WS Church Recommendations

[Greens]

I am seeking recommendations for a community, liberal-minded church in West Seattle. My husband was raised in the church — I was raised by an agnostic and an atheist, and thus am not completely comfortable with traditional worship. I am less interested in the religious aspects of church and more in community and having my young children grow up understanding that their lives are part of a larger framework that is more meaningful than their individual identities.

I realize there are some contradictions here and do not aim to offend anyone — simply looking for advice on a potential church “fit” for my family. Thanks for any recommendations you can offer.

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[datamuse]

Sounds like the Unitarians might be what you’re after. I don’t know what presence they have in West Seattle though.

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[AlkiKmac]

http://alkiucc.org/

I highly respect Alki United Church of Christ.

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[Zenguy]

I grew up Catholic, but like you am more Agnostic and share some of your other thoughts on religion too.

The Center for Spiritual Living (not in West Seattle) is a place I would consider going to if were looking. I have attended several services and feel they are very positive, uplifting and applicable in every day life.

Good luck.

http://www.spiritualliving.org/

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[Gina]

I second the Unitarians as a group to visit. A friend of mine grew up in New England, and he was raised Unitarian because his parents wanted the community, but not the over organized aspects of traditional religions. He said that in Sunday School the miracle of the loaves and fishes occured after Jesus talked to the crowd, and they realized that they had all brought a little wine or a little food with them, and they put it all together and shared and there was plenty for all.

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[Sue]

I go to Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation here in West Seattle – they meet at the Masonic Temple near the Junction and would definitely recommend them as a place to check out that might meet your criteria. The website is http://www.wsuu.org and you can also read more about WSUU and the work that they do in the community in this WSB post: https://westseattleblog.com/blog/?p=10952

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[ellenater]

I related so much to your post! Our family is going to OLG which is Cahtolic. The community there is very liberal and great. BUT, it’s a nice mix of people which was very important to me. I attended Unitarian churches in many cities (not Seattle, though) and found them lacking in tradition. This ironic because a lot of the tradition is what drove me away all those years! I like the Catholic traditions as far as spirituality goes, however. Just not the church traditions. It’s not perfect and there is a long way to go, and the Pope is the religious equivalent of Bush, but again, the spirituality is right there for me. I’m new so that is all I can offer. Good luck on your search.

I can also recommend Thich Nhat Hanh, Mindfulness teachings. His books have depth, truth, compassion-basically all teh good stuff. He’s a true leader. I think there is a group that meets in Green Lake.

Cheers.

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[celeste17]

My Mom and I also go to OLG on 35th (near the water towers). I grew up going to Holy Rosary but left that church trying to find something else. I to wanted a sense of community and friendship and we found that about a year ago. We were suppose to go to church with my brother and sister-in-law for easter service but we were late getting out of the house and knew we wouldn’t make it to Redmond in time. So we looked at the mass times for both OLG and HR and since OLG started a little bit later we decided to try OLG. We went and haven’t stopped going since.

We usually go to the 5:30 mass on Saturday its not quite so formal as on Sunday. Give it a try.

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[graysongirl]

I have two children (who are now teenagers) and we have attended OLG since they were born. What a wonderful and diverse community! I am so thankful for the people there who have become dear friends. Also personally, I feel like OLG and their staff have supported me in all stages of my spiritual path (even when I lost faith through difficult times). They also emphasize service and stewardship to support local and world communities, which is an invaluable lesson for young children. My 13 year old is currently volunteering at the West Seattle Food Bank.

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[WSB]

No one has mentioned it yet but we would suggest you consider checking out Fauntleroy UCC Church.

Caveat, we’ve never attended services there. And, they have been off-and-on sponsors.

One thing that has caught my attention as we continue reporting on West Seattle’s many neighborhoods is the fact that this church is deeply involved in community service. Starting later this month, in fact (I am overdue for a post on this) they are convening a series of conversations, with guest speakers (including Patrick and me on one night), to talk about the role of “community” in our changing world.

Almost everything “community” that happens in Fauntleroy happens at the church or at the old schoolhouse across the street.

Anyway, you can probably get a sense of them from their website:

http://www.fauntleroyucc.org

I believe they fit the definition of “liberal” as among other things. See the second to last line on their “mission” page.

http://www.fauntleroyucc.org/Default2.htm

There are many other awesome-sounding churches around West Seattle that we’ve had the privilege to learn a bit about through news coverage … but given what you have said you’re looking for, that’s the first one that comes to mind.

Good luck!

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[ws4ever]

Previous post maybe didn’t make it through. I also second the Westside Unitarian. Great kids’ program, real community feel to this smaller church, and community outreach programs including habitat for humanity and Family Promise programs. Openness to diversity of beliefs, Christian, agnostic, atheist, Buddhist, while centered around common values, and have morning forum before the 10:30 service for those who’d like to discuss specific topics. Many good churches here in West Seattle.:)

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