December 13 2007, Press Release
University Baptist Church issued a press release today announcing the congregation's decision to offer their building and land for sale. A copy of the press release is available here.
Click here to download a pdf file of the May report and motion for the June Quarterly meeting regarding "Seeking the House God Has For Us."
Have you been to University Baptist Church? Have you experienced the buzz of activity during the week, when children fill the main floor during the day, and numerous organizations use our classrooms, meeting rooms and social hall at night? Have you been on a weekend to see the men and women who share a free meal with us on Saturday mornings? When you are outside, have you looked up to the third floor and noticed the curtains framing the transitional housing apartments we provide? Have you stepped inside the sanctuary to see the beautiful beams stretching to hold up the ceiling? The sound of the organ in this open and elegant space? The vintage stained glass windows? Oh how we love this place!
Our physical space is important, but it is not what makes ‘church’. People make church. We welcome you and all others to join us in our current church building, but more importantly we welcome you to the UBC church that thrives in our collective hearts.
A lighthouse with a beacon is illustrated in the west-facing window above the balcony. It is a meaningful symbol for our congregation. For we are a congregation of seekers.
And we are in a directed process of seeking right now – we are seeking the house God has for us. (For those interested in the process, please see the link to the Progressive Summary which record the process of discernment our congregation completed in preparation for the decision to seek a new house.) Our current house – this building at 12th and 47th in the University District -- has long been a key feature of our worship and our ministries. But this wonderful building is old and needs care – care we literally can no longer afford to give. So we are seeking a new house. What kind of house, you might ask? At this point, we’re open. Might we share space with another congregation? Yes. Might we sell the building, using the funds to support our ministries elsewhere? Yes. Might we develop the property with a partner, allowing for worship and mission space within this new structure? Yes. Will we find a space and place that allows us to bring some of our most treasured physical features with us, like the organ and the windows? We hope so. Will we find a way to maintain our identity as a Baptist congregation that is ‘Not what you’d expect, but maybe what you’re looking for? We surely expect to. Is there a combination of these that can work? Most likely, yes.
So, we’re open. We do have a path to guide our seeking, and we expect to know more about our future by the close of 2007. We approach our seeking with some caution and some grief – yes, but we’re also excited about the possibilities. We know God has a House for Us – both literally and figuratively, and we’re looking forward to finding it. Would you like to help us? You are welcome to.
Questions, ideas or comments? Please feel free to contact Martha Bean, Church moderator at 206-524-3899 or email mbean(at)nwlink.com. (please replace the (at) with an @)