| History of the Shoreline Christian Church |
The Shoreline Christian Church began serving the north Seattle area in
February 1962. At that time four families, with the encouragement of
Lew Whitney of the Greenwood Christian Church, began meeting in the
Masonic Lodge in the Ravenna district. The new body of Christians
identified themselves as the Ravenna Christian Church. During the
early years the church was led by several men including Earl Ladd II,
Ray Renzema, and Richard Owen. In 1965 the church moved to the YMCA
facility in North City, changing her name to Shoreline Church of
Christ. By 1966 the church had grown and decided to call her first
full-time minister. Merl Beagle, who had been among the four founding
families of the church in 1962, had recently graduated from Lincoln
Christian Seminary in Illinois. Merl served as minister for nine years.
During his time at Shoreline the congregation enjoyed
significant growth, purchased property, and constructed a building at
14800 First Avenue NE in Shoreline. In 1976 the church voted to change
her name to Shoreline Christian Church. Men such as Don Johnson and Dr.
Glen Basey led the congregation in the years that followed. The church
enjoyed its largest membership ever during the ministry of Dr. Basey.
Sam Harsin began his ministry at Shoreline in 2000 and was instrumental
in facilitating the merger with the Northwest Church of Christ in 2004.
Over the years the Shoreline Christian Church has been involved in many
various ministries including the Child Development Center and the
Pleasant Valley Christian Camp. From its inception, the church has
also been closely involved in missions. One of the four founding
families of the church, the Van Dykes, served as missionaries in
Southern Rhodesia beginning in 1964. Shoreline member Bob Wyrick
ministered to street people in Seattle and went on to be the founder of
Network Ministries to homeless families. Many other Shoreline members
have served as short term missionaries going to such places as the
Philippines and Mongolia. From the beginning of the congregation’s
life, Shoreline has also been closely related to the
leadership-preparation ministry of Puget Sound Christian College.
Across the years many of the college’s faculty and staff have been
members at Shoreline, and college students have worshiped and practiced
ministry in the church.
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| Merle Beagle |
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| 1st Avenue Property |
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| SCC Eldership at the Merger |
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