Opening of Pinehurst Rail Station

Dear Siblings in Christ,

This past week brought a celebration to our neighborhood in the opening of the Pinehurst light rail station. Several of our congregation members and many of our neighbors were there. I’ve taken light rail to church already twice since last Wednesday and both times, I was surprised by the number of families walking toward the station on their way to start an adventure by light rail. I loved seeing the extra large bike lockers at the entrances to the station and noting the beautiful art work that gives the station its unique style. There’s even a bigger-than-life window decal of Michelle Manis and me on the northbound platform from a photo shoot we did with Sound Transit a couple months ago, with the name of our church printed right there. If you haven’t yet taken light rail from the station, I hope you will try it out. There are quick elevators and escalators at each end of the platform if stairs aren’t your thing. Admission can be paid for with a regular credit card, so no Orca card is needed. The walk from the station is 0.4 miles and there are sidewalks on every segment. For us and for our neighbors, the light rail opens options for getting to church from the north and south that are well worth exploring.

In addition, there are more celebrations coming. I hope you will plan to be part of many of the events and efforts at church this weekend.

It starts Saturday morning with the Building and Grounds team leading us in cleaning up the grounds for winter. There will be raking, pruning, trimming, as well as some painting, a furnace filter to change, some spigot covers to install, and plenty of room for your ideas as well. If the weather isn’t very pleasant, there are also projects inside the building that can be tackled like closet organization and sorting. We’ll gather at 9:00 am and plan to wrap up around noon. Snacks will be provided.

Saturday afternoon brings a little bit of free time, perfect to for writing those thank you notes to staff members because Sunday morning in worship, we honor our church staff and say thank you for the great work they do. There will be baskets for each staff person at the front door where cards for them can be left for them to pick up. After worship, there will be time to thank staff members personally.

After Sunday worship, we’ll move into Coffee Chat and discuss the Leadership Board about moving toward a Purchase and Sale agreement (PSA) with Habitat to purchase the west half of the property and another Purchase and Sale agreement with GROW NW to purchase the P Patch. During this time, those present will be able to share their thoughts. The time will also include a straw poll to indicate support or reservation about the PSAs that are in development now, as a result of the Leadership Board decision. The results of this straw poll will determine exactly what measures come to the All Church Conference on October 25 about property sale.

In addition to these events, the process of preparing for our All Church Conference continues. There are many reports being written and forms being filled out. We still have several key openings for new leaders to emerge from the congregation including a new Leadership Board secretary and members of the Building Committee/Design Team that will work with Habitat throughout the process leading up to opening of new affordable townhomes, among other roles. If you haven’t been contacted about these or other opportunities yet and you would like to be considered, please don’t hesitate to talk with me or a member of the Leadership Board this weekend.

Most importantly this week and weekend, I hope you will pray about the future of our congregation. We are at a point where we have opportunities before us, with new leaders, new purchase documents, and new approaches to being good neighbors.  Prayerful consideration is vital to ensure that we move forward with the Holy Spirit partnering to co-create a future of justice and peace.

May we proceed faithfully with God’s grace in these ongoing discernment processes,

Pastor Laura