Comments on: Church

By: dan cortland

dan cortland — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 03:37:42 +0000

tincadenza: vote for Susan Hutchison and maybe she’ll make sure the Discovery Institute has a branch in every community center. If that’ll make you feel better.

Our region’s is the least church-going population in the country, praise be to God.

By: Dan Staley

Dan Staley — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 21:59:59 +0000

Urban planners love to talk about creating community. Churches like the one above do it. But they’re disappearing. Huh.

I can assure you they are absolutely not disappearing on the Colo Front Range. And our recent trip to the Ozarks found them to be a dime a dozen.

By: Matt the Engineer

Matt the Engineer — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 16:49:22 +0000

It looks like I was misinformed. It looks like it’s closed on the weekends, not the summer.

By: Keith

Keith — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 02:36:46 +0000

thanks for the responses. the good shepard building does look great and it seems to incorporate what jdf wrote about groups looking for their “own” space. it seems that if the building truly has mixed uses, both resident and temporary, then it probably could thrive. so maybe that’s an answer to the (disappearing) church issue.

as for closing during the summer: [matt] it seems really strange that a center serving children wouldn’t be open then; what’s the rationale behind closing it when kids are running the streets?

By: dan cortland

dan cortland — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 02:25:19 +0000

The Phinney Neighborhood Center seems likewise heavily used, as does the Miller Community Center.

By: Matt the Engineer

Matt the Engineer — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:47:47 +0000

[Keith] It depends on the community center. I grew up in the suburbs in California and our community center seemed to be used for retirement bingo night and... well that's about it. My local community center on Queen Anne seems mostly focused toward children, although there's a gym and basketball court for general use. I've been using it recently for a baby play class with my son, and have met many other parents there. Sadly, it's closed in the summer! The absolute best community center I've seen is the Good Shepard building in Wallingford. Once a home for troubled girls, this beautiful old building is packed with different organizations providing community services. They have Seattle Tilth - the organic gardening teaching group, along with a great yoga studio, several schools, and plenty of other neighborhood groups.

By: Joshua Daniel Franklin

Joshua Daniel Franklin — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 06:03:00 +0000

That's a fair question, Keith. I've been to a couple planning meetings at the SLU Armory and UHCC, and judging by flyers most users probably hope to have their own space someday (i.e., yoga groups, alternative school, Korean church, etc.) That seems fine to me, though, if the space is flexible enough and fairly often in use. Also, full disclosure: right now I'm part of a church group working in SLU to build geographic community including people of various backgrounds. To be honest, so far we're mostly half-baked ideas plus a few service projects, though.

By: Keith

Keith — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 03:01:07 +0000

quick question about community centers: has anyone here ever been to one? i used to spend a little time in one during the summer about twenty years ago; i guess it was technically a recreation center, as it was mainly a basketball court and a game room. there were community rooms off to the side, but they were generally populated by us kids and our art projects, rather than adults partaking in community endeavors.

i ask b/c i’m all for secular gathering spaces, but i wonder to what degree they might be utilized. a church at least exists for a stated purpose: the worship of a *specific* god. but a community center is, in my mind, a sort of flexible space that seems like it would go unused most of the time. am i way off track?

By: Scott

Scott — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:58:59 +0000

…and actually, as a neighbor, this church has a particularly checkered reputation. Consider the duplex they own across 25th…

By: Scott

Scott — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:55:13 +0000

Many churches in the Central Area are in flux, as they have been for decades. Many of the buildings are adorned with menorahs and stars of david, reflecting the erstwhile Jewish community there.

These days, it seems like most members of this church aren’t from right around here. Maybe Sundays are a reunion of the old neighborhood. I know of another church in Columbia City that sold their building and moved south, closer to where their congregation lives.

Consider Mars Hill, Mexican evangelicos, orthodox temples, or mosques that attract newly arrived north african neighbors — the picture is complex.