All Pilgrims Christian Church
God Loves You and There's Nothing You Can Do About It!
About Us
All Pilgrims Christian Church is a progressive faith community that offers opportunities for worship, spiritual growth, ministry, and community. We have been a living, active presence in Seattle’s Broadway neighborhood for more than a century.
Our congregation is a diverse mix of people—young and old, men and women, gay and straight. We come from a wide variety of ethnic, cultural, and professional backgrounds, as well as a wealth of religious traditions. We take pride in our diversity, and we welcome the full participation of all as equal members in our community.
All Pilgrims Church was born in 2003 with the merger of two Broadway churches: Seattle First Christian Church (1883) and Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ (1899). We are affiliated with both the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ.
Our services reflect an appreciation of our traditional congregational heritage and our commitment to progressive theology. The warm acoustics of our historic sanctuary, originally built in 1906 and renovated in 1946 and 1999, help make our organ, choir, and other musical offerings an especially rich part of our worship experience. And both our pastor and our members live out the clause in the preamble to our constitution that recognizes the importance of humor in the church’s life.
Our programs of spiritual growth and ministry include:
A weekly Community Supper for the hungry in our neighborhood
Worship and Wonder, a Sunday-morning program of spiritual formation for children
A Spiritual Care team
The College of Spirituality, a quarterly selection of adult-education classes that explore the intersection of religious, social, and ethical questions
Interfaith program, an exploration of what it means to be progressive Christians in a multi-faith world
Men’s Group
Women’s Spirituality Group
We are committed to growth, in both numbers and good works, and to playing a dynamic role in the life of our community and the world as the 21st century moves ahead.
Contact Information
Our Services
Service Times
- Sunday
-
- 10:30am
- We gather Sunday morning to worship God! One after another join together as a community who give themselves to an ancient practice of worship that is fitted for this time. Passing the Peace at All Pilgrims Christian Church With a modern feel, we join in time-honored practices that open doors to Holy encounter. These include: Come as you are! – There is no dress code. There are no prerequisites. We welcome all who feel the need or desire to gather for worship in a sacred space where all warmly received. Passing the Peace – Early in the service, we take time to greet each other and wish each other God’s Peace. We shake hands or hug, and a common expression is to say “The Peace of the Lord,” or “God’s Peace to you.” The Lord’s Prayer – A prayer that Jesus taught to his disciples and is found in the Gospels. As we join with many who have gathered before us, we recognize there are varied ways to pray this prayer, and we encourage people to pray in ways meaningful to them. A pew card is provided to display the common prayer; however, at certain points, you will hear diverse, individual expressions as we pray this prayer together. Sermon – The sermon is a fifteen-, or so, minute event where the sacred story is interpreted with spoken word in such a way that you may enter it with your life story. With the mixing of these stories the living Spirit and Word of God moves. Faithful expectation and response to how God may move is what you bring. Communion, or Lord’s Supper - Our worship is oriented to moving to this sacred act. Communion is where the elements of bread and cup are served and received as an expression of Christ’s life and love. We prepare for this act with a printed liturgy of song and responsive prayer. Then, all are welcome to move to the table and be served by those offering bread and cup. The bread is taken and dipped into the cup, then eaten. Fellowship – After worship, some go but many stay to enjoy community around food and refreshments.
Leadership
Gregory Turk
The Rev. Gregory Turk was called to All Pilgrims in April 2010. Greg is a dynamic preacher and ardent community activist with a passion for urban ministry. Greg Turk His background includes founding a Spanish-language church in Fort Worth, Texas, working to reduce violent gang activity in south-central Los Angeles, and consulting with the Montana state prison system. Greg accepted the call to All Pilgrims because he wanted to work within an urban congregation that is alive and constantly endeavoring to expand itself. Greg is a driver of our ministries to children, the neighborhood, and the homeless, as well as our ministries of spiritual care, prayer services, and interfaith dialogue. He was instrumental in creating our College of Spirituality. But Greg doesn’t do it all himself—he challenges all in our congregation to stretch beyond ourselves in ministry. Central to God’s vision, Greg believes, is love—an all-embracing love expressed in Greg’s watchword, “God loves you, and there’s nothing you can do about it.” God challenges us to reflect this love by weaving the tapestry of a just and peaceful world in which all live abundant, full lives in service to God and community with each other. In this spirit, Pastor Greg celebrates the dignity and worth of all people as he combines the quest for spiritual growth with his passion for social justice. A native of the Pacific Northwest, Greg earned a Bachelor’s degree from Central Washington University and a Master of Divinity degree at Brite Divinity School of Texas Christian University. He has published articles, educational material, and a chapter in a book about faith and politics. His many extracurricular skills range from baseball (he plays shortstop) to soapmaking (he started a soap-making micro-enterprise in Los Angeles, gainfully employing gang members). Greg and his wife Lynn have two children, Hannah and Luke. Some words Greg’s parishioners have used to describe him are high-energy, gifted preacher and teacher, passionate, socially conscious, peacemaker, and good sense of humor. In Pastor Greg’s view, “The church is about great things. Mediocrity is not part of the program. People want to be connected with deep meaning and participate. We all want to feel that when we’re here, we matter.”Location & Directions
What Members Say
Go here? Tell us why you love All Pilgrims Christian Church. Visited? Tell us what a newcomer can expect.
