At 9019 NE 86th Street, one mile east of I-205 on Padden Parkway in Vancouver, Washington, Vancouver Church of Christ, or VanChurch, is known for a simple purpose: “Loving God. Loving People. Following the Way of Jesus.” Its regular Sunday gathering is casual and family-conscious, while the life of the church extends into homes, recovery groups, a preschool and service to people in Vancouver and around the world.
A Sunday Gathering at 10 A.M.
Regular Sunday worship begins at 10:00 a.m. at 9019 NE 86th Street. VanChurch's worship, facilities and community are intentionally unpretentious, and the church emphasizes a welcoming spirit and authentic kindness. Every service is livestreamed, allowing people to join through the VanChurch YouTube channel. On the fifth Sunday of each month, children worship together with their families rather than attending a separate Kids Praise class, while a staffed nursery remains available.
Kids Praise serves children three years old through fifth grade and begins immediately after communion during the sermon portion. An attended nursery is available for babies and toddlers. The Children's Ministry vision is to equip and reinforce families by providing emotional, spiritual and material support as they invest in the faith development of their children. Family events are another way the church supports children and parents.
For a first worship service, dress can be informal. Jeans and T-shirts are common, and shorts and flip-flops may be seen in summer; some people choose more formal clothing, but VanChurch does not pay much attention to attire. A freewill offering supports the church's ministries. Guests may give but are never expected to participate. Communion is integral to each weekly gathering, and anyone who wishes may take part.
The Church Scattered Through Homes and Weekdays
For VanChurch, “the Church is people,” not simply a building or a Sunday assembly. Community Groups meet in people's homes so relationships can grow during the week. The church calls this “the Church Scattered” and considers these groups essential to its ministry and mission in the Vancouver area. Community Groups Minister Christina Hill leads this effort, helping participants build authentic community beyond the gathering on Sunday.
The Women of the Word groups study God's Word together, pray together and make friends. These small groups meet weekly throughout the school year with three regular options: Monday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. on Zoom, Tuesday mornings at 10:00 in a member's home, and Thursday mornings at 10:00 in the Fireside Room. The women also join for occasional social gatherings such as tea or bingo parties, and all women are warmly welcome.
A Tuesday Prayer Group meets from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Fireside Room, while Men's Bible Study meets Saturday at 8:00 a.m. in the Conference Room. These gatherings complement the Sunday service by making room for prayer, Scripture and shared life throughout the week.
Mom Connection, or MomCo, gathers moms whose children range from birth through age 18. Meetings typically include practical teaching through speakers, demonstrations and videos, as well as time in God's Word and honest conversation with other moms. It meets on the second and fourth Wednesdays from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the Fellowship Room. Registration is required, and childcare is available for children from birth through age 5, with a MomCo class for toddlers age 2 and older. Lana Guetterman coordinates the group.
Celebrate Recovery: A Safe Place for Healing
VanChurch hosts Celebrate Recovery, a Christ-centered 12-step recovery program for people seeking hope, healing and freedom from hurts, habits and hang-ups. People can find freedom from anger, insecurity, addiction, anxiety, grief, guilt, shame, depression, financial loss, divorce, dysfunctional families and eating disorders. The goal is not only to move beyond past sins and hurts but to become Christ-like in character, while anonymity, confidentiality and personal responsibility remain central.
- 5:30 p.m.: Dinner
- 6:30 p.m.: Worship, lesson or testimonies
- 7:30 p.m.: Open Share Groups and CR 101
Admission is free, no RSVP is required, child care is available and face masks are optional. CR-101 for newcomers is a one-time orientation group that explains how Celebrate Recovery works and helps a participant find an Open Share Group for a future meeting. The ministry is explicitly not therapy, counseling, legal advice, rehabilitation or treatment. In Open Share Groups, people may pass when they do not want to speak, and the emphasis is progress rather than perfection. Group leaders are men and women who are in recovery themselves, not professional counselors or paid experts.
Step Studies for Men and Women
Men's and women's Step Study groups use the 12 Steps and eight recovery principles based on the Beatitudes in Matthew. A trained facilitator who has completed the study leads each confidential small group, and a study typically takes 8 to 12 months. Participants focus on their own thoughts and feelings for three to five minutes at a time. There is no cross talk, offensive language is not allowed, and the purpose is mutual support rather than fixing one another.
Programs for Teens and Children
Celebration Place is the children's program that accompanies Celebrate Recovery. While adults work through themes of healing and wholeness, children encounter the same truths in age-appropriate ways. The Landing for Teens serves ages 13 to 19 and introduces teenagers to biblical recovery principles as they face pain and addictions. The needs it names include abuse, rejection, betrayal, divorce, failure, depression and ridicule, along with addictions involving drugs, alcohol, food, relationships, pornography and other destructive patterns.
Celebrate Recovery Inside
Celebrate Recovery Inside is the prison and jail extension of the ministry. VanChurch partners with the Clark County Jail and Department of Corrections to bring the program to incarcerated people. It also gives family members a way to become involved with local Celebrate Recovery while a loved one is incarcerated. The work is intended to support spiritual growth, freedom from hurts and habits, and stronger personal relationships with others and Jesus Christ.
Bright Beginnings and the Next Generation
VanChurch's Children's Ministry says children are a gift from God and seeks to help them become spiritually mature members of the faith community. Safety is a central part of that work. Every class and function is supervised by multiple approved volunteers who complete an application and background check, and children's participation requires an up-to-date child information form. The ministry team also includes family events and other opportunities for parents and children to spend time together.
Bright Beginnings Preschool, which opened in 2006, is VanChurch's Christian preschool. It provides a safe, loving and Biblically grounded environment for young children and their families, with a child-centered, family-focused vision for developing the whole child for learning and the transition into kindergarten. Christina Hill serves as preschool director. The school can be reached at 360-882-3496.
The Student Ministry serves sixth through 12th grade students under a team of committed parents and volunteers. Its vision is to create disciples of Jesus by connecting students with community, Christ, ministry and mission. The ministry also works to equip parents, whom it regards as the most influential force in their children's spiritual development. Youth Group meets on the first and third Sundays from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the Youth Portable.
Mission Work in Vancouver and Beyond
VanChurch understands mission as sharing the gospel of Christ with the world around it. Its work has included both long-term and short-term initiatives, support for missionaries in Canada, India, Africa, Brazil and Ukraine, and partnership with church plants in Vancouver and Wenatchee. A Mexico mission initiative has focused on El Zorillo, where teams build simple wood-frame houses for families living in poverty and present each family with a Bible and a key to the new home. These efforts connect the church's worship life to service beyond its own gathering.
At home, VanChurch partners with local nonprofit organizations and community schools. It supports WHO, or Winter Hospitality Overload, and collects food and gifts for families through Thanksgiving Baskets and Giving Tree ministries. Its food pantry serves families in need from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month.
From a 1941 House Meeting to Padden Parkway
VanChurch belongs to the Christian heritage known as the Restoration Movement or, in some circles, the Stone-Campbell Movement. This movement began in the early 1800s as leaders from divided denominations sought unity by gathering around the Bible, recovering a vision of the church in the New Testament and restoring its teaching and practices. Churches of Christ are autonomous congregations led by elders from their own church family rather than by a headquarters. VanChurch practices baptism by immersion and shares communion every Sunday.
Many Churches of Christ sing without instruments. VanChurch honors that heritage with one non-instrumental worship assembly, while its other worship gatherings also include instruments. Its aim is to be known for love for God and people, pursue the unity Jesus prayed for all believers, and honor Jesus as the head of the church.
VanChurch began on August 3, 1941, meeting in the home of Catherine McCoy. The congregation rented facilities as it grew, bought its first building around 1945 and acquired a larger building within five years. It began meeting at Andresen and Mill Plain in 1961. The church purchased 20 acres in 1978, sold its Andresen property in 2003 and worshipped for more than two years in a local high school while developing the Padden land. The Padden building was dedicated in 2005. Leadership shifted from an elder board to a senior minister model in 2013. The contemporary Gathering worship gathering began in 2015 and moved to Sunday morning in 2016, reflecting VanChurch's willingness to carry its heritage forward while changing its forms.
Jesus Is Everything
“Jesus is everything” is both VanChurch's vision and the heart of its beliefs. The Apostles' Creed, which all staff must confess, affirms God as creator, Jesus as God's only Son and Lord, the work of the Holy Spirit, the universal church, communion of saints, forgiveness, resurrection and everlasting life. In addition, VanChurch believes salvation comes only through God's gracious work in Jesus. People respond to that grace by trusting Jesus, turning from sin and being immersed into Christ. Transformation into Christ's likeness is the work of the Holy Spirit, and the Bible is inerrant in its purpose of revealing who Jesus is.
VanChurch does not regard itself as better than people who do not know Jesus. It says everyone is in the same boat, needing love and acceptance, and Jesus demonstrated that everyone can find a place to belong. The church also believes life itself is an expression of worship, not only Sunday gatherings. Its values center on trust in God, honest and open living, listening without judgment, transformation and making a difference for people who are marginalized or in need. Its simple pattern is to love everyone, gather to serve and worship, equip people to follow Jesus and scatter to spread the gospel.
A Place for People and Service
VanChurch's facilities are intended to be a blessing to the community of Vancouver. Individuals and organizations can request use of the building for funerals, meetings and other related events, with separate forms for building and audiovisual or multimedia use. The church's community work also reaches beyond its building through Celebrate Recovery Inside, local nonprofit partnerships, the food pantry and mission projects.
The ministry team includes Senior Minister Mark Hadley, Youth Minister Andrew Martin, Children's Ministry Director Kara Deal, Community Groups Minister and Bright Beginnings Preschool Director Christina Hill, and MomCo Coordinator Lana Guetterman. Paul and Wonder Baldwin and Edward and Paula Hawthorne serve as shepherding couples. Their roles span worship, teaching, children, families, community groups, the preschool and recovery support, reflecting the church's conviction that spiritual formation and service belong together.
VanChurch's identity comes together in its pattern of love, gathering, equipping and scattering. The same pursuit connects a 10 a.m. Sunday service, children's classrooms, recovery groups, homes, local service and mission work. At its center remains the church's defining aim: loving God, loving people and following the way of Jesus.