“But you, God see the trouble of the afflicted. You consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.” – Psalm 10:14
God sees our troubles and meets our needs. The Foster Care Drive provided tangible evidence of this simple yet profound truth. With over 375 items donated, including a cornucopia of T-rex hoodies, sparkly shirts, and cozy pjs, God’s love and provision for those in need was majestically on display.
As a potential mother of a foster care child who may one day enter my home, I was reminded that the many donations do not serve abstract children, but actual image-bearers. I praise God for the ways He’s used our church body to support and bless DSHS and the children in foster care!
Here are some of the responses we received from the coordinators we partnered with:
“I would like to thank you for all that you did for children in care, foster families, and social workers in 2016. I am so amazed at all the labor and love you have poured into the community. You have provided hope in the lives of those who may feel there is no hope left.”
– Jessica Hatch, Social and Heath Program Consultant at DSHS: Children’s Administration
“Thank you so much for your FAITHFUL, GENEROUS giving this Christmas season, [and for] your church’s involvement and dedication to these marginalized children and their hard-working foster parents and social workers!”
– Mandy Nell, Foster Care Specialist with Church Engagement at Seattle Union Gospel Mission
Clothing donations were dropped off at King West DSHS office and will be distributed to other DSHS offices in King County including DSHS – Delridge and DSHS – MLK. Adult clothing donations were provided to Parents for Parents, an organization that assists parents whose children have entered the system by providing training and resources. You can see the generosity of our church-wide collection evidenced in photos above (and that was just the second trip!).
GET INVOLVED
If you are interested in learning more about foster and adoptive care in the State of Washington, or want to get involved through donating or volunteering, please feel free to contact me. I love sharing about these wonderful kiddos! Thank you on behalf all of the kids who will sleep, run, and thrive in the clothing you’ve donated.
“He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing.”– Deuteronomy 10:18
To God be the glory,
Jen Keogh
You can get connected to Jen to learn more about foster and adoptive care in the State of Washington by emailing .
“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.” -Romans 6:22
Hundreds of women are sold for sex in this city every night. In spite of the devastating statistics, we cling tight to the great love and abundance of grace we have from God in Jesus Christ – and we fight back with hope secure in His freedom. This Advent season, we made a huge impact for REST: Real Escape from the Sex Trade by outfitting their REST House, a restorative, short-term housing option for young women transitioning out of the sex trade.
By God’s grace and through the outpouring of your generosity, we were able to equip the House not only with scores of necessary items but also with many comforting treasures that will go a long way in blessing women as they transition to freedom and restoration.
In addition to the significant gift of a much-needed storage shed, we provided the following items that will help provide a safe, welcoming space for these young women to find real and lasting rest:
Kitchenwares: KitchenAid mixer and attachments, blender, cookbooks, dish towels, oven mitts, serving bowls, kitchen tools, water pitcher, serving platters, aprons, baking tools, paper products
Personal Care items: shampoo and conditioner, bathroom caddies, feminine hygiene products, hair dryers, soap, beauty items, books
Melody, the Residential Program Manager who heads the REST House team, passed along her thanks: “The generosity of your church family has overwhelmed me… REST and especially the REST House team are so grateful for your care and generosity.”
Downtown Cornerstone strives to display Christ’s light and life in the avenues and the alleyways of Seattle. By God’s grace, we did so this Advent season by donating generously and joyfully to the REST House Drive!
Get Involved
The Wish List we used throughout the drive will remain active and updated, so you can continue to give. You can also find out more about the work REST does and how to get involved on their website: iwantrest.com.
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. – Galatians 5:13
Advent is a season of hopeful expectance and anticipation of Jesus’ joyful arrival. We remember that Christ entered into our brokenness to live the perfect life we could not, die the death we deserved, and rise from the dead to set us free from satan, sin, and death. As we reflect on His coming and anticipate His coming again, we are moved reflect Christ’s goodness to the broken world we live in. In light of this, we’re partnering with REST: Real Escape from the Sex Trade this Advent season.
The statistics are devastating – every night in Seattle, hundreds of individuals are sold for sex. The average age of women entering the sex trade is between 11 and 13 years old. These women were lured or coerced into the sex trade and will likely die within 7 years of entering into prostitution. Traffickers sell them like a commodity and keep all or most of the money. Nearly 75% of women in the sex trade are or have been homeless.
REST was formed to build pathways to freedom from the sex trade. They provide individualized, holistic programs that address the prevention, intervention, and restoration of at-risk and exploited individuals. One way REST comes alongside young women seeking to transition out of the sex trade is by providing longterm restorative housing at the REST House.
We’re partnering with REST to help outfit the REST House through a household goods drive. The blankets, decor, and supplies we donate will help REST create a welcoming and safe environment for these women to begin to dream again of a new life.
NEEDED ITEMS
A full list of needed items can be found on this Target Wish List. If you’re inclined to shop in-store, any cleaning products (dish soap, trash bags, surface cleaners), personal care products (lotion, nail polish, shampoo, etc), or crafting items (crayons, stickers, scrapbooking supplies, etc) will be appreciated.
Purchase online and have items shipped directly to REST or bring in your donations every Sunday, now through the end of December.
Communities: Consider pooling your resources within your community to donate a high value item on the list. Speak with your community lead to organize details.
Email if you have any questions.
Whatever you and/or your community ends up doing, get creative, be generous, and ask Jesus to give you a vision for incarnating the love of Christ this season. In Christ we have been given much. By Him and through Him we have much to give.
On Saturday, August 1st, we had the privilege of partnering with Seattle Schools for our forth annual “Serve the City” event. This year, over 100 volunteers helped, giving over 500 combined man hours of time, to bring some much needed maintenance, groundskeeping, and painting to Bailey Gatzert Elementary School. Thank you to all who came out to help on such a warm, sunny day!
As a church, we’re committed to building a great city, and we desire to see Gospel renewal take place from the avenues to the alleyways. We not only want to declare the good news of the Gospel to Seattle, we also want to be good news to our city. It’s not about “giving back” but a tangible expression of the Gospel of Jesus Christ – serving as we’ve been served, in Christ.
Here is just a small glimpse into what was accomplished:
Brightened the blacktop with refreshed game lines, foursquare, tetherball, international hopscotch.
Tackled a huge weeding project in the garden, enabling the garden teacher to focus on planting with the kids.
Moved a Big Brothers Big Sisters donation box to new, level gravel pad, creating a safer, more inviting donation experience.
Weeded the playgrounds and mulched plant beds.
Picked over dozen of bags of trash from the school grounds.
Cleaned and primed the YMCA childcare room (and we returned two weeks later to finish the painting job!).
Weeded and mulched the perimeter of the entire school building, empowering them avoid spraying pesticides.
Next Saturday on August 1st from 9am-1pm, we’ll be partnering with Seattle Schools to come alongside Bailey Gatzert Elementary to help with some much needed landscaping, painting, and maintenance as they prepare for this next school year.
I want to encourage us to not just let this be just another “church event,” but something that we’re collectively doing to love our city to life and invite others to join us. If you’re on the fence about coming next Saturday, or already have plans, consider canceling or shifting them to join us – seriously. There’s nothing that produces more joy and unifies us as a church than being of the same mind and heart, and working together to be all that God intended for us to be (Eph 4:16).
As a church, we believe that we’ve been infinitely loved and served by God, through the person and work of Jesus. Because of that, we believe that the good news of the Gospel is not only shared in word, but demonstrated in deed. Matthew 9:35 tells us that Jesus went from town to town not only teaching and declaring God’s kingdom has come, but as he went he met the physical needs of those around him. He didn’t just declare good news, he was good news. In the same way, we not only want to declare the good news of the Gospel to Seattle, we also want to be good news to our city. It’s not about “giving back” but a tangible expression of the Gospel of Jesus Christ – serving as we’ve been served, in Christ.
If you haven’t registered yet, or you want to point your friends to a page where they can learn more, you can do so HERE. Registration isn’t required, but it helps us plan well and make sure we’ve got enough team leaders and tools.
If you’re like me you may have questions, so we’ve put together a list of FAQs below to address as many questions as possible. If you still have a question, don’t hesitate to email , and we’ll get back to you.
For the glory of our King and the good of many,
Pastor David
WHY ARE WE SERVING IN THIS WAY? The Seattle School District has only 5 groundskeepers to maintain 34 schools in the South Seattle school district. This leaves many of the schools without adequate funding and manpower to maintain the properties. As such, these schools heavily rely on volunteer efforts to come alongside and help maintain their properties and facilities.
Additionally, We asked Seattle Schools where their greatest need is, and they told us Bailey Gatzert Elementary School. The school is one of the most culturally diverse and impoverished elementary schools in our region. Over 90% of the students receive subsidized or free lunches and about 15% of the students are considered homeless. Because of the lack of attention and resources over the years, the school has experienced a overgrowth of weeds around the building and along fencing that needs some love and attention.
WHAT WE WILL DO?
Weeding and mulching
Removal of bushes, vines from fencing
Refreshing paint on play lines and maps in the playground
Misc Projects
WHO SHOULD JOIN US?
Everyone. Whether you are single, married, wanting to bring a friend or the whole family, there’s something for everyone to do!
ARE THERE ANY NEEDS BESIDES SHOWING UP?
Yes. We need team captains who can help keep groups of 5-20 busy, and be a point person for your team. Please indicate on the form below if you are interested in being a team captain!
HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE NEEDED?
Seattle schools will take as many volunteers as we can provide, and we are shooting to have 150 Volunteers.
HOW DO I SIGN UP?
Register below and share this link with friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers!
WHERE SHOULD I GO WHEN I GET THERE?
We will meet in the school parking lot area off of 13th Ave S at 9:00 to break into teams and be assigned tasks.
WHAT IF I CAN’T STAY FOR THE WHOLE TIME?
That’s ok, join us anyway! Whether you can come for 1 hours or all 4 hours, we’d love to have you.
ARE KIDS WELCOME?
Absolutely! Bring the whole family, and if the kids get tired of “helping”, there’s a playground for lots of little “breaks” right next to where we’ll be working.
DO I NEED TO BRING ANYTHING?
If you’d like to bring your own work gloves, water bottle, or special snack, you’re welcome too, otherwise, we’ll have plenty of cloth work gloves, ice water, and snacks available (trail mix, granola bars, etc.) to munch on.
WHAT SHOULD I WEAR?
Plan to wear grubby clothes that can get dirty, or you don’t mind getting paint on. Cloth work gloves will be provided, but you are welcome to bring your own work gloves if you prefer.
WHAT IF IT RAINS?
Bring a rain coat! Rain or shine, we’ll be there.
HOW DO I GET THERE?
By Bus: The 7, 9, 14, 27, 43, 49, 60, and 309 stop within a couple of blocks of the school.
By Car: The School is located at: 1301 E. Yesler Way
Seattle, WA 98122. Limited parking is available in the school parking lot, but there’s ample street parking in the surrounding area.
ARE THERE OTHER WAYS WE CAN HELP SERVE BESIDES THESE ONE-TIME EVENTS? Yes! Although we want to serve and be a blessing corporately as a church, ultimately it’s about relationships. Not only will this be our 3rd year partnering in this way, but we’re praying that as our communities continue to grow, we’ll be able to establish some year-round partnership with some of our city schools in helping with after school programs, tutoring, etc. If you or your community is interested in partnering with one of the schools, let us know and we’ll get you connected.
Your help is needed! If you call DCC home and have not yet found a way to serve, we’d encourage you to check out some of the unique opportunities below. Not only do we rely on the faithful service of our people to make things happen, including numerous serving opportunities beyond Sunday gatherings, but Scripture tells us that when all of us are using the gifts that God has given us, the church is actually built up in love, and the world gets to see the beauty of the Gospel (Eph 4:16).
“Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them.” Rom. 12:6
SPECIAL EVENTS
We have an immediate need for volunteers to help support DCC’s summer events, including the Serve the City and BBQ & Baptisms! We need help in many different areas, so no matter your experience level, we’d love to hear from you if you’re willing to help! Opportunities range from event planning to decor and food, to day-of volunteering. If you’re not able to help plan summer events, but are interested in helping with events in the future, please let us know as we’d love to add you to the Events team. Please email .
ADMINISTRATION
Mid-week office help keeps DCC running smoothly! If you have flexibility and desire to help with general administrative support during the week ranging from filing, scanning, and spreadsheets to special projects, please email .
COMMUNICATION
We are looking for volunteers with a passion for communications ranging from writing, to editing, to social media, to content contributors. If you want to participate in missionally engaging our city, meaningfully connecting people to what Jesus is doing in and through our church, and proclaiming the goodness of all that God offers us in the gospel, we’d love to add you to the Communications Team! Please email .
BUILDING CLEAN UP & MAINTENANCE
The Building Cleanup Team is meets on Wednesday evenings to prepare and maintain our gathering space for Sunday worship! If you’re looking for a place to jump in and serve the church, worship Jesus, and build community, this is a great opportunity. Additionally, if there’s a specific trade or skill set you have that would be useful for helping us maintain the building (electrical, plumbing, painting, carpentry, etc.), please let us know as there’s always small projects that need to be done. If you’re interested in jumping into this team, email .
MEDIA & DESIGN
If you love color, typography, texture, visual hierarchy, aesthetics, photography, or videography and are passionate about using these mediums to display the creativity and glory of our King, then you’ve found the right team! If you’re interested in jumping into this team, email .
Those of you who were with us Sunday morning heard the exciting news that we have found a building for our next season of life and mission together. After years of searching, and months of negotiating, this past Friday we signed a five-year lease on a building located at 2333 Western Ave. Jesus heard and answered our prayers in a very dramatic way. This space was previously occupied by the downtown campus of Mars Hill Church, but was sold when they moved to a different location. As a result, it has sat empty for the last two and a half years. Jesus has been kind to preserve the work of those who have gone faithfully before us – and we get to be the beneficiaries.
Open House, Wednesday 11th @ 6:30pm
In light of all of this, we are hosting an informal “Open House” this coming Wednesday. This meeting will replace this month’s prayer night. The doors will open at 6:30pm, so everyone will have time to walk through the space. We will then gather around 7:00pm to talk about our plan moving forward, our strategy for getting the building prepared, pray and sing. It’s going to be a great night and we’re going to need all hands on deck. Our plan is to get into the space relatively quickly because (1) it doesn’t need a lot of work and (2) we are already paying rent. As of right now we are aiming to have our first Sunday in the building on March 29th (one week before Easter). Since the main gathering space fits 350-ish chairs (and our current theater at AMC fits 550), we will need to move to two services, likely 9:00am and 11:15am. We’ll be rolling out more information on that front.
Volunteer Sign-Up
Many of you have already graciously expressed interest in helping get the space prepared, and even offered particular gifts or services. To help keep track of all this we have created a volunteer sign-up form. If you’re able to help, in any capacity, please consider completing this form. At this point, we will likely have several larger work parties with many smaller ones sprinkled throughout the next three weeks.
Building Fund
We have been saving for a more permanent gathering space from the very beginning. By God’s grace, we don’t need to do a major capital campaign in order to get into the building because we already have those dollars saved. Thank you to all who have given sacrificially, cheerfully and regularly to make that a reality. However, as far as we know at this point, this building is not going to be a long term space beyond the five year lease. We plan to continue to save in order to buy a space and not dig too deeply, or unnecessarily, into our savings during this move. So, in light of that, we have created a separate “Building fund” for anyone who would like to contribute to this particular project. You can access that here. This would, of course, be above and beyond your normal giving.
It’s just a building
Let’s keep in mind that the building located at 2333 Western is just a building. Without question, let’s rejoice and thank our gracious, gift-giving King for answering our prayers! Yes! Yes! Yes! But, at the same time, let’s remember that this building is just a tool for spreading the supremacy of God, in all things, in our city. Our ultimate hope is in Him and not this, or any other, building. This doesn’t change who we are. We are still DCC. We still want to build a great city through the gospel of Jesus Christ for the glory of God. The church is still a people, not a place, but it sure is nice to have a place for the people. He is positioning us well for our next season together.
Friends, we got a building! I hope to see you all on Wednesday.
“To him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Eph 3:20)
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” – Jesus (John 14:18)
As foster parents licensed through the state, my husband and I see firsthand what it is like for children to come “into the system.” Our current foster son came to us with nothing but a worn coat and the clothes he was wearing. In the midst of uncertainty in a new and strange place, the gift of comfortable clothes is undeniably reassuring.
Throughout the Foster Care Drive, I watched in grateful amazement as our living room filled with messy piles of socks, bags of sweatshirts, and boxes of sweatpants. I am astonished by God’s grace and provision through the Downtown Cornerstone community. Through the freedom to love as we have been loved, we collected over 780 articles of clothing! You can see the generosity of that collection evidenced below in photos of my car stuffed with your donations.
The bottom-right photo above is the play area at the West Seattle Visitation Center where the clothes will be distributed. When children come into care after hours, they are often brought here and given overnight bags with essentials, if any are available. Lisa, the DSHS social worker who runs the visitation center, was incredibly grateful to stock the center with our much-needed supplies.
GET INVOLVED
If you are looking for more ways to help, Lisa shared that a dream of hers is to have a supply of duffel bags. If children are lucky enough to bring their things from home, they usually carry their items around in trash bags. Just as some fresh socks can bring comfort, having a proper bag for your possessions (however few) can bring a sense of worth and value.
The Visitation Center is also in desperate need of a refresh. There is currently a project through Amara, an adoption support agency, to update the Center. For more information, visit Amara’s GoFundMe page.
If you are interested in learning more about foster and adoptive care in the State of Washington, or want to get involved through donating or volunteering, please feel free to contact me. I love sharing about these wonderful kiddos! Thank you on behalf all of the kids who will sleep, run, and thrive in the clothing you’ve donated.
Sing to God, sing praises to his name…Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity…”
– Psalm 68:4-6
Christ is all,
Anne Johnson
You can get connected to Anne to learn more about foster and adoptive care in the State of Washington by emailing .
As we kick off this advent season, we want to demonstrate the love of Christ in action. We are not only here to proclaim the good news of Jesus in our city, but we also want to be good news to our city. In light of that, through the month of December, two things are happening:
COMMUNITY
Our Cornerstone Communities will be looking for ways to love and bless the people and needs that God has placed around them. If you know of a person or family in need, talk to your community lead. [Note: If you are in need of particular help in this season, please let us know by emailing .]
CHURCH
Corporately, we’ve chosen to partner with DSHS this advent season to provide comfortable clothes for foster children entering state care. On any given day there are 1,300 to 1,500 children in foster care in King County. Whether children are picked up from school or removed directly from home, they often don’t have the chance to bring their clothes with them. Consequently, many children come into foster care without coats or sometimes even socks! It can take weeks for DSHS to get foster children these basic winter essentials.
Life in foster care can be extraordinarily challenging and disruptive for kids and teens, both emotionally and developmentally. Having the comfort of warm clothes can go a long way in helping children transition into foster care. The items donated will give DSHS offices a supply of winter items to give out to children as soon as they enter care.
Donations: Bring in your donations every Sunday at AMC Theaters, now through the end of December. You can also purchase online and have items shipped directly to DCC.
Flyer: If you would like to place a receptacle in your apartment building or workplace, you can download a promotional flyer HERE. Don’t forget to write your name and phone number on it, so people can follow up with questions!
Questions: Email
Whatever you and/or your community ends up doing, get creative, be generous, and ask Jesus to give you a vision for incarnating the love of Christ this season. In Christ we have been given much. By Him and through Him we have much to give.
I can’t believe we’re over halfway through our trip, and although it’s been a full week, we’re thankful for God’s grace to us in so many ways.
We’ve had an emotionally intense couple of days ministering and serving in some of the most horrible and broken places we’ve seen, while at the same time seeing specific answers to prayer as we served. It’s been powerful watching Jesus move and work in and through us as a team, and those He’s put before us to love, serve, and share the gospel with.
I wanted to share something Edward wrote today that helps put to words some of what we’ve experienced the last few days. Please keep praying for us, and that Jesus would continue to go before us in every way. If you want to check out more updates, and some of the images we’ve been able to capture, visit our Facebook Page and the Instagram feed.
Para a Glória de Deus! – Pastor David
Never have I walked among such beautiful and broken people.
As we looked out over the city of Rio we could not see the end of the poverty. The favelas, or slum communities, sprawl for miles. In and around these homes there are relentless threats of power, privilege, hunger, disease, violence, sexual exploitation, fear, loneliness, and unyielding addiction.
We prayed and claimed the power of Jesus’ name over everyone and everything in the city. We took a deep breath, and descended into the city to serve, because we have been so radically served by Christ.
It was a challenge to not be overwhelmed as we witnessed first hand the strongholds the enemy has in this place. We visited Crackoland, where hundreds of lost and lifeless souls, including boys as young as 8 or 9, subsisted on crack cocaine. Their faces were often disfigured by sores and crooked jaws permanently misaligned from the perpetual grinding of teeth. Their bodies wobbled in contorted ways towards us to line up as we offered food, drink, and prayer.
The night before we had circled a loop of highway where a dozen nearly naked transvestite sex workers walked the sidewalks, before pulling into an emergency shelter which offers services to many homeless men among the lowest of the low.
Despite all this, there are sparks and whispers of Jesus everywhere.
Two men who we prayed for in Crackoland made the decision to access rehabilitation services just an hour after we left. At the men’s shelter, twelve men responded to a call to salvation after we humbly offered testimonies and a worship service.
An industry of oppression surrounds Rio, at the same time we can’t help but believe that the small things, the small people, are being mended. Through every triumphant smile that exploded from ancient and fresh faces alike, every tear that was shed by hurting people over whom we prayed the promises of Christ, there is no doubt another brick of His Kingdom is being cemented into place.
I can understand why people give their lives to places like this. Places where the least of these live and whom we have given our lives to for these past few days. Grace is like water and pools up at the low places, and we have been to the lowest here in Rio. And God is at work, and the Gospel is being preached, and the city is being transformed, one life, and one moment at a time.
-Edward Sumner
To follow more updates from the Brazil Team, check out the team’s Facebook page here or search the hashtag #dccbrazil2014 on Twitter or Instagram.
