St. Christopher’s: Less ‘high church,’ more about community

OLYMPIA — A mountain of Christmas presents bound for the needy clog the narthex at St. Christopher’s Community Church of Steamboat Island one recent Sunday morning.

Children hoist the gifts out into the chilling rain for delivery as some 60 worshipers flow into the sanctuary. Jeff Sprengel plays a restored 1888 tracker pipe organ, once the biggest in Washington state and formerly at St. John’s Episcopal Church of Olympia.

Like Faith Community Church of Kingston, St. Christopher’s is a federated Lutheran/Episcopal worshiping community, but members come from other faith backgrounds, too. It’s the only church for miles.

“We have so many denominations,” said Sharon Parker. “Everybody’s welcome.” The Rev. Andy Willis, a Lutheran pastor, has led the worshiping group for nearly two years. 

“Worshiping holds us together,” he said, and the decisions of how to worship “are very small ones.” All agree that services now are less “high church” than in 1959, when it began as a mission of St. John’s. Around 1990, the Rev. Pete Van Zanten, an Episcopal priest, folded St. Christopher’s more fully into the community. Later, Lutheran pastor Sandra Kreis helped lead worship. 

Like Faith, St. Christopher’s is a mission start of both the Southwestern Washington Synod and the Olympia Diocese of the Episcopal Church. Deacon Patti Sells of St. Christopher’s had this advice for Faith members: “Change is difficult for people. You have to hang in there for a while. Trust the Lord.”

St. Christopher' is at 7902 Steamboat Island Road NW, and worships at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays. All are invited. — Rachel Pritchett

Pictured: A boy helps gather presents collected for the poor.