It is doing a shared Bible study with the United Methodist churches. It has new life, with baptisms and a confirmation class, David said. It supports Zillah Food Bank, recently sent $750 for Episcopal Relief and Development to dig a well and supports other local-to-global missions. Once a predominantly white congregation, the church is now learning to embrace its multi-ethnic identity, welcoming the homeless, ex-gang members, Native and Latino youth and families.Īlthough small, Christ Episcopal gives 10 percent of its income away each year. That Sunday Christ Episcopal members attended worship at the Presbyterian church.ĭiscouraged by finances, the Presbyterian church’s session voted on a Tuesday in October to close, but the next Sunday, members said, “Wait, the community needs our vision and mission.” The session reconsidered their decision and the congregation continues.
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When the Presbyterian church wondered how to keep up its 75-year tradition of serving a turkey dinner in November, Episcopal and Methodist churches helped, and Carman Pimms, director of Campbell Farm, organized the kitchen crew. Several churches help support Mending Wings, a Native American youth group that meets at the multicultural Presbyterian Church.ĭenominational ministries now overlap.
They connect with efforts of the Indian Shaker Church and Longhouse religion efforts to reclaim culture, language and traditions, lost through boarding schools and public education.
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Participating in this unnamed, informal relationship are Toppenish United Methodist, Faith Lutheran in Toppenish, White Swan United Methodist, Wapato Community Presbyterian, the Disciples of Christ’s Yakima Christian Mission in White Swan and Christ Episcopal, plus Campbell Farm, Noah’s Ark Shelter and Mending Wings ministries in Wapato.
“Our goal is to model God’s multicultural kingdom here among the Hispanic, Japanese, Filipino, African American, Native American and European American people,” he said. With a $20,000 grant the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane received for cross-cultural, anti-racism training, David, who recently began working as statewide director of congregational relations for the Lutheran Public Policy Office of Washington, and David Bell, who co-directs the Yakima Christian Mission with Belinda Bell, will facilitate ecumenical training for the communities and churches. Several small congregations and ecumenical ministries on the Yakama Reservation mingle their resources to serve their communities of Toppenish, Wapato, White Swan and Zillah.įrom the 15-member Christ Episcopal Church in Zillah to 50-member congregations, they struggle to maintain buildings and pay pastors, but are committed to cooperating to build cross-cultural understanding, break down racism, house homeless people, feed hungry people and spread hope.Īt the fall 2010 Episcopal Diocesan Convention in Spokane, David Hacker, a member of Christ Church and postulant for the priesthood, told of the interrelated ministries on the reservation. Informal ecumenical ministry serves people on the Yakama reservation
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