DeAnza's blog

By DeAnza on

'History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people'.   Martin Luther King, Jr

By DeAnza on

  This year's Giving Tree is going towards building awareness and support of the organization One 4 One.  One 4 One is a local non-profit organization that has established a mission that goes beyond just serving the homeless to building relationships with those who are experiencing homelessness in Seattle.  One 4 One emphasizes the necessity of seeing people differently and acknowledging the beauty, dignity and integrity of every person-- housed or non-housed.  It is this mission that we should all be striving to live out in our day to day interactions.  However, when we're honest with ourselves it is easier to assign someone who looks different, smells different, acts different then us with stereotypes & stigmas which perpetuate the idea that we must maintain our dista

By DeAnza on

Saturday night was a great success thanks to each of you!  We had 85+ men and women join us for a spectacular thanksgiving meal.  The evening was incredibly smooth-- from the roasting of turkeys to the decorations to the serving each person that walked in the door.  What a blessing!

There were many stories from folks who shared they couldn't remember the last time they had a dinner like this.  Folks felt that they were indeed our VIP's of the evening and that was definitely the message we wanted to share. 

A couple of highlights...  we were able to feed 70+ more people by taking the left overs which included 2 whole turkeys and all the other fixings to Nickelsville. 

A woman who was having a difficult evening due to some health issues and being incredibly tired was able to get into shelter that night. 

By DeAnza on

Depression, anxiety, hopelessness and despair are never easy to navigate and especially difficult to heal from when one feels isolated and alone.  It is easy to feel, in valleys such as these, that you are the only one experiencing these feelings, these realities, but more and more the reality is that so many are dealing with an insurmountable wall of depression.  In Church history, we haven't done a great job of affirming and validating folks who feel this darkness instead we have given poor advice like: chin up, Christians are not living in the full joy of Christ if they experience depression, perhaps you should pray more or maybe there is something faulty in your prayer life for you to be living with this depression and on and on...  This hasn't created a very supportive environment for men and women to express their stories and pain. 

By DeAnza on

Friends,

By DeAnza on

This article is written by quester, Ian Ebright.  Ian volunteers with To the Streets ministry monthly and in this article shares his hands-on experience with the homeless community of our neighborhood.  Ian and his wife, Lauren attend the 11 am service and have an adorable daughter, Eden.  On the side, Ian is a blogger and expresses himself through his blog called: The Broken Telegraph.  Please visit his website for more of his insights and thoughts.   

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By DeAnza on

Tomorrow World Concern will be hosting a 5k run/walk called 'Free Them' to raise awareness and funds around the issues of human trafficking.  It is not too late to come and take part in this important event.  In fact, they will not be taking registrations for the run until 8:30 am tomorrow morning.  Run starts at 9:30.  Now if you're like me, a little outta shape, that's okay!  You are welcome to WALK, as I will probably be doing ;)  Below is more info and I hope to see you there!  You can also check out World Concern's website for more info.

Blessings,

Pastor DeAnza

Date and Time:

• Saturday May 2nd, 2009
• Check-in: 8:30 AM (walk-ins welcome - i.e. no registration required)
• Start time: 9:30 AM

Place:

By DeAnza on

We believe that we serve a God who is the ultimate creator-- designed, planned and brought into motion our world and our lives.  We, made in His image, are also called to create, to beautify our surroundings, to explore expression and to appreciate the means we have to capture our world and give back.  How is our art, our creations worship and reverence to our God?  In addition, as much as we are given the gift of creation as a means to enjoy, to explore, to learn, to grow and to worship-- how is our art, our creations used to speak into the larger issues of our world?  How can we use our art to shed light, cultivate awareness and establish understanding within our communities?  This form can take various faces ranging from expressions of story and injustice right in the artistic piece itself to partnerning our work with others to bring understanding and support.  Whatever the means, we have to be engaging this work with integrity and with the core desi

By DeAnza on

Every year we have the privilege to join with other brothers and sisters from all around the wold to intercede for the situation in Burma.  For the past 50+ years the citizens of Burma have been oppressed and displaced systematically by their government.  Just last year in May, Burma was hit with Cyclone Nargis and unfortunately the government would not allow aid organizations to come into the country to assist people which led to an estimated 140,000 deaths.  Every year more men, women & children are being displaced from their villages and homes with the only option to try to survive in the jungles which makes them susceptible to disease, starvation and other life threatening situations.  This has been going on since the 1940's!  Imagine, generation after generation after generation facing year after year after year oppression and violation of their basic human rights.  These are families who have seen and experienced their husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, moms, dads,

By DeAnza on

In 2008, the Homeless One Night Count conducted their survey in King County in which 8,439 people were accounted for as homeless.  This year’s count reflected a 2% increase of homeless people in unsheltered areas going from 2,631 individuals to 2,685 (without adding any new areas).  As we look at this increase, as well as take into account the economic climate we are currently facing we cannot ignore the impact of the lack of affordable housing and dwindling economy on the most vulnerable of our city.  At Quest we have decided that this is a significant issue to gather and dialogue about.  How can we be part of the solution?  Why should we even care?

    
On March 16th, at 7 pm Quest Church will be hosting a panel discussion with community advocates from the greater Seattle area to engage on these important questions and challenge us to join in the solution to compassionately care for our brothers and sisters who are non-housed in our neighborhoods.