A boost helps St. Luke lift high the cross
A boost helps St. Luke lift high the cross
St. Luke Lutheran Church, Spokane, WA
St. Luke Lutheran Church is located about a four-hour drive east of Seattle…and right in the middle of one of the largest unchurched areas in the United States, the Pacific Northwest.
Nonetheless, membership at St. Luke has grown steadily for years. In fact, it outgrew the church’s sanctuary, where worshippers in folding chairs at the sides and back of the space became a regular sight.
St. Luke needed to build a new sanctuary. The capital campaign to fund it, “Lifting High the Cross,” inspired much giving and said much about St. Luke’s mission.
“We’re the only church right on Division, the main drag through Spokane,” says the Rev. Jim Johnson, St. Luke’s pastor. “At different times, we’ve considered relocating, but part of our mission has been being a witness, not only to the main corridor, but to this neighborhood.”
Though the congregation considered multiple loan sources to supplement the capital campaign, the Mission Investment Fund stood out, in multiple ways.
“We wanted to support MIF’s mission and the larger church,” Pastor Johnson says. “But the bottom line was, we would do what was in the best fiscal interest of the congregation, and MIF far outweighed the others in what they would do for us. They’ve been a delight to work with. They’ve been interested in our mission and what we believe we were being called to do.”
MIF approved the loan in early 2020, but there were delays in permitting. Then the pandemic hit. Still, St. Luke broke ground that spring, and the congregation has never looked back.
“People have been incredibly patient and supportive,” Pastor Johnson says. “And it’s been fortuitous. If we had been holding worship in the church, we would have had to do the work in stages, over years. Instead, over the past year, we’ve been able to do the whole project.”
Brady Bollum, a young adult who grew up in the church and has settled back in Spokane after college, has lent his carpentry skills to the effort. He has felt and heard the effect the new building is having.
“I talked to some of our neighbors,” Bollum says. “They said they never even thought about going to church. But seeing all this activity and the excitement around the new building, they want to come, they want to become members.
“A few months from now, we may need a bigger sanctuary again!”
