Press Coverage

First United Methodist breaks ground on new home Seattle Post-Intelligencer, September 22, 2008 After decades of debating, praying and soul-searching, a day some members of First United Methodist Church never thought would come finally arrived Sunday. In a small parking lot behind a fading stucco office building on lower Queen Anne with a peek-a-boo view of Puget Sound, the congregation broke ground for a new church.

Seattle's First United Methodist Church breaks ground on new facility
Seattle Times, September 22, 2008

With the turn of a shovel, a long-running church controversy was buried Sunday and its congregation's hopes reborn.

Seattle's First United Methodist Church broke ground on a new 26,400-square-foot facility near Seattle Center. Its 98-year-old former building at Fifth and Marion, the focus of a two-decade historic-preservation battle, will be saved by the developer who purchased it. A new use has yet to be found.
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Work begins on $38M church
Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce, September 23, 2008
Construction has started on the First United Methodist Church's new $38 million complex at 168 Denny Ave. The 35,000-square-foot building is set for completion in late 2009, in time for Christmas.
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A congregation in intermission
Queen Anne/Magnolia News, April 2, 2008
When the Seattle First United Methodist Church lost its home in Downtown Seattle to a developer, a search was launched to find a new home for the longtime congregation. They chose Lower Queen Anne...
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Downtown congregation bids its home farewell

The Seattle Times, March 24, 2008

The chapel pews have been sold, new homes for community groups found, and memories scrawled on walls soon to be demolished. It was time to hold the last service...
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Last Easter service at historic church also marks a beginning for the congregation
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, March 22, 2008
On Easter Sunday, First United Methodist Church members will attend their last service in the 100-year-old sanctuary. Under the soaring, domed ceiling, they will say good-bye to the place where generations have celebrated births and marriages, and honored those who died...
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An exodus, filled with uncertainty
The Seattle Times, January 26, 2008
At the First United Methodist Church building in downtown Seattle, days start early and run late. In the morning, several people open a day shelter in the church annex, preparing for the homeless women who will stream in throughout the day. A men's shelter operates at night... Read the full article here...

First United Methodist Sanctuary Spared in Land Deal
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, May 20, 2007
In a unanimous decision at an all-church meeting Sunday, members of the downtown First United Methodist Church voted to sell their property to Nitze-Stagen developers to build an office building in a deal that spares the sanctuary...
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Make Your 2010 Estimate of Giving

Links:

Donating to First Church

Resources for developing a budget (From Crown Financial Ministries)

The Six Financial Principles

...to Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity

1. Put God first in your living and giving. (2 Corinthians 9:6-7)
2. Prepare a spending plan and track all expenses monthly. (Proverbs 27:23-24)
3. Simplify your lifestyle; live below your means. (Matthew 6:19-33)
4. Provide immediately for an emergency fund. (1 Timothy 6:9-12)
5. Pay off all credit card debt and use cash, not credit cards. (Proverbs 22:7)
6. Practice long-range saving and investing habits. (Luke 14:28)