A Dying Church ’ s Gift Inspires a Young Congregation to Help People Experiencing Homelessness
by Julia Duin
Journalist
The Rev . Sara Wolbrecht speaks before a baptism at Salt House church in Kirkland , Washington . John Lok
A dying Lutheran church in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland had a difficult decision . Should they close and sell their property for the millions it would net in Seattle ’ s red-hot real estate market ? Or should they hand the assets to another congregation to reconfigure into something innovative and groundbreaking ?
Trinity Lutheran Church ’ s decision to give up its property to new owners nearly a decade ago led to the planting of Salt House , an enterprising , high-tech Lutheran congregation . With core values of generosity and radical welcome , the progressive church has embraced LGBTQ folks and established a fund for reparations . Among its biggest commitments : sheltering people experiencing homelessness . Today , its campus includes a day center in the church basement and a 24-hour shelter on land it sold to the city . The original gift of the building and assets is now part of the new congregation ’ s DNA , helping drive decisions about who and what they will become .
“ This whole ability to start Salt House was from the generosity of the dying community that wanted new life to be started here ,” said the Rev . Ryan Marsh , a Salt House pastor . “ So who were we to stint on generosity ? We are loved by a generous God who shapes us into generous people .”
‘ What transformations does the church need to make it relevant ?’
The Salt House story began in 2013 . At that time , only a few dozen people were coming to Trinity Lutheran Church each Sunday . Meanwhile , Kirkland was booming . New talent from around the globe was pouring into the area to work at companies such as Amazon and Microsoft . Many chose to live in Kirkland , the headquarters of Costco until 1994 . The city is located on sloping hills with views of Lake Washington and the Seattle skyline backed by the Olympic Mountains .
Trinity Lutheran was not growing , but its church and parsonage , totaling roughly 6,000 square feet , were fully paid for . A photo from 2014 shows a 1950s-era long , light gray building , somewhat like a shoebox with a pitched roof . A white cross on the south wall almost blends in with the gray ; to the north is a boxlike two-story addition that provided the entrance and parish hall . A few miles
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