Tucked into the multicultural Beacon Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church carries more than a century of Japanese American history into a Sunday morning sanctuary that welcomes anyone who walks through the door. From its first gatherings in 1904 to the renamed congregation of today, the church has remained a place where a multigenerational, multi-ethnic community meets to believe, grow, love, and serve.
From Seattle Japanese Methodist Episcopal Church to Blaine Memorial
The story of Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church began in 1904, when a small group of Japanese immigrants organized the Seattle Japanese Methodist Episcopal Church. Their first motto, drawn from Mark 12:30-31, was the Great Commandment: to love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love their neighbor as themselves. As Japanese immigrants and Japanese American citizens settled in the Puget Sound region, the church became a social focal point - a place that offered English language classes, helped newcomers find jobs and housing, and offered a buffer against the anti-Japanese movements gathering along the West Coast before the Second World War.
The first permanent sanctuary was built on Washington Street in 1912. The congregation continued to grow, and in 1956 - more than fifty years after its founding - the church was renamed in honor of a man who had quietly protected it through the most difficult chapter of its history. Mr. E. L. Blaine, a member of Seattle First Methodist Church, had agreed in 1942 to watch over the building and its contents while the entire Japanese American congregation was sent into wartime incarceration. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and the signing of Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942, the congregation requested to be interned together as a group. They were first evacuated to Camp Harmony at the Puyallup Fair Grounds Assembly Center, and in August 1942 they were moved to barracks at the Minidoka Relocation Center in Idaho. Many of the men served in the 442nd-100th Regimental Combat Team, the Military Intelligence Language Service, and the U.S. Army Counter Intelligence Corps, distinguishing themselves in places like Bruyeres, Belmont, Biffontaine, and Mount Folgorito, and in the rescue of the Lost Battalion of the 36th Texas Division.
E. L. Blaine passed away in 1954. Two years later, the congregation voted to rename itself in his memory, becoming Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church. The church moved to its current home on Beacon Hill in 1962. The motto of this Japanese American community remains the same Great Commandment that shaped the first generation: "Go forth in faith. Be Strong in Hope. Serve with Love." Many members of the church served in World War II, and the congregation's history of standing with those who are marginalized and oppressed has shaped who they are today.
Worship at 10 a.m.: A Blend of Hymn, Sanshin, and Welcome
Sunday worship at Blaine Memorial gathers at 10 a.m. in the Sanctuary, both in person and through a livestream on YouTube. The service is a careful blend of United Methodist tradition and multicultural musical expression. A typical order of worship moves through a land acknowledgement, a call to worship, an opening hymn from The United Methodist Hymnal or The Faith We Sing, an opening prayer, scripture readings, a children's sermon, a sermon, a hymn of reflection, the introduction of the offering, an offertory, a doxology, a prayer of dedication, announcements, a closing hymn, and a benediction.
Music carries a particular weight in this congregation. The Blaine Memorial Choir sings anthems during many services, and special music brings in instruments that are unusual for a United Methodist sanctuary. On recent Sundays, preludes and postludes have been performed on sanshin and dulcimer, offertories have featured Okinawan music sung to sanshin, and the choir has sung arrangements of familiar hymn texts like "There's a Wideness in God's Mercy." Holy Communion is celebrated, sometimes with another ordained leader presiding alongside the senior pastor.
A children's sermon is a regular part of the service, and the church offers special seasonal worship moments. Near the Feast of St. Francis, the congregation gathers in the church courtyard for a Blessing of the Animals. Children and adults bring dogs, cats, and other companions - or a photo of a beloved animal that has died - to receive a blessing, while a small altar holds pictures of pets being remembered. At the start of the school year, students of all ages bring backpacks, devices, and school supplies forward for a Blessing of the Backpacks and receive a small tag as a reminder of God's love and the church's care.
The Blaine Youth Group: Do No Harm, Do Good, Stay in Love with God
The Blaine Youth Group - BYG - lives by John Wesley's three simple rules: do no harm, do good to others, and stay in love with God. The program serves middle schoolers in grades six through eight and high schoolers in grades nine through twelve, gathering every Sunday at 10:20 a.m. and taking part in events and activities throughout the year. Highlights have included devotional book fundraisers, virtual nights of worship, game nights, drive-thru food collections, a virtual Easter overnighter, baptism classes, virtual summer camps, and a hybrid graduates celebration for high school seniors.
Each summer, the youth ministry sends middle and high schoolers accompanied by adult chaperones to Asian American Summer Camp, where young people build friendships, deepen their faith, and connect with other Asian American youth from across the region. Youth director Adam Drake joined the church with years of youth ministry experience from El Paso, Texas, a background in the Anglican Church, and a gift for music. He studies at The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology. Anyone interested in joining the BYG or receiving weekly updates can connect with the church office at office@blaineonline.org.
Music Ministries: The Choir, B.U.G.S., and Sunday Mornings
Music is woven into nearly every part of Blaine Memorial's life. The Blaine Choir rehearses Tuesday nights and Sunday mornings, sings in many Sanctuary services, and welcomes new members at any skill level. The group aims to grow spiritually and musically through singing and scripture. Eugene Onishi directs the choir and serves as a regular accompanist and music leader throughout the liturgy.
The Blaine Ukulele Group of Seattle - B.U.G.S. - is a second, very different musical community within the church. The group began in August 2011 with two members, and it now includes men and women, mostly retired, who like to play classics and traditional Hawaiian songs. B.U.G.S. is led by longtime Blaine member Dick Nagaoka, and the group meets Thursday afternoons and most Sundays for rehearsal, fellowship, and food. The ensemble plays at special worship services and events at Blaine and at other venues around Seattle, and is sometimes joined by hula dancers. The instruments heard in worship - including sanshin and dulcimer, alongside piano, organ, and ukulele - reflect a congregation that holds both Japanese American and Okinawan heritage close.
Believe, Grow, Love, Serve: The Heart of Blaine
The mission of Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church is to help people become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Four core values shape how the community lives out that calling: Believe, Grow, Love, and Serve.
Believe is rooted in the conviction that all that the community is and has comes from God, the Creator, Redeemer, and Comforter. The church points to Ephesians 2:8 - "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God" - and to Jesus' words in Matthew 4:4 that one does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Grow reflects the church's commitment to life transformation, anchored in 2 Corinthians 3:18 about being transformed from one degree of glory to another, and in the first creation account in Genesis 1 that each person is made in the image of God. Love is shaped by the new commandment in John 13:34 to love one another as Christ has loved, and by the older instruction in Leviticus 19:18 to love one's neighbor as oneself. Serve is the response of a community that sees its spiritual gifts as something to share, grounded in 1 Corinthians 15:58 - "always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain" - and in Micah 6:8's call to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.
The church's statement of welcome is unusually full. "Our core belief is that each person is a beloved child of God - whose giftedness we value and whose presence and participation are a blessing to our community, and to the Kin-dom of God in the world." Blaine Memorial UMC celebrates the gift of diversity and welcomes people of every gender identity and gender expression, every sexual orientation, every age, race, ethnicity, physical and mental ability, level of education, family structure, and every economic, immigration, marital, and social status. The congregation acknowledges that the world is marked by profound social, economic, and political inequities, and as followers of Jesus, it commits to the pursuit of justice and to standing in solidarity with all who are marginalized and oppressed.
Walking for Rice, Going to Guatemala, Honoring Hiroshima
Service to the wider community is a defining mark of Blaine Memorial. For years, a team from the church has been the largest group walking in the ACRS Walk for Rice at Seward Park each May. The Walk supports the ACRS Food Bank, which provides culturally familiar food to low-income seniors and families. Team Blaine has set consecutive fundraising records, and the church was featured on the event T-shirts, with Mark Mitsui delivering remarks at the opening ceremony about his father's role in founding the Walk.
Members of the congregation also travel each year to Mission Guatemala, where they serve alongside long-term partners through dental ministry, Vacation Bible School, and construction work. The church has a continuing relationship with La Resistencia, a grassroots organization led by immigrants and people of color that works to end immigrant detention and deportations in Washington state; La Resistencia was named the beneficiary of a recent annual Benefit Bazaar.
Blaine Memorial also gathers with Seattle Betsuin Buddhist Temple and other faith communities for an annual interfaith service commemorating the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Together, people from different faith traditions remember those who lost their lives, acknowledge the suffering caused by nuclear weapons, and renew a shared commitment to peace. On Wednesdays at 9 a.m., Rev. Karen Yokota Love hosts a Coffee and Prayer time on Zoom, with brief check-ins, a short devotional, and prayer; everyone is welcome, and a link is sent out the day before. A weekday Migrant and Refugee Donation Ministry, hosted in partnership with Riverton Park UMC, collects items for neighbors in need.
The Annual Benefit Bazaar: Salmon Bento and Pies for La Resistencia
Each fall, the church's campus transforms for the annual Benefit Bazaar, traditionally held the first Saturday in October. The bazaar features a farmer's market, a dessert table, and a hot food menu that includes salmon bento, BBQ chicken, curry, veggie yakisoba, and yakisoba with BBQ chicken; bento boxes come with rice and tsukemono. Desserts include blueberry and apple pie, ohagi, and lumpia, and a Suno Dog meal is available alongside hot dogs, Italian sodas, water, and soda. A portion of the proceeds supports a community partner chosen each year after a deliberate review by the church's Ad Board; recent beneficiaries have included La Resistencia, whose work to shut down the Northwest Detention Center and end immigrant detention in Washington state aligns with the congregation's call to welcome the stranger, seek justice, and stand alongside immigrant siblings. The whole church pitches in: pie-making is a separate Saturday tradition in the LAC kitchen, and congregation members pre-order their favorite entrées online to make sure they go home with what they love.
Caring for the Church Home: From the LAC to Solar Panels
The 26-year-old Lee Activity Center - the LAC - is the workhorse of the Blaine campus. It has hosted Summit Worship Services, sukiyaki dinners, bazaars, memorial service receptions, conferences, and reunions, and it is also home to basketball, pickleball, volleyball, and other sports. The congregation chooses to maintain its facilities carefully rather than replace them. In a recent volunteer effort, forty members spent three and a half days deep-cleaning, vacuuming, and re-covering nearly 300 LAC chairs; the project left the chairs with cushy, velvety seats and saved the cost of buying new ones. Trustees and members also gather for biannual All-Church Clean-Ups, trimming hedges, pruning trees, deep-cleaning the sanctuary and kitchens, power-washing the grounds, and washing the windows.
Behind the scenes, the church is preparing for a more sustainable future. The overgrown nursery area bordering the Social Hall has been cleared to make room for battery storage supporting a new solar panel project, and the trustees are working toward installing heat pumps. New parking lot lights have been installed, and a new janitor has been welcomed to the staff. The campus is shared with many outside groups, and the church asks everyone who uses the space to clean up after themselves - rinsing out sugary cans and bottles, taking food and trash to the outdoor bins, and leaving the gym and stage ready for the next group.
Sunday School, VBS, and the Blessing of the Backpacks
Children are a visible part of Sunday morning at Blaine Memorial. Church School takes place during the program year, and children are always welcome in the sanctuary, where a children's sermon is part of most services. Vacation Bible School runs on Sunday mornings in the late summer, and recent themes - including "Hero Central: Discover Your Strength in God" - have invited children entering kindergarten through sixth grade to learn about biblical heroes who used their God-given strengths to serve God, anchored in Psalm 34:14b: "Do good; seek peace and pursue it." On Rally Sunday each September, the church blesses backpacks, devices, and school supplies, and welcomes a new program year with energy and gratitude. A small backpack tag is given to every child who takes part, a tangible reminder of the church's care throughout the school year.
Planning Your First Visit
The church building sits on the east side of Beacon Hill at 3001 24th Avenue South, with the parking lot reached by turning onto 24th Avenue South from South Hanford Street. Detailed driving directions are posted for visitors coming from north Seattle, south Seattle, and the Eastside, with separate notes for winter conditions. Sunday worship begins at 10 a.m. in the Sanctuary; the livestream is on YouTube for anyone who wants to follow along from home. After the service, the church shares refreshments and a time to greet newcomers, and the Blaine Youth Group meets at 10:20 a.m. for young people in grades six through twelve. The church office can be reached at 206-723-1536 or office@blaineonline.org.
Giving is offered in several ways: through Realm on the church's giving page, by texting BLAINE to 73256, by mailing a check to Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 24065, Seattle, WA 98124, or by placing a gift in the offering during worship. The Beacon newsletter is published monthly, with Happenings, Faith and Ministries, Visions, and Connections. In a building that traces its roots back more than a century and that carries the names of those who walked through Executive Order 9066, the words that frame the congregation - Go forth in faith, Be Strong in Hope, Serve with Love - continue to point the way.