I want to give a special shout out to Simon Cunningham and his work with Roots Church up on Capital Hill. Simon is a born evangelist/apologist. Very few people I have met possess his strength in dialoguing about the Christian faith with those who are far from faith. It’s wonderful Read more…
At our annual Fall retreat, i had a chance to share about Christian meditation for a few minutes and send us all out for a spiritual exercise. A surprising number of people found that very helpful and have asked me about solitude and meditation. So, I will share a few Read more…
Jamming on James. Beginning the 30th of September, we will be doing a message series on the New Testament book of James. Many scholars believe that James was actually Jesus’ half-brother. His work is an enduring piece that brings together theology, spirituality and authentic daily life to the glory of Read more…
Folks occasionally ask me how many churches we can help plant at one time. My answer, not to be in anyway glib, is “I don’t know. We have never exceeded our maximum yet.” I honestly mean that. New church plants are the best single way to lead new people into Read more…
Why Would Someone Attend Synod? What is a Synod? an ecclesiastical governing or advisory council (Merriam-Webster Dictionary) Why would someone attend a Synod? That’s a good question and the start of a somewhat long story. Was it fun? Not so much fun, but much more interesting than I thought! So, Read more…
It’s time to grow up….and keep on growing Changes, transitions, new experiences…they are all a normal part of life. Some are more exciting than others and many present an exciting new chapter in life. All, though, present some sort of challenge and require our trust that God has a plan Read more…
Located yet Nomadic… It has been nearly 9 years since we began conceiving of Sanctuary and the Green Bean Coffeehouse. The Green Bean has been open for about seven years. And….we are dialed in to Greenwood as both the church and the Bean. We are focused and localized and we Read more…
There is an exciting opportunity for church planting that may be on the horizon for Sanctuary and the churches in our Seattle Church Planting Cluster. This would entail becoming what is called a “Kingdom Enterprise Zone”. The idea is for the Christian Reformed Church to work with the Reformed Church Read more…
Our daughter church, Awake, led by Ben Katt, has been awarded a grant from Christian Reformed Home Missions to free up about 25% of Ben’s time to help make Awake church planting center. The great hope is to begin and support a vast range of missional communities that impact neighborhoods Read more…
Let me just lavish out some praise on this lovely church, OK? First, thanks for giving me such gracious study leave and vacation time. I really benefited from the education and renewal I got in Honduras. Also the time with Nancy on either side of that, in Hawaii and then Read more…
I will never be prepared for marriage. I’m choosing to marry, not knowing what that means or how to go about it. I believe that I have been led to this point in life, but I could have gone many other directions. Once I enter into marriage, it will be Read more…
Paula Kett called the meeting to order. Darrell Waddell opened with a prayer. Paula Kett made a motion to adopt the minutes from the previous congregational meeting (I don’t have the date of when that meeting took place). John Eidson seconded and the motion passed. Paula explained the budget planning Read more…
Sanctuary CRC Council Meeting Minutes June 12, 2012 draft Linda Ackerman, Clerk Dan Moses, Outreach elder Staff & Guests Silas Bergen, Green Bean elder Hannah Nelson, Hospitality elder Mark Mohrlang, Worship pastor Andrea Grafmiller, Support Services elder Randy Rowland, Pastor Reba Jacobs, Discipleship elder Cindy Sink, Discipleship elder Read more…
As I read and study First Corinthians and am preaching messages through the entirety of Paul’s letter for the third time, the text jumps to life for me all the more! I am deeply moved by the centrality of Jesus in First Corinthians. Yes, it’s about church life and gifts Read more…
Our Seattle Church Planting Cluster is in the midst of an exciting opportunity. We have just submitted a proposal to Christian Reformed Home Missions for a grant to allow Ben Katt, of our sister/daughter church, Awake, to spend 25% of his time for the next 3 years starting church Read more…
Notes from the May Council meeting Sanctuary member Ali Dahmer visited Council to share with us about her calling and upcoming studies at the Seattle campus of Fuller Seminary. As Ali’s home church, Sanctuary has the privilege of endorsing her as a student at Fuller. Ali, we commend Read more…
On Sunday May 6th, we completed a series of informative and inspirational presentations about Sanctuary’s Church Planting efforts. During the second service, when the map of all the churches we have helped start came up on the screen a woman several seats to my left gave a gasp, “ahhhhh!” and Read more…
Every week while you are listening to a sermon, our kids and their leaders are off singing and dancing, playing instruments, hearing stories, playing games, eating snacks, and making works of art. I know, you’re jealous. Now, I’m not going to pretend that preparing for and keeping twelve 2-4 year Read more…
As we journey together through First Corinthians this Spring, I become more and more aware of a couple of things: 1) how we too easily apply Scripture to others but not ourselves and 2) how we tend to under-read some Scriptures. and over-read others. So often in the religious/secular culture Read more…
When I graduated from Seattle Pacific University in 2009 I had a plan on how my life was going to unfold. I was taking a year off from school to work and gain experience so that I could apply to physical therapy school. Things did not go quite as I Read more…
At the March Council meeting, Geoff and Ashley Van Dragt reported on their work starting a campus ministry to graduate students and faculty at the University of Washington. We gave thanks that we will be able to move into a new church office space on Greenwood Avenue in April. Above-budget Read more…
The great theologian, Karl Barth, loved holiday seasons. He was fond of creating formulas for expressing faith. One of my favorite quotes for him is an ever so brief statement of the Christian Faith into which we are born anew, live life afresh and die into life immortal. It goes Read more…
We are a church planting church. Take a look around. AWAKE has the Aurora Commons and a growing group of devoted Christ-followers who live and believe the Gospel in the Aurora neighborhood. It’s a great ministry. Just to the Northwest of us in Crown Hill, John Westfall pastors the growing Read more…