Alive Together Magazine

together aLive

volume 1 | issue 1 | winter 2014

rediscovering the way. page 16

a story

of life, loss, & cOmmunity

how to be a

good neighbor combating the

seattle freeze

10

freedom from

SOCIAL MEDIA

LENT SERMON SERIES BEGINS MARCH 9, 2014 8:30am | 10am | 11:45am || 6pm | 8pm

a note from

the editor

ALIVE TOGETHER TEAM Editor in Chief Christine Cohn, Director of Communications Art Director Alison Ashmead, Senior Graphic Designer Photography Director John Harrison, Video Production Lead Marketing Manager Nancy Archer, Brand Specialist Production Manager Janet Moneymaker, Communications Coordinator

EDITORIAL BOARD Ashely Van Dragt Christy Tennant Krispin Larry Fogdall Eli Chin Scott Campbell Matthew Kaemingk Meredith Hunter SuXiaotong

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Nancy Archer Alison Ashmead Brandon Bleek Wayne Einfeld Jim Bernard John Harrison Mike Russell

COPY EDITORS Nancy Archer Greg Piper Mark Totten

LIKE UPC on Facebook to follow the latest news and events. // facebook.com/upcseattle WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Send your comments to magazine@upc.org and they may appear in our next issue.

4540 15th Avenue NE Seattle, WA 98105 206.524.7300 | upc.org (USPS 596-010)

W

hat you hold in your hand is born out of, and for the sake of, community. Nearly a year ago, my team started asking what it would look like to take this magazine’s predecessor, UPC Times, and transform it into a piece that would reach beyond the walls of University Presbyterian Church (UPC) and share hope with our neighborhood and the neighborhoods of our readers. Since April 1981, UPC Times faithfully delivered stories of hope and church family life to the UPC community. As our team discussed UPC’s current mission statement and its core values to be Alive in Christ, Alive Together, and Living for the World, we felt that it may be time to stretch our publication to both serve and learn from our neighbors.

So we reached out to others. We held focus groups, gathered an Editorial Board of both insiders and outsiders, conducted research, and shed tears of joy as our first stories flowed in. Hours upon hours of meeting, writing, editing, designing, tweaking, and a whole lot of dreaming have led to what we hope to be a tool to engage our community and our neighbors in deeper dialogue surrounding issues of culture and faith.

This new magazine format continues to feature stories of hope from, and ways to plug in to the UPC community. But now it also engages in conversation with those outside our walls and encourages our readers to think beyond Sunday.

Each issue will focus on one main theme that will be a direct tie-in to what the UPC community talks about on Sunday. We felt it natural to focus our first issue on the very thing driving this change: community. Shared experience. Shared hope. If you’ve been to UPC at any point in the last month and a half, you know that we’re just now wrapping up a discussion on what it looks like to be “Alive Together” as a community of faith. I encourage you to read the enclosed stories and consider what role community plays in your life. Do you feel like an outsider unable to break through the “Seattle Freeze” (pg.

10)? Have you lost touch with a friend who may desperately need your presence (pg. 14)?

Feeling like you’re more connected to community online than in real time (pg. 12)? This issue is packed with stories and tips on how to build stronger, lasting community.

And what a perfect time it is to launch a magazine focused on community! Our city, known to so many for being cold and distant, is a shining example of community to the world right now. Hundreds of thousands of Seattleites came together in the streets one Wednesday not so long ago to celebrate the success of our Seahawks (pg. 46). We cheered together as one of our own brought home four Grammy awards and as another one took to the short track on one of the world’s biggest sports stages. Our collective pride in our hometown has strangers high-fiving in the streets, neighbors lingering to chat a little longer, micro cultures wearing the same colors—all signs pointing to a renewed sense of community and hope.

So let’s keep it up! We look forward to building community with you, our reader, and to sharing hope with our city and our world.

Alive Together is published four times a year in winter, spring, summer, and autumn by University Presbyterian Church, Copyright 2014 Periodicals postage paid at Seattle, WA POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: ALIVE TOGETHER Magazine 4540 15th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105

Christine Cohn Editor in Chief // UPC Director of Communications

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Contents 08

KEEP YOUR FEET

10

Words of Advice from Recent Grads

BRRR . . .

Combating the Infamous Seattle Freeze

12

LIFE IS A CIRCUS

Lessons on Community from a Nomad

14

SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE SOUL

Bringing Intentionality to Our Online Time

16 DETOUR

Searching for Community After Loss

22

THE HEART OF THE BEAN

The Essential Quest for your Favorite Coffee Shop

25

BLOOD:WATER MISSION

On Going Without So Others Don’t Have To

27

BELOW THE SURFACE

Venturing Beyond Comfort to Know One Another

30

COMMUNITY IN THE CHAOS

University Students Build Foundation in Core Groups

32

TAKING THE RISK

4

Becoming Vulnerable to Find Real Community

03

EDITOR'S NOTE

06

WE ASKED, YOU ANSWERED

33 34 36 38 39 46

SNAPSHOT DEVOTIONAL WHAT ARE YOU DOING? LETTER FROM A PASTOR THE ESSENTIALS FINAL THOUGHT

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What is your favorite Seattle neighborhood and why?

Maple Leaf. I love the friendliness and laid-back feel of the neighborhood. You can be out for a walk and run into people you know, or meet new friends along the way. It feels a little like a small town inside of the larger city.

Lisa Sieberson

If we’re basing our favorite neighborhoods on coffee (and really, why not?) then I’d have to say that Fremont was my favorite neighborhood until just recently, when Slate Coffee opened in east Ballard.

John Harrison

West Seattle / Alki.

Buying a house here has been an incredible discovery. The best part is that it's rapidly growing! Everyone wants a piece of this little city that has the best view of Seattle!

Lindsey Helling

Phinneywood. Cool but not actually that cool, a nice mix of old and new, and the most small town pirate parade you ever did see.

Lindsey Burgess

Tangletown. Good coffee, cool donuts, and awesome beer, all in a quiet, walking neighborhood in the city close to Greenlake. What's not to like? Also, Broadview, because— well, the view of course.

Paul Yoder

I love Magnolia. If feels like a small town with all the comforts of a big city.

Michelle Bakke

International District—the smell of dumplings beckons

me in to almost every restaurant I walk by.

Kumiko Matter

Living in Belltown affords us the opportunity to walk to lots of places: shopping downtown or at Pike Place Market; the Seattle Center; errands on Queen Anne; the Torchlight parade; restaurants; etc.! And my Real Change guy and I are on a firstname basis! After many happy years in the North End, we feel fortunate to live in Belltown.

Lucinda Kelly

Alki. Love that it feels like a slice of southern California.

Ryan Schroeder I am quite biased about my neighborhood of Wallingford—lovely to walk in, Guild Theaters, Gasworks, Dick’s Drive-In.

Peg Achterman

Alki! It has the most breathtaking views in the city!

Jamie Olsen

next question: You’re given a free plane ticket to anywhere you want

to go in the world. The catch is that you have to spend your time serving others.

Where do you go and why?

Submit responses to magazine@upc.org or via snail mail: University Presbyterian Church, attn: Alive Together, 4540 15th Ave NE, Seattle WA 98105 by March 20, 2014 to be considered for publication.

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Keep Your Feet Words of Advice from Recent Grads

Freshman year can be a bit daunting

. The tranisition to college is all things wonderful and exciting with newfound freedom and newfound friends, but it is also overwhelming, just a little bit. In an effort to help manage that year long transition better, we asked some recent grads to share their wisdom with the freshman. Here's what they had to say:

You’re now in the second quarter of the best four years of your life! They will be years of growth, challenges, and adventures. But the time will fly by, so enjoy every moment of it! Through all of the trials, tribulations, and adventures that college has been, three pieces of advices come to mind.

Be willing to try new things. Take risks to grow personally and in your faith. Rely on God to give you the confidence to go outside your comfort zone. Not only will this strengthen your relationship with Christ, but you will also meet new friends, try things you have never done before, and travel to places you have never dreamed of. Both University of Washington (UW) and University Presbyterian Church (UPC) offer so many wonderful opportunities—from study abroad, to salsa dancing and rock climbing, to mission trips and opportunities to serve. Take advantage of these opportunities. You will have a great time and make the best of friends along the way.

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Find a community that supports and encourages you and invest in it.

Find a community that supports and encourages you and invest in it. The community I found was within The INN through UPC. This community genuinely cared for me, encouraged me, and challenged me in my faith and life in ways that no one had before. Thanks to this community I have found my identity in Christ, which has enabled me to know where I stand and who I am while making the difficult decisions that college presents. But something else I learned in college is that you get what you put into it. So the more I invested in The INN by attending the service every week, going on mission trips, and serving on leadership, the more God taught me and put people in my life to mentor and care about me.

One more thing—hang in there. I’ll be honest with you, college is not always easy and it is not always the time of your life. It is definitely an adjustment, especially initially. You don’t have your high school friends, you have to learn to adjust your study habits, and you live somewhere new. However, just know that you are not alone; all of the other freshmen are going through this transition with you. Everyone is struggling to adjust in his or her own way. So don’t be afraid to reach out and talk about it. Attend office hours and reach out to professors for advice, and be honest with roommates, classmates, and other friends you meet along the way, because you can and will get through the transition together. Trust that God has a plan for you and you are exactly where you are for his purpose.

You recently entered a chapter of your life that is unlike any other. Leaving home and high school to explore your own identity and embrace your own desires and ambitions. The world is bigger, colors are brighter, and your dreams are within reach. But here we may be wise to remember the words of one in a similar position—the young adventurer Bilbo Baggins:

“It’s a dangerous business, going out your door.

You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet . . . there’s no telling where you might be swept off to.”

If I’ve learned anything from my four years at the University of Washington, it’s the meaning of Bilbo’s warning; what it means to stand firm on your journey and not be swept away. In fact, the hobbit’s words are all too similar to those of another wise man. When ending his well-known “Sermon on the Mount,” this man, Jesus, gives a parable of two house builders. The first built his home on sand and the second built his on rock. When the storms, winds, and rains came down, the foolish builder lost his home to the sinking sand. The home on the rock, however, stood firm.

So what is Jesus teaching us here? We know that life can be exciting, adventurous, and tons of fun. But we also know there are storms and they can be relentless. As my quarters at UW passed, I began to notice something in myself and the people around me; a certain longing for importance. I’ve seen that as we become older, often without our noticing, we begin to try and justify who we are. We base the value of ourselves on all kinds of things. As students, we can let grades define us. We can let our happiness come from partying, packing out our schedule, or being popular with the right people. Our self-worth can come from being part of a Greek chapter, club, or sports team. Even our mood can be controlled by a romance (or a lack thereof).

The pressure of success in every aspect of life drains us, and our identity gets pulled in different directions as the sands shift beneath our feet. Now when you fail a test, get cut from the team, are rejected by the romantic partner who once gave you life, you don’t know who you are at all. As long as our house is on the sand—our identity wrapped up in the temporary—we will always feel insecure.

I’ve learned through my many failures and rebuilding my house that this rock is in fact Jesus himself. The apostle Paul writes about this in his letter to the Galatians (parentheses mine): Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts; the Spirit who calls out “Abba, Father.” You are no longer a slave (to these things that once defined you), but a child of God. And since you are his child, God has made you also an heir (to his kingdom).

And he’s invited everyone in; all of us. So if I have any advice, it’s that you remember this absolute truth, and don’t work to prove yourself. Just be yourself, and ask Jesus to help you accept the fact that you don’t have to be anything more than that. Upon this truth your house will stand against the fiercest of storms, and the uninhibited joy of abundant life will fill your soul.

Alexa Thorsrud is a recent UW graduate who loves skiing, boating, and traveling, and would one day like to travel to all 50 states.

Grant Gustafson currently serves as an intern in UPC’s University Ministries. He is a 2013 graduate of UW.

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BRRR Combating the Infamous Seattle Freeze

I

by Carly Delavan

wish someone had warned me about the “Seattle Freeze” before I decided to move to this city five-and-a-half years ago. I am not sure it would have affected my decision, but it would have been helpful to keep in mind as I was starting a new job and trying to find a church community.

The term “Seattle Freeze” (which has a Wikipedia page now, so that makes it legitimate, right?) is used to describe the difficulty that some people find in making friends when they move to the Seattle area.

When I moved here, I met a lot of new people and most of them were really helpful and initially friendly. But the longer I lived here, the more I noticed that few of them were actually progressing past that first meeting or coffee date. I felt good because I was meeting people and my number of Facebook friends was increasing. But the only people I was actually developing friendships with were fellow transplants from other cities and states.

Luckily, I am an extroverted Californian, so I didn’t let Seattle’s seeming ambivalence stop me from forming roots here. I pushed hard into the things I wanted to be involved in and I pursued the people I wanted to be friends with. When people said vaguely, “Let’s have lunch sometime!” I responded with, “How about now?!”

What if it isn’t that easy? And what can Seattleites do to welcome the new people around them?

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FOR

Seattle

NEWBIES

1 2

Step out of your comfort zone.

Whether you are really outgoing or incredibly shy, it takes effort to make friends in a new city.

You can’t expect other people to do it for you.

Seattleites are quick to tell you all the fun places you should visit. When they do this, invite them along! For example, Seattle has a lot of great bars and restaurants.

If you encounter a coworker telling you about a happy hour that you just have to check out, ask them if they want to go some night after work.

Sign up for something. Many em-

3 4 5

ployers organize their own activities outside of work, like a softball team in the spring. If you attend church, odds are your place of worship offers many different kinds of activities to get involved with. Sign up for something that will help you make new contacts.

If you don’t get the answer you want right away, keep trying.

Most people aren’t aware of the ways that they shut others out. So if you get a “no” to an invitation, don’t give up. Try again next week.

Be you, and be patient. Don’t

pretend to be something you’re not just to make a friend. Be open to trying new things, but don’t sell yourself out.

CHECK OUT our Essentials section (pg. 39) or visit upc.org/community for easy-to-join groups and events that will connect you to community.

FOR

Seattle

VETERANS

Step out of your comfort zone.

In a city like Seattle, you are bound to encounter someone who has recently moved here. Think of what it is like for them to be in a new city, and take the time to make them feel welcome in this wonderful place.

Be specific. Invitations that are vague— “Let’s hang out sometime”—are not helpful.

Instead, pull your calendar out right there and suggest a time. It will definitely make the person you are interacting with feel valued and welcomed.

Invite your new coworker out. You know you’re

probably going to lunch or happy hour with folks from the office, so invite the new guy or gal along too.

1 2 3

Help people network. You don’t have

to take on the sole responsibility of welcoming new people to Seattle. Have several people over to help someone new meet others. Or, if someone tells you they love hiking, introduce him or her to your friend who just climbed Mt. Rainier.

Small talk is not the enemy. It is okay to be friendly with people you pass on the street or in line at a coffee shop. Talking about the mundane details of life (like whether you should get a dark roast or medium roast) may not seem significant, but it goes a long way in creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

4

5

Carly Delavan is a softball-playing, theology-studying, Seattleloving transplant from Northern California who enjoys living, reflecting on, and writing about life.

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LIFE IS A

CIRCUS

Lessons on Community from a Nomad

by Angie Lai

Amy Eernissee is more different from me than any friend I’ve ever had. I’m happened to be, Sunday mornings were a West Coast; she’s East Coast. My ancestors made their way across the Oregon Trail; she is Italian. My dad was a CPA, my mom was a teacher, and we lived in Beaverton, Oregon. Her dad was a lifelong circus performer, her mom was a Rockette, and they lived on the road.

By the time Amy was born in the 1960s, circuses traveling across the United States were no longer riding the rails— they were hitting the highways, rarely staying in one place for more than two or three days. Amy still feels a sense of connection with Chicago because she stayed there for two weeks—once. Amy lived with her parents and two younger siblings in a trailer. The first trailer Amy lived in was approximately the size of a master bedroom walk-in closet. Later, the family upgraded to a few more square feet after an accident totaled their home.

picture of multiculturalism that a suburban kid like me could not have imagined. Everyone brought their food, their languages, and their needs to the table. People

For those of us who only know the circus from television and film, Amy has all the stories that fill the screen. Escaped lions, two estranged half-brothers that were part of the famous wire-walking Wallenda family, and performing to packed arenas most nights of the week. Her father was a master juggler, equally adept at juggling balls and flaming clubs with his hands and Amy herself, with his feet.

took care of each other because their livelihoods depended on one another.

The families in the circus lived together for nine months out of the year. Almost without exception, those families were from other parts of the world. Sunday mornings may be the most segregated hour in America, but for Amy, wherever in the United States she

Amy had no formal education. In her trailer, she combed the pages of a set of old encyclopedias to quench her thirst for

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knowledge. But her education in community is something I could only read about in a novel, living on a private cul-de-sac in a private home with a private family that was falling apart.

every move. Seeing firsthand the density of life, I began to understand how it is that Amy can regularly host large groups of people in her home and still have a genuine smile on her face. Sharing is a high value in communal life. “What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is yours” is a preoccupation of mainstream culture that Amy had to understand later as a part of her assimilation.

Amy’s family was falling apart, too, and she traded her sequins for a Catholic school uniform at the age of 12. Thirteen years later, she became a follower of Jesus, met her husband Dan, and moved to Seattle to join a faith community she presumed would resemble the community she had known in the circus. What she found was a different expression of community that often has strict privacy settings that are still confounding. She has experienced pain and loss of relationship when friends have been suspicious of her generosity, openness, and enthusiasm.

I stay home with my three small children. I can say with authority, ordinary life is a production. Every day, I am shopping and cooking for a daylong dinner party that I host and clean up after, except the guests are messy, chronically ungrateful, and don’t want to leave when it’s time to go to bed. Amy understands that life is a production, whether you live it privately within your own four walls or on a larger stage, so you had better not forget the sparkle and make sure you hold your hands up in poised triumph before you reapply your lip gloss and feed the audience.

I have known generous people. I have known open people. And even a few genuinely enthusiastic people.

But these qualities present differently in Amy. So three years ago, when Amy’s halfbrother, Rick Wallenda, rolled into town with the circus, I went twice. It was completely enthralling. I watched an eleven-year-old girl climb on top of a chair suspended between Rick’s and his partner’s shoulders. The girl raised her arms in poised triumph as the two men walked the wire, high above a concrete arena with no net. Minutes later, that same girl sold popcorn and cotton candy to hundreds of people, just like Amy used to during intermissions.

After the show, I walked outside. There, in a lot the size of a large gymnasium, were all the trailers of the circus families. Children rode scooters in the narrow corridor between the two aisles of trailers while dogs barked and four Bengal tigers watched our

Amy’s friendship introduced me to a kind of community I had never experienced before. And I wasn’t just invited into it. I was adopted into it.

In the fourteen years since, I have watched her do the same thing with countless other people, young and old.

The circus is in her blood and that means more than showmanship. Amy possesses an innate understanding that our very lives depend on community. We share what we have so that everyone around us can perform their act with more strength and joy. And when we can’t carry our load or the lion gets loose, we turn to our fellow travelers to toss us what we need.

Amy's friendship introduced me to a kind of

community I had never experienced before.

And I wasn'T just invited into it, I was

adopted into it.

Angie Lai is a local writer and member of the Union Church community. She and her husband Sam are the proud parents of six-year-old Manny and five-year-old twins Glory and Elena

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social media and the soul

by Peg Achterman

“Sometimes I can’t stand Facebook— it just depresses me—everyone is getting married, all the photos are just happy-happy all the time.” I overheard this from one of my college students last fall. I know what she means: We are bombarded with information and we all feel overwhelmed.

Do you ever spend a day in front of a computer and wonder what really happened to your time?

When it comes to social media (for instance, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), do you, too, feel a little sad when you close it down for the evening?

One of the most engaging studies on this very topic was recently done by Dr. David Levy of the University of Washington’s iSchool, known for his research in technology and society.

Dr. Levy not only looks at the effects of multitasking and our divided attention—he tries to provide solutions to some of the negative effects of our digitized environment. In one study, he and his colleagues looked at the ways meditation or contemplative training might change the behavior of workers. In essence they asked, “Can we be trained to slow down and be more attentive in a multitasking world?”

One year it was all sugar, other years just chocolate; at times I tried adding a good habit. Those were all fine, but what better reflective button than Facebook? Every time I reached for that bookmark on my browser I’d think “nope,” and try to pause and just thank the Lord for giving his life for me.

Last year’s realization was that when I yearn to connect with someone or get updated, I should just do that old-fashioned thing and make a phone call or send a note. That’s a good thing on its own, but I am also reminded that Jesus must have felt so alone on the cross.

Since I use Facebook for a few courses and I teach digital and social media concepts, I cannot sign off altogether, nor would I want to. I am connected to some friends I used to only hear from at Christmastime, others who post the most fascinating articles that would have escaped my attention, and still others who offer wonderful professional advice. I don’t advocate using the Facebook app on a smartphone when at a dinner table full of in-the-flesh friends, but it does make my scattered friends seem closer.

In an answer to my student’s lament, last fall I gave one course an assignment similar to Levy’s, but using Facebook (email is a bit passé for them).

Their conclusion was that we can—with discipline. The group that Levy and his colleagues trained in “mindfulness-based meditation” reported improved memory for the details of their work, less fragmentation of tasks, and in general, less stress.1 Levy writes that we are working in a world of “mind chatter” that steals our cycles of thoughtfulness. Through research and teaching, he asks whether we can slow down and cultivate creative thought by “preparing the ground.” That is, can we bring some intentionality to the way we use social media?

Dr. Levy tried something with one of his classes to encourage them to be attentive in how they engaged with their email each day. They logged their email behavior—how did they sit, how did they breathe, what was their emotional state when they decided to sit down and read or answer email?

They wrote about their observations and prepared personal guidelines for future email use based on the observations.2 Along with some meditation and contemplative training, these students learned to take simple steps to engage more fully and be more attentive.

In the past I’ve tried to choose a Lenten practice that will challenge me to think every day—hopefully multiple times a day—about Christ’s sacrifice for me in the weeks leading up to Easter.

I plan to do the assignment myself, and if you try it, I would love to hear about your experiences alongside those of my students.

Peg Achterman, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Communication at Northwest University. She spent nearly 20 years in the television news business and is a member of the Husky Hall of Fame for national championships in crew in 1981 and ‘82.

1 Graphics Interface Conference 2012, 28-30 May, Toronto, Ontario, Canada 2 Amherst College, March 2013 “Workshop on Information and Contemplation.”

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by Wayne Einfeld

I

expect that you and I share similarities in our life stories. We all encounter what I call the manageable disturbances—the highs and lows, twists and turns, times of clarity and times of confusion that appear with apparent regularity. We are presented with a complex array of life opportunities and obstacles—seasons of spiritual alertness and indifference, ever-changing family dynamics, career choices, successes and setbacks, developing and eroding relationships, aging parents, financial ups and downs, geographical changes, perhaps marriage and a family and a host of others. As we make our way, most of us learn to adjust to these unavoidable meanders as an integral part of life. We may even learn to embrace the unexpected. We anticipate and welcome the journey surprise factor, good or bad, along the hidden turns in our journey. Uncertainty becomes part of the adventure and predictability becomes commonplace. If you or I hold to a life of faith we may find that we are able to release many or all of these manageable uncertainties in life to a caring God, and in so doing discover an abiding peace and joy in our day-to-day living. And then perhaps you or I encounter a turning point, a sharp bend in the road, not the usual journey disruptions or course changes to which we have grown accustomed. A significantly disruptive event turns life upside down, one that may cause you to, as it were, lose the trail. This is no longer a journey; I don’t know where I am. In these difficult places, your community can play a vital role in helping you hold on to, affirm and perhaps rediscover your way.

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We all, without exception, possess community. We live out the words of our Creator, ”it is good that man not be alone,” by seeking community in a variety of ways, some redemptive, and others not. Community broadens our world and ever nudges us away from self-preoccupation. In community both our laughter and tears are fuller and richer. But that which is so good for us, so integral to our created nature, can also be elusive and unfulfilled. Deep within our travel-weary bones, we can still hear the murmur of Adam’s curse. We may find ourselves moving away from instead of moving toward that which can bring us healing and completion. Our role in community may be governed more by a sense of obligation than by active participation. Selfambition and self-absorption may crowd out empathy and compassion.

about living life. And as the years ticked by we picked our way through all those manageable uncertainties; many of which for us revolved around our decision to raise a family. We jumped into the world of what I call learn-by-doing parenting and its growing complexity, as our three children aged.

And then quickly, oh so quickly, we found ourselves helping these three young adults negotiate the transition to college and their own adult life pathways while at the same time beginning to explore for ourselves how to fill that unwelcome empty nest. We weathered our share of bumps and bruises along the way but thankfully we encountered no major setbacks.

How has community played a role in the disruptions that you have encountered in your life journey? A glimpse of my journey looks like this…

And then…a major obstacle in our path, a disruptive event, a life-changing turn.

In the words of Mat Kearney’s song “Closer to Love”…

For more than 30 years my wife Carol and I encountered the manageable uncertainties that life brings. Following Midwestern college and Seattle graduate school years, we left all that was familiar to us and moved to the sun-bathed state of New Mexico, where we did what so many in our generation did. We settled down, bought a home, raised a family, worked in careers, made new friends, got connected to a Christian faith community and went

She got the call today One out of the gray And when the smoke cleared It took her breath away She said she didn’t believe It could happen to me For Carol the minor, manageable inconvenience of a lingering cough quickly deathspiraled into a diagnosis of Stage 3B lung cancer. In matter of weeks we had gone from contemplating how to wisely organize and plan an empty nest, to hearing a particularly insensitive hospital oncologist urging us to “get our lives in order” only hours after hearing “we’re so sorry, it’s cancer” delivered by two weary, sad-eyed,

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bed-side surgeons. Suddenly Carol and I stood in a place beyond the manageable complexities of life. It took our breath away… it couldn’t happen to us. Carol had always been healthy, never a smoker… something must be wrong here. Are you certain about that diagnosis? Do we need additional confirmation? With time, denial gave way to determination. Together we began the fight. For the next several years Carol bravely stepped up to what I call the

chemotherapy buffet: so many drugs to choose from, which one will I choose for this and the next series of poisons to have slowly drained into my body? Drain the poisons, endure the most severe side effects for a couple of days, and then crawl back to strength and life. Then repeat again in two weeks for the next 24 weeks. Get a CT scan, and depending on the results, perhaps do it all over again.

Wayne and Carol in Southwest Colorado with their kids (Jessica, Eric, and Alison) 1984

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In the middle of this disease-caused chaos, life for us took on a new set of rhythms.

Chemo treatments, recovery intervals, CT and PET scans, periodic doctor visits—and in particular those rapid-pulse, sweatypalm, held-breath, time-stoppage waits for

the examination door to open and frame an emotionally restrained oncologist with good or bad reports from the most recent scan results. Will we float or drag ourselves out of this examination room today? We quickly became adept at arranging outof-state travel to visit distant children around the ever-present chemo calendar.

Carol, always a model of grace and quiet strength, continued her role as a school nurse, rarely missing workdays even in the middle of her intensive chemotherapy series. She found redemption in staying

connected with her work world. Carol and I both noticed our life horizon was shrinking. Among friends, conversation would innocently migrate to planned trips or retirement adventures. Hearing these, Carol and I would exchange knowing glances.

For us, navigating the next few weeks of treatment and doctor visits was the full extent of our planning horizon. Among the sticky notes of assorted color adorning my desk at work was one with those familiar words of Jesus “…and which of you by being anxious can add one hour to the span of his life?” These words took root in our souls, they reminded us of the futility of anxiety, and helped us to embrace a day-by-day perspective. I discovered that holding to this day-to-day perspective is actually a pretty good way to live.

In the middle of our disease journey, Carol’s and my own experiences with community were very different. Throughout our church life we had been part of various small groups. Prior to her cancer diagnosis, Carol had found expression for her creative gifts by developing an interest in quilting and was meeting weekly with a group of four other women to work on various quilting projects. Through Carol’s disease years this group of Christian women blossomed into so much more.

Following her diagnosis and intensifying disease, this group became her lifeline— her place of both escape from the oppressiveness of treatment and encounter with the deeper realities of her journey.

This group had a solid agenda—sharing, vulnerability, tears, prayer, laughter, and oh yes, the creation of many quilts; most given away to brides, babies, and special friends. Carol’s difficult disease journey was intimately shared by her close friends.

As Christ-followers, they boldly stepped into her experience and became her traveling companions.

My community experience in the corridors of disease was less satisfying. I often found myself standing alone with a need to unpack all the unavoidable emotional baggage that comes with being the “healthy” spouse/caregiver. The role is intense.

Balancing comfort, encouragement, and truth-telling with Carol in the face of good or bad test results. Being the objective one during countless medical appointments.

Digesting and acting on a constant stream of medical data and advice from first- and second-opinion physicians. Trying to hold the course on my professional career. I was surrounded by well-intentioned people; however, the frequent conversation starters such as “how are you doing?” or “we’re praying for you” rarely penetrated those superficial layers to the deeper-level conversations that I needed. The “call me if you need anything” encouragement I heard from many fell short for me. More often than not I did not have the energy to actually make the call. I came to resent that the burden of action was placed on me.

Eventually bad scan results crowded out good scan results. Serious and persistent

pain from a spinal tumor began to invade Carol’s daily routine and eventually the invader took its deadly toll. Nearly four years after diagnosis, her body began to crumble with alarming speed. Mobility loss, speech loss, other nervous system failures invaded her world and within a fleeting four months we came to that place, in the words of her oncologist following a panicked trip to a hospital ER. “Rome is burning…there is nothing more we can do.”

One of our memorable waypoints on this disease journey was the way several medical caregivers responded as Carol’s disease journey began and ended. A young pulmonary physician who played an early role in Carol’s diagnosis openly wept as we sat with him in an examination room. Perhaps he had not yet mastered the skill of hiding emotional truth under the cloak of professionalism. The initial awkwardness Carol and I experienced in this moment quickly gave way to a sense of heartfelt compassion from this overwhelmed medical caregiver. And now, four years later, huddled in the hushed, early morning halls of a hospital ER, one of Carol’s oncologists similarly wept as she came to grips with our inevitable endpoint. Throughout our journey, many clinically competent but often emotionally distant medical professionals surrounded us. These two stand out among their peers. They, perhaps unknowingly, reflected what Jesus did when confronted by the unavoidable death curse that accompanies our earthly journeys. He fully stepped into the journey. He wept.

Carol spent nearly two weeks in hospice, rapidly slipping away from us into that mysterious transition from life on this earth to life beyond. Sadly, cancer spread to the brain had robbed her of speech and consciousness, which quickly took her farther away from us. And yet in this quiet place of departure, community rooted and took life. Family gathered and held vigil. Carol’s ever-present quilting group worshiped at her bedside and said their painful goodbyes. A first-born, toddler grandson, beautifully innocent to all that transpired before him, puttered and played among grieving friends and family, a God-sent affirmation for me and others of life treasure in the face of death. Close friends from Colorado came and held day-by-day vigil with us. Their message was clear—“We will put our own lives on hold and we will sit with you in your grief.” I will forever cherish the willingness of others to step into and experience grief not as observer but as participant. These were sacred times, a snapshot of life—the celebration of community and life in the shadows of death.

The presence and camaraderie of my friends and family during bedside vigils and memorials all too quickly took flight leaving behind an imposing place of quietness and loneliness, especially in my empty, empty nest. The pace of life in Western culture seems to offer little space for grief; and our collective driving energy

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to do and to be reinforces a virtual denial of death’s abiding presence among us sojourners. And then there is the awkwardness that many of us encounter alongside one who drags a dark bag of grief. “I feel so awkward…”, “I don’t know what to say…”

Add to that the apparent lack of empathetic verbal skills among males—we explain it away by saying men are wired that way— and the result can be unsatisfying for the one in grief. My conversations with friends were for the most part predictable and stiff. Rarely was time taken to peel away the external, superficial layers, to verbalize and explore that which simmered below. I discovered one of the ironies of the grief journey. You need to talk about it but you really don’t feel like talking about it. To the unskilled or timid one at your side, your short “I’m doing OK” response to a polite well-intentioned query as to your well-being, if it comes at all, is incorrectly taken at face value and a needed, deeper conversation never takes flight.

gage should be absorbed into the normal rhythms of a life community like a covenant or small group. I am reminded of our Scriptural challenge . . . “to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.” This speaks into not some but all of our faith communities. In the weariness and self-absorption that often accompanies grief, one can easily drift over into unhealthy and unrealistic expectations toward others and their apparent inattentiveness to your condition. Destructive bitterness is just a small step away. Always on guard against this, my choice has been to let it be and not place expectations where they cannot be fulfilled. With less-than-satisfactory group experiences in my grief, I struggled with the balance between truthtelling and just letting it be.

But under God’s umbrella of grace there were notable exceptions for me. One longtime but recently out-of-touch friend took initiative, and over a few lunch encounters helped me to re-tell the trauma

I did not check into a grief recovery group, thinking that my existing communities could fill that role. My thinking is that grief and all its accompanying messy bag-

Wayne with his first grandson, Carter in Vail, Colorado. 2010 Wayne and Carol in Santa Fe, NM. 2004.

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of the final months, to re-open and re-visit some of the darker aspects of the journey, and in so doing, allowed me to unpack and begin to process all that was within.

He gently probed. He listened. I think he knew there were layers that needed to be peeled away and he had the patience to help in this process. Another longtime friend caught me by surprise a year or so after Carol’s death. He approached me in repentance, apologizing for his “not being there” and offering to begin anew, which he has since done with integrity. These are shining examples of the compassion of Christ acted out by his followers. I learned in these experiences to let go of my expectations and to see and experience help in the unexpected.

Several years have now passed since Carol’s death and I often find myself a single in a world of couples. I have consciously tried to stay connected with the group that Carol and I were a part of prior to and during her illness. This group, like many, honestly struggles to find transparency and refreshing intimacy that arises when

people are willing to peel away personal layers. And now I am moving into a world of semi-retirement with a whole new set of questions and decisions. Where should I live? Should I remarry? Should the house be sold? How often should I visit my grandchildren? How long should I work? How much money should I give away? How will I spend my “free” time? As I prayerfully ponder these and so many more questions, I really miss the opportunity for vision-birthing, sharing, and testing that comes through conversations with a lifejourney companion. To me, this is one of the best features of a healthy marriage. A long-term traveling companion offers the potential for useful checks and balances among two sojourners in order that wise, God-honoring, serving-others decisions can be made and that time and talents can be well spent in Christ’s kingdom coming. As an unexpected single, I am still exploring how I can find that life decision sounding board in the context of a larger community.

In my rocky, wandering path over the past several years I have learned much about the role community can play in those dark

periods of life’s pathways. I have learned to find God’s comforting grace in unexpected places of community. I have learned that I, like you, am continually faced with the opportunity to be a spectator or an active participant in the life journeys of those with whom I share community. I am faced with the opportunity to step into suffering, however awkward or uncomfortable it may be, and in so doing follow in the footsteps of Christ who purposefully and completely stepped into and fully experienced suffering on my and your behalf. I have learned patience in the self-absorption grasp of grief, to choose to build up and not tear down those around me, and to keep my expectations in check. I have also come to understand the inevitability and expectation of suffering to which Christ’s followers are called. The stanza in “Closer to Love” ends like this: She got the call today One out of the gray And when the smoke cleared It took her breath away She said she didn’t believe It could happen to me I guess we’re all one phone call from our knees We’re gonna get there soon

Faith communities—the embracing arms, listening ears, and comforting voice of Christ—will carry you and I through the inevitable phone calls that we will encounter on our journeys. I challenge myself and you to follow in Christ’s footsteps and more actively step into, learn of, and experience the lives of those in your community.

In the dim distance, a Divine, kingly hand writes. The trace is at once clear and now unclear. I lean forward to make sense of it, straining to decipher the words, but mostly I cannot. I am content to know that He writes. He writes his story, my story, your story. Tell me your story and I’ll tell you mine and together, in community, they will become our story, His story.

Wayne Einfeld retired from full time work as a environmental scientist in 2011. These days you can find him taking conference calls for his consulting work aboard his sailboat in Anacortes, skiing with his grandkids in Steamboat Springs, CO, or cycling near his home in New Mexico. He currently considers himself a part-time Seattle resident.

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The Heart of the

Bean

by John Harrison

The Essential Quest For Your Favorite Coffee Shop

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kay, let’s be serious for a moment: If you’re a student, what’s the most important decision you need to make when a new quarter begins? I’ll give you a few hints: It has nothing to do with which classes you should take, who your roommate will be, or whether or not to purchase the basketball student season ticket package. In fact, these decisions—important though they may be—can only be given the attention they rightfully deserve after, and only after, you’ve made the foundational decision upon which the wisdom and rationale of all your future decisions will rest: Where will I consume my coffee this year?

I mean, we all know that Einstein was sitting in his favorite coffee shop, sipping a piping hot quad-shot, when he dreamed up a little something we like to call the theory of relativity. And didn’t John, Paul, George, and Ringo meet for the first time at their favorite coffee shop’s open mic night? Yep, pretty sure they did.

Clearly, the coffee shop you decide to frequent will directly influence the course of your life. For this reason, we assembled a panel of experts to help you find your perfect place to study, build community, or make the breakthrough that will result in recurring royalty payments:

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Bobby “ How Dark is Your Dark?” Walker is in his fifth year as an architecture student at California Polytechnic and brings an outsider’s perspective to the Seattle coffee culture. “I am kind of a coffee snob, but still, any coffee is better than no coffee at all.”

Bobby's drink: 12oz double americano

Angie “ Bitter Ain’t Better” Anderson is a senior this year at UW, studying sociology and human rights. “I’m not a coffee purist—I really like sweet coffee, actually.” For her, a coffee shop’s ambience is more important than the bitter brew it serves. “I just really enjoy the experience of going out for coffee.”

Angie’s drink: iced hazelnut americano

Philip Meech, roastmaster at Caffe Lusso, reflects on why he believes God cares about coffee: Everything matters in coffee. Everything that you do with the crop—from fertilizer, to when it’s picked, to how it’s picked . . . everything influences what you’re going to taste in the cup. I also believe everything in your life matters to God. In Colossians 3, it says to work heartily as unto the Lord. So when I do everything I can to create the best cup of coffee I can make, it’s really an act of worship. The reason why I do the things that I do, the reason why I am so intentional in every step of the seed-to-cup sourcing process, is because I see it all as an offering to God. It’s all worship. I also think it’s part of loving your neighbor. At a very root level, I’m making coffee for other people that I would want to drink myself. So, all of this, all that I do, is just an extension of being a new creation in Christ.

Grant “ This Smells Amazing” Gustafson graduated last June from

UW with a psychology degree and a marketing certificate and currently serves as a UMIN intern at UPC. He brings four years of experience navigating the sea of coffee shops near campus.

Why does he love coffee? His answer, like his coffee, is simple and unadulterated: “Coffee is delicious.”

Grant's drink: drip, black

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Café Allegro. 4214 University Way (in the alley behind Magus Bookstore)

Laid-back, calm atmosphere and a unique location. Perfect for studying. Free Wi-Fi. Cafe Allegro has been buzzing the University District since 1975, and claims to be Seattle’s oldest espresso bar. Tucked away in a narrow alley between the Ave and 15th, our judges agreed that walking into Café Allegro feels like discovering a secret hideout.

Inside, three different seating areas—two downstairs, one upstairs—guarantee you’ll find an open table.

Café Solstice. 4116 University Way

A vibrant vibe that attracts a lively crowd. Great for meeting one, two, or ten of your closest friends. Free Wi-Fi. Café Solstice earned high marks for its dark coffee (Lighthouse Roasters) and its energetic atmosphere. “It’s a great place to just hang out with friends,” Bobby remarked. Its large, open space is bordered on one side by a wall of windows, but if you prefer to study/chat/people-watch in darker environs, then head toward the opposite end of the café, where low lighting and muted hues make for a mellow atmosphere.

Street Bean. 2702 3rd Avenue (in Belltown) Pictured above, The judging panel in front of Café Allegro at the start of the day. Phillip shares his coffee wisdom with the crew. Barista pours perfection at Trabant Coffee and Chai.

Excellent coffee (roasted by Caffe Lusso). Clean, modern, hip atmosphere. Free Wi-Fi. For those who need to break away from the University District, our panel of judges heartily approves of Street Bean in the Belltown neighborhood. In fact, each judge agreed that their drink at the Street Bean was the best they had anywhere that day. Angie even remarked that “this was probably the second best iced hazelnut americano I’ve had in my entire life.” Grant’s chocolate Mighty-O donut was “exquisite.”

Trabant Coffee and Chai. 1309 NE 45th St

A funky, friendly, and eccentric coffee shop that takes its coffee—and its chai—very seriously. Free Wi-Fi. Trabant is the sort of place where you can ask the barista, “what’s your bean-to-water ratio for a single pour-over?” However, Angie pointed out that sweet teeth will be easily satisfied here as well: All of its syrups are made in-house, and include such unique flavors as bacon brown sugar, sea salt caramel, and ginger molasses. Also, according to Grant, Trabant “is the chai tea capital of the U District.”

Our judges also sampled a blueberry white chocolate scone, which was “perfect."

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John Harrison lives with his family in Ballard. When he isn't sitting in a coffee shop drinking coffee, he can be found producing videos while drinking coffee, or at home with his family, roasting coffee while drinking more coffee. He is the video production lead at University Presbyterian Church and director at Road to Jinja, a Seattle-based film production company.

ON GOING WITHOUT SO OTHERS DON'T HAVE TO

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or the 2013 six-week Lenten season, a group of middle-school students from University Presbyterian Church committed to raising funds for water projects through Blood:Water Mission, “a grassroots organization that empowers communities to work together against the HIV/AIDS and water crises in Africa.� Three students share lessons from their experience.

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“The Blood:Water Mission project definitely changed my life for the better. Donating money that I earned has shown me how good it can feel to be selfless and help others, instead of thinking about myself. It made me happy to know that I am enriching someone's life—with every dollar counting.” Mark Braun age 13 \\ 7th grade

“The Forty Days of Water project is a fundraiser for Blood:Water Mission. To participate, you had to drink only water for all of Lent (with the exception of Sundays if you thought you couldn't do it). Any money that you would have spent on other drinks gets donated to Blood:Water Mussion.

“The project had a big impact on me because it showed me how easy it was to give up something so little and be a huge help to people in need. I encourage people [this] Lent to try something like this and find out how easy helping is.” Jake Korman age 13 \\ 8th grade

“Blood:Water Mission is an amazing program that gives opportunities to people in Africa through providing access to clean water and HIV/AIDS treatment. The girls used to walk on average three miles to get water. This limits the girls’ education, so they are mainly limited to house work and are not able to get the jobs they want.

“They have several programs; we focused on their Forty Days of Water during Lent. I also worked with their program Lemon:Aid. I was amazed by the people's response to our attempt to raise money for Blood:Water Mission. I am planning to try and have another Lemon:Aid stand again soon because of the overwhelming response. We raised around $150 just from that one Lemon:Aid stand. “ Mallory Johnson age 14 \\ 9th grade

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by Christy Tennant Krispin

O

n a recent summer evening, my husband and I found ourselves in a West Seattle yard eating pizza with two other couples. Of the six of us, only one—my husband—had lived in Seattle for more than six years, and even he is not a native of the area. Because the reason we were all gathered there was to say goodbye to one of the families—they were moving back east later that week—our conversation naturally turned to their experiences during their three years in Seattle. What were some of the highlights of their time here? What would they miss most about our city?

After we chatted about the many things we love in the Pacific Northwest, we began discussing how our perceptions of Seattle have evolved after living here for years, and I threw out a question that’s been on my mind for a while now: What about Seattle’s reputation for being unfriendly? Did you find that to be true? For all of us, to varying degrees, the answer was, yes.

This reputation is so widely known that it has its own moniker, complete with its own page on Urban Dictionary’s website. As someone who moved to Seattle less than three years ago, I don’t have to reach too far back to remember the warnings I got before I made the cross-country move from New York. I don’t recall who said it first, but I know I heard it from more than one person: Watch out for the Seattle Freeze.

If you have not heard of this before, the Seattle Freeze refers to a general consensus that people in the Seattle area are unfriendly,

introverted, and cliquish, making it difficult for newcomers to connect socially. By reputation, Seattleites seem to prefer to keep to themselves (or their known community of friends) and seem reticent to make the first move toward friendship or initiate a conversation with a newcomer.

However, as someone who has lived in three large cities and three small towns and works as a consultant with people nationally, I am convinced that it is not just Seattle that is experiencing this socalled “freeze.” In our increasingly individualized culture, where independence and privacy are considered basic human rights (along with life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness), people—especially urbanites—seem less eager to welcome strangers. While there are many possible reasons for this, at least one can be traced to the industrial revolution and subsequent explosion in technological advances, placing modern culture on a steady trajectory away from community interdependence and toward community independence. Whereas once we needed one another for the basics of life—the farmer needed the carpenter, the carpenter needed the miller, the miller needed the metalsmith, and so on, with the church bringing everyone together under one roof once a week—today we need none of these things. Instead, we need an Amazon account and a credit card. We need a house loan (which we applied for online and transferred legal papers via FedEx) and the number for a moving company. We don’t even need a realtor anymore, necessarily, because “there’s an app for that.” If we are lonely, we can check our Facebook news feed. The only place we really need to interact with others is at work or school, and with

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the growing pervasiveness of telecommuting, home offices, and online learning, many of us conduct most of our business via the Internet and mobile phone. Even my local library offers online check-out.

Indeed, we are an increasingly independent culture. Yet as we look to scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, we see that human beings are designed for interconnectedness. From the very beginning of our human existence, God declared that “it is not good for man to be alone,” and according to the apostle Paul, this is even more imperative for members of the body of Christ. “Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.” In the discourse that follows that passage (1 Corinthians 12:12–31), Paul teaches that individual Christians represent parts of a body— one body—an eye here, an ear there, a hand, a nose, and even the parts considered by those with a modicum of decorum as “unmentionable.”

When the eye hurts, the whole body is in pain. When the hand is stroked affectionately, the whole body feels pleasure too.

Paul teaches that, as it is with the physical body, so it is with the spiritual body: no member can go it alone. Paul makes it unmistakably clear: people are supposed to need each other, and the church—the body of Christ—is meant to be a place where everyone has a place.

Unfortunately, in Seattle and beyond, church culture is often simply a reflection of the wider culture. A friend who moved here more than a year ago has been visiting churches in hopes of finding a place to belong, and sadly, her experience has been that the Freeze extends to those communities as well. “People here are so cold,” she said to me, “even in the churches!” While she is just one example, and certainly there are many exceptions to this in Seattle, I have heard this sentiment echoed time and again. People show up week after week, have polite Sunday morning conversations, then go about their lives, while visitors remain strangers for weeks, even months. Whether this “coldness” is unique to Seattle

One way churches are attempting to create a sense of hospitality and community is through small group ministries, and for some, it is working. Scott Campbell has been part of a community group at University Presbyterian Church for more than three years, and according to him, the experience has been “life and faith changing.”

“My wife and I were put together with six families that we would never have picked ourselves,” says Scott. “Our group is all ages, different economic backgrounds, different races, and different levels of education.” Members of his small group get together outside of their weekly meeting, and they are seeking ways to volunteer and serve in their community. “We have begun to think of every member as part of our extended family, helping adults and kids find jobs, help moving, gardening, taking bike rides together.

There is talk of a group vacation and some of us covering the costs of some for whom it would be economically tough.” By any estimation, Scott’s small group is an example of the ideal—exactly what the small group movement intends to foster. I love hearing about people who are finding a home in their small groups: it doesn’t stop at the surface. They are committed to going deeper.

And that’s really the point, isn’t it?

When my husband and I began attending our church in White Center a couple of years ago, we did not know anyone there. After a few weeks, we were eager to connect with folks, so we invited a few people over for lunch after church. That’s how I got to know Jo, a mother and grandmother whose husband died shortly before my husband and I joined our church. She lives alone now, and the first time I invited her to come for lunch, she was very surprised—and delighted. She has come for lunch a few times over the past year or so. It was during one of our lunches, chatting over a simple dessert, that I discovered Jo’s interest in writing. In the years since her husband died, she has taken one writing class after another, and last year, she self-published a family history she wrote. I would never have known about this if our only interaction had been on Sunday morning. Earlier this year, I invited Jo to go with me to a creative retreat in the San Juan Islands. That week-

inviting people—especially strangers—into your home, into the “messiness” of your life, is a risk. But it is a worthy one. or not is up for debate, but either way, it is something we in the Church need to consider. While we can’t be held responsible for our entire city’s reputation, I think we can do more to be a warm, countercultural, hospitable presence. In short, to live more intentionally into Paul’s words.

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end, we talked for hours, swapped life stories, listened to Lauren Winner speak about writing spiritual memoirs, and shared a room at a lovely B & B. I even took Jo to her first night of karaoke, which she still talks about.

And it all started with an invitation to lunch.

I asked my friend Jennifer for her thoughts on this. She and her husband, Don, are elders at University Presbyterian Church and have demonstrated beautiful hospitality to my husband and me over the years. Jennifer hit the nail on the head, when it comes to what it takes to build a true sense of community: “Spending time . . . letting people into the messy places of our lives—literally, a household with two little boys is far from neat! Time is pretty important. But it starts with a willingness to take small risks. They’ve been worth it!”

worship) meets opportunity (take a look around during the passing of the peace—who is sitting alone? What about neighbors you see walking their dog every day but have never spoken to?) It is happening in some pockets of the church, but in my experience, it is not yet common.

Authentic community will only happen when we think beyond the home group and become intentional about moving past the niceties of meeting people in the pews or on the sidewalk, setting

Indeed, inviting people—especially strangers—into your home, into the “messiness” of your life, is a risk. But it is a worthy one. And while it seems like such a small thing, I’m persuaded that opening our homes and gathering friends and strangers around one table is largely missing from modern life.

Spontaneous gatherings need not be formal or fancy. Ours are often potlucks, where everyone brings something to share. A few months ago, we had a group of friends over for lunch after church. New neighbors had moved in next door, and when I got home from church, I dashed over to introduce myself. After we chatted briefly, I explained that we were having some friends over for lunch and would love for them to come too. A little while later, as we were all gathered around the table, with kids crawling around on the floor and our dog doing his best to shepherd them, the neighbors showed up.

They stayed for at least two hours, and suddenly, these two who had just moved to the area had a group of new friends.

I believe in formal community ministry. I have participated in small groups, church book clubs, and other organized opportunities for facilitating relationships, and they have been helpful for breaking the ice and meeting new people.

But something happens when we invite others into our homes not because we are hosting a formal group, but because we simply want to spend time with them. I long to see a movement of spontaneous hospitality in Seattle, and I long to see followers of Christ lead the way. Not on a specific, church-sanctioned day, but weekly, monthly, inviting the people God brings across your path over. This movement is both intentional and organic, where preparation (a Crock-Pot simmering at home during Sunday morning

the stage—or, perhaps more accurately, setting the table—for new relationships to form. Of course, this also requires time and an open-handedness with your Sunday afternoon plans. My husband and I have had our to-do lists thwarted on more than one occasion when impromptu lunch gatherings lasted until dinnertime, when we begin snacking on leftovers.

But we wouldn’t have it any other way.

I have a vision for a different reputation for Seattle. Instead of the Seattle Freeze, I long to hear people talk about the warm Seattle Hospitality, and I propose that this movement will start with something simple but rare. I believe the Freeze will melt as we, the church, begin inviting both friends and strangers, from church and from down the street, into our homes to share a meal—even if it’s just pizza out on the lawn on a warm Seattle evening.

Christy Tennant Krispin recently moved from New York City to Seattle, where she lives with her husband and their little dog, Jonah, and Maya the cat. She serves as a writer, worship leader, communication consultant and much, much more. She recently spoke at Fuller Northwest’s Transformational Worship Conference and worked alongside UPC's own John Harrison on Christianity Today’s “This Is Our City” series. Follow Christy on Twitter @ctk206.

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University Students Build Foundation in Core Groups

by Elisa Page

C

oming to college is an adventure: you have some ideas about what things will be like, but nothing can truly prepare you for the new levels of freedom, ridiculous volumes of coffee, or your sudden dependence on Netflix to distract you from writing that paper.

But in this whirlwind of discovery, it can be surprisingly easy to get stuck in a rut, whether it’s in exercise, classes, friends, or faith. That’s why Core Groups are such an incredible opportunity for young people in the Seattle area who are searching for community with other college-age believers.

The INN offers students the chance to meet weekly with a group of four to six other people of the same gender and year in

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school. Core Group able to connect and get to know each other a little bit better with each meeting. While each group handles its time together in slightly different ways, the core components are the same. Members talk about their lives, sharing their highs and lows, goals, and relationships, and how they are feeling about their faith.

These conversations allow students to open up in an atmosphere that is small and intimate enough that trust can grow and friendships form. It also allows them to slow down and take time to enjoy the enrichment of being in fellowship with other Christians.

Amidst the constant blur of change and daily routine, it is a huge blessing to be

able to press pause for an hour or two and be able to grow close to people whom students normally might not ever get to interact with on a deeper level. In an environment that often forces students to go out to parties to meet other friends, being able to come together to worship God and make friends is something unique and special about Core Groups, which is why when people join Core Groups, they are able to grow together over their four to five years at college in a way that is rare in a school environment where friendships are often transient or superficial.

Between the enormity of a college campus and the high volume of students attending The INN every Tuesday night, it can be very

Amidst the constant blur of change and daily routine, it is a huge blessing to be able to press pause for an hour or two and be able to grow close to people whom students normally might not ever get to interact with on a deeper level.

intimidating to put oneself out there and meet new people. Oftentimes it is even harder to find people who share one’s own faith. This is why Core Groups are excellent tools for funneling people into tailor-made groups of peers who are compatible as friends. They take into careful consideration what students are looking for in a Core Group as well as where they are in their faith walk and their individual personality types. The process is personal. This guarantees that students aren’t just randomly placed into groups, but surrounded by like-minded people who have the potential to make incredibly strong bonds and forge amazing friendships. Community is something that we are called to as Christians, and while coming into community

can often be a struggle at any point in life, college is a time when finding that closeness with other believers is so important and special, and the bonds made through Core Groups can continue to impact students’ lives long after graduation.

Elisa Page is a sophomore in the Honors Program at the University of Washington. When she’s not watching Netflix and drinking coffee by the gallon, she finds time to double-major in her two passions in life, English and Communication, and loves being a Student Leader at The Inn.

WANT TO JOIN OR LEAD A CORE GROUP?

visit upc.org/ministries/University or contact janies@upc.org

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Taking the Risk

by Sean Jackson

Community. The word evokes simultaneous emotions of fear and excitement, doesn’t it? There can be a tremendous amount of uncertainty on what to do with our internal need for others to be close at hand. When we need to celebrate, we want to know who to call, and when we need to feel heavy with sorrow, we also need to know who is up for that type of moment. And this is where we can often put off the good work of belonging to a community or small group, because it does require some work on our behalf. So why is it such hard (but good!) work to belong to a community?

True community requires vulnerability, and vulnerability is—by definition—risky. I remember a few years ago, my wife and I were dealing with my parents’ sudden divorce and became quickly

life-giving. This was incredibly difficult to do, as we weren’t absolutely assured that our friends would know how to come around us or would even want to. It was hard to open up our hearts to receive their care.

Community is incredibly risky! But, of course, you already know this. Perhaps it is helpful to know that our anxiety and fear about being known and getting to know others more deeply does not disqualify us from belonging in community, but rather is the exact reason that we are qualified to need this life-giving, life-affirming act of bravery! Once we become more comfortable with this reality inside ourselves, what once felt so hard can begin to feel playful and exciting.

I am currently in the midst of experiencing this shift.

Our small group is in the process of inviting new families to join us in this hard but stirring process. Before, I was hesitant about, even antagonistic to, joining a small group. Now, I feel much more prepared to express my need with others just as needy, as well as acknowledge when I am enjoying the support of a community.

True community requires vulnerability aware that we needed a particular kind of community to come around us and grieve with us and offer support. But it meant first acknowledging that we needed others.

As we started to let our church small group know of our deep need, they were then able to offer more of the care and support we needed and our sense of the group deepened and became more

Sean Jackson is a therapist, family man, and captain of the wildly successful University Presbyterian Church softball team.

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SNAPSHOT

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC | Brandon Bleek

A Snapshot of Global Community. Two small children who live in a Haitian batey (ghetto) near Barahona, a city in the Southwest of the Dominican Republic. This community is unique because they live so near this major city yet they are virtually ignored. Descendants of migrant sugar cane workers from Haiti, many of which don’t have citizenship in either country—a forgotten people—who work hard to sustain themselves. Though poverty and their status has led to lot of problems, they continue to interact like families, looking out for one another. In the last decade or so God has begun to use both the Dominican and American Church to encourage these communities toward faith and sustainability. Schools, churches, water and medical facilities have begun to help the children dream of being more than just a parent or sugarcane worker.

Do you have a photo that conveys "Living for the World" in your own neighborhood or across the globe? Submit it to magazine@upc.org by March 20, 2014 to be considered for publication in our next issue.

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WORD

by Ashley Van Dragt

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” —John 1:14

T

he day that we moved into our new house, Larry showed up at the front door. He was drunk. It was before noon. But Larry was eager to introduce himself to me, his newest neighbor. Overwhelmed by his breath and his enthusiastic attitude, I politely tried to get out of the conversation. I told him that my husband and I would be inviting the neighbors to an open house, which was true. But this was my attempt at appeasing Larry’s very obvious desire to be invited in right then and

there, something I had no intention of doing. But Larry invited himself in. He wanted to see the place and he wanted to share his thoughts about what we should do with the public easement next to our

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house. The previous homeowners had laid down some woodchips and had successfully warded off the blackberry bramble that so clearly wanted to take over. But Larry saw more potential there.

Pointing out the window from inside my living room, Larry said to me, “You should turn it into a space for all of us. You should get us all together.”

It was easy to write Larry off. A little drunk, a little pushy, a little different from me. We’d moved into the neighborhood, but I didn’t imagine that we’d be moving in that close, at least not this quickly.

But later I was convicted by another thought: Isn’t moving in close just what we are called to do as Christians?

In the early moments of John’s gospel, we read a poetic telling of God’s coming close to us. Where other gospels give us a word—Immanuel, God with us, and a very humble, human nativity scene—here we get a different picture. It’s the weighty picture of our God stepping down from on high, from divinity to humanity, from eternal to temporal and moving in close—closer than we’d ever experienced him before, in order to save us, to be in true community with us.

The most literal translation of John’s text reads: he pitched his tent among ours. Or, as Eugene Peterson fittingly put it: he moved into the neighbor-

hood. It seems like a rather unsophisticated line, yet in reading it, we get a profound sense of just how close Christ came to us.

And then John continues. Jesus moved into the neighborhood, and it’s then, he says, that we saw his glory; we saw that he was full of grace and truth. Sure, the creatures could always see the glory of the Creator, but when he moved in close, we saw it in a whole new way—we saw it in laugh lines on his face, in the healing touch of his hands, in his tears and teaching, in his broken body and shed blood. We saw it when he looked into our eyes and said the words we needed to hear most: you are forgiven.

This is close. This is Christ in community with us and it is full of his glory, grace, and truth.

Like Christ, it seems to me that we are called to move into the neighborhood—wherever our neighborhood may be, and we are called to transform it, to love it, to get closer to it than what is comfortable. Because it’s in the coming close that we are like Christ. It’s in the coming close that we are given the vantage point to see and experience the glory, grace, and truth of it all. It’s in coming close that we see Christ always and forever moving in closer to us.

Community, it seems, happens best in the close moments . . . because it’s in coming close that we are like christ.

And it’s a startling text for those of us who think about how we ought to be neighbors, about how we ought do community in the wake of Christ’s coming to us.

Community, it seems, happens best in the close moments. The moments when we’re invited in or, perhaps, even when we’re not, but we go in anyway. Community happens in sharing bread and wine, in touch and healing, in laughter and tears.

Community happens when we pitch our tent next to those who need us. When we get close enough that we can look into the eyes of our brother, sister, neighbor, friend, and say the words they need to hear most.

And this is the desire that I see in Larry who, later that evening, returned to our new house, slightly more sober and very much on a mission. Larry had a list. He had a list of the names and telephone numbers of eight of our neighbors. I don’t know if he went door-to-door that afternoon to get them.

I don’t know if he’d met them previously. But the list was for us. For when we all get together.

To me, it was Christ bidding us to come closer still.

And it seems to me this is an invitation we all get all the time.

Where is Christ calling you to enter into community? With him? With others?

What holds you back from pursuing this closeness?

Ashley Van Dragt is a Washington native from the little town of Lynden. She has her Master of Divinity degree from Calvin Theological Seminary, is an ordained minister in the Christian Reformed Church, and currently serves as a pastor for Graduate Christian Fellowship, a campus ministry for graduate students and faculty at the University of Washington.

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WINTER F

FUN

1 Amy, John, and Harrison enjoying some family time in the mountains. | 2 The Rodda Family enjoying the Seahawk success at UPC's viewing party. 3 Some guests at the Side-By-Side's Bingo Fundraiser 2014 showing their hawk pride. | Photographer Mike Russell captures Owner of the Seahawks Paul Allen with QB Russell Wilson celebrating Super Bowl 48's victory with all the 12's at the Rally. | 5 The Baldock 12's with their 12th man snowman. | 6 More action from the successful BINGO event put on

by SBS. | 7 Joe & Sam Skovoron building snowmen in Seattle's two-second winter.

L

ast summer a few of us were biking along a Kitsap Peninsula beach. Beautiful. The sun was shining, the breeze fresh, my limbs strong. And I thought to myself, “Come on, why don’t we pick up the pace here?” As I moved out into the front of the pack, I got my answer. Headwind.

I’m not a real cyclist, and I’ve always been something of a drafting doubter. You know, the thing where a cyclist tucks behind another rider to save energy. As a boy I saw a movie (Breaking Away) in which a cyclist drafts behind a semi on the freeway, sucked along at 60mph. Maybe. But to me the whole nose-to-tail pack mentality seemed less like substance and more like style and conformity (along with bright shirts and shaved legs).

So what can you do? If you’re feeling a strong desire for community, I hope that you’ll allow the folks here at University Presbyterian Church to come alongside you. Leaf through the succeeding pages and see if anything piques your interest.

Jump into the peloton. Join a team. Find community here at UPC. Start a small group or join one. Then make it better.

If you press into the wind with intention, God will use it to

Until I got into the wind. At that point I was convinced. I had been fresh because I was in the group, and someone else was moving the air.

Have you ever had the chance to watch any of the Tour de France? Amazing. Every single rider matters, but the race is won by the peloton—the large pack of riders who take turns facing the wind together. It’s a French word that means “little circle.” It’s related to our term “platoon,” a circle of soldiers who band together to do what none of them can do individually. In the Tour, to lose the peloton before the final attack is to be thrown alone against the wind and to lose the race.

Life is the same way. You and I just don’t win when we face it alone.

Several reasons for that: 1) God is relationship: Father, Son, and Spirit (Matthew 28:19). 2) God made us like him so that it’s not good to be alone (Genesis 1:27 & 2:18). 3) We grow through Christ-centered relationship (Ephesians 4:15–16).

4) We make an eternal impact through the Spirit-inspired interaction of different gifts (Romans 12:4–8). And 5) we show the world Jesus through Christian unity (John 17:20–23).

Every member is needed. Like the Tour we need leaders and sprinters and climbers and domestiques (the French word for “servant” because he pushes wind for others) and coaches, mechanics, massage therapists, and nutritionists.

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change lives—yours and those in your neighborhood.

For those of you who feel secure in community, reach out to someone near you in worship on Sunday, in your neighborhood, or at the office and invite them into relationship.

Let’s be alive together and share hope in Jesus Christ! Can’t do it without you.

Embracing the pace,

George Hinman

George Hinman is the senior pastor of University Presbyterian Church, an avid amateur runner and cyclist, a scholar, father, and husband.

YOUR GUIDE FOR WHAT'S HAPPENING AT & AROUND UNIVERSITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH + THE MILESTONES TAKING PLACE IN THE LIVES OF ITS COMMUNITY.

calendar

of events

HOLIDAY Ash Wednesday Worship Service

MAR 5 COMMUNITY EVENT The Lion King

Paramount Theatre

7:30pm | UPC Sanctuary | upc.org/lent

CHILDREN + FAMILY GROUPS

Experience the phenomenon of Disney's The Lion King. Marvel at

MAR 12–APR 16 the breathtaking spectacle of animals brought to life by award-win-

Wednesday Night Small Groups for Elementary Children 7–8:30pm | UPC Third Floor

MAR 11–APR 6

ning director Julie Taymor, whose visual images for this show you'll remember forever. Let your imagination run wild at the Tony Awardwinning Broadway sensation. | seattle.broadway.com/shows

Program for first–fifth graders will combine elements of community, Bible study, and fun in small, facilitated groups (about ten kids per CHARITY EVENT MAR 16 group). Parents, join us for on-site adult small groups while the kids Side-By-Side Daffodil Day are in their groups. $10 per child. | sarahb@upc.org Purchase daffodils to benefit Side-by-Side, a ministry whose mission is to care for families that have a seriously ill child as neighbors and

friends. | upc.org/sbs

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CLASS

MAR 16–30 CHARITY EVENT

Finding Home

Sundays, March 16–30 | 10–11am | Q&A: Tuesday, April 8, Geneva

Everyone is on a journey—looking for that place we call home. With God we have one. This four-week course will help you discover truths about faith and identify where you are finding home. The final evening of class will be a Q&A with Pastor George Hinman over dessert.

Already a member? You're welcome to join us as a refresher course!

Registration appreciated. | suzannem@upc.org

APR 5

Street Youth Ministries Annual "Breakfast at 9" Fundraiser 9am | UPC’s Geneva Hall | katies@upc.org | streetyouthministries.org

CLASS

Life Together. Preparing for Marriage

BEGINS APR 9

Spring Kickoff: Wednesday, April 9, 7pm, UPC Room 270A

Couples who are engaged or thinking about marriage can examine issues surrounding their relationship and build a support system in TRIP

MAR 22–29 an eight-week course offered three times a year. At the kickoff event, you will be paired with a mentor couple and determine your own University Ministries (UMin) Dominican Republic Mission Trip time and place for seven weekly small group sessions. Registration Medical professionals (especially nurses) are invited to join UMin is required. | Sue, 206.361.0977 | upc.org/classes on its annual spring trip to Dominican Republic. Cost $1950. // ryanc@upc.org | theinnseattle.org (click on missions and spring)

COMMUNITY EVENT

TRIP

Gospel Choir MAR 21–30 Soweto Meany Theater | 2pm and 8pm

APR 12

Undergraduate Internationals San Francisco Mission Trip Internationals will travel to SF/Oakland to reach out to the poor and marginalized in the city. polly@upc.org | seattleglobalfriends.org/international-disciples

COMMUNITY EVENT

In The Book Of (a play by John Walch)

With their earthy and sublime vocal harmonies, vibrant costumes, and joyful stage presentation, the Grammy Award-winning Soweto Gospel Choir is a worldwide phenomenon. The 30-member ensemble combines tribal, traditional, and popular African and Western gospel music for awe-inspiring performances. Recommended for MAR 28–APR 26 ages 7 and up. Children under 5 will not be admitted. | meany.org/tickets

Taproot Theatre

Lieutenant Naomi Watkins returns stateside and opens her home to faithful friend and Afghan translator, Anisah. When Anisah’s visa is called into question the whole town goes to war over this suspicious stranger. | taproottheatre.org

COMMUNITY EVENT

MAR 29–30

Taste Washington!

COMMUNITY EVENT

International Children's Festival

April 12 and 13 at Fisher Pavilion (Seattle Center)

Children from around the world dance, sing, play music, make origami, and get faces painted at the International Children’s Friendship Festival. Free. | childrensfest.tacawa.org

SERVE

2–5pm

APR 12–13

APR 18–20

Easter Food & Decorating Vineyards, wineries, restaurants, seminars, chef stage, and more at Help us prepare for Easter services and fellowship! Good Friday Seattle's Largest Food Festival. CenturyLink Field Event Center, 1000 morning, Saturday morning and afternoon, and all morning on EasOccidental Ave S Seattle, WA 98134 | tastewashington.org ter Sunday. Assist with food prep, decorating the Sanctuary or Larson, ushering, serving food, etc. | serve@upc.org

COMMUNITY EVENT Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

APR 1–30

HOLIDAY

APR 13

APR 4 HOLIDAY

APR 17

April 1–30, 2014

Palm Sunday Worship Services Spectacular fields of blooming tulips and daffodils only 60 miles 8:30, 10, & 11:45am and 6 & 8pm | upc.org/lent north of Seattle. | tulipfestival.org

CONCERT

In It Together 2014, An Evening of Worship & Deacon Benefit April 4, 7pm, UPC Sanctuary

Church partners are coming together for our 5th annual evening of worship, led by local praise teams, to help support Seattle Deacon and Benevolence ministries. We invite you to hear local stories of compassion, and witness what God is doing for those in need. Sign Language provided, no childcare available but families are invited to worship together. | 425.355.3251 | upc.org/concerts

RETREAT

APR 4–6

Men's Weekend Retreat Take a break from routine for some great food, reflection time, adventure, and friendship. Explore what it means to be a confident, Christ-filled man in today’s ever-changing society. Island Lake Retreat near Poulsbo, WA. Register by March 14. | charlies@upc.org | upc.org/retreats

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Maundy Thursday Worship Service 7:30pm | Sanctuary

Small groups and individuals take communion together in the “Upper Room” and then journey together through the hours in the “Garden of Gethsemane.” | upc.org/lent

HOLIDAY Good Friday Worship Service

APR 18

12 noon | Sanctuary

HOLIDAY Easter Sunday Worship Services

8am, 9:45am, 11:30am | Sanctuary 8:30am, 10am | Larson | upc.org/lent

APR 20

COMMUNITY EVENT

MAY 3

Opening day of boating season Watch boats parade through the Montlake Cut near University of Washington on opening day of boating season 12–2:30PM, with races earlier. Free | seattleyachtclub.org

COMMUNITY EVENT

Food Truck Rodeo

MAY 3–4

Fremont

Mobile Food Rodeo offers great food at a low price to 30,000 people. While you’re in Fremont, check out the Fremont Sunday Street Market. Free | mobilefoodrodeo.com/attend

COMMUNITY EVENT

MAY 16–JUN 14

Diana of Dobson’s (a play by Cicely Hamilton) Taproot Theatre

Before there was Eliza Dolittle there was Diana of Dobson’s. She’s young, underpaid and overworked and seems to have no chance at success until she unexpectedly receives a small inheritance and vows to “know what it’s like to have a royal time.” This clever, romantic and comic gem was written in 1908 but remains surprisingly fresh and relevant today. | taproottheatre.org

COMMUNITY CHARITY EVENT Seattle Mom Prom

SERVE

ONGOING

Adopt-a-College-Student Would you like to support a college student, whether through prayer, providing them with some home-cooked meals, or meeting with them? We have a lot of out-of-state students, who aren't able to go home often, would you be interested in being a home away from home for them? Possibly inviting them over weekly or monthly and preparing a meal for them? Let us know if this would be something you're interested in. | Kelsey, 206.524.7301 x147

MARK YOUR CALENDAR (UPCOMING EVENTS) UMin Spring Work Days | May 3 & 17

UPC Annual Congregational Meeting | May 4

Family Camp | May 23–26 | Registration opens in March

Didi Prentice Art Show Benefitting Language Institute | June 1 Day Camp Volunteer Training | June 8 World Refugee Day | June 20

Day Camp | UPC and Woodland Park | June 23–27 | Registration opens for day camp volunteers and their children in April.

Registration opens to public in May.

MAY 17

Fremont Abbey Arts Center 8pm

The ultimate ladies night out! While this is a ladies only event, it is not a moms only event. Raffle, door prizes and the Mom of the Year Award! All proceeds benefit Postpartum Support International of Washington. | seattlemomprom.com

SERVE

ONGOING

SERVE

ONGOING

SERVE

ONGOING

Global Friends Cooks & Servers: Ministry with Internationals Prepare a Friday night meal for Global friends. We need hands in the kitchen to help prepare food on Fridays at 4pm. | serve@upc.org Hospitality: University Ministries Help prepare and serve meals for students before the Inn on Tuesday nights (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly). Cook a meal for 10–15 students and deliver it to the hosting house (once or once/quarter), or host a UMin group meeting. Open your home for a group to meet off-campus (on a regular basis or for special events). | serve@upc.org

Small Group Host: Young Adult Ministry We are looking for families and older folks to host one of our young adult small groups for dinner or dessert on a one-time basis. The purpose of these gatherings is connecting young adults in our community with people at UPC from all different seasons of life.

As a host, you’ll provide a meal or some treats (something simple is great!) and the space to spend time together and everyone will leave happy! | serve@upc.org

If you like what you've seen in this issue of Alive Together and want to support the future of our publication, consider making a donation online at upc.org/give and designate your gift to "Alive Together Magazine."

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SINGLES GROUP UPC Singles

Second Sundays | February 9 through June 8 7:15–8:45pm | UPC Room 395

connect

Join a new community of singles. All ages are welcome to love and serve God together. Enjoy building your faith, fun activities, and service projects. | upcsingles2014@gmail.com

with us

Alive Together is a publication of University Presbyterian Church, located at the corner of NE 47th St and 15th Ave NE in the University District of Seattle. We are a community committed to sharing hope with our neighborhood. If you are looking for a group to get plugged into, would like to attend Sunday services, or are in need of care, please don’t hesitate to contact us or stop by. We would love to get to know you! We hope you'll join us sometime. Here’s a sampling of what’s up at UPC. Visit our website at upc.org for details or give us a call at 206.524.7300.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Serving and Growing Together Loving people in tangible ways—it’s good for the heart, good for the soul, and good for the world. Lend a hand at UPC or get connected around Seattle with one of UPC’s many partner organizations serving our city. serve@upc.org | upc.org/serve

ONGOING GROUPS

Home Groups Home groups usually have six to twelve adults that meet for Bible study, prayer, and encouraging each other in the journey of faith and discipleship. Find a small group online: upc.org/smallgroups.

Start a new group! smallgroups@upc.org | 206.524.7301 x205

MEN'S GROUPS

Teleios Founded to help men reach maturity in Christ through building bonds of friendship with other men in small group Bible studies. awkopicky@gmail.com | 206.384.0072 | teleios.org

CLASS Unique Persons in Christ

SUNDAYS

Sundays, 10am, Rm. 280C, UPC

Bible study for teens and adults who are developmentally delayed. | 206.523.1717

ADULT GROUP SUNDAYS Genesis (50+)

Sundays, 10am, Inn Chapel

We encourage spiritual growth through Bible study, prayer, fellowship, and unconditional love. We meet for discussion and speakers, followed by lunch at a restaurant. Offsite the second Sunday of each month. | 425.967.5917

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SUNDAYS

WOMEN’S GROUP

MONDAYS

SUPPORT GROUP

MONDAYS

SUPPORT GROUP

MONDAYS

Women’s Evening Bible Study Mondays through May | 6:45–8:45pm | Geneva Hall Women of all ages and join together for small group Bible study and lively fellowship. This year’s Bible study is based on Galatians for You by Tim Keller. The group will study Living for the World: A Field Guide for Lent. barbara.robinett@gmail.com | 206.390.6788 Eating Disorders Support Groups Mondays | 7–9 pm For families and friends of those with eating disorders. smallgroups@upc.org | 206.524.7301 x205 Welcoming Circle

2nd & 4th Mondays | 7pm | Room 270A

A safe place for individuals who identify as LGBTQ and/or friends and family members to share our journeys together and spend time in prayer. We hope you'll join us for coffee and encouragement. | margaret.mesaros@gmail.com

YOUNG ADULT GROUP

TUESDAYS

COLLEGE GROUP

TUESDAYS

WOMEN’S GROUP

WEDNESDAYS

PARENTS GROUP

WEDNESDAYS

Young Adult Community Group Tuesdays | 7pm | Knox (UPC meeting room across from the Sanctuary) Join our weekly gathering for connecting with other young adults, worshiping together, sharing life (and a few laughs), and praying together. We will also create opportunities to serve together in Seattle, connect with a small group, and enjoy lots of fun get-togethers beyond this weekly gathering! All are welcome. | youngadults@upc.org The Inn 9pm | Larson Hall Each week nearly 600 university students gather together in Larson Hall to celebrate real life in Jesus Christ in worship through humor, song, prayer, teaching, and socializing. | theinnseattle.org Women’s Intergenerational Fellowship Wednesdays through May | 9:30–11:30am Women of all ages join together for small groups to study the Word, engage it in our lives, pray for one another, and enjoy bonds of friendship in Christ. The group will study Living for the World: A Field Guide for Lent. myrna.olson@gmail.com | 206.283.8911 Parents of Struggling Adolescents Wednesdays | 7–8:30pm | Rainier House, 4714 15th Ave NE For parents who are challenged by a struggling adolescent or young adult. | upcparentsupport.org

WOMEN’S GROUP

Thursday Morning Women's Roundtable

THURSDAYS

Thursdays | 9:30–11:15am | Calvin

A fun and interactive way to learn God's Word. Dani Forbess, Faith Formation lead in Children & Family Ministries, will teach "The Great Prayers of Scripture: An Immersion in the Language of Prayer." Passages of Scripture in which prayer is the primary communication form will be considered. Coffee and snack provided. Childcare is available. | knossos2@comcast.net

HOBBY GROUP Sewing Group

THURSDAYS

Second and fourth Thursday mornings

worship

with us

SUNDAYS 8:30am | traditional

10am | contemporary

Join us for community and church sewing projects. | 206.632.9363

11:45am | traditional

SUPPORT GROUP

8pm | vespers

Grief Support If you have experienced the death of a loved one, come together for a time of learning, sharing, and growing through a painful experience. Eight-week groups are offered two to three times a year. smallgroups@upc.org | 206.524.7301 x205

SUPPORT GROUP

Cancer Support Group Offers emotional and spiritual support people diagnosed with cancer and their families. smallgroups@upc.org | 206.524.7301 x205

6pm | contemporary

Childcare and children's worship at 8:30 & 10am, 6pm

socialize

with us

COUNSELING

Financial Counseling Volunteers provide financial management counseling and encourage Biblical stewardship of financial resources. Meet with or serve as a financial counselor. | sueb@upc.org

upcseattle

upcseattle

upc.org

206.524.7300

@UPCSEATTLE

upc.org/magazine

COUNSELING Stephen Ministry

This ministry provides one-on-one Christian care to those experiencing difficult life situations. Receive care or train to become a Stephen Minister. | sueb@upc.org

magazine@upc.org

SUPPORT

Deacon Ministry Deacons are members of the church who are ordained to provide support and prayer for the ill, elderly, or those in crisis. They also help provide fellowship opportunities and neighborly care. | sueb@upc.org

SUPPORT

Mental Health Ministry Practical, loving care for individuals and families recovering from mental illness and emotional wounds. davidz@upc.org | 206.524.7301 x215

listen & connect

Download our app to listen to sermons and stories.

Do you want to join or be taken off of our mailing list? Email communications@upc.org.

partner

with us

We're looking for writers, photographers, and videographers. If you're interested, send an email with samples of your work to magazine@upc.org.

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MARRIAGES Jerome Tisserand and Laura Gilbreath | June 14, 2013 Ryan Niemeyer and Rebecca Arrowsmith | July 13, 2013 Scott Hartley and Jennifer Farrington | July 19, 2013 Ross Cutler and Li-Ming Fang | August 3, 2013 Michael Shih and Rebecca Andersen | August 10, 2013 Mark Lewis and Jessica Fischels | August 29, 2013 Genesis Guang and Leah Einfeld | September 21, 2013 Jon Mathison and Marcia Hogan | October 5, 2013 William Pittman and Alyssa Harding | October 19, 2013 Jeff Bender and Brittany Gill | November 17, 2013

NEWS & CELEBRATIONS UPC Boy Scout Troop 167 is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year Since its charter in October 1953, participation in scouting has positively influenced the boys and the many lives around them as they continue to uphold the commitment to follow the Scout Oath and Law. Participants look back fondly on many fun summers at Camp Parsons, numerous hikes, amazing canoe and bike treks, thousands of hours of community service, and the 124 Eagle Scouts who have come out of the Troop.

Jeff and Cheryl Busby celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on December 20, 2013.

Kate Lloyd published her book, Pennsylvania Patchwork, in June of 2013.

University Food Bank expressed its gratitude the faithful giving of UPCers. Since 1994, UPC has donated more than $553,000! In a sample week, the Food Bank distributed food to 1100 families, delivered groceries to 24 homebound adults, and provided weekend food to 160 middle and elementary school students through the backpack program

community

milestones CONDOLENCES Joan B. Dexheimer | November 20, 2012 Jane Jobe | June 9, 2013 Catherine “Kay” McPherson | June 18, 2013 Alice Margrath | July 9, 2013 Marie B. Taylor | July 17, 2013 Dwight E. Harshbarger | July 25, 2013 Vernon L. Vandervort | July 28, 2013 David Hsiao | August 17, 2013 C. Arthur “Art” Bowman | August 18, 2013 Stanley Allen | August 23, 2013 Esther Anderson | Notified August 29, 2013 Lorraine Hansen | October 6, 2013 Steven R. Miller | October 13, 2013 Annette Moser-Wellman | October 22, 2013 Marguerite “Peggy” Downing | October 25, 2013 Genevieve Holter | October 27, 2013 Margaret Larson | October 28, 2013 Richard “Dick” H. Madsen | October 30, 2013 Alyne B. Richard | October 30, 2013 Muriel “Janet” Jones | November 8, 2013 Jean Young | November 24, 2013 Mary “Collette” Wallace | November 28, 2013 His-Lung Pan | December 16, 2013

BIRTHS

Jonah Calvin on July 4, 2013 Arthur O'Neill Edlefsen on to David & Ali Ashmead August 12, 2013 to Elizabeth & Paul Darlington Not Pictured: Abigail Grace on July 8, 2013 to Scott & Angela Chapman

Connor Jacob on September 17, 2013 to Eric & Rachel Sprague

Lucas "Luke" Rajnus on October 27, 2013 to Matt & Angela Rajnus

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final

thought

by Matthew Kaemingk

“W

e celebrate our football games . . . not simply because we enjoy these endeavors, but because we are creatures made to praise. This is a very important aspect of what it means to be human.”

—William Dyrness, theologian A significant and growing number of people living in the Pacific Northwest claim little or no interest in “organized religion.” Religion with all of its rituals and traditions, liturgies and structures, stories and saviors, hand waving and bowing all feels a bit too superstitious and old fashioned.

Many Cascadians claim to have risen above religion, grown out of it, become reasonable and rational. They’ve learned to “think for themselves.” They refuse to “follow the crowd.”

And yet, any trip to a Seahawks game at CenturyLink field (aka “The Clink”) reveals that Cascadians might be more “religious” then they would like to admit. In fact, one might even wager that a Sunday evening at the Clink is the largest and most significant liturgical event in the life of Seattle.

Consider the following: every Sunday like clockwork, faithful Seahawk followers put on their special colored garments, paint their faces, file into the stadium, and take their assigned seats. The event begins with a series of announcements and processions, flags and songs, ceremonies and rituals. Young and old, black and white, men and women stand gathered together and behold the contest as one. Stories and special rituals are passed on from generation to generation. Followers are instructed to stand, to keep silent, to remove their hats, to place their hands over their hearts. The space is filled with sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and actions that all evoke strong memories and emotions. Over time these practices take complete strangers and bind them together.

Autonomous individuals claim in one voice, “I’m in.”

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As the game finally begins the people rise as one. In one communal voice they cheer in wonder at an incredible pass, they jeer the downfall of the opponent, they gasp at an injury, and they hope and pray for a final eruption of redemption. With hands outstretched, bodies shaking, and vocal chords at their breaking point the followers give their all for the glory of their team.

In triumph, complete strangers, who would never meet eyes on the street, celebrate and hug one another like old friends. In defeat, complete strangers console one another. As the game comes to a close these strangers share stories of past Seahawk heroes and share rumors of heroes soon to emerge.

As a fan of the Seattle Seahawks and a Christian theologian what am I to make of all this? One possible reaction would be to reject anyone and anything that has to do with the Seattle Seahawks as nothing more than plain and simple idolatry. Another reaction would be to protest that Seahawk games are just that, games.

While there is something to be said for each of these reactions, neither one fully satisfies me. I think that there is something more complex (and more interesting) going on here.

While Cascadians insist that they are not at all interested in rituals and religion, the flourishing of Seahawks fandom appears to indicate otherwise. The stadium experience appears to indicate that Cascadians long to worship and that they long for community and connection. They long for stories and heroes, songs and rituals.

They long to raise their hands, hearts, and voices. They long to be a part of some larger story, some larger experience, relationship, or spectacle. They long to escape the drone of the daily secular lives.

The Pacific Northwest has not “grown out” of religion, Cascadians have simply transferred their religiosity to what the sociologist Meerten Ter Borg calls “disembedded religion” or “secular

spirituality.” Broken free from religious institutions, structures, rules, and creeds this “disembedded religion” is an anti-institutional form of spirituality that seeks powerful aesthetic experiences.

In light of the devotion regularly displayed at Century Link Field and on the north face of Mt. Rainier, it appears that the declaration that Cascadia has “outgrown religion” may have been premature.

Our religiosity has not been destroyed, but disembedded.

In many ways a Seahawks game resembles popular forms of nature spirituality found throughout Cascadia. Hiking in the woods Cascadians seek out rich and evocative aesthetic moments in the mountains in which they can feel a part of something larger than themselves. Whether it be a sunrise over the Cascades, a sunset over the San Juan Islands, or a Marshawn Lynch touchdown, they want something more.

What the church will do with these phenomena remains an open question. Will it ignore these cultural yearnings? Will it reject them as simple idolatry? Or might there be a third way of engaging this culture that so longs for transcendence?

I will need to think about this some more. But in the meantime, “Go Hawks!”

Matthew Kaemingk MDiv, PhD. is the Executive Director of the Fuller Institute for Theology and Northwest Culture at Fuller Northwest Seminary.

He lives in Lynnwood with his wife, Heather, and their two sons, Calvin and Kees. He grew up sailing in the Puget Sound, camping in the Cascades, and cheering for the Seattle Seahawks (still does). He studied political science at Whitworth University in Spokane. He completed graduate work in theology, ethics, and culture at Princeton Theological Seminary, Fuller Theological Seminary, and the Free University of Amsterdam. See more from Matthew at christandcascadia.com.

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