It’s Auction Time Again! Saturday, 15th October, 6pm

It’s the party of the year and it makes a huge difference!

This is our fourth annual auction event. As two-time recipients of the Landmark Challenge Grant from 4Culture we are excited to raise the matching funds needed to use our $25,000 preservation grant from the city of Seattle. We are going to have fun and make a difference for the future of Seattle’s historic buildings preservation efforts.

Please join us as we preserve and restore this beautiful historic landmark building. We need your support.

To sign up, make a donation or get involved check out our auction website below.
www.another100years.com

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Jay Joins Scott and Lynne in Berlin (1:40 video)

I had such an amazing time with Scott and Lynne and all of the disciples in Berlin, Germany this week. It’s so hard to put into words all that God is doing in the lives of the disciples that make up the Berlin Church, or as they say “Berliner Gemeinde Christi.” The church has been run for years by members who were also working full-time jobs, taking turns preaching every Sunday and together diligently shepherding the church. The core leadership group has recently invited Terry and Sue Folker and Christoff and Dasha Meuller to move out from the Boston Church and are drawing plans for the establishment a European Mission Center in Berlin hosted by the Berlin Church. It was so encouraging to see the network of relationships that the Greens have built since being asked to help coach the church. Their regular visits there are full of appointments following up on direction and encouragement from their previous visit. Scott and Lynne are tireless in their determination to strengthen and heal the members one-by-one, house to house and with public preaching and teaching. Watching them work was very inspiring (and tiring) for me.

Also, I enjoyed the city of Berlin which is epic in every way: the history, the architecture, the amazing church…

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Spiritual Lesson From My Yard – Todd Schoepflin

Spiritual Lessons from My Yard

The last few weekends have provided us with weather that looks suspicious like spring!  Working in my yard rejuvenates my soul.  I love the immediate visible feedback of a cut lawn or weeded flowerbed.  As I work, my mind can relax and mull things over.  I wanted to share some of my observations and thoughts that came to me as I reflected on my work and the parables that Jesus taught.

Matt. 13:1-24 contains the parable of the four soils: hard, rocky, weedy, and good.  The seed (Word of God) cannot take deep root unless the soil has been tilled, nourished, and rocks & weeds removed.  Only by God’s grace, His discipline, and the help He gives us from other people can we become good soil.  Many of us are aware of our own natural tendency, whether it is to hardheartedness, lack of deep roots, or a life of “weeds.”  When I first became a disciple in the UW campus, I loved how this parable could explain why people did not respond or made poor decisions in response to Christianity.

Last year, my wife and I planted a row of cedar-like trees (thuja) as a hedge.  I am not an expert gardener and did not get sufficient advice.  I dug a fairly large hole for each tree, partially filled it with cedar grove, inserted the tree, and packed more cedar grove around the tree.  Cedar grove is extremely rich soil.  It contains many nutrients and has the ability to retain water.  However, as I learned the hard way, it should be mixed with the soil rather than used as the primary soil component.

This spring a strong windstorm blew over many of the trees.  I had to redig the hole and replant each of them.  Some of the trees had grown their roots into the cedar grove, but the cedar grove was too light to keep them in the ground.  As I reach out to others, I sometimes find that I am trying to take a bunch of cedar grove and dump it into a hole in their life and get the gospel to grow.  This cedar grove might consist of lots of extra friendship or Bible studies where I am doing all the initiating.  Instead, I need to work with them and get the cedar grove thoroughly mixed into their life so that they can develop soil that will support a future root system, even in the great windstorms of life.

Are you an initiator?  Or do you sometimes feel left out, or wish others included you more often?  I encourage you to consider whether your spiritual growth is solely due to others initiating with you, or whether you have proactively worked to develop your faith.  Putting down roots beyond the “cedar grove” requires work, but it is well-worth it in the windstorms of life!

Another lesson I learned came from pulling weeds the other day.  This used to be my least favorite activity as a kid, but by God’s grace, now I don’t mind it and even can enjoy it.  As I pulled some dandelions, I realized that they have many admirable spiritual qualities!  First of all, their goal in life seems to be reproduction, which makes them extremely difficult to remove entirely from my yard.  They can flower and go to seed in a matter of weeks.

Second, they find a way to flourish in a wide variety of circumstances.  They grow very tall and very rapidly in good soil.  However, they can also put down roots in soil that is almost completely rocky.  I am often tempted to believe that I need to improve my circumstances to become more spiritual.  However, the dandelion shows me that I can put down roots just about anywhere.

Lastly, if Satan is the dandelion-puller and I am a plant, I want to have roots like the dandelion.  If you use a shovel or try to pull out a dandelion, you risk accidentally cutting or breaking the root.  Dandelion roots can easily regenerate the entire plant.  This is because the root contains a great deal of energy that it devotes to regrowing the plant.  Sometimes when I pull up a dandelion and finally get the whole root, I can see a thickened base which shows that the dandelion has survived multiple weeding attempts.

Trouble, challenges, and difficulties are simply part of being human.  In John 16:33, Jesus promises, “In this world, you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”  The parable of the wise & foolish builders (Mt. 7:24-27) also shows that the storms of life will come against every house.  Being part of the church is no guarantee against these challenges.  Peter was part of Jesus’ inner circle, and yet Jesus allowed Satan to sift him like wheat (Luke 22:31‑32).  “But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.  And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

Two things stand out to me.  First, Jesus prayed for Simon that his faith would not fail.  Let us not forget to pray for our brothers and sisters that their faith will be strong!  Second, Jesus was confident that Simon would stand the test (“WHEN you have turned back) and that this experience would enable him to minister to others.

This life God has given us is uncertain.  Some of us will live relatively “normal” lives.  Some of us will face extreme challenges.  Tom Jones of DPI and our own Angie Chandler have had to face extreme health challenges.  Roger & Marcia Lamb and our own Ron & Linda Brumley have sadly watched their children walk away from God.  What would you do in these situations?  Where are your spiritual roots?

As Christians, Satan wants to uproot each of us.  Even if he cuts off my top like a dandelion, I am determined to be a spiritual survivor.  I encourage all of us to put down deep, persistent roots in the Word of God and relationships in the Body of Christ.  Once we have stood the test, we will be even better prepared to strengthen our brothers and sisters!

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Profile In Faith: Chelsea Zhang

- Where did you grow up?

I was born in China and had been raised (for 12 years) in a small town outside of the city of Fuzhou, which is located on the southeastern coastal area. It’s a major coastal city between Hong Kong and Shanghai. From 1996 to 2007, my family had lived in 3 different states on the East Coast between Maine and Georgia.

- Where was your first Church of Christ experience?

A college friend invited me to the Athens Church of Christ in Georgia after I had been actively seeking God for 3 years and cried out to be shown how to find Him. I thought people were on ‘happy drugs’ when I first met them. They were hugging each other and excited to be there early Sunday mornings. I could feel the genuine love and care among the people and it was very attractive. The sermon was powerful, personal, and the scriptures penetrated into the depth of my heart. It was very different compared to the previous churches that I had been to. I was blown away by what I saw and felt!

- What made you want to start studying the Bible?

Believe it or not, I was born into a christian family (even in Communist China!) and had been going to church pretty much my whole life with the exception of my high school years. Having been exposed to prayer, scripture reading, praise worship, and baptism at an early age instilled in me a seed that later would grow. I still remember various people who had prayed with me to invite Jesus into my heart as a kid. I also got down on my knees begging God to heal my mom from her sickness in 10th grade (high school) and promising that I would follow Him for the rest of my life. When my mom indeed did get better, I forgot all about my prayer.

I started going to church again when I went to college, but didn’t feel like I was growing after going through the water baptism, summer camps, visiting 6 or so campus ministries, and early morning prayer groups. After all that I did, I still felt powerless to change my life and the guilt that I was carrying. Teresa Tang, who I now refer to as my spiritual mom, recalls today that I was pridefully religious when she first met me. Thankfully, God prompted my heart and I found out that this was what I had been looking for. I studied it out and I was challenged to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.” I had tried everything else out; This was my last resort.

- What is God teaching you in your life right now?

God is teaching me that the full measure of His grace can only be experienced when we are deeply rooted and intertwined in the Body of Christ. Thus, He is prompting me to work on my relationships with sisters and brothers:) Relationship building, being vulnerable with my feelings, and reaching out for help are some of my weaknesses. He is also teaching me that when my pride and selfishness are strong, then I’m missing out on all the good and rewarding things that He wants to bless me with.

- What do you love about the singles ministry?

I love the freedom, fun, fire (of the heart) and a future to look forward to in the singles! God has given us our health, energy, and the means to do many great things for Him if we are willing. We can be as devoted to Him as we choose to be in this stage of life without many other responsibilities that might distract us. We are young, can support ourselves with jobs, can spend our time however we want and travel easily! Our zeal and passion can be contagious and if we allow ourselves to have visions and dream dreams, then God can use us in unimaginable ways!

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3rd Annual “Another 100 Years” Auction is a Success

Wanted to extend our gratitude to all those who worked tirelessly to create the “Party of the Year.” Saturday night did not disappoint! We were welcomed by our college student volunteers carrying trays of gourmet finger food (thanks to Tina Robison and her team). The singles were next carrying glasses of local wines (thanks Sabrina). The registration team, led by Wendy Soethe, was so efficient that there weren’t any lines to wait in to check-in or out. Sarah Emerson-Villanueva & Co. staged everything beautifully. Lisa Lewis and Tracey Warren had 180 amazing items to bid on this year from a “Water Front Cottage in Bali” to “Four Strong Single Guys with Shovels and Rakes.” April Brown is always a fundraising force and she helped us raise $36,000 toward the preservation and restoration of our historic Queen Anne church building. We’re already collecting items for next year’s auction. The tradition of celebration and restoration is a highlight every year.

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“Another 100 Years” Means We’re Here to Stay!

Please join us as we have the time of our lives and save an important piece of Seattle history. Our Church home is officially a Seattle Historic Landmark. We need your help in preservation and restoration expenses so we throw an amazing party once each year.

So many have given so much to this cause. The former Seventh Church of Christ, Scientist was built in 1927 by an amazing architect, Harlan Thomas. He also helped create the Sorrento Hotel, Pike Place Market, Harborview Hospital, several Seattle public libraries, and some of UW’s most beautiful fraternity and sorority houses.

Our church was almost demolished three years ago and now is a vibrant church home and center of community activity on Queen Anne.

CLICK HERE to get your discount advance tickets now.

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Heather Hsu Baptized at Alki Beach


On Thursday, August 12th, Heather Hsu was baptized into Christ at Alki Beach. It was an incredibly beautiful evening that was topped off with an out of this world sunset!  

Heather and her husband Gene moved to Seattle from San Francisco a little more than two years ago.  At that time their son, Aiden was three years old. Heather and Gene enrolled Aiden in Kenney’s Korner, the West Seattle preschool owned and operated by Bernadette Anderson. Within a few months,  Heather began initiating conversations about our church and issues of faith in God. She also noticed interesting new behavior in her son, Aiden including his interest in saying a prayer before meals.  Bernie invited her to Women’s Day and she attended.  Over the next two years, they started to study the Bible along with some of the sisters from the West Seattle Mission Town. There were also great family outings that included memorable camping trips.
 

Heather is a Scientist, trained in bio chemistry and currently working in drug safety research.  God provided support and friendship for her in Sanna Kolave-Jeffrey, a Westside sister who is also an educated scientist; The two became fast friends. 
All of Heather’s close friends in the church have been inspired by witnessing the power of God at work in her heart and mind. Heather spent many months deeply searching the scriptures for truth and faith, and she found both.

Bernadette says, “Heather has become a dear and treasured friend and our sons now refer to each other as brothers.”

Truly God has… “determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.” -ACTS 17:26-27

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Greetings from the Westside!

This is the first post from the Westside!  More to follow soon.  Welcome to the new website, and we are extremely glad that you have found us!  If you would like to assist in contributing content for the site, whether it be from the Eastside, Westside, or Campus ministry, please contact Jay Kelly or Daren Overstreet.

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