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A Reconciling in Christ community
2006 NW 65th STREET SEATTLE, WA 98117 (206) 784-1306 ALL ARE WELCOME. |
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Join us for online worship here
A new service will be posted each Sunday by 10:00 a.m.
A new service will be posted each Sunday by 10:00 a.m.
SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER - May 24, 2020
In these days between Ascension and Pentecost, we gather with the disciples in the upper room, waiting for the Spirit to transform the church around the world. In today’s gospel Jesus prays for his followers and for their mission in his name. Amid religious, social, and economic divisions, we seek the unity that Jesus had with his Father. Made one in baptism, we go forth to live our faith in the world, eager for the unity that God intends for the whole human family.
This Sunday's sermon will be given by Shelley Bryan Wee, Bishop of the Northwest Washington Synod.
In these days between Ascension and Pentecost, we gather with the disciples in the upper room, waiting for the Spirit to transform the church around the world. In today’s gospel Jesus prays for his followers and for their mission in his name. Amid religious, social, and economic divisions, we seek the unity that Jesus had with his Father. Made one in baptism, we go forth to live our faith in the world, eager for the unity that God intends for the whole human family.
This Sunday's sermon will be given by Shelley Bryan Wee, Bishop of the Northwest Washington Synod.
SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER - May 17, 2020
Jesus does not abandon his followers. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus comes to abide with his disciples of every generation. As Pentecost draws near, we are reminded that the risen Christ dwells in us as the Spirit of truth. We receive this Spirit in baptism and pray that in our gathering around the Lord’s table the Spirit will transform us to be the body of the risen Christ in the world.
Jesus does not abandon his followers. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus comes to abide with his disciples of every generation. As Pentecost draws near, we are reminded that the risen Christ dwells in us as the Spirit of truth. We receive this Spirit in baptism and pray that in our gathering around the Lord’s table the Spirit will transform us to be the body of the risen Christ in the world.
More services:
Virtual Worship: May 10, 2020
Virtual Worship: May 3, 2020
Virtual Worship: April 26, 2020
Virtual Worship: April 19, 2020
Virtual Worship: April 12, 2020 - Easter Sunday
Virtual Worship: May 10, 2020
Virtual Worship: May 3, 2020
Virtual Worship: April 26, 2020
Virtual Worship: April 19, 2020
Virtual Worship: April 12, 2020 - Easter Sunday
Virtual Worship: April 10, 2020 - Good Friday
Virtual Worship: April 9, 2020 - Maundy Thursday
Virtual Worship: April 5, 2020 - Palm Sunday
For now, in-person activities and worship services at Ballard First Lutheran are canceled. That includes:
We invite you to watch worship services here on our website (above); new services will be posted each Sunday by 10:00 a.m.
Please remember that you may still support Ballard First Lutheran with your regular giving by clicking the GIVE NOW button below. Offerings can be made through ACH, debit or credit cards.
- Sunday morning worship, both 8:00 am and 10:00 am
- Coffee Hour
- Wednesday evening Lenten worship and Soup Suppers
- Sunday School, including Adult Forum
- Choir Rehearsal
- Wednesday Bible Study
We invite you to watch worship services here on our website (above); new services will be posted each Sunday by 10:00 a.m.
Please remember that you may still support Ballard First Lutheran with your regular giving by clicking the GIVE NOW button below. Offerings can be made through ACH, debit or credit cards.
Letter from Pastor Erik about serving our neighbors:
April 17, 2020
Dear Friends in Christ,
In 1527, ten years after Luther published his 95 theses, the Bubonic Plague raged in his city of Wittenberg. Many students and professors at the University of Wittenberg left. Luther did not condemn those who chose to go. He understood their leaving. But Luther and his wife Katharina (who was pregnant) stayed. In fact, they took the sick into their home and cared for them.
A pastor friend wrote and asked Luther to advise him. Should he flee from dangerous plague? Or should he stay and serve? In his reply, On Whether One May Flee from a Deadly Plague, Luther allowed that, depending on the circumstances, either response could be considered a faithful one.
But, when it came to his own decision, Luther wrote, “Yes, no one should dare leave his neighbor unless there are others who will take care of the sick in their stead and nurse them. In such cases we must respect the word of Christ, ‘I was sick and you did not visit me …’ [Matt. 25:41–46]. According to this passage we are bound to each other in such a way that no one may forsake the other in his distress but is obliged to assist and help him as he himself would like to be helped.”
Full disclosure. That last sentence has been ringing in my ears these recent weeks. Since our neighborhood businesses and public services began to close, I have been thinking and praying a lot on behalf of those who are most severely affected by these closures: Those without homes. With the closure or limited services of places such as our neighborhood library and coffee shops, and with the shutting off of public water fountains, those without homes have been cut off from the most basic of human needs. Like clean water. Like bathrooms. The Urban Rest Stop in Ballard provides a wonderful service by giving people free access to shower, laundry, and toilet from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. But, as we all know, nature calls between 2:00 p.m. and midnight as well (and, for some of us, nature can be downright rude, calling between the hour of midnight and the break of dawn, too). And nature doesn’t take weekends off.
So I talked to Katrina at Urban Rest Stop. She came to Seattle about four years ago as a member of the Lutheran Volunteer Corps and lived in our church’s Ubuntu House. She was there the day Urban Rest Stop opened and has worked there ever since. I asked her what services were added in order to compensate for all of the shutdowns. She did not know of any such new services. So I asked our newly formed Church in Community Team and some key individuals if we could meet and talk about the prospect of opening our doors for two to three hours in the evening so that guests may have a clean place to use the bathroom before retiring at night. I contacted King County Public Health and asked about the viability of providing such services at our church. And then, our Church in Community Team and friends began to hold phone meetings....
As you might imagine, many questions were raised about things such as risk and safety, how social distancing could be ensured, and whether it would be wise to ask volunteers to provide these services in light of the pandemic. It was absolutely necessary to address the hard questions before coming to a decision. Still: Luther’s words persisted in my mind: “We are bound to each other in such a way that no one may forsake the other in his distress but is obliged to assist and help him as he himself would like to be helped.” I know how I would like to be helped if I were living on the streets. I know I would prefer a nightly visit to a clean, warm bathroom with running water at the end of the day as over against a germy honey bucket at Ballard Commons.
Our Team continued to meet. At one such meeting, a woman from King County’s Environmental Services for the Homeless Task Force joined us and outlined the health concerns that should be addressed before going forward. At another meeting on the day after Easter, Katrina from Urban Rest Stop phoned in and outlined what a volunteer training opportunity would look like. She offered to conduct the training. At the conclusion of the meeting, the group came to a consensus. We would like to go forward and provide this service.
The next night, Church Council members phoned in for our monthly meeting. Once again, good, important, and hard questions were raised. The discussion was not a short one. At the end of the conversation, the Council voted to endorse a decision to go forward. There were no dissenting or abstaining votes.
And so we begin. The project already has a nickname: The Ballard First Loo. Karin Swanson, currently pursuing her Master’s Degree in Social Work at the University of Washington, and Veronica Redpath, a sophomore at California Lutheran University now at home and engaged in distance learning, have agreed to serve as Project Coordinators. Molly Barnes is actively involved with volunteer recruitment. Ann Maki is already at work creating face masks. She is looking for helpers. She writes:
“We will be providing fabric face masks for the volunteers. If you can fold fabric and stitch a straight line on a sewing machine, you can make these masks. Even better if you have a stash of quilting fabric, or other high thread count fabric. If you don’t have a fabric stash, kits are available. We’d like to have about 36 masks available for the volunteers before the start date in about a week. Ann Maki can provide you with a pattern or a kit. Please contact Ann by email at ann@annmaki.com or by phone or text at (206) 331-1215.”
Not everyone will be able to come in and volunteer on site. Nor should they. Those who are included on the Center for Disease Control’s list of “those at high-risk for severe illness from COVID-19” will not be allowed to volunteer on site. But stay tuned. Our team is thinking about other volunteer opportunities such as decorating the space to be used in such a way that guests will feel welcome. And all of us can support this effort through prayer. Don’t underestimate the importance of that.
A video training for volunteers will be held on Tuesday night, April 21. If you are interested, or if you know how someone who is interested, Karin and Veronica can be reached at BallardFirstLoo@gmail.com.
Of course, one question remains unanswered. Will people volunteer to help? This is critical. If a sufficient amount of volunteers are not secured, we will not go forward with this project. While you endeavor to do everything in your power to stop the spread of this virus, please help spread the word.
A blessed Easter.
Pastor Erik R. Wilson Weiberg
Dear Friends in Christ,
In 1527, ten years after Luther published his 95 theses, the Bubonic Plague raged in his city of Wittenberg. Many students and professors at the University of Wittenberg left. Luther did not condemn those who chose to go. He understood their leaving. But Luther and his wife Katharina (who was pregnant) stayed. In fact, they took the sick into their home and cared for them.
A pastor friend wrote and asked Luther to advise him. Should he flee from dangerous plague? Or should he stay and serve? In his reply, On Whether One May Flee from a Deadly Plague, Luther allowed that, depending on the circumstances, either response could be considered a faithful one.
But, when it came to his own decision, Luther wrote, “Yes, no one should dare leave his neighbor unless there are others who will take care of the sick in their stead and nurse them. In such cases we must respect the word of Christ, ‘I was sick and you did not visit me …’ [Matt. 25:41–46]. According to this passage we are bound to each other in such a way that no one may forsake the other in his distress but is obliged to assist and help him as he himself would like to be helped.”
Full disclosure. That last sentence has been ringing in my ears these recent weeks. Since our neighborhood businesses and public services began to close, I have been thinking and praying a lot on behalf of those who are most severely affected by these closures: Those without homes. With the closure or limited services of places such as our neighborhood library and coffee shops, and with the shutting off of public water fountains, those without homes have been cut off from the most basic of human needs. Like clean water. Like bathrooms. The Urban Rest Stop in Ballard provides a wonderful service by giving people free access to shower, laundry, and toilet from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. But, as we all know, nature calls between 2:00 p.m. and midnight as well (and, for some of us, nature can be downright rude, calling between the hour of midnight and the break of dawn, too). And nature doesn’t take weekends off.
So I talked to Katrina at Urban Rest Stop. She came to Seattle about four years ago as a member of the Lutheran Volunteer Corps and lived in our church’s Ubuntu House. She was there the day Urban Rest Stop opened and has worked there ever since. I asked her what services were added in order to compensate for all of the shutdowns. She did not know of any such new services. So I asked our newly formed Church in Community Team and some key individuals if we could meet and talk about the prospect of opening our doors for two to three hours in the evening so that guests may have a clean place to use the bathroom before retiring at night. I contacted King County Public Health and asked about the viability of providing such services at our church. And then, our Church in Community Team and friends began to hold phone meetings....
As you might imagine, many questions were raised about things such as risk and safety, how social distancing could be ensured, and whether it would be wise to ask volunteers to provide these services in light of the pandemic. It was absolutely necessary to address the hard questions before coming to a decision. Still: Luther’s words persisted in my mind: “We are bound to each other in such a way that no one may forsake the other in his distress but is obliged to assist and help him as he himself would like to be helped.” I know how I would like to be helped if I were living on the streets. I know I would prefer a nightly visit to a clean, warm bathroom with running water at the end of the day as over against a germy honey bucket at Ballard Commons.
Our Team continued to meet. At one such meeting, a woman from King County’s Environmental Services for the Homeless Task Force joined us and outlined the health concerns that should be addressed before going forward. At another meeting on the day after Easter, Katrina from Urban Rest Stop phoned in and outlined what a volunteer training opportunity would look like. She offered to conduct the training. At the conclusion of the meeting, the group came to a consensus. We would like to go forward and provide this service.
The next night, Church Council members phoned in for our monthly meeting. Once again, good, important, and hard questions were raised. The discussion was not a short one. At the end of the conversation, the Council voted to endorse a decision to go forward. There were no dissenting or abstaining votes.
And so we begin. The project already has a nickname: The Ballard First Loo. Karin Swanson, currently pursuing her Master’s Degree in Social Work at the University of Washington, and Veronica Redpath, a sophomore at California Lutheran University now at home and engaged in distance learning, have agreed to serve as Project Coordinators. Molly Barnes is actively involved with volunteer recruitment. Ann Maki is already at work creating face masks. She is looking for helpers. She writes:
“We will be providing fabric face masks for the volunteers. If you can fold fabric and stitch a straight line on a sewing machine, you can make these masks. Even better if you have a stash of quilting fabric, or other high thread count fabric. If you don’t have a fabric stash, kits are available. We’d like to have about 36 masks available for the volunteers before the start date in about a week. Ann Maki can provide you with a pattern or a kit. Please contact Ann by email at ann@annmaki.com or by phone or text at (206) 331-1215.”
Not everyone will be able to come in and volunteer on site. Nor should they. Those who are included on the Center for Disease Control’s list of “those at high-risk for severe illness from COVID-19” will not be allowed to volunteer on site. But stay tuned. Our team is thinking about other volunteer opportunities such as decorating the space to be used in such a way that guests will feel welcome. And all of us can support this effort through prayer. Don’t underestimate the importance of that.
A video training for volunteers will be held on Tuesday night, April 21. If you are interested, or if you know how someone who is interested, Karin and Veronica can be reached at BallardFirstLoo@gmail.com.
Of course, one question remains unanswered. Will people volunteer to help? This is critical. If a sufficient amount of volunteers are not secured, we will not go forward with this project. While you endeavor to do everything in your power to stop the spread of this virus, please help spread the word.
A blessed Easter.
Pastor Erik R. Wilson Weiberg
Classes are canceled at this time.
ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL: Sundays at 9:00-9:50 a.m. Haavik Hall CONFIRMATION CLASSES: 6th-8th Grade Sundays from 9:00-9:45 a.m. Church Office KIDS SUNDAY SCHOOL: Ages 3 - 5th Grade Sundays from 9:15-9:45 a.m. Kangaroo Room in the Childcare Building |
"Following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, we at Ballard First Lutheran affirm the dignity and worth of all people...."
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Pastor Erik R. Wilson Weiberg
Pastor Elise Scott 
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FAN features events about justice, peace and care for the environment across the state of Washington.
See FAN website for more info.
See FAN website for more info.
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We are a Greening Congregation. Collectively, we can make our planet better. Learn more at earthministry.org
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