re likely as much as a year away from getting to that stage. As noted in our previous coverage, the church’s 27,000-square-foot site at is zoned Lowrise 3.
(WSB photo)
Back in June, we published Holy Rosary Church‘s announcement of work on its bell tower and street lighting. Spotting a crew up on the tower recently, we realized it was followup time. Holy Rosary’s reply to us notes, “The new light posts have been installed along 42nd in front of the school, Parish Center, Parish office, and Church by Bridge Electric, which has greatly improved safety for all walking by.”
(Holy Rosary photo)
They also added stained-glass-window repairs to the project: “There were several stained-glass windows that were missing glass, and/or had lost their integrity and water was seeping into our church. Willet Hauser is now checking all windows and has found more to repair. With their restoration work, our stained-glass windows will be intact for years to come for all to enjoy.” Here’s the rest of the update, including the bell tower:
(You can also read it here in PDF.)
Thanks to Katie for the photo from noon today at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Admiral, where – as previewed here – the bell-ringing was to commemorate the 400th anniversary of a grim date in history: The day the first enslaved Africans were brought ashore in English-occupied North America. The “Healing Day” was a national action called for by Episcopal leadership. Participants said a Litany of Repentance in addition to ringing the bell for one minute.
(King County Assessor’s Office photo)
Last December, we reported on Admiral Congregational Church pastor Rev. Andrew Conley-Holcom speaking to the Admiral Neighborhood Association about his church’s future, saying “changes” were inevitable for its underutilized 27,000-square-foot site. While no specific plan has yet been crafted, the pastor wanted to share an open letter today to address “rumors” and “misunderstandings”:
Greetings to our neighbors in Admiral-
I have heard from a few of our immediate neighbors that a number of inaccurate rumors are rapidly spreading regarding the future of the oldest church in West Seattle, Admiral Congregational United Church of Christ, located at California and Hill Street in the North Admiral District. We would like to correct those misunderstandings and give everyone the facts as they presently exist.
Over the past 12-18 months, our congregation has come to realize that we are too small in size and our building is too expensive to maintain for us to continue with “business as usual”. We have thus embarked on discussions amongst ourselves and with others about what types of change might provide for long-term sustainability and health. One option we needed to seriously consider was to sell our property and move to some other location. Our congregation has overwhelmingly decided that we DO NOT want to sell our property or leave our neighborhood. We love being Admiral’s church.
Therefore, we have engaged the services of an architect and design firm to conduct a feasibility study for our property. We have asked them to give us insight on possible uses based on our needs, those of our mission partners (A Child Becomes pre-school, numerous 12-step recovery groups that use our facilities, and other community users), and other income-generating options. We have also started conversations with the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce and the Admiral Neighborhood Association about the needs of the North Admiral area in terms of housing, green space, and other services/amenities.
We want to stress that we are in the very preliminary stages of gathering information. We are endeavoring to be as transparent as possible, and we want community input on how we move forward together. At the same time, we are also clear that we cannot continue to serve this community without significant changes to how we operate. We hope that this information will address some of the rumors we have heard.
As pastor to this neighborhood, I keep community office hours at the Admiral Bird on Wednesdays from 1:30-3:00pm. If you have questions, concerns, praises, or pastoral needs, please feel free to meet with me there or contact me by call/text at 206-512-7537 if you’d like to schedule a meeting.
In Peace and Solidarity,
Pastor Andrew
www.admiralchurch.org
The church’s site at 4320 SW Hill is zoned Lowrise 3.
Holy Rosary Church has two summertime projects they want you to know about – including one that has temporarily silenced the church’s bells. Here’s the notice they asked us to share with you:
(Photo courtesy Sisters of Providence: Sister Charlotte VanDyke, also a West Seattleite, congratulates Jake Saldaña)
The announcement and photo are from the Sisters of Providence:
Jacobo “Jake” Saldaña, a long-time volunteer and resident of West Seattle, was awarded the 2019 Mother Joseph Award by the Sisters of Providence in a ceremony at Our Lady of Guadalupe parish earlier today, June 6.
The Mother Joseph Award is given annually to a person who exemplifies the values and courage of Mother Joseph, the first provincial leader of the Sisters of Providence in the western U.S. More than 100 nominations were submitted for this year’s award.
It is easy to recognize the spirit of Mother Joseph in Jake. With tenacity and grit he overcame extraordinary odds as a young immigrant, worked tirelessly to build a career and provide for his family, then retired and began working in service to the poor, vulnerable and underserved members of his community.
For more than 15 years, Jake has been going above and beyond as a volunteer in West Seattle at Our Lady of Guadalupe parish, the Guadalupe Conference of St. Vincent de Paul Society, Providence Mount St. Vincent, and prior to that, Catholic Community Services. (He was even a West Seattle Pee Wee Baseball volunteer coach for 15 years when his children were younger.)
Jake said he is driven to give as much as he can to people in need. He understands what it is like to live in poverty and on the margins of society because he has experienced this first-hand. He was born in Mexico; his father died shortly after Jake was born. Following this tragedy, his pregnant 19-year-old mother took her four young children 300 miles from Linares, Mexico, to Texas in hopes of giving her a chance for a better job and her children a chance for a better future.
Jake’s mother and the older children worked for ranchers picking cotton, lettuce, tomatoes and carrots. Jake grew up working in the fields and attending school, but food was scarce and life was rough. He didn’t even have a pair of shoes until he was a teen.
Jake’s family had their first deportation experience when he was about 7. He remembers clearly the big Greyhound bus that came for them and transported them back to Mexico with only what they were able to grab quickly before they left. But Jake’s mother was determined to give her children a better life and put their paperwork in order to become legalized.
In 1955 a rancher they had worked for became their sponsor and Jake’s family members became U.S. citizens, making their home in Texas.
In 1957 at age 14, Jake had become a self-described rebel and daredevil, and had been kicked out of school. Amidst this, Jake felt called to change. He recognized the need to find a better path so he set out to “follow the crops” to earn a living, moving from the South, to the Midwest, to the West learning tough life lessons along the way.
Jake settled in Seattle in 1964 and spent 35 years at a glass factory where he worked his way up from janitor to mechanic to machinist, including a stint as vice president of the union. He broke down barriers as the only Mexican-American in the plant at that time and advocated for fair treatment for all.
At the same time, Jake and his wife were raising six children and were known to open their home to nieces and nephews, international visitors and others in need of housing, as well.
Jake didn’t plan to retired in 2003 at age 59, but he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and urged by his doctor to reduce the stress in his life. He made a full recovery and decided it was time to focus on helping others.
Jake was already an active volunteer at Our Lady of Guadalupe parish and the Guadalupe Conference of St. Vincent de Paul Society in West Seattle. So, it wasn’t a surprise that Jake responded to the church bulletin’s call for volunteers to help with the Catholic Community Services (CCS) Chore Ministry, driving people for errands and appointments. After several years with CCS, Jake began to volunteer at Providence Mount St. Vincent, a senior living community in the West Seattle neighborhood, where he is part of the spiritual care team, helping escort residents to Mass each week and serving as Eucharistic minister.
“When you visit a person, all you gotta do is make them feel good,” said Jake. But to the people he serves, Jake’s kindness and compassion are priceless.
Storey Squires, the volunteer director at Mount St. Vincent, said, “Jake believes he is blessed to serve, and believes God works through him every day. We feel this blessing in his servant leadership, and how happy we are to have his amazing service.”
When Jake is not volunteering in his community, he enjoys spending time with his wife Norene, his five sons, daughter and four grandkids — not to mention the various house guests, backyard chickens, etc.
Jake is grateful for the way his life has unfolded, in spite of the challenges. “God has given me an opportunity to slow down and really look at my life from the beginning to where I’m at now,” he said. “Some life struggles were harder than others. Mine paved the way for me to become the kind of person that gives back to the community.”
Thanks to the reader who sent the photo from this morning’s 80th annual Easter Sunday sunrise service at Forest Lawn (WSB sponsor). The West Seattle Ministerial Association presents the service, with volunteer support by the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle. The reader reports, “Incredible testimony of recovery and now in school by Erin LaBreche. Service was well attended. Looking forward to next year.” In 2020, Easter will be on April 12th.
All week long, along with non-religious events like egg hunts, our Easter/Passover/More page is where to find special local services and gatherings. Tomorrow night (6:30 pm Wednesday), St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church invites the community to a unique Stations of the Cross observance:
The devotion known as the Stations of the Cross is an adaptation to local usage of a custom widely observed by pilgrims to Jerusalem: the offering of prayer at a series of places in that city traditionally associated with our Lord’s passion and death.
The number of stations-which at first varied widely-finally became fixed at 14. Of these, eight are based directly on events recorded in the Gospels. The remaining six (numbers 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, and 13) are based on inferences from the Gospel account or from pious legend.
In this innovative and adaptive version of the liturgy; elements of art and music are blended to create a unique experience of Jesus’ passion. You don’t want to miss this opportunity to experience prayer, live-painting, stringed instruments, and candlelight woven together into a blend of story and emotion as we prepare to walk the final days into Jesus’ death and resurrection.
St. John’s is at 3050 California SW. See what else is happening this week by browsing our page here.
The photo is from the Rev. Sarah Casey, pastor at Tibbetts United Methodist Church (WSB sponsor), who wants you to know that despite a move in the parent denomination to discriminate against LGBTQIA people, the West Seattle church is and will remain “a place where ALL people have the opportunity to grow spiritually in Christian community.” Here’s the email she sent to the congregation earlier this week:
It is with deep sadness that I share with you that the General Conference of the United Methodist Church has voted to adopt the Traditional Plan. This means that there is no way forward for the UMC that affirms the call to discipleship and sacred worth of LGBTQ+ persons.
I struggle to find the words to express the outrage, disappointment, and grief I am feeling. I know I am not alone in this.
I do not know what will happen in the months ahead. I do not know how our denomination will move forward, if there will be a schism, or how this tragedy will continue to unfold.
This is what I do know: I know that for 110 years Tibbetts UMC has baptized babies that have bloomed into straight and LGBTQ+ disciples. I know that there is no legislation or ruling that can override or take away our baptismal covenant: that we are loved by God. I know that we have and will continue to encourage and celebrate our LGBTQ+ siblings in Christ. Their stories are part and parcel to the identity of our faith community. Without them, there is no us.
The mission of Tibbetts is “To seek to be an all-inclusive congregation that provides dynamic ministries for all ages. We are committed to discipleship through outreach, community service, and spiritual growth.”
Our mission has not changed.
The church is not God. The Book of Discipline is not Jesus. Our love for one another is bigger than the Traditional Plan, bigger than the institutional church, bigger than hate.
I hope you will make it a point to be present in worship on Sunday as we weep and mourn what has happened, and as we celebrate and affirm that God is still God, we are still Tibbetts, and we will continue to proclaim the inclusive Gospel of Christ that loves and accepts ALL people.
We will celebrate the sacrament of Holy Communion, and there will be a seat for each and every one of us at God’s table.
The pastor tells WSB, “Our Tibbetts leadership team met Thursday evening and we are in full agreement that our congregation will continue to be open and affirming of LGBTQ+ persons as we believe it is a faithful reflection of the Gospel.” She adds, “Our Bishop in the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference, Elaine Stanovsky, is committed to full inclusion. What that looks like in the coming months and years is yet to be seen. Our Bishop has indicated that we are not going anywhere, implying progressive/affirming churches are not going to exit the denomination.” But what would happen if the denomination leadership decided to enforce the new policy “remains unclear.” She added in our followup exchange:
My personal hope is that progressive Methodists will see this as an opportunity for rebirth, to create a new expression of Methodism that is inclusive and affirming of all people, while remaining grounded in Wesleyan theology and practice. The two are not mutually exclusive, and the reality is that our Wesleyan (Methodist) tradition actually does lend itself to full inclusion! Our practices are rooted in the baptismal covenant, that each and every person is loved and valued by God. How can we claim all people are made in the image of God and then tell people they cannot be who God created them to be? We do not get to decide how divine presence manifests itself in our world!
She is not alone in her sentiment, according to reports like this one from the New York Times.
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