Down in Kent, far from the hustling and bustling of Pioneer Square, on a street lined with warehouses, train tracks and shipping centers sits a lesser-known department of Seattle's Union Gospel Mission: the Distribution Center or the "DC" as it is more commonly known at the Mission. Inside the immense walls of this warehouse, are many tangible items that serve as lifelines for those in greatest need. From basic-needs items of water and food to clothes, socks, coats and even furniture, the Distribution Center is loaded with donated items to care for anyone in the Greater Seattle Region. David Casey, Director of Gift in Kind at the DC, was kind enough to guide me on a tour of the massive DC an
On November 8th, Quest Church in Ballard hosted "Conversations For the Common Good: Homelessness & Human Dignity". The night was moderated by our friend and pastor, Eugene Cho, with an impressive panel that included diverse voices from people who work closely with homelessness in our city and communities. Panelists included: Megan Espinoza, SMR Architects; Jeff Lilley, Seattle's Union Gospel Mission; Jenn Adams, Bridge Care Center; Sharon Lee, Low Income Housing Institute and Jackie St. Louis, City of Seattle’s Navigation Team. Each of the panelists brought a unique perspective on how to engage this complex topic from housing first to "relational-not-resource" ideologies. Each panelist start
Last Thursday morning we had over 75 local pastors, church leaders and foster agency representatives gather for our third Foster Support Faith Alliance Lunch. The goal of the Foster Support Faith Alliance is for the church to be a catalyst for change and a source of Christ’s healing to our foster care system, that is, by definition, built on broken relationships. We recognize that in an effort to bring about healing, the Church needs to engage in holistic support ministry. So, on Thursday, church leaders heard from a panel of professionals, each representing a specific people group of the foster care system in need of the church’s support: foster parents, child welfare staff, and even biolog
This past Friday, November 3rd, the annual King County Prayer Breakfast was held at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Seattle. The gathering’s purpose is to “unite as a city, celebrating what God has done in our community and praying alongside our leaders for the current challenges we face.” Close to a thousand people were in attendance, bright and early, and the highlights were prayers for several sectors of our community and keynote speaker Skip Li, who emphasized relationships are how Jesus’ love can be most effectively displayed. Skip, a spry septuagenarian, lawyer and founder of the non-profit Agros, might not be a household name, but he is well-known to many students at the University o
