Having spent the better part of a year holding their services in the Seattle Children's Theatre, the congregation of First United Methodist Church are enjoying their newly constructed facility at Second Avenue North and Denny Way.
"The congregation is absolutely thrilled to be in the new building. We've seen a spike in attendance and the general mood is very positive," said Erin Cawley-Morse, communications director for First United.
The church was founded in 1853 by the Rev. David Blaine and his wife Catharine (the latter being the namesake of Catharine Blaine K-8 in Magnolia). Its first members included Arthur and Mary Denny and John Nagle. Since 1910, First Church congregation was located at its historic site on Fifth and Marion streets in downtown Seattle.
"Since the old building's construction, though, Seattle has changed," said the Rev. Sanford "Sandy" Brown. "The building used to be on the outskirts of downtown, surrounded by homes and neighborhoods--people could walk to church ... we're looking forward to being in that kind of location again here."
Already, the church is seeing growth from its new location.
For the past 22 years, First Church has been struggling with Seattle's Landmarks Preservation Board and the decay of the old building. The earthquake of 2000 caused $600,000 in damages and was ultimately deemed unfit for occupation. That led to the unusual and amiable agreement between First Church and Seattle Children's Theatre to host services at the theater.
"Seattle Children's Theatre's collaboration with First United Methodist Church was, I feel, a very good one," said Jeff Kaminski, director of patron services/facilities at the theater. "The staff of both organizations worked very well together. The space here seemed ideal for the church services and the timing worked very well for us as the theaters are not usually put to use on Sunday mornings."
In 2007, Nitze-Stagen (a Seattle developer) bought the building on Fifth and Marion with a commitment to preserve the building's historic roots. For First Church, the desire to fill community needs is high. Every other Sunday morning, the church will continue its tradition of a breakfast for the homeless in the community. Because of the new building, First Church can do this in the new fellowship hall. The church is also in the process of building a 7,200 square foot service facility next door.
"We really want to be listening for the spiritual and physical needs of our neighbors; whether through our Sunday breakfasts, going to the chamber meetings, whatever fills those needs here," Brown said.
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