On the curve where Lakeway Drive bends east of Interstate 5 in Bellingham, Washington, a blue sign and a row of reflective posts mark the entrance to Christ the Servant Lutheran Church. The light blue sanctuary there belongs to a congregation that lives out its faith through service, learning, and social justice, and that has named itself, formally and prayerfully, a Reconciling in Christ faith community committed to anti-racism and the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people. Sunday mornings begin with greeting at the doors, last a little more than an hour in worship, and spill out into coffee hour, an adult forum, and a busy gym full of children. Throughout the week the building on Lakeway is home to preschool classrooms, small-group gatherings, choir rehearsals, soup suppers during Lent, and the steady comings and goings of a church that sees its neighborhood, the wider county, and a Honduran village half a continent away as part of the same calling.
Sunday Mornings at 9:30
Worship is the week’s anchor. Each Sunday at 9:30 AM, both in the sanctuary and through a livestream on YouTube, the congregation gathers for a service that the church describes as traditional worship shaped by progressive theology. The pattern repeats from week to week, the bulletin walks worshipers through it, and people sitting nearby are quick to help newcomers find their way. Holy Communion is celebrated every Sunday, and the welcome is wide: everyone, including children, is invited to the table.
The Rev. Dr. Jana Schofield, who grew up in Colorado and was called to Christ the Servant in May 2023 after pastorates in California and Washington, preaches and presides most weeks. She earned her doctorate in ministry from Seattle University, after studies at California Lutheran University and Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, and her pulpit ministry carries the same blend of reverence and openness that marks the rest of the congregation. Services draw on traditional hymnody alongside gospel songs and original pieces written by people in the church, and a children's message early in the liturgy pulls kids up to the altar for a few minutes of teaching that is meant for them.
What to Wear, What to Bring
Dress is casual, even though the sanctuary itself has a formal, light-filled feel. Greeters meet people at the door, answer questions, and make sure first-time visitors feel oriented. Coffee and tea, treats, and conversation follow the service in the room next to the sanctuary, and the church encourages newcomers to linger.
Kids Belong in the Sanctuary
At Christ the Servant, children's presence in worship is taken seriously rather than treated as an inconvenience. As families walk into the sanctuary they are invited to pick up a Busy Bag and a Children's Bulletin, both designed to keep young hands and minds engaged during the service. Inside the sanctuary itself, a designated play area welcomes the littlest wigglers, while down the hall a staffed nursery cares for children up through age four from 9:15 in the morning until noon. For parents who want privacy but still want to follow the service, a Family Room offers a rocker, a changing table, books, a few toys, and a window looking directly into the sanctuary.
Right after the children's message, kids from age three through third grade are invited out of the sanctuary for Children's Chapel, where the church's Director of Children, Youth, and Family Ministries, the Rev. Muriel Otto, leads songs, prayer, and story-response activities with adult helpers. Children return to the sanctuary in time to take part in communion with the rest of the congregation. After the service, the gym opens as a supervised play space for children of all ages, staffed until noon, so families can settle into coffee hour or the Adult Forum without watching the clock.
Music from Around the World
Music at Christ the Servant is an unusually rich mixture. The Director of Music, Soren Ficklin, who grew up within the Christ the Servant community and later earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music, with a minor in religion, from California Lutheran University, leads the parish's overall musical life and writes choral, congregational, and contemporary sacred music of his own. Del VandeKerk, who holds a bachelor's from Dordt University and a master's in Music Education from Western Washington University, directs the CTS Servant Singers, the church's mixed-voice choir, and the Men's Chorus. Leah Peterson, the staff pianist, has been playing since she was six and grew up at the church because her mother taught at the on-site preschool.
Traditional hymns, gospel numbers, praise and worship songs, and original pieces by members all share the same Sunday morning. The Servant Singers sing twice a month, with Thursday evening rehearsals and an open door for newcomers any time of year. The Men's Chorus sings monthly, and its membership is described in inclusive terms that welcome cis men, trans men, and non-binary people. Once a month the Worship Team brings contemporary praise music to the fore, with piano, guitars, bass, percussion, and layered vocal harmonies. Other instrumentalists, of any kind, are welcome to step in to enrich the liturgy.
Beyond Sunday: Kids, Youth, and Families
Children's ministry at Christ the Servant does not stop when the service ends. The Bridge gathers fourth-through-sixth graders on the first and third Sundays after worship during the school year, exploring faith through service projects, games, art, and Bible study. Confirmation, a two-year program of classes and retreats for middle-schoolers and older, meets on the second and fourth Sundays after worship and walks young people through what it means to affirm their own baptism. Pastor Muriel, who began her call at the church in December 2025 after ten years as a pastor at Unity Lutheran Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin, and an earlier ordination in the United Church of Christ, describes her approach to children's ministry as "playful with a purpose" and believes "local churches are a precious and counter-cultural force for good."
Annual family traditions knit the program together. The Children's and Youth Christmas Pageant retells the Christmas story with costumes, singing, and the unrestrained joy of a sanctuary full of kids. The Advent Tree Decorating and Cookie Party combines church-wide decorating with cookie frosting, and is especially friendly to families. Vacation Bible School opens its doors each summer to kids ages five through eleven for a day-camp mix of Bible stories, crafts, games, and singing, with middle-school and high-school youth serving alongside adult group leaders and station leaders. And once a year, the intergenerational You Are Loved Tea for Seniors turns the tables, with children, youth, and their families hosting the older members of the congregation for goodies, getting-to-know-you games, and the ever-popular show and tell.
Catch the Son Preschool
Sharing the Christ the Servant campus is Catch the Son Preschool, a Christian early-learning program for children ages three to five that has been part of the church's ministry for many years. The preschool applies a loving, play-based approach, focuses on social-emotional learning, and keeps class sizes small so each child can be known by name. Christ the Servant's pastors lead a weekly chapel for the preschool and are available for pastoral care to the preschool's families. Leah Peterson, the church's pianist, grew up knowing many of the church's people because her own mother taught at Catch the Son for twelve years, a connection that gives the partnership the feel of an extended family.
Adults Learning and Listening Together
Faith formation for adults at Christ the Servant moves between the Sunday Adult Forum and a handful of smaller studies. The forum gathers each week at 11 AM, after the service, for about an hour of presentations and discussion. Topics range widely and have included social justice, Bible study, book studies, and presentations from visiting speakers. Childcare is offered until noon, and adults are welcome to bring a snack and a cup of coffee or tea from the CTS Cafe down the hall.
On the third Thursday of each month at noon, Pastor Jana leads a Text Study that walks participants through the upcoming Sunday's Scripture readings in detail, with room for questions, insights, and mutual conversation. The church also subscribes to Living Into Vocational Engagement, a Northwest Washington Synod program that offers hybrid learning through Zoom courses, one-day in-person retreats, interactive cohorts, and a two-year Lay Ministry formation program. Members of Christ the Servant can take part in upcoming LiVE events at no charge because of that subscription. For visitors who decide they want to put down roots, New Member Classes are scheduled periodically; inquiries go to the lead pastor or the church office.
Small Groups and Circles of Care
Outside of Sunday mornings, Christ the Servant is a city of small groups. A Parent Toddler Playgroup meets Thursday mornings from 9:00 to 10:00 in the gym or outdoors, with songs, stories, short activities, and large-motor play for children eighteen months to four years and the caregivers who stay with them. The Hiking Group welcomes walkers of all abilities on monthly hikes, usually on Sundays after worship, with carpools leaving from the church; many walks are four miles or shorter and fairly flat, though distance and difficulty can vary. The Theater Goers Group gathers friends of live theater for local shows together, often on Sunday afternoons, with carpools arranged for those who want them.
The Prayer Shawl Group meets monthly to knit and crochet shawls that "warm others from the inside out." Some shawls go to people in grief; others celebrate milestones; all are prayed over as they are made. A Women's Book Group meets weekly to discuss non-fiction books, mostly spiritual in nature, reading passages aloud and pausing often to reflect; all cis and trans women and non-binary people are welcome. A Men's Fellowship meets informally each week for stories, triumphs, and the occasional conversation about cars or sports, and similarly welcomes cis and trans men and non-binary people. Compassion Circle, a monthly gathering led by a skilled facilitator, helps people deepen their skills of listening and empathy through shared storytelling. A Memory Support Group meets twice a month for those with questions or concerns about memory-related issues. A Grief Support Group meets monthly for anyone who has lost someone, whether the loss is recent or years in the past.
A Year Together: Lent through Summer
Several recurring rhythms mark the church's year. During Lent, a simple soup and bread supper is served at 6:00 PM, an unhurried gathering before that season's midweek worship. As winter deepens, the Children's and Youth Christmas Pageant fills the sanctuary with costumes and songs. The Advent Tree Decorating and Cookie Party brings the wider congregation together to decorate the sanctuary Christmas tree, complete with cookie frosting for the children. Breaking Bread Dinner Groups organize members, couples, and families into groups of about eight people who take turns hosting one another for monthly potluck dinners, rotating homes from fall to spring, with restaurant meet-ups an option for some groups.
Summer brings its own traditions. An annual Summer Barbeque serves burgers, brats, and hotdogs from the church with potluck sides, salads, and desserts on top. A Women's Retreat draws thirty-five to fifty-five women to an off-site retreat center for spiritual renewal, with hiking, arts and crafts, reading, and napping all on offer. A parallel Men's Retreat offers similar space at another off-site retreat center. Together these events give the congregation ways to mark time, deepen friendships, and step away from ordinary routines without leaving the wider life of the church.
Serving Neighbors Close to Home
Local mission is at the heart of what Christ the Servant does, organized through a Community Ministries committee and through the personal time of many members. A church team repackages food into family-sized portions at the Bellingham Food Bank twice a month and the congregation provides regular financial support as well; the Bellingham Food Bank offers free food to households throughout Whatcom County. For Gardenview Village, a thirty-five-bed tiny-home community that primarily serves people experiencing homelessness who are fifty-five or older, or medically fragile, the church prepares and delivers cooked meals twice a month and restocks the community's pantry twice a year.
The church also partners with the Interfaith Coalition of Whatcom County, collecting and donating coats for the Winter Coat Drive and providing gifts for struggling families through the Holiday Joy program. Lutheran Community Services Northwest draws the congregation in through its Santa for Seniors program: four times a year, members make and pack gifts for isolated seniors in the community, and additional financial support flows to LCSNW throughout the year. Work parties at Lutherwood Camp and Retreat Center maintain the grounds and facilities of one of the Northwest Washington Synod's camp properties, with regular giving alongside the labor.
Serving Globally
The Deep Waters team at Christ the Servant works in partnership with Honduran communities to install and provide training for the upkeep of free water filtration systems. Members describe the partnership as a way of deepening their own faith, expanding their horizons, and building bridges of understanding across borders. The Global Mission committee leads the church in identifying and supporting such partnerships, framing global engagement as part of the congregation's regular rhythm rather than an occasional project.
A separate group, the Friends of Palestinian Detainees, partners with churches across the country to support Palestinians held in Israeli military prisons. The Christ the Servant congregation supports a young Palestinian man through prayer and communication with his family, and works to advocate for the human rights of Palestinians in Israeli prisons while educating the wider church about those realities. Whatcom Faith Community Immigration Support gathers local faith communities to donate and distribute food, diapers, essential household goods, and money to families affected by detainments and deportations, serving everyone from infants to grandparents.
Seeking Justice Together
Justice work is treated as a distinct strand of ministry, led locally by the Justice Seekers Committee. The committee educates, equips, and inspires church members and attendees to live out a call to "do justice," pursuing social, environmental, and economic justice while supporting peacemaking and reconciliation efforts locally, nationally, and around the world. The wider church supports the broader principles through the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's social statements, which the church lifts up as teaching and policy documents for thinking about social issues in the context of faith and life.
Care for One Another
Inside the congregation, the Care and Wellbeing committee organizes visits with shut-ins and people facing health or life challenges, alongside care baskets, cards, food, blood pressure checks, the prayer shawl ministry, and a prayer station available during worship. Claudia Ackerman, the Elder Care Minister, focuses specifically on the church's older members. She came to the role after earning a degree in Human Services from Western Washington University and a long career as an Advocacy Counselor at Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services, where she facilitated victim support groups for twenty-five years and received the 2022 Medal of Commitment to Community from the Bellingham Police Department. She completed Faith Community Health Minister training in 2014 and now walks alongside the congregation's seniors as a calling.
Joy Doubled extends that care. The program matches mobile seniors with homebound seniors for visits, and matches families and youth with homebound seniors as well, so the gift of time is offered in more than one shape. Combined with the Memory Support Group, the Grief Support Group, and the Prayer Shawl Group, the congregation tries to surround its older and grieving members with the practical and prayerful care they need.
Marking the Milestones: Baptisms, Weddings, and Funerals
Baptisms at Christ the Servant are held during worship and are open to infants, children, and adults; the church sees baptism as a sign of God's promise and a welcome into the community of Christ, and the pastors walk with each family through preparation. Weddings are celebrated at the church and off-site; couples typically meet with the lead pastor three to five times before the wedding and make use of the Prepare/Enrich assessment. As a Reconciling in Christ congregation, Christ the Servant performs marriages and blessings for all couples, including LGBTQ+ couples. Funerals and memorial services can be planned in conversation with the pastor, whether the gathering takes place at the graveside, the sanctuary, or somewhere in between; those who wish to plan ahead can fill out a Celebration of Life form to make their wishes known.
A Building Designed to Be Shared
Christ the Servant's single-level building is unusually accessible, and the church is proud of that fact. Curb ramps and smooth paths lead up to the entrance, which is free of rugs and marked by the cross above the door. Three preferred parking spaces sit in the lower lot, three visitor parking spaces are reserved on Sundays, and four spaces are reserved for cars with disabled permits. Wide hallways and wide sanctuary doors make room for wheelchairs and walkers, with designated spaces in the sanctuary itself for those who use them. Hearing assistance devices are provided for use during worship. Large-print and small-print bulletins are available each Sunday. Restrooms include wheelchair-accessible stalls with grab rails, and single-use, gender-neutral restrooms are available as well.
The same building is shared with the wider community. Facility rentals are available to community groups and families, with the sanctuary, a fellowship room that can open directly into the sanctuary, a full kitchen, a library, two conference rooms, a youth lounge, the nursery, an outdoor playground, a gym and event space, and a living-room-style area in the narthex. A fee schedule and building use policies lay out the terms in writing, and the church office handles inquiries. On Sunday mornings, those same spaces fill with coffee hour treats, the Sunday Adult Forum, and the laughter of kids at play.
What the Church Believes
Christ the Servant describes its faith in clear, plain language. Members believe in God's radical grace, revealed in Jesus and still at work through the Holy Spirit today. They treat the Bible as a living guide, not a rulebook, and they are shaped by baptism and communion and the community that gathers around them. The two sacraments of baptism and communion are at the center of congregational life, with communion shared at every Sunday service and baptism offered at any age.
The statement of beliefs also reaches outward. The church is committed to anti-racism and to welcoming, affirming, and advocating for people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions; people of all cultures, ethnicities, and backgrounds; people of all ages and abilities; and people of all social and economic circumstances. As a Reconciling in Christ faith community, the church has gone through a deliberate process of prayer, conversation, and education, and has committed itself to welcoming LGBTQ+ people, including clergy, fully into the life and worship of the community. As part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Northwest Washington Synod, the congregation looks to those larger bodies' social statements and teachings for guidance on a wide range of public issues.
The Team at Christ the Servant
The Rev. Dr. Jana Schofield is the lead pastor. She grew up in Colorado, was a youth minister in Colorado, Ohio, and California, served as a university campus pastor in California, and has now been called to Christ the Servant, where she is excited to join a community of faith in its mission of worship, learning, service, love, and justice.
The Rev. Muriel Otto directs the congregation's children, youth, and family ministries, drawing on her time at Unity Lutheran Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin, her earlier ordination in the United Church of Christ, and her conviction that playfulness can be a faithful response to the Gospel.
Claudia Ackerman serves as Elder Care Minister, walking alongside the congregation's seniors. Soren Ficklin is the Director of Music. Del VandeKerk directs the CTS Servant Singers and the Men's Chorus. Leah Peterson is the staff pianist. Jim and Cindy Oberlander keep the building tidy, and an Office Administrator is currently being sought to support the church's office and administrative work in a part-time, in-person role four days a week.
Giving
Everything Christ the Servant does is funded entirely by donations. On Sunday mornings members and visitors can place cash or a check in the offering basket or use a QR code from the bulletin; on the fifth Sunday of each month, children collect a Noisy Offering of coins for a specific ministry; and on Christmas and Easter special offerings support other ministries and organizations. Recurring giving can be set up through the Simply Giving program by returning a form to the church office, and one-time giving is available through Vanco. Designated funds support world and local hunger, Deep Waters global missions, building improvements, and other ongoing programs, though the church encourages giving to the general fund first so that immediate needs can be met. Anyone interested in stock transfers, bequests, or retirement account distributions can contact the Treasurer for information.