The Ultimate Seattle Experience?

What do you think would be the ultimate Seattle experience -- Drinking Starbucks on top of the Space Needle while looking at Mount Rainier? Eating King Salmon on the waterfront? Or listening to indie rock at the Crocodile Cafe? Whichever it is, I've now experienced it!

Last night, we closed the Crocodile Cafe after listening to two really good independent bands: What Made Milwaukee Famous and Aqueduct. And the best thing about music in Seattle is that the clubs are non-smoking! Jim, Alice, Robin and I rocked out until 1 a.m. this morning--which at our age we think is pretty darn cool! The Crocodile Cafe is owned by a member of REM and has a reputation for featuring future famous acts.

This afternoon, we visited the top of the Space Needle. The day was beautiful. I understand you can only see Mount Rainier from here 50 days out of each year and we've been able to see it for two days straight. The spot in this picture that looks somewhat like a triangular shaped cloud is actually the snow top covered peak of Mount Rainier, a volcano located over 50 miles from Seattle. It was beautiful. And yes I had a skinny latte from the Starbucks on top of the Space Needle.

Then tonight, we had dinner on the waterfront and I had wonderful Salmon (thanks to Joe Estes who told me I had to try Salmon on the West Coast)!


When I spoke to Craig today, he wanted to know if we were doing anything theological. And I assure all of you that we are doing something more than eating and listening to good music. Last night, we worshipped with the community at the Church of the Apostles in Fremont. The average age for this congregation is 27! And they are doing some very innovative things in worship and community building. This picture shows their worship space, which for the Easter season is divided into family rooms. They had great music (in fact their worship leader is the one who recommended the Crocodile Cafe to us), icons, candles, Eucharist, and instead of a sermon they had discussions of scripture in the family groups. Then we had dinner with the community and visited with their pastor/abbess, Karen Ward.


This morning, we worshipped with the Interfaith Community Church. They meet in the oldest continually worshipping church in Seattle. The group is a very big mix of just about every faith tradition imaginable. We also had a meal with them and visited for quite some time with them.

Needless to say, I'm very tired and on my way to bed!

The Bluest Skies You've Ever Seen Are in Seattle . . .

Okay--I'm showing my age, but I LOVED Bobby Sherman as a child and one of my favorite TV shows was "Here Comes The Brides". So that shows you how OLD I am (as my kids like to remind me.)

(He was awfully cute! And I'm sure I had this picture on my bedroom wall!!)

But tomorrow I'm heading to Seattle for the first time in my life. Well actually our first stop is Portland where we will meet with Marcus Borg. Then on Thursday we head to Seattle where we plan to meet with some really interesting people and groups. On Saturday, we are worshipping at the Church of the Apostles and meeting with their pastor Karen Ward. We will also worship at the Interfaith Community Church and meet with their leadership as well as with the folks at Monkfish Abbey. It should be really interesting!

Well I'm off to attend the IMS Banquest and then pack!

What Post-Christians wish the church was like

• I wish church was not just a sermon but a discussion. They would love to be able to participate and ask questions.
• I wish the Church sometimes met outside the church building. Can’t you worship in a coffee house, a home, a dance studio?
• I wish church was less programmed and allowed time to think and pray. They long for more time to quiet themselves and pray meditatively.
• I wish the church was a loving place. Post-Christians believe that folks in the church love one another and perhaps others that are like them but they do not love those who have different beliefs or lifestyles.
• I wish the Church taught more about Jesus. Post-Christians like Jesus or at least they like what they think they know about Jesus and they would like to learn more. And they would like it if the Church acted more like Jesus taught!
• I wish someone would ask me to be a part of a church. They want an invitation from someone they trust who they believe accepts them and loves them as they are.
  
  Outreach magazine
  

Are we at Trinity the kind of church they are looking for? If so, how do we reach out? If not, how should we change?

What Post-Moderns Think About the Church

In an article in this month’s Outreach magazine, pastor Dan Kimball, lists some of the comments he has heard from non-Christians about common perceptions of the church and what they wish the church was like. Most of the people he spoke to were in their 20s and 30s and while some had grown up in the church some had no experience in the church. Six most common perceptions of the church:

• The Church is an organized religion with a political agenda. In other words, don’t come if you aren’t Republican!
• The Church is judgmental and negative. To outsiders, the Church appears to focus on what we are against more than what we are for.
• The Church is dominated by males and oppresses females.
• The Church is homophobic.
• The Church arrogantly claims all other religions are wrong.Post-moderns are willing to talk to us about Christ and the Bible, but first we have to take their beliefs and the beliefs of others seriously and respectfully.
• The Church is full of fundamentalists who take the whole Bible literally. In other words, don’t come if you believe in evolution or have any questions or concerns about portions of the Bible.

What do you think? Are their perceptions correct? How can we correct misconceptions?