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In the 1980's, the Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ) embarked on an adventure to start 100 new
congregations in the United States and Canada. In 1984, the Northwest Region
selected Kirkland as the place to start a new congregation and called Rick
Morse to serve as Pastor Developer.

After much work, the first worship
service was held at a Kingsgate home in October of 1984 with eight people
present. By November, worship attendance grew to thirty-three with the
congregation moving to Kamiakin Junior High. On Easter of 1985, worship
attendance was in the sixties. The congregation chartered in 1986, and Rick
Morse was called as Organizing Pastor.
When Kamiakin was remodeled, the
church had to find new quarters. From 1986 to 1990, the congregation was
nested at Trinity Lutheran Church. These years were hard on the congregation
as we had no control over worship times and our visibility decreased. To
make matters worse, eleven members transferred to other parts of the
country. Some years we had only five visitors! Still, the congregation saved
money, purchased land, and began plans for a church building.
 In 1989, the congregation bought the
site where we are located today. In the fall of 1990, the congregation moved
to Juanita High School and received new life. The congregation began to
slowly grow as plans for its building took shape.
In the spring of 1992, ground was
broken for the current facility. The 4000 sq. ft. structure had plenty of
space for the congregation which averaged sixty-five in worship at that
time. The cost of the project was $120 per square foot, which was double the
national average for church construction. This was partly due to taxes and
fees which are charged to non-profits in our state.
Once in the new facility, the
congregation doubled in worship attendance within two years. As we grew, a
modular unit was added to house the church office and the offices of
Lake Washington Human Services. With
the remodel completed in the fall of 2000, we gained 3 more spaces for
Christian Education. In December of 2000, the congregation was both
delighted and dismayed to hear that Pastor Morse would be moving on to take
a position as Director of New Church Establishment for the Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ).

Beginning in March,
2001, the
congregation was led by interim pastor Rev. Marvin Eckfeldt. During his 15
month ministry with us Rev. Eckfeldt strengthened our commitment to the
Disciples, and to the Lake Washington vision.
In July of 2002 we called Revs.
Kerry and Michael R. Grogan to be our co-pastors. The Northwest Region's
Regional Minister and President Rev. Dr. Jack Sullivan, Jr. installed our
new pastors in October 2002. On Sunday, October
10, 2004, we celebrated our 20th Anniversary!
Nearly 30 charter members stood before the congregation to read the church’s
mission statement. Special guests included regional minister and president,
Rev. Dr. Jack Sullivan, Jr.; founding pastor, Rev. Dr. Rick Morse, and Rev.
Marvin Eckfeldt, who served as the interim pastor before co-pastors Revs.
Kerry and Michael Grogan came in 2002.
The
special service was filled with music, laughter, balloons, and a multimedia
presentation of the last 20 years. Over 160 folks who were present gathered
for the group picture that now hangs in the foyer of the church.
After serving together for three years, Pastor Mike accepted
a call to be pastor of the
Bellevue Christian Church. Kerry has been our
sole pastor since that time. We continue to strive toward a bright future
full of hope and promise as Kerry leads us in our joint venture of faith.
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