Zoom with Jesus

by Pastor Tim White

Wouldn’t you love if you could have a consult this week with Jesus Christ?  Even if it was on Face Time, Zoom or Facebook, it would still be a joy. What a privilege it would be to get Jesus’ advice at this important time in our lives. When we study Jesus on Life that is essentially the opportunity we are enjoying.  This weekend we will be studying Jesus on Peace.  What a privilege to worship on-line together.  Please join us and be patient as we develop this ministry.  You can find us on Facebook. The State of Washington has given churches permission to have skeleton crews meet together to record a worship service or live-stream.  That team must follow all the rules of not showing up sick, staying 6 feet apart, and sanitizing anything that is touched in order to continue to do live streaming.  The State of Washington has done that because all churches are battling to survive. I can appreciate what restaurants; flower shops and athletic clubs are facing. Thank God for those that have continued to support the church through on-line giving or checks in the mail.  All the staff are continuing their ministries on-line. Through Zoom, TLC meetings, and a new WAC live channel of music, praise, discipleship, children’s story time, book clubs and devotions that should come on-line next week. Our ministry to the homeless and poorest of the poor continues. We are working hard to adapt. And even though our offerings have dropped from an average of $19,000 a week to $7,000 a week. We are alive and adapting. 

It is an exciting time to be alive. And we are enjoying the chance to see Jesus work in new and creative ways to reinvent the church.  All our staff have set up offices and are working from their homes, we are ready to serve in whatever way we can.  Remember we are praying for you and if you need to talk to a Pastor about anything please email us at prayer@wacathedral.org and a pastor will call you and pray with you over the phone.  If you cannot email, you can leave a message at our office 425-869-5433.  We are checking voicemail several times a day 7 days a week.

Your Friend for the Rest of My Life,

Pastor Tim

Fire Up ..........and Calm Down

By Pastor Tim White

The other day, two of our neighbor kids came by to visit Jackie and me…year-old Benjamin and his 4-year-old brother J.J. They had some birthday cake to share with us because J.J. had just turned 4. It was fantastic cake! Then J.J. had to tell me the story of how fast he was on his new bike. And he really was. He would shout with enthusiasm... “I go ZOOM!”

Well, Jesus’ teaching on life shows us we can combat fear with thanksgiving, joy and trust. God knows that it doesn’t work to just sit there, telling yourself not to be stressed or nervous. We need to replace those feelings with emotions that work the opposite in our lives. Join us for WAC LIVE on Facebook this Sunday at 10:30 am to learn more.

Your friend always,

Pastor Tim White

PS: If you need help on how to join WAC LIVE on Facebook, please email us at info@wacathedral.org. We will send you a link. You do not need to have a Facebook account in order to view the services.

Important News

by Pastor Tim White

Dear Washington Cathedral and friends,

I have been praying without ceasing for your health and safety. And like all of you, I am praying for our community and the world as we fight this Covid19 pandemic. Yes, it is a serious fight.

Fighting a potent viral infection can be life-threatening. I pray that we laugh, trust, and care for one another--biblical concepts, known to strengthen our immune system. We are all appropriately alert, but I pray that we do not give in to panic and fear. We need to focus on the fact that God is in control and will be our redeemer.

It is with much prayer that our staff has been discussing our church response to this epidemic. The World Health Organization has just declared Covid19 a pandemic, saying it is going to get worse before it gets better. After hearing Governor Inslee’s announcement on banning meetings over 250, and how impactful this pandemic is continuing to be for our community, we have prayerfully decided to only do virtual services online until the governmental ban is lifted, and close our building in the meantime.

I knew that our attendance would drop below 250 just because of the individual response to this pandemic. But, after much prayer, we discussed how fast infections move through our church and we don’t want to risk anyone’s life. Therefore, our response is clear. We want to do the right thing for our church family.

At the same time, I must tell you that the impact of the corona virus could potentially remake the landscape of churches in our community. Churches of every size are going to be impacted.

We will continue to live stream the services, including Good Friday and Easter services. And we pray that the good hearts of our people will continue with online giving and tithing. If you need help on how to join us via live stream on Facebook Live, please call either email info@wacathedral.org or call the church office and set a call time with one of our staff who will help you set it up on your smartphone, tablet or computer.

Remember our new ministry to help our church members who are shut-in because of their health concerns or illness. So, stay in contact with your church by emailing us at GetHelp@wacathedral.org.

Bottom line is we will be more than conquerors in response to this time of challenge. God will help us and we will help others. This caring network was created for such a time as this.

Let’s stay in touch.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

PS – As I have mentioned before, these times can be tough for the church financially. A majority of our weekly income still comes from the giving that is done at the church when people attend services. With needing to go to a digital service at this time, that eliminates a good portion of our weekly income to meet our ongoing budget. For the 30-40% who already give online or through other electronic methods, thank you so much for that. For those who give during the offering time at church, we are asking you to please consider giving online or through your financial institutions electronic bill pay system. This will allow our ministries to continue through these tough times. If you need help setting up online giving, please contact Pastor Linda at 425-830-7101. She is happy to help you through the process. Online giving can be done through credit card, debit card or eCheck.

Life Is A Party

by Pastor Tim White

Jesus came to give us life overflowing. John 10:10. And Jesus’ first miracle was to create wine out of water to help the wedding at Cana at his mother’s request. I am praying for a miracle that Washington Cathedral can take a giant stride forward in making everything we do, a party. That means worship, Board meetings, Divorce Recovery, and Small Group meetings. 

I look back on my life with Christ for the last 54 years and I have to say, “Wow what a party!”  I know we are trying to help the poorest of the poor and as many people in our community as possible, but let’s relax, laugh and let God lead us through this party we call life.  I know there is a Presidential Election going on and we are leading the nation in the corona virus statistics, but life is short, and our adventure is precious. So, let’s make life a party!

This morning when I was awoken at 5:30 a.m. it was because I felt my glasses being put on me by my grandson Oscar. He had a big smile on his face as he said, “GP can you tell me a story?”  When you are 4 life is a party. But the same should be true when you are 64. Are we catching on to the life Jesus came to give us?

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

PS:  I’ve asked our staff to prepare and send out an update on what we are doing to address the Corona Virus situation in our community. Please watch for that email tomorrow. I ask that we all be in prayer for all of the people and their families in our community and all over the world who are being impacted by this disease. As we build this “Great Caring Network” we want to make sure that you feel cared for and safe in these unsettling times.