Written in 2010
In 1990, at the suggestion of the diocese, St. Margaret’s located at 2440 SW Roxbury in the White Center area of Seattle merged with St. James of Jerusalem, the Seattle congregation which had ministered to Chinese Episcopalians in the diocese since 1978. The newly formed mission was renamed Church of the Holy Apostles.
Although the goal was to strengthen the two congregations through the merger, Chinese ministry was difficult in White Center since the Asian population there was mostly Vietnamese and Cambodian. Members of St. Margaret’s began to drift away and the small Cantonese population, none of whom lived in White Center, found it hard to maintain an outreach program and keep a ministry going that met the needs of congregation members. Without the critical mass to support at least a half-time priest, the ministry came to be focused on maintenance, rather than evangelism.
Yet Holy Apostles managed to survive and little by little former members of St. James of Jerusalem returned. Several new families joined the church, as well as a number of students and young adults, and there were baptisms and celebrations of new life. Under the leadership of Bishop William Choi, the mission regained its focus and confidence and began to look at new ways of serving the Chinese in the greater Seattle area. When Church of the Resurrection in Bellevue offered to share its facilities, the congregation decided that a move would give this new focus a greater chance.
So it was with nostalgia, but not with sadness, that current and former members of Holy Apostles gathered on the evening of March 26, 2000 for a de-consecration service at the Roxbury property which would then pass from the Diocese of Olympia into the hands of Habitat for Humanity to be used as the site of a multi-home construction project.
Subsequently, the Church of the Holy Apostles began their partnership with Church of the Resurrection by holding their first service there on April 2, 2000. Resurrection is in an area with a large Asian population and Holy Apostles committed itself to reach out to them with vigor. Calling a new vicar was part of this process and the Rev. Philip Wong from the Diocese of New Jersey was called to lead the congregation in this new phase of their mission.
In 2010 the Church of the Holy Apostles continues to share space with the Church of the Resurrection in Bellevue. Over the years, the congregation has established a wide variety of programs supporting the Chinese community in the greater Seattle community. In addition to the regular Sunday services in Cantonese, Mandarin and English, the congregation supports Chinese language education as well as classes in English as a second language; sponsors the Golden Age Club for seniors; works with the Mission to Seafarers; and reaches out to inmates at the King County Jail. The congregation also provides pastoral care and home visitation; patient care and hospital visitation; a counseling service; and a variety of programs for children and youth.
“The mission of the Church of the Holy Apostles is to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to the Chinese community of the greater Seattle area. We are a church without borders not merely an ‘ethnic ministry.’ We serve as a bridge between several languages and cultures. As such, we fill a unique space within the Diocese of Olympia.”
Clergy
1990-1994 Peter Lai
1996-2000 William Choi
2000- Philip Wong