West Seattle, Washington
24 Wednesday
The trailer is for its PBS premiere this fall … but you can see the award-winning film “Love Free or Die” in West Seattle next week. St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church plans a screening, followed by a community forum on marriage equality, at 6:30 pm Thursday, August 9th. Read on for the invitation:Read More
Faith and sports are both in the mix at Our Lady of Guadalupe‘s new building – which is why you see a soccer ball, basketball, and volleyball in that photo, as retired Seattle Archbishop Alex Brunett blessed OLG’s new gym, which is named after him, and Parish Center, both formally dedicated as part of an expanded 11 am Mass today.
Parishioners walked across SW Myrtle to the new 10,000-square-foot complex, led by OLG’s pastor, Father Jack Walmesley:
There, Archbishop Brunett gave a blessing at the doors:
Inside, the celebration continued:
This comes two weeks shy of a year after the groundbreaking, during which the pastor didn’t just wield a ceremonial shovel, but actually operated the construction equipment to dig right in (WSB coverage, with video, here).
(Photo courtesy St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church)
St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in West Seattle is playing host to a special “visitor” this weekend and invites you to come see it tomorrow:
St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church (3050 California Ave SW) will be blessed by the presence of a Resurrection Icon which is making a tour of churches of the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia. St. John’s is fortunate to be one of only 7 or 8 churches to welcome it. The icon was commissioned for the St. Petersburg Seattle Sister Church Program, was “written” by Russian iconographer Yakov Prokofiev, blessed by Metropolitan Vladimir, and brought to Seattle in August, 2011, by an Orthodox seminarian. The Icon represents Jesus standing over the broken gates of Hell, lifting Adam and Eve out of their graves with kings and prophets and patriarchs looking on. Jesus has bridged the boundary of time and space. God’s home is among mortals and nothing will keep God out of our presence or separate us from the love of God through Christ Jesus. It is a deep privilege to be able to spend some time with this icon, a window into the heart of God, especially on the Day of Pentecost. All are welcome to attend services (8 and 10:15 am) or to view the icon between services 9 – 10 or from 11:30 am – 12:30 pm.
Garage/rummage-sale fans converged on West Seattle’s two mega-sales as soon as the doors opened at nine this morning. Above, the wide view of just one of the rooms full of stuff on sale at Tibbetts United Methodist Church (WSB sponsor), 3940 41st SW – you’ll also find items like sports gear and furniture outside, including this eye-catching chair:
Tibbetts’ sale continues till 4 pm today, and will run again 9 am-3 pm tomorrow. (If you like to plan ahead, check out the Christmas-decorations table by the stage!)
Just a few blocks away, at 3601 California SW, West Side Presbyterian Church is in full sale swing too:
Theirs also spans multiple rooms – you will be offered a map as you step inside. And as is always the case with rummage/garage sales, you can find “they don’t make ’em like that” type finds – reel-to-reel, anyone?
WSPC’s sale continues till 5 today, and runs 9 am-2 pm tomorrow (it even has its own Facebook page). Be sure to look for the extensive bake-sale area inside the north side of the church.
Side note: Registration for this year’s West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, presented and coordinated again this year by WSB, will start Monday, April 2nd … more to come. WS Garage Sale Day itself is Saturday, May 12th, 9 am-3 pm.
(Photo courtesy Alki UCC)
Alki United Church of Christ sent that photo along with an announcement of its “semi-spontaneous all-church Christmas pageant” 10 am tomorrow at 6115 SW Hinds: “Come as you are, or come dressed as an angel, shepherd or magi. Or grab something from the church costume racks when you arrive (though kids get first dibs!).” That’s one of the announcements we received after posting requests for church info; we also combed the Web, and here’s the result – a list of services tonight/tomorrow at West Seattle churches. For some of these churches, we have even more information on the WSB Holidays page, but here are the basics, in alphabetical order:
ADMIRAL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST (California/Hill):
Christmas Eve candlelight worship service with carols, 9 pm
Christmas Day, 10:30 am
ALKI UCC CHURCH (6112 SW Hinds):
Christmas Eve: 5 pm “designed for families with young children,” 10 pm candlelight service
Christmas Day: 10 am (as mentioned above)
ARBOR HEIGHTS COMMUNITY CHURCH (41st/102nd):
Christmas Day: 10 am
BETHANY COMMUNITY CHURCH-WEST SEATTLE (meets at High Point Community Center, 6920 34th SW; WSB sponsor)
Christmas Eve “family celebration”: 4 PM
EASTRIDGE CHURCH-WEST SEATTLE (39th/Oregon):
Christmas Eve: 5:30 pm
Christmas Day: 11 am
FAUNTLEROY UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST (9140 California SW):
Christmas Eve: 4 pm children’s service, 7 pm all ages, 11 pm Communion service
Christmas Day: 10 am
FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH OF WEST SEATTLE (4105 California SW):
Christmas Eve: 11 pm, Liturgy of Lessons, Carols, and Holy Eucharist
Christmas Day: 10:30 am, Festival Liturgy and Holy Eucharist in the nave
HILLCREST PRESBYTERIAN (10404 34th SW):
Christmas Day – 11 am
HOLY FAMILY CATHOLIC CHURCH (20th/Roxbury):
Christmas Eve: Mass at 5 (English), 6:30 (Spanish), 9 pm (Tagalog)
Christmas Day: 8 & 11 am (English), 9:30 & 12:30 (Spanish), 6 pm (Tagalog)
HOLY ROSARY CATHOLIC CHURCH: (42nd/Genesee)
Christmas Eve: 4 pm, 7.30 pm, 10 pm
Christmas Day: 8 and 9.30 am
HOPE LUTHERAN CHURCH (42nd/Oregon):
Christmas Eve: 5 pm family service, 7 pm contemporary, 11 pm candlelight Communion
Christmas Day: 10:30 am
LIFE CHURCH (35th/Cloverdale):
Christmas Eve: 6:30 pm
MARS HILL CHURCH-WEST SEATTLE (7551 35th SW):
Christmas Day: 10:30 am
NEW APOSTOLIC CHURCH (3210 SW 106th):
Christmas Day: 10:30 am
OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE CATHOLIC CHURCH (35th/Myrtle):
Christmas Eve: 4 pm Family Mass, 10 pm Mass with choir
Christmas Day: 10 am morning Mass
PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH (39th/Thistle):
Christmas Eve: 5 pm family, 10 pm candlelight
Christmas Day: 10:30 am
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH (3050 California SW):
Christmas Eve: 5 pm Children’s Pageant/Eucharist, 10 pm Festival Eucharist
Christmas Day: 10 am Holy Eucharist
TIBBETTS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH (3940 41st SW; WSB sponsor):
Celtic Christmas Eve Service at 8 pm: Poems and carols from Ireland, Scotland and Wales. “The bagpipes will be playing, the candles glowing and the Christ Child will be carried through the congregation during the Christmas Hail.”
Christmas Day: 10 am
WEST SEATTLE BAPTIST CHURCH (4157 California SW):
Christmas Eve: 6:30 pm candle-lighting service
WEST SEATTLE CHRISTIAN CHURCH (42nd between Oregon and Genesee):
Christmas Eve: 6 pm in the activity center
Christmas Day: 9 am
WEST SEATTLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: (3601 California SW):
Christmas Eve: 5 pm family-friendly, 11 pm Communion
Christmas Day: 11 am
WESTSIDE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CONGREGATION (7141 California SW):
Christmas Eve: 5 pm “family-friendly” service including “Christmas in the Barn” pageant (you can participate if you choose) and candy-cane communion; 8 pm reception; 9 pm candlelight service
Christmas Day: 10:30 am
(Your church missing? That means no one e-mailed us AND we couldn’t find info online – but we’ll be happy to add it; please e-mail address, time/s, link if available, ASAP, to editor@wsb.blackfin.biz)
That’s our first video clip from tonight’s Our Lady of Guadalupe tree lighting in Sunrise Heights – first the countdown by emcee Brian Callanan (an OLG parishioner and longtime local TV newsperson who’s now with Seattle Channel), then “O Christmas Tree/O Tannenbaum,” featuring not just the hundreds-strong crowd and OLG choir members caroling, but also Engine 37 roaring north on 35th to a call, and a brightly lit pickup truck turning up in the lower part of the frame.
Something new is largely unseen (given the time of night) off to the left of the frame – the new Parish Life Center that has almost fully taken shape north of the church. As Brian noted – sharing the impromptu under-the-tree stage with OLG’s Father Jack Walmesley – next year, the post-tree-lighting cocoa and chatting will happen inside the new center, instead of the school building. Here’s more from tonight’s event – two of the songs that preceded the actual lighting:
If you love Christmas caroling, make a note to be at this event next year – the crowd went through all the classics (with a program featuring lyrics, in case you’ve forgotten them), including the ever-popular “Jingle Bells” accompanied by car keys.
It’s the only Christmas tree lot in West Seattle where the trees get blessed. A few hours after the Holy Rosary School Tree Lot opened for the season this afternoon, we were there as Father John Madigan (with an assist by young Sam Lee) presided over the annual Blessing of the Trees:
In addition to supporting the school, 15 percent of the tree lot’s proceeds go toward four beneficiaries this year: West Seattle Food Bank, the Salvation Army‘s Hickman House domestic-violence shelter, and West Seattle Helpline, as usual, plus the Ed Kingston Memorial Fund. This is the lot’s second year on school property next to the playground (41st/Dakota); you can see the hours, and the merchandise, here. (A full roster of West Seattle tree sellers is on the WSB West Seattle Holiday Events and Info page.)
(WSB photo from Eastridge turkey giveaway, November 2009)
Two weeks till Thanksgiving – and here’s one of many local examples of the “giving” part of the holiday: Eastridge Church has announced its annual turkey/groceries giveaway. It’s donating 1,000 turkeys and bags of groceries, split between its two campuses here in West Seattle and in Issaquah. The giveaway has drawn long lines the past few years and will start at 9 am Saturday, November 19th, at the 39th/Oregon campus.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
After almost 15 years, Rev. Peter DeVeau will deliver his last sermon to West Seattle’s St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church tomorrow.
His departure is entwined with a return – he is going to lead the Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral congregation in Kansas City, where he served for more than 6 years earlier in his career.
Sunday night, community members are invited to a farewell celebration at St. John’s. We caught up with him late Friday for a look back, and ahead.
(WSCC history highlight – an all-church photo before its new Activity Center was completed)
Several West Seattle churches have celebrated centennials in the past few years – and this year, it’s West Seattle Christian Church‘s turn. Today, WSCC’s Pastor Dan Jacobs says, you are welcome to visit the main building (42nd/Genesee) any time during the day to see a display of the church’s past 100 years of history, an “interactive walkthrough.” Tonight, the church community gathers for a sold-out celebration banquet in the WSCC Activity Center. And next weekend, Dan says, instead of Sunday morning worship services, WSCC will spend the weekend in “Don’t Go To Church, Be The Church” mode: “We will be in teams serving all over the community that we’ve been privileged to be part of for the past 100 years. We will be at the White Center Food Bank, Roxhill Elementary, cleaning / weeding Junction Plaza Park, cleaning up the Junction area alleys, bringing breakfast to area Fire Stations and the Police Precinct, as well as doing some onsite preparation of hygiene packs for area homeless shelters. We have been honored that God has allowed us to be part of the West Seattle Community for these past 100 years and wanted to launch the next 100 in an appropriate manner.”
“Blessing of the Animals” events are a tradition for the weekend closest to the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals – and again this year, West Seattle had three of them. We dropped by the third and final, and only outdoor, blessing event, presented by St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in the West Seattle High School parking lot next door. Order of St. Francis Brother Kris Wilder (above left) and St. John’s Rev. Peter DeVeau (above center, and below) offered the blessings;
Here’s video as everybody – people and pets – circled around:
(This weekend’s other two West Seattle “Blessings of the Animals” were at Providence Mount St. Vincent on Saturday morning and Alki UCC earlier today.) Side note: If Brother Wilder looks familiar … it may not be just because he has been featured in our previous years’ coverage of this event. He was also on WSB recently in a different kind of robe: The one he wears as a karate instructor, and author of self-defense books.
Tomorrow, All Souls Church of Seattle (WSB sponsor) celebrates one year of weekly public worship in West Seattle, and Pastor Andy Pelander (at left in the church-provided photo above) has an invitation, and status report.
All are invited to participate in our service, which will include ‘community stories’ from folks who’ve been part of this exciting, growing new worshipping community over the past year. Of course, we’ll also have birthday cake! Join us Sundays at 10 a.m. at Madison Middle School.
All Souls began humbly in autumn 2009 with a handful of families in a living room in Admiral, dreaming and praying about what a brand new church would be like in our neighborhood, for our neighborhood. We imagined a community where we could worship, love one another in authentic relationship, and seek the welfare of our city. A year later, on Oct. 3, 2010, having gathered many more local families, we began meeting weekly for public worship.
To get a church off the ground this past year has been more hardworking than anyone involved could have imagined(!) and, yet, so much more rewarding than we could have hoped. Plenty of blood and sweat, and our share of tears…
And we’ve seen a dynamic, multi-generational community take shape that wasn’t here before we began–in our beloved West Seattle neighborhood. All Souls is now a church family into which folks are welcomed no matter what, are becoming known and being served, are encountering the character of God and his gospel of grace, and are being changed by it. We’ve celebrated faith at All Souls, both new and renewed!
A thousand thank you’s to all who’ve given of themselves so greatly to this remarkable project. We’re seeing buds on our little tree.
Every Sunday is a good Sunday to visit All Souls for the first time.
They’re online at allsoulsseattle.org, and you can check out their Facebook page for some of their outside-the-service activities.
(WSB photo from St. John’s 2010 “Blessing of the Animals”)
This weekend is the closest one to the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi – patron saint of animals – so it’s time for West Seattle’s traditional “Blessing of the Animals” events. On Saturday, you’re invited to the lobby of Providence Mount St. Vincent at 10:30 am. Then on Sunday, St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church will offer blessings in the West Seattle High School parking lot next door (3000 California SW) at noon. As The Mount’s announcement put it, it’s simply an occasion “to give thanks for all creatures great and small.” (And that means even the smallest of pets, if someone brings ’em – check out the guinea pigs in our report on St. John’s event last year.)
Some of the 1,000 paper cranes lovingly hand-made by residents, staff, and other community members at Providence Mount St. Vincent in recent days graced The Mount’s chapel for its 9/11 anniversary service this afternoon. The service featured prayers and readings from faith traditions including Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish, and Hindu, and lots of music:
Mary Fierke and Ellen McClain led the music, including congregational renditions of songs from “Amazing Grace” to “America the Beautiful.” The service was followed by a dessert reception in The Mount’s café.
Much of the celebrating was done six months ago, but West Side Presbyterian Church‘s centennial will leave a lasting memory – the Centennial Courtyard, dedicated this afternoon.
Speaking to those gathered to dedicate the new courtyard, Laurinda O’Connell and WSPC’s pastor, Rev. Paul Smith:
Rev. Smith marks a milestone of his own this year – 30 years since he became pastor of WSPC.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
A key word for Hope Lutheran‘s new pastor Peter Mueller is “connection.”
He’s thrilled to discover West Seattle’s community connections, including the new neighbors who have welcomed him and his family – he got to meet even more of them at a Night Out block party on Tuesday.
But he’s also clearly no stranger to online connection. Though his office at the church is still full of storage boxes that just arrived from his previous home in Southern California, it’s topped with one essential element – a laptop. And when we ask for specifics on a Biblical verse he paraphrases during our conversation, he pulls out not a well-worn leather-bound book, but … his iPod.
He’s even enthusiastic about the church’s website address.
Father James Mallahan, well-regarded as Holy Rosary‘s pastor from 1981 to 1987, will be remembered at the church with a Vigil Mass tonight at 7 and Funeral Mass on Wednesday at 11 am. He died last Friday at age 83. Holy Rosary School has long had an endowment fund in his name. Fr. Mallahan’s obituary is here; an online guestbook is here. (Thanks to Michael for sharing the news.)
(ADDED MONDAY MORNING: South Park donation dropoff spot to help fire victims)
If you’re among those wondering how to help the victims of this afternoon’s huge apartment fire in unincorporated South King County southeast of South Park, here’s the first answer: Donate to the local American Red Cross. We just found out they are setting up an emergency shelter for fire victims at Peace Lutheran Church in Gatewood. Volunteers are setting it all up right now with the help of Amanda Rudd from the Red Cross; she told us outside the church that the latest count indicates 41 people are without a home tonight, from the 19 units gutted by the fire. They’re planning to shelter and feed about a dozen of them at Peace Lutheran. The Red Cross stresses that it cannot accept donated items, though, just money to fund operations like this; you can donate here – and we’ll let you know about any donation drives we find out about. (Thanks to Anne-Marie for the tip, e-mailing us after spotting the Red Cross vehicles at the church.)
ADDED MONDAY MORNING: From the South Park Yahoo! e-mail group, another way to help fire victims:
Providence Regina House and the South Park Neighborhood Center will be the drop off for donations to support the families who were burned out of their homes yesterday, many with only the clothing on their backs.
Here is what they need the most:
Men’s clothing (WE HAVE VERY LITTLE OF MEN’S CLOTHING AND SHOES HERE)
Full size toiletry items
Furniture for smaller apartments
Gift cards for food and stores such as Target and Fred Meyer
Non-perishable food
Bath linens
Bed linens (twin & full)
Mattresses & box springs (twin, full, queen)
Housewares of all sorts
Shoes for men, women, and childrenWE HAVE LOTS OF NON PERISHABLE FOOD and women’s clothing, and some hygiene items, but could use the other things!! WE ALSO COULD REALLY USE lunch/snack friendly foods, such as applesauce cups, snacky foods, etc…so these hungry/stressed folks can snack, too.
I’m here now (address below) and will be here all day….and tomorrow….and until there is no more need!!
Paige Collins, Manager
Providence Regina House
8201 10th Ave. South, Seattle,WA 98108
206-763-9204
www.providencereginahouse.org
Most groundbreakings involve dignitaries, never-used-before-and-never-will-be-again shovels, and one ceremonial jab at the dirt. Not the groundbreaking at West Seattle’s Our Lady of Guadalupe this afternoon. The parish’s pastor, Father Jack Walmesley, got behind the controls of a backhoe and dug into the future site of OLG’s Parish Life Center and Gymnasium, as parishioners cheered (and, off camera, Tom Hutyler emceed). Earlier in the event, “Father Jack” wore more traditional priestly garb as he spoke about the project – we’ll add that clip laterhere’s that clip:
The new 10,000-square-foot facility will include community meeting space as well as areas for parish events and sports (read all about the project here – and see sketches – here).
(Rendering of new OLG center/gym, provided by the parish in 2010)
West Seattle’s Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish says it’s ready to start building its new Parish Life Center and Gymnasium – with more than $3 million amassed (including a loan) – so a “ceremonial groundbreaking” celebration is planned for Sunday, June 12th. The 12:15 pm event in the lower playfield will be followed at 12:45 pm by a multicultural potluck, and OLG is inviting the community to join the celebration. You can read more about the project here.
With one week to go till Easter, we have published, and added to the site navigation (the tabs under the sunset photo in the header), the new WSB Easter page, with three groups of listings: Egg hunts (most are next Saturday, but not all!), church services (including Holy Week leading up to Easter Sunday), and a few Easter brunch notes from local restaurants. Still a work in progress, so if you are involved with, or know of, any activities/services/brunches that are NOT on the page yet, please send us the info so we can add it! editor@wsb.blackfin.biz – which also is where you are welcome to send word of Passover activities in West Seattle, since that holiday starts at sunset Monday; we are including Passover events in the regular Events calendar.
That’s the Rev. Dr. Donald Schmidt, in his second year leading Admiral Congregational UCC Church in West Seattle, offering a Buddhist prayer during an interfaith candlelight vigil Monday night. It wasn’t a fundraiser, as Rev. Dr. Schmidt reminded participants, but they did have baskets available for anyone who wanted to donate. The March 28th vigil idea, he said, was inspired by Greenpeace.
The choir’s voices filled the sanctuary at West Side Presbyterian Church, just before this morning’s 9:30 am celebration service in honor of WSPC’s centennial. The church’s history is thoroughly retold online (see the links on the lower right); the centennial-celebration page also includes information about a Centennial Courtyard for which WSPC needs to raise about $66,000.
While we’re talking fundraising … one of the big hits at last night’s Jazz Dinner on behalf of the Chief Sealth International High School and Denny International Middle School music programs was the dessert dash, with creations like this:
The dessert dash alone raised more than $3,000, it was announced during the event, which drew hundreds to the CSIHS Galleria for a barbecue-chicken dinner and music, including Sealth’s Jazz Band II, directed by Marcus Pimpleton (as are the Denny musicians who played earlier):
Another West Seattle school had a big event this weekend:
Hope Lutheran School invited the community to an open house this afternoon, with first-year principal Kristen Okabayashi on hand:
Hope is expanding its preschool program next school year.
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