Seattle City Church - Beacon Hill

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/guerrilla-pastors/id1593925024?i=1000576888465

‎Guerrilla Pastors: [013] Seven Days Of Presence on Apple Podcasts ‎Show Guerrilla Pastors, Ep [013] Seven Days Of Presence - Aug 21, 2022

Seattle and Renton Land Use Plans Win State ‘Smart Communities’ Awards | South Seattle Emerald by Ben Adlin Seattle and Renton were among a handful of Washington cities to win awards this month for municipal planning projects intended to improve quality of life in the state.  Seattle was recognized for new land-use policies to ease affordable housing development on religious land, which City...

Redevelopment plans of Asa Mercer International Middle school to address projected growth.

Our neighborhood is growing.
https://www.seattle.gov/documents/Departments/Neighborhoods/MajorInstitutions/Mercer%20Middle%20School/Mercer_Middle_School.pdf

www.seattle.gov

https://mailchi.mp/5299bf1d5cab/seattle-city-church-newsletter?e=e683454490

Seattle City Church Newsletter Welcome to the Seattle City Church Newsletter. Find out what we are doing in the City of Seattle to engage in God’s dreams for the city. We hope to regularly update you on what is happening here and let you know how you can pray and support the work we are doing. You can also check out our new web...

Loving God, we give thanks today for mothers!
Thank you for mothers who gave birth to us,
and women who have treated us as their own children.
You teach us how to be good mothers,
cherishing and protecting the children among us.
Help us mother lovingly, fairly, wisely and with great joy.
Help us raise our children to be the people they are born to be.
We need your comfort here today, Lord,
because some are missing mothers, some are missing children,
some are parted by distance or death.
Comfort those who have given up their child for adoption.
Comfort those who longed to be biological mothers, and could not.
We pray for those here whose mothers have disappointed them;
we ask for grace in relationships where there is pain and bitterness,
for healing in relationships where there is abuse and violence.
Help your people create and hold space for people to feel mothered,
their gifts and talents appreciated and nurtured.
Finally, we pray today for mothers around the world;
mothers who cannot feed their children,
mothers who are homeless or without a homeland;
mothers who must teach their children about the dangers of bombs and bullets.
Help us create a world where mothers can raise their children in peace and plenty.
God of mothers, who created mothers, who came as a child and had a mother, who loves us with a sweeter and deeper love than we have ever known, hear our prayer this day, Amen

The Rainier Valley Food Bank is doing great work!

Delivered 22 packed groceries bags full of healthy food today.

Serving as a delivery driver takes roughly 1.5-3 hours, during which you’ll follow a pre-made route through South Seattle, making approximately 20 stops.

About half the deliveries today were in one apartment complex.

Everyone who opened their door to receive their groceries were very grateful and I was verbally blessed several times 💗

God’s dream is that everyone would have enough healthy food to eat. Even before the pandemic 12% of King County adults experienced food insecurity.

Part of realizing heaven on earth is eliminating the barriers that keep those whom God loves (everyone) from accessing abundant life.

Most of the people I connected with today were elderly men and women unable to travel or leave their home.

Consider donating to the food bank or consider volunteering time.

If you live in south Seattle and need food check out www.rvfb.org

Hey friends!

We invite you to subscribe to our new newsletter for Seattle City Church so that you can stay informed on how we continue to develop communities on mission throughout Seattle.

Thank you for staying connected and interested in what the Church of the Nazarene in the city of Seattle is engaged in.

http://eepurl.com/h0Ltkn

Seattle City Church of the Nazarene Seattle City Church of the Nazarene Email Forms

The 2022 Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program Enrollment is Now Open!

The SFMNP provides a one-time voucher for $40.00 to be used for the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables at participating farmers markets.

Eligibility:
To apply, all of the following must be true:
* Age 60+ (or age 55+ if you are American Indian/Alaska Native) by June 30.
* Low income—no more than:
$2,096 monthly ($25,142 annual) income for one person
$2,823 monthly ($33,874 annual) income for two people
For larger households, add $728 for each additional person.
* King County, Washington resident.

How to apply:
The application period closes on Friday, April 29.

Apply online here: https://www.agingkingcounty.org/what-we-do/healthy-aging/

You can also print an application from the website above. Mail your complete application to the address on the form postmarked on or before April 29.

If you need help completing your application, contact Community Living Connections at 206-962-8467 or (toll-free) 1-844-348-5464.

A couple more photos from the community workday at the BFF.

One of the beautiful things about working together here is witnessing the transformation of the land.

Several conversations around the spiritual work of reconnecting with people and with the land and how this place holds space for such healing work.

What did you hope?

For me personally, these words are the most poignant words of the New Testament.
They carry the mournful ache of two disciples walking to Emmaus talking with a mysterious stranger who seemed unaware of current events in Jerusalem.They had hoped that Jesus would redeem Israel and liberate them from Roman oppression.Instead he’d been crucified, and now his body was missing.There were rumors of resurrection.They were heavy hearted and confused.Strangest of all, the stranger who walked with them was actually Jesus; they just didn’t recognize him.Their eyes were finally opened when Jesus blessed and broke bread and gave it to them.Then he disappeared.

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I wonder what you,like me, had hoped?

We had hoped..
that the relationship would last
for a different diagnosis
for that promotion
for that idea to work
for life to turn out differently…

Instead you’re processing grief and confusion,trying to make sense of it all.

This year I’m reminded that this story of lost hope and shattered dreams,of not seeing Jesus walking alongside in it all, is still a resurrection story. It doesn’t feel as loud and shiny and victorious as I’d expect.But maybe it doesn’t have to. The resurrected Jesus met with his disciples in different ways; the point was he was alive,he was still there.

I remember a new day always starts in the dark.
I’m reassured that even when I don’t fully recognize it, Jesus is still here.

So fun to see Martha from our West Seattle Fam at the Beacon Food Forest!

Every 3rd Saturday come volunteer here- no need to sign up!

Icon by Kelly Latimore Icons.

“The cross can heal and hurt; it can be empowering and liberating but also enslaving and oppressive. There is no one way in which the cross can be interpreted. I offer my reflections because I believe that the cross placed alongside the lynching tree can help us to see Jesus in America in a new light, and thereby empower people who claim to follow him to take a stand against white supremacy and every kind of injustice.”
-James H. Cone “The Cross and the Lynching Tree”

“God of the long night,
Thank you for being a God not just of solidarity but of deep and raw emotion. A God who did not endure violence in silence but who spoke and cried. Help us to remember that our memory of you becomes more whole when we remember you alongside all of the injustices with which you suffered in solidarity. Today let us grieve the path of the cross, this pandemic, the violence to Black bodies, the alienation of trans bodies, and the surge in hate crimes against our AAPI kin. Let us weep and rest, knowing that solidarity is costly. And let us meet you, a God who knows the weight of violent oppression, and believe that truly you are with us. That your cause is our cause— no less than justice and liberation in life and death”

Jonathan Brooks has been a long time friend and partner and currently serves as our board chair! Join us in Seattle: bit.ly/inhabit22

A visionary practitioner in the parish church movement, we’re excited to be back together with him in person at the Inhabit Conference in Seattle, WA. You don’t want to miss Jonathan’s theological wisdom, creative storytelling and prophetic spoken word! Join us April 29-30: bit.ly/inhabit22

Do you call that fasting,
a fast day that I, GOD, would like?
"This is the kind of fast day I'm after:
to break the chains of injustice,
get rid of exploitation in the workplace,
free the oppressed,
cancel debts.
What I'm interested in seeing you do is:
sharing your food with the hungry,
inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
being available to your own families.
Do this and the lights will turn on,
and your lives will turn around at once.
Your righteousness will pave your way.
The GOD of glory will secure your passage.
Then when you pray, GOD will answer.
You'll call out for help and I'll say, 'Here I am.'
"If you get rid of unfair practices,
quit blaming victims,
quit gossiping about other people's sins,
If you are generous with the hungry
and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,
Your lives will being to glow in the darkness,
your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.
I will always show you where to go.
I'll give you a full life in the emptiest of places-
firm muscles, strong bones.
You'll be like a well-watered garden,
a gurgling spring that never runs dry.
You'll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew,
rebuild the foundations from out of your past.
You'll be known as those who can fix anything,
restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,
make the community livable again."
Isaiah 58: 5-12

We understand more than ever the cost of being alone. Our mental, emotional, and spiritual health is bound up with our being physically present with others. This is why rooted, neighborhood expressions of faith are more important than ever. We’d love to hear your story of community and hope in the comments.

A gathering of folks around the city connected to one of our five churches (Ballard, Beacon Hill, North Seattle, Seattle First and West Seattle). These people are passionate about serving their communities. We’re exploring ways we can do that together and ways we can resource and encourage each other.

May the love that came down on Christmas enter into your most sacred spaces: your homes, your neighborhood and all the places you inhabit. May that Love experienced through Christ Jesus grant you peace and fill you with joy as your continue to wait and hope for His coming again.

There’s a sock box at 17th and Ferdinand next to the Community Fridge!

It’s stocked! If you need a new pair of socks or know of someone in need.

If you would like to donate new unused socks you can just drop them off at the box.

John said that him and his friends saw the Glory of the unseen YHWH and it was full of Grace and Truth.⁣
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TRUTH-⁣
Defined as “the actual state of the matter; seeing things for the way they are.” It’s interesting that those who spent time with Jesus consistently described Him as being “full of truth.” Having a clear perspective. ⁣
Truth is seeing the real. ⁣
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GRACE - ⁣
What I’ve come to understand is that grace is the antidote to the ailment of shame. Shame believes one lacks what it takes to be loved and must strive to earn Love. It’s just an endless jog on the janky treadmill of striving. To see Jesus as full of grace means there wasn’t any perfection checklist that was met to deserve His presence. His arrival stands against the idea that if you do it right, you get access to His presence. His presence was freely given and never withheld.⁣
Grace is presence not withheld. ⁣
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My friend Tom told me he stopped being a Christian because it stopped making sense. The idea of being created by a God who is wrathful toward you the moment you emerge from the womb - and always will be, unless you say a magic sentence of belief to that God - started to sound like crazy talk ⁣to him. He knew he had his faults, but if the starting place to a relationship with his Creator was not being loved because he wasn’t created perfect enough by that Creator, he couldn’t do it. Everything was already stacked against him. ⁣
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Religion stops working for a lot of people because of their belief that who they really are... the real... is rejected by the Giver. Why would the Giver reject what It gave?⁣
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Incarnation proclaims that the unseen YHWH comes to us full of grace and truth - comes seeing us in all our real, right now, just as we are. Grace and truth releases us from the janky treadmill of religious striving and invites us to a long walk on the beach as ones who love each other. (subtle Footprints reference)⁣
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This is why the kingdom of heaven is built on the foundation of forgiveness.⁣
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For Given-Ness - presence not withheld in the midst of seeing the real.⁣
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“FOR unto us a child is born . . . ⁣
unto us a son is GIVEN.”⁣ ⁣
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Waiting is so hard. May you be held and sustained through your waiting.

This prayer was written by Howard Thurman, African-American author, philosopher, spiritual leader, educator, civil rights leader. It sears my soul every time I read it. These passion-filled words will not let me go, so I'll be praying this prayer throughout Advent.

Christ is King

Just picked up a loaf of challah from a community member. This is just beautiful and I’m grateful to have a loaf to enjoy with my family.

❤️❤️

This is what the note says:

“Shabbat Shalom! I am so excited to share my challah with you. I have been making challah for the last year on Shabbat, mostly just for my wife and I but sometimes would make extra and give it out to neighbors or friends. A friend mentioned that I should do a pop-up and I was immediately intrigued! That-coupled with the fact that this year, the Hebrew year of 5782 is Shmita year, which is:

“The Shmita Year invites us to rethink the world that we live in and to tune into the ways in which we can actively make a difference. In the Torah, every seventh year is considered a Shmita year, when G-d commands us to let the land rest, release debts, resolve disputes, and to open our hands and hearts to those in need. But how do we bring this tradition alive in an era when we no longer rely on the rhythms snd harvest of our fields to survive?”

Reflecting on the contemporary issues that are directly or indirectly referenced in the concept of “Shmita,” including rest and work, relationship to land, relationship to community, relationship to debt and debt relief, definitions of community, and consumption itself- Hillman City Challah is my offering to the community, in hopes they can meet a neighbor and find a moment of joy and peace - and some tasty bread! Follow me on Instagram