Worship on the South Hill, Sundays at 9:30 AM
Tucked into a quiet stretch of Crestline Street on Spokane's South Hill, Hamblen Park Presbyterian Church has spent decades gathering neighbors around one simple calling: growing active followers of Jesus Christ and building his community. The motto is more than a tagline. The entire program of the church, from children's Sunday School to Guatemala mission partnerships, is organized around helping people live out an active, outward-facing faith.
Sunday worship is held at 9:30 AM in the sanctuary and is also livestreamed on YouTube, so members who travel, are homebound, or live out of the area can still take part. The order of worship is published each week as a downloadable bulletin, and recordings of recent services remain available on YouTube. A nursery is available during the service, and a sign language interpreter is present on the first Sunday of every month. Visitors are warmly welcomed: Guests are always welcome.
What Hamblen Believes
As a congregation in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Hamblen is grounded in the historic Reformed faith and affirms the denomination's Brief Statement of Faith. The statement is read and taught at Hamblen in its full form, beginning with the words, In life and in death we belong to God, and unfolding through the work of the triune God: the Father who creates and redeems, the Son who proclaims good news to the poor and releases the captives, and the Holy Spirit who gives and renews life and binds believers together as the Church.
The confession at Hamblen also acknowledges human brokenness, including rebellion against the Creator and exploitation of neighbor and nature, as well as God's mercy in sending Christ to break the power of sin and evil. It closes with the church's eschatological hope: with believers in every time and place, we rejoice that nothing in life or in death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. The church describes itself as theologically broad enough that people of both conservative and progressive backgrounds can have a voice and a place in shared study.
Active Followers of Jesus
Beyond the historic creeds, Hamblen has developed its own language for discipleship. The mission statement names seven marks of an active follower of Jesus, drawn directly from New Testament patterns:
- Word of God: guided by a direct relationship with Jesus and a competent understanding of the message of Jesus.
- Acts of Service: using God-given gifts to serve others in the church and the world.
- Body of Christ: connected to the family of God through a local church.
- Kingdom of God: living as a subject of God's reign.
- Expressions of Love: focused on outreach.
- Sufficiency of Christ: characterized by a lifestyle of poverty rather than material concerns.
- Lifestyle of Worship: nurturing Christ-centered worship in all of life.
The seven marks shape everything from how new members are taught to how the budget is built. Members share short video testimonies of how their lives have been changed through Hamblen's ministries.
The Pastoral Team
Hamblen's staff is unusually broad for a mid-sized church. Rev. Dr. Daniel White serves as Interim Pastor and Head of Staff. Rev. Jennie Barber is the Associate Pastor of Care and Outreach, having previously served as an associate pastor in Tennessee before earning her Master of Divinity at Princeton Theological Seminary. Rev. Katie Haney serves as Parish Associate, and Dr. Steve Watts supports the pastoral care ministry.
The program staff includes Scott Dicken, Director of Worship Arts, a University of Miami-trained musician (Master of Music in Studio Music and Jazz) who leads both contemporary and traditional music and plays guitar, piano, and other instruments; Mitchel Pierce, Director of Next Gen Ministries, a Whitworth University theology graduate who oversees children, youth, and family programming; Heather Notske, Director of Operations, a longtime member since 1998; and Sandy Riebe, Director of Financial Ministries, who also consults with other churches in the regional presbytery. Kyla Fague directs the choir, with Ann Seaburg as choir accompanist and John Conte as pianist and organist. Gerrit Van Zwol coordinates children and youth, David Marshall leads audio and visual technology, and Alicia Powell directs Hamblen Park Preschool.
Children and Family Ministries
Children's ministry at Hamblen is designed to come alongside parents, who are recognized as the primary carriers of a child's faith. Programming runs from birth through fifth grade.
Sunday School meets for three-year-olds through fifth graders just after the children's sermon on Sunday mornings, September through June. Family Worship Sundays are sprinkled through the year when children stay in the sanctuary with their parents. On those Sundays, a Kids' Zone is offered for ages three through first grade.
Journey Kids' Club meets Wednesdays from 5:00 to 7:00 PM, October through May, for kindergarten through fifth grade. Children share dinner together, play games, learn music, and study the Bible in a setting designed to be developmentally appropriate and welcoming. Parents are encouraged to volunteer.
A series of milestone classes walks older children through foundational practices of the Christian life: a second-grade Communion class that culminates in baking communion wafers; a third-grade Know Your Bible class that introduces how Scripture is organized and how to look up passages; a fourth-grade Hey God, Let's Talk prayer class using the Abingdon Press curriculum; and a fifth-grade Ten Commandments class. The annual Christmas Pageant from Scratch is an intergenerational tradition. After a potluck soup supper, anyone who wants to can dress as a character from the Christmas story and enter on cue as the story is read aloud.
Youth: Caravan and Oasis
Middle and high schoolers have their own weekly rhythms at Hamblen. Caravan Middle School Ministry (grades 6-8) meets Mondays from 6:00 to 8:00 PM, and Oasis High School Ministry (grades 9-12) meets Sundays from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Both are designed as safe places to build relationships and think about faith together.
Each summer the high schoolers go on a mission trip; past destinations have included Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., and Ganado, Arizona. The youth ministry also partners with other Presbyterian churches for Fall Camp at Camp Spalding.
Adult Classes and Small Groups
Hamblen offers a wide range of adult formation, organized around the church's Connect, Grow, and Love framework.
Weekly classes include the Tuesday Morning Men's Bible Study at 7:30 AM in the Fellowship Hall and on Zoom (sausage dogs, fruit, and coffee are standard fare); the Wednesday Morning Bible Study at 9:30 AM in the Skylight Room, led by Pastor Jennie Barber, mid-September through May; and the Sunday Morning Bible Study at 7:30 AM on Zoom, designed so South Hill residents can still arrive at 9:30 worship with time to spare. Two women's small groups meet on Zoom Wednesdays at 2:00 PM and Fridays at 1:00 PM.
Beyond Bible study, the Connect Groups include the HPPC Book Club, which meets third Thursdays to discuss books with Christian themes, and the Top of the Hill luncheon for the retirement age group on second Tuesdays. Grow Groups focus on prayer, study, and fellowship. Love Groups serve others. The Creation Care Team studies how to protect natural resources, the Mission & Service Committee supports local volunteer and financial needs, the Deborah Circle makes hats, mittens, blankets, and lap robes for area school children and agencies, and the Congregational Care Team ministers to members who can no longer regularly attend.
Special short-term series have also become a hallmark. Recent adult classes have explored the spiritual dimensions of the ecological crisis with Dr. R. Brian Siebeking of Gonzaga University, prayer practices with Rev. Katie Haney, human rights and Christian theology with Dr. Shannon Dunn, and a four-week series on Christian Nationalism with Gonzaga professor Dr. Kevin Vander Schel. Recordings of past classes are archived on SoundCloud.
Music Ministry
Music is woven through worship at Hamblen. Director of Worship Arts Scott Dicken leads both contemporary and traditional styles, and the program includes the chancel choir under Kyla Fague, with Ann Seaburg at the piano and John Conte at the organ and piano. Pentecost has become a jazz celebration each year. The church's strong musical tradition means that a typical Sunday service can range from choral anthems to contemporary praise, depending on the liturgy.
Senior Adults
Retirement-age members find community through Top of the Hill, a monthly luncheon and program that meets on the second Tuesday from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM in the Fellowship Hall. Speakers range from local non-profit leaders to travelogue presenters, local authors, and musicians. A suggested donation of $10 covers lunch; RSVPs are due the Friday before each meeting.
Caring Ministries and Prayer
The caring ministries of Hamblen are organized around Jesus' command in John 13:34 to love one another. The Congregational Care Team is a group of lay volunteers who assist the pastors in visiting and reaching out to members facing acute illness, terminal diagnoses, new parenthood, significant loss, or inability to attend church. The Prayer Chain distributes requests submitted to prayer@hamblenpres.org to members who have committed to pray.
The Emergency Needs committee coordinates meals, errands, and other practical help during illness or hardship, and also runs the church's annual blood drive and contributes to the Catholic Charities Travelers' Aid fund. The Neighborhood Outreach Committee, led by the Board of Deacons, supplies clothing to children at the Liberty Park Child Development Center, provides school supplies and weekend food packs to nearby schools, and sponsors families with gifts and food at Christmas.
Mission Partnerships
Hamblen has a long-standing mission partnership with Betsey and Eric Moe, PC(USA) Mission Co-Workers serving with CEDEPCA, the Protestant Center for Pastoral Studies in Central America, in Guatemala. The church supports the Moes financially and through prayer, and adult volunteers have traveled to Guatemala to accompany the work. Knowing Spanish is helpful but not required.
Each summer the high school youth group goes on a domestic mission trip, and adult groups have journeyed to Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., and Ganado, Arizona in recent years. Hamblen also partners with the other Presbyterian youth groups in the area for Fall Camp at Camp Spalding.
Hamblen Park Preschool
Sharing the church's campus at 4102 S Crestline is Hamblen Park Preschool, a play-based program serving families on the South Hill since 1985. The preschool is intentionally non-religious and welcomes all families, though it shares a special relationship with the church.
Three classes are offered, capped at eight students for Preschool and ten for Prekindergarten and Transitional Kindergarten:
- Preschool for ages 3-4, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9:00 AM to noon ($300/month).
- Prekindergarten for ages 4-5, three or four days a week from 9:00 AM to noon ($300 or $360/month).
- Transitional Kindergarten for five-year-olds who miss the kindergarten cutoff or benefit from another year of growth, four days a week from 9:00 AM to noon ($360/month).
Each day follows a rhythm of arrival, morning circle time, imaginative play, snack, outdoor play on the playground, and focused math and literacy learning. Weekly music classes explore instruments, rhythm, song, and movement. Registration for the following school year opens each March through Brightwheel.
Leadership and Governance
Hamblen is governed by a Session of Elders and a Board of Deacons. Elders chair ministry areas including Finance and Administration, Stewardship, Welcoming, Buildings and Grounds, Christian Education for adults, youth, and children, Mission and Service, Personnel, and Worship. Deacons lead Receptions and Dinners, Fellowship, Senior Adult Ministry, Memorial Receptions, Neighborhood Community Outreach, Emergency Needs, and youth connection. A Mission & Service Committee of the Session, plus the Deacon-led Neighborhood Outreach Committee, channel much of the church's local benevolence. Hamblen is part of the Presbytery of the Inland Northwest, within the Synod of Alaska-Northwest, of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Visiting and Getting Connected
The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM (closed Fridays). Visitors can reach the office at 509-448-2909 or hppc@hamblenpres.org. Online giving is available, and a yearly estimate-of-giving card lets members and supporters help the church plan its budget. Those interested in joining a small group, volunteering with children or youth, signing up for adult classes, or connecting with a ministry can fill out a Ministry Interests Form online or contact the church office directly. Whether someone is stepping into the sanctuary for the first time, joining a Wednesday morning Bible study, registering a child for Journey Kids' Club, or sending a preschooler into Alicia Powell's program, Hamblen Park Presbyterian Church has a place to start.