| History of the Northwest Church of Christ |
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| 42nd Avenue - Gardner House |
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The body of believers known as the Northwest Church
of Christ first met together in 1902. Eight adults
formed the nucleus of the church that met in a rented
storeroom on 4th Avenue NE and NE 42nd Street near
the north end of Lake Union. These early pioneers
of the church were primarily Canadians who immigrated
first to the San Juan Islands and then to Seattle.
The fledging church erected its first building in
1904 on NE 42nd Street, between Eastern Avenue and
First Avenue NE.
George Pepperdine, the founder of
both Western Auto and Pepperdine University in Malibu,
California, played a significant role in the growth
of the congregation. When Pepperdine opened a Western
Auto store in Seattle in 1923, he recruited families
from Churches of Christ to move to the city to work
in his business. Most of these families came from
Vancouver, British Columbia and they served as the
backbone of the church. Thus the Canadian influence
continued.
1927 was a watershed year for the congregation.
The church moved again - this time to the corner of
NW 62nd Street and 5th Avenue NW in Ballard. It was
at this location that the congregation would hire
its first full-time minister, appoint elders, and
begin supporting its first missionaries. It was also
at the Ballard location that the church would adopt
the name ‘Northwest Church of Christ’.
The church experienced a boom in growth during World War II.
As a result of this growth, the congregation moved
again - this time to N 81st Street near Green Lake.
The minister during much of this period was J. C.
Bunn. Bunn stands as a giant in the churches of Christ
in Washington for his work in planting churches and
for his evangelism.
In 1978, the Northwest Church of Christ established a campus ministry
at the University of Washington. This ministry was led by Milton Jones
and William Lawrence. They, along with 16 others, moved to Seattle
from Lubbock, Texas. Hundreds of students were converted through the
campus ministry. The boom in growth caused another move to be made by
the congregation - this time to its present location on 15th Avenue NE
in the city of Shoreline. During the 1980’s and 1990’s the Northwest
Church of Christ became one of the ‘cutting edge’ congregations
nationally in the Churches of Christ because of their innovative use of
such things as Life Groups and worship teams.
In the 1990’s the Northwest Church of Christ continued to
grow. The facilities on 15th Avenue NE was filled close to capacity
and parking was becoming a problem. The church began buying houses
around the current facilities and a new parking lot was completed in
the year 2000.
In spring of 2000, a new third service called “NW Passage” was
added on Sunday evenings at 6pm with our mission of outreach in mind.
Worship is led by a contemporary worship band, Praise by Northwest
(PBN).
In 2002 Northwest celebrated her 100th year of serving the
greater Seattle area. She stands in a unique position to continue the
growth and outreach for which the church has been known for almost a
century. The church remains dedicated to future growth as we
encourage one another to put in a good word for Jesus in Seattle and
around the world.
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| 1932 - Ballard Building |
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| J.C. Bunn |
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