First Church ministers through worship, community classes and activities, and has a special focus on helping the urban poor in downtown Seattle.
With over 160 years of serving the Seattle area, we have a long history of leadership in delivery of human services, including:
- Supporting Civil War veterans in the late 1800′s
- Providing asylum for Chinese workers during the riots of 1886
- Feeding families in the church’s soup kitchen during the Great Depression
- Reaching out to servicemen during World War II
- Founding a retirement home for senior citizens in 1961
- Providing housing to homeless men and women through Pulliam/Wesley Haven in the 1970′s and 80′s
- Helping establish a 60-bed overnight shelter, and a daytime homeless women’s congregation
- Providing a weekly breakfast for the hungry that has continued for twenty years