My Ballard » churches

Controversial Ballard homeless shelter to close

Geeky Swedes — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:33:43 +0000

Our Redeemer’s Church says it’s been unable to reach an agreement with the homeless group SHARE on new screening procedures, so the church has decided to close the homeless shelter in Loyal Heights.

In September, neighbors discovered a convicted child rapist living at the Calvary Lutheran shelter at 70th and 23rd Ave NW. The Level III sex offender was quickly banished, but neighbors demanded that SHARE screen new members for sex offenders. Our Redeemer’s tells My Ballard today that it asked SHARE to conduct the checks, but SHARE “indicated their inability to do so.” Prior to the discovery of the sex offender, SHARE had repeatedly refused neighbor requests for the checks, calling sex offender screening “un-American.”

“I am glad that Our Redeemer’s stepped up and decided to require sex offender background checks, yet disappointed that SHARE wouldn’t take this one simple step to ensure the survival of the shelter,” said one neighbor who wished to remain anonymous. In a statement later this afternoon, our Redeemer’s added:

“Our Redeemer’s is deeply saddened that the process of seeking a more effective entry protocol has at times led to neighbors, church members, and homeless people taking apparently opposite sides, when in fact we are partners in creating safe, compassionate community for all. Most of us want a safe place for people who are homeless to sleep. Reasonable people may disagree on how to reach that goal. Our Redeemer’s asks that all of us involved in discussions about the Calvary campus shelter extend the presumption of good faith to one another and treat each other with respect.”

Our Redeemer’s says no date has been set for the shelter’s closure, and the timing may hinge on SHARE’s ability to find a new location. SHARE has been unavailable for comment.

Our Redeemers: ‘More than deeply saddened’

Geeky Swedes — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:17:15 +0000

Over the weekend, a Level III sex offender was removed from the SHARE homeless shelter at Calvary Lutheran church. Pastor Steve Grumm of Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Church, which oversees the Calvary property, told us today that he is “more than deeply saddened by this.”

“It’s not only a surprise, but an alarm,” he said. Grumm said he’s held several conversations since the weekend with SHARE about the organization’s screening process, which does not include sex offender background checks. “They seem open to additional accountability,” Grumm said, adding that the task force set up to monitor the shelter plans to meet with SHARE later this week. Neighborhood representatives of the task force are demanding that sex offender checks “be immediately implemented,” but a SHARE representative told us on Monday that the sex offender incident “doesn’t change anything.”

“We had something going,” Pastor Grumm says about how well the Calvary Lutheran shelter was running before this weekend. “Neighbors were even bringing residents food.” Grumm said he plans to meet with neighbors next week after he’s spoken more in-depth with SHARE.

Task force report on SHARE homeless shelter

Geeky Swedes — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:28:50 +0000

On May 30th, a group of homeless men moved into a SHARE shelter at the vacant Calvary Lutheran Church in Ballard. As you may remember, it was a controversial addition to the neighborhood. A task force comprised of neighbors, SHARE and members of Our Redeemers Church was set up, and My Ballard received an email of the minutes from their last meeting in July.

There are 13 people using the shelter, the task force reports. The turnover rate has been pretty high — likely due to the location change and the fact that shelter occupancy rates tend to drop off in the summer months. “Some neighbors have noticed an increase in family use of Salmon Bay Park and noted overall quiet in vicinity since SHARE moved in,” the minutes read, explaining that SHARE members conduct security checks in the area three times a night. There have been three reports of loitering, when residents arrive before 7 p.m. And a neighbor reported seeing a SHARE member during the day inside the 10-block exclusion zone around the church. “This issue has been addressed,” the report reads, adding that neighbors should contact Marvin, SHARE’s organizer, immediately with any rule violations.

The Ballard Food Bank is within the 10-block zone, so SHARE members are restricted from going there. People are welcome to drop food off for the residents on any evening. “SHARE residents expressed appreciation for donations of food, clothing and 2 refrigerators,” the minutes read. “Overall, things are working out great,” a SHARE member said.

Food Bank closes soup kitchen at church

Geeky Swedes — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:32:59 +0000

Earlier this month, the Ballard Food Bank decided to temporarily suspend their soup kitchen at Calvary Lutheran Church. Last night the board of directors decided to permanently close their meal program at the church, Executive Director Nancy McKinney told My Ballard in an email today. In the meantime, the Food Bank is partnering with Our Redeemers Church on 85th St. to distribute food there on Monday evenings from 5 to 7 p.m. “in order to meet the growing needs in our community,” McKinney said. You may remember, Our Redeemers hosted a tent city in the church parking lot last April.

The Food Bank says it will continue to distribute food two days a week in the lunchtime hours from its current location on 24th Ave.

Congregation at Ballard church all a Twitter

Geeky Swedes — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 03:03:14 +0000

Tapping away on your iPhone is usually not encouraged at church, but Ballard’s Mars Hill Church encourages its members to Twitter during the service. It was the subject of a story on KING 5 News today.

Mars Hill has used the web more than any other Seattle-area church to get out its message. And it’s also no stranger to media coverage — you may remember Mars Hill was featured in the New York Times in January.

Food bank temporarily closes soup kitchen

Geeky Swedes — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 00:58:58 +0000

The Ballard Food Bank has decided to temporarily close its soup kitchen at Calvary Lutheran Church at 23rd Ave. and 70th St. “Some people who attend the lunch program have not maintained a standard of behavior that is appropriate or respectful,” explained the food bank’s executive director and board president in a letter distributed to the neighborhood. “Over the next several weeks, our board will closely examine options to address the concerns that have been raised about the Meals Program, including discussing whether clients of this program can be served through other avenues or partnerships.” The kitchen has operated every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and it has served an increasing number of people in need over the last few months.

Last week, quite a few neighbors complained about the soup kitchen at a community meeting that discussed a plan to bring a nighttime SHARE shelter to Calvary Lutheran. The shelter’s move to Calvary has since been delayed. The food bank said it appreciated the feedback it received at the meeting, and now asks for your comments and ideas. “We welcome your feedback about how the program has personally impacted you and any ideas you have about how we can continue to respond to people in need while also being a respectful neighbor,” the letter reads. The full letter is below…

Dear Neighbors:

For many years, the Ballard Food Bank has been serving the community with the help of neighbors like you. The meal program we offer three times a week at the former Calvary Lutheran Church is well attended and provides a healthy lunch to those who need it. Unfortunately, some people who attend the lunch program have not maintained a standard of behavior that is appropriate or respectful. This has caused concern for many of you who desire to be compassionate neighbors but also want to feel safe in your neighborhood. We appreciated the opportunity to hear directly from many of you about these concerns at last week’s meeting about the SHARE men’s shelter at the Calvary Building.

Effective March 5, the Board of Directors of the Ballard Food Bank has decided to temporarily shutdown the Meal Program we sponsor at the former Calvary Lutheran site on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Over the next several weeks, our board will closely examine options to address the concerns that have been raised about the Meals Program, including discussing whether clients of this program can be served through other avenues or partnerships. We welcome your feedback about how the program has personally impacted you and any ideas you have about how we can continue to respond to people in need while also being a respectful neighbor. Please direct your comments or feedback to our Executive Director, Nancy McKinney via email at ed@ballardfoodbank.org and via phone 206-789-7800.

One again, we thank you for your support over the years and look forward to our partnership is serving as a resource for the most vulnerable.

Thank you,

Nancy McKinney
Executive Director

Monica Myers Greenberg
Board President

Homeless shelter move postponed

Geeky Swedes — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 23:46:59 +0000

The controversial plan to move a homeless shelter from a West Seattle church to Ballard’s Calvary Lutheran Church tonight has been delayed. Pastor Steve Grumm, who agreed to host the shelter two weeks ago, sent an email this afternoon to neighbors who signed up to receive updates:

“Because we believe it is part of our mission to create partnerships with the community and to be a good neighbor, we have decided to postpone by four weeks the move-in date for the 20 men who will be sheltered in our Calvary building. During this time, we will work with SHARE to develop an agreement that defines accountability and safety. A task force has been formed to facilitate this process, including representatives from Our Redeemer’s, SHARE, and the neighborhood surrounding the shelter location.”

Grumm said the task force’s first meeting is Thursday, March 5th. Another community meeting will be held later in March. Grumm said the West Seattle Church of the Nazarene has agreed to delay the homeless shelter’s moving date, originally scheduled for today, for 7 days. “We feel a sense of urgency in completing an agreement with SHARE because we want these men to have safe shelter on these cold nights,” Grumm said.

Reminder: This story was sent out as a breaking news alert. Sign up to get your own news alerts from the Ballard area, either via email or Twitter.

Emotions run high at homeless shelter meeting

Geeky Swedes — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 07:29:06 +0000

A large crowd packed Calvary Lutheran Church on Thursday night to hear about a controversial plan to move an emergency shelter of 20 homeless men into the vacant facility as early as this Saturday.

Our Redeemer’s Pastor Steve Grumm, whose church merged with Calvary Lutheran last year, led the discussion with neighbors and 7 members of SHARE/WHEEL, the group that organizes the nighttime homeless shelters. At times members of the audience shouted questions, demanding why they just learned of the plan on Monday. “I apologize for the time frame that’s taking place. This is not typically how we make decisions,” Grumm said, explaining they were approached by SHARE/WHEEL a couple weeks ago. “Our problem is these people were left without a place to sleep by March 1st.”

The SHARE/WHEEL members on the stage, all homeless, explained the rules of the shelter and how they police themselves: no alcohol, no drugs and doors are locked between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. “Each one is held accountable each and every day,” said one of the members named Nicholas. But when the SHARE/WHEEL members were asked for details about the mandatory screening process, they said it consisted of an interview and no warrant or sex offender background check. “I want accountability before you move into my neighborhood,” demanded Diane Travis, who said she’s lived across the street for the last 38 years. Another neighbor explained his wife has been running a licensed, in-home daycare for the last 15 years. “(It’s) 329 feet away from that wall,” he said, pointing to the side of church. A woman stood up and said her child attends the daycare. “I totally support getting everyone off the streets,” she said, pausing to choke back tears. “But I have to protect my child.”

SHARE/WHEEL explained they don’t have a system or the financing to conduct background checks. Jessie Israel, who said she’s on the board of the Ballard Food Bank, said they could offer them background checks for free. SHARE/WHEEL members promised to meet with her to discuss the idea. Terry Mattson, pastor of the West Seattle Church of the Nazarene, where the homeless shelter is currently housed, spoke out against mandatory warrant and sex offender checks. “We would not require that of our neighbors or each other,” he said. “It’s not an appropriate response.” Mattson explained that they had just two incidents over the last 13 months — police were called once, for a belligerent member who showed up drunk and was banned from the shelter. “Our neighbors love us,” said Mark, one of the SHARE/WHEEL members on the stage. “Why don’t you give us a chance? We can be gone in 24 hours.”

Roughly a third of the neighbors who spoke said they supported the shelter, background checks or not. “I can’t imagine a more appropriate use for an empty building to house people who don’t have a place to stay,” said Joseph Azel, who said Pastor Grumm had a “Christian obligation” to take in the homeless.

The audience offered lots of suggestions, including a 3 week delay to nail down some details about the plan. Or a 3 week trial period. In the end, Pastor Grumm promised to take a hard look at the community feedback before giving the final green light to move the shelter into the church on Saturday. “This was significant enough for us to say, hey, do we need a new tactic here?” he told My Ballard after the meeting. He said he would be meeting with SHARE/WHEEL as well as keeping in contact with neighbors over the next few days. “When we woke up this morning, we were moving in this Saturday,” said SHARE/WHEEL member Ken as he walked toward the door. “That issue is up in the air.” We’ll let you know as soon as a final decision is made.

Emergency shelter moving to Ballard

Geeky Swedes — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:34:34 +0000

The old Calvary Lutheran Church on 23rd Ave. and 70th St., which is currently for sale, will soon become home to a nighttime SHARE shelter for as many as 20 homeless men. “They came to us a week or so ago,” said Our Redeemer’s Pastor Steve Grumm, whose church merged with Calvary Lutheran last year. SHARE’s one-year arrangement with the Church of the Nazarene in West Seattle is expiring on March 1st, and the group was looking for a new home for another one-year run. “(They’re) a responsible and accountable group,” Grumm said, pointing out that SHARE pre-screens all the members, many of them have jobs and the shelters are only open at night. Once the doors close, members aren’t allowed to leave until the next morning. “They’re places where people have hit some crisis in their life,” he said.

Grumm said he spoke to other churches that also host SHARE shelters, such as St. John’s Lutheran on Phinney Ridge, and the reviews have been very positive. Flyers have been distributed to neighbors in the area, and all are invited to a meeting at Calvary Lutheran on February 26th at 7 p.m. The group is expected to start moving in on February 28th. If you have any questions or concerns, you can contact Our Redeemer’s Church at 783-7900 or SHARE/WHEEL at 448-7889. (Thanks Ivan for letting us know about the flyer.)

Ballard pastor arrested in protest

Geeky Swedes — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 01:37:07 +0000

Last week, Rev. Rich Lang of Trinity Methodist Church told his congregation that was going to get arrested, and today he followed through on his promise. Lang was one of 15 people arrested in front of Seattle City Hall protesting the sweeps of homeless camps (see photos by Isabel). “I am convinced that God is on the side of the poor,” he said in a letter to his congregation. “These encampments are very rough on the parks,” said Alex Fryer, a spokesman for Mayor Greg Nickels. “As a matter of policy, we simply can’t have encampments like these in our public spaces.” Rev. Lang was questioned by police and released.

Buy this Ballard church for $1,975,000

Geeky Swedes — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 02:58:46 +0000

Calvary Lutheran Church merged with Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Church earlier this month, and now Calvary Lutheran’s building on 23rd and 70th is for sale. For just under $2 million, you can own a sanctuary with “amazing stained glass” that seats 279. Calvary Lutheran merged with Our Redeemer’s after years of declining attendance, reports the Ballard News Tribune.

The Mars Hill Church phenomenon

Geeky Swedes — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:53:54 +0000

We’ve never attended, but we’ve seen the massive influx of people every Sunday at the Mars Hill Church on Leary Way. What started in Ballard several years ago has turned into one of the fastest-growing churches in America with new locations in Shoreline, Redmond, West Seattle, Wedgwood and coming March 16th, in Belltown. Pastor Mark Driscoll’s message is broadcast from Ballard to each of the locations, and he says his podcast is downloaded by “a few million people.” So what’s the story behind this phenomenon? The UW Daily’s Sarah Greenleaf has the eye-opening write-up here.

A frame of Driscoll in a Easter video clip on the church’s website.

Tent city moves into Ballard

Geeky Swedes — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 18:06:37 +0000

The roving “Tent City 3″ moved into a section of the big parking lot next to the Our Redeemers Church on Saturday, at 85th and 24th. We stopped by and snapped some photos (below). As we posted before, the tent city says it has strict rules about staying drug-free, sober and non-violent, and security will patrol the area. They’re setting up camp through April 26th. You can learn more about tent city’s visit to Ballard on the church’s site here.

Also, Trinity United Methodist Church at 65th and 23rd, which hosted Ballard’s first tent city seven years ago, has just opened a permanent shelter for twenty homeless folks. Details in this story here.

‘Tent City 3′ coming to Ballard

Geeky Swedes — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 20:33:33 +0000

Starting March 1st, Our Redeemers Church at 2400 NW 85th St. will host Tent City 3 in their parking lot. The group of up to 100 men and women are all supposed to be sober and non-violent — panhandling and violence are strictly prohibited. Sex offender checks and criminal background checks are done on all residents. Tent City 3 has been around since 2000 and has moved 50 times to 35 locations. The city requires them to move every 90 days, so the church has agreed to let them set up camp until April 26th.