Southside Neighbor Since 1890
Our Saviour's Lutheran Church has stood on Harris Avenue in the Happy Valley neighborhood on Bellingham's south side since 1890, making it one of the oldest congregations in the city. The current church building has been in place since 1962, and a historical hall inside holds photographs and records stretching back more than a century. The congregation's own shorthand for itself is a simple line: Inviting. Growing. Sending. - a description that shows up wherever the church introduces itself to a newcomer.
The church is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), one of ninety-six congregations in the Northwest Washington Synod. It is also a Reconciling in Christ congregation, a designation that marks it as a community where every neighbor is fully included in the life of the congregation.
Sunday Morning at 10:30
Worship begins at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings and runs a little longer than an hour. The service is led by Pastor Joel Langholz, with music from piano and organ, occasional choir or special guest musicians, Bible readings, and a sermon. The liturgy moves through the familiar shape of Lutheran worship: readings, a sermon, the Lord's Prayer, a sharing of the peace, and an offering. A detailed printed bulletin makes it easy to follow along.
Communion is central to the morning. All are welcome at the table. Each person comes forward to receive the bread and wine by intinction - dipping the wafer in the cup. Regular wafers are available, along with a gluten-free option on request and sealed individual kits for those who prefer them. Anyone who would rather not commune is welcome to come forward for a blessing, and communion can be brought to a seat when needed.
The dress code is, in the church's own words, anything you'd like. After the service, coffee and snacks are set out for an informal time of fellowship. For those who cannot attend in person, the service is livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel, and the sanctuary itself remains open with masks encouraged for anyone who needs them.
Open Table, Open Doors
Our Saviour's has gone through a formal process of prayer, conversation, and education to declare itself a Reconciling in Christ congregation within the ELCA. The welcome is broad and explicitly stated: people are welcomed and affirmed here regardless of ability, age, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, religion, or economic status. The congregation is also committed to anti-racism and names that commitment out loud.
This welcome is not just a statement on paper. The same language, affirmation regardless of ability, age, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, religion, or economic status, also applies to those who may rent or use the building. Couples planning weddings and other spiritual communities looking for a worship home hear the same thing.
What Lutherans Believe
The congregation's teaching page begins with the foundation. A Lutheran is, first and foremost, a Christian who places trust in the grace of God. Lutherans trace their roots to the sixteenth-century Reformation and to Martin Luther, a Catholic priest who challenged his own church to set aside works-righteousness and focus instead on justification by grace through faith.
Key Lutheran convictions at Our Saviour's include the paradox that every Christian is simultaneously saint and sinner, the priesthood of all believers, and the idea that each person can serve God through a unique vocation. Lutherans at OSLC read the Bible through the lens of the grace of Jesus Christ and believe it is inspired by God without being treated as infallible. Two sacraments are celebrated: Baptism and Communion. The Lutheran understanding of Communion is consubstantiation: Christ is truly present in the bread and wine, while they remain bread and wine.
From Pizza Nights to Sacred Conversations
Learning together is part of the church's intergenerational identity. The educational programs are designed for youth and adults together, with several recurring rhythms through the week and the month.
Sunday School. On the first Sunday of each month, from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m., the Sunday School has shifted to an intergenerational format. Pastor Joel and a team of leaders gather everyone - youngest to oldest - to discuss the Bible readings for the day. Crafts make an occasional appearance. There has even been a puppet show.
Confirmation. Confirmation Pizza Nights run from September through May. All middle school and high school students are welcome. Pastor Joel makes pizza, the group eats together, and a lesson follows on Luther's Small Catechism - the Bible, the Ten Commandments, the Apostles' Creed, the Sacraments, the Protestant Reformation, and other topics. Ninth graders are confirmed and participate in an affirmation of baptism with the congregation. Church member Laurel Vodopich assists Pastor Joel. The group meets in the Fellowship Hall on the second Sunday of each month from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m., fall through spring.
Sacred Conversation. On Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. in the Fireside Room, anyone interested in the coming week's Gospel lesson can join Pastor Joel for a discussion led through an informative PowerPoint presentation.
Lutheran Campus Ministry at Western
Pastor Joel also serves as Campus Pastor for Lutheran Campus Ministry at Western Washington University, supporting faith formation for the nearby college. LCM at WWU is a progressive faith community where students can grow in their faith, learn about the Lutheran tradition, and build friendships through discussion, food, worship, service, and fun. Like its home congregation, it is a Reconciling in Christ ministry. Students in the parish can double up and join campus ministry at the same time.
Feeding the Neighborhood
Two ongoing efforts take seriously the call to feed the south side of Bellingham.
Southside Community Meal. Once a month, the Fellowship Hall opens for a free community dinner. The meal is a partnership with the Happy Valley Neighborhood Association and is held on the third Sunday of every month from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m., serving a homemade main entrée, a fresh salad, and local bread. The dinner runs January through May and September-November, taking a break in June, July, August, and December. Volunteers set up, cook, and welcome neighbors in.
Southside Food Bank. The church collects food year-round during church hours for the Southside Food Bank. Drop-off donations include canned vegetables, tuna, soup, pasta sauce, bags of pasta, ramen, rice, macaroni and cheese, and oatmeal, along with empty egg cartons for half-dozen and dozen sizes.
C.A.S.T. The kitchen also supports the C.A.S.T. team (Coffee and Sandwiches Together), a sandwich-making ministry that works with the Interfaith Coalition.
Stitching for the World
God's Quilters has been part of the congregation since at least 2014. The group quilts from fall to spring and sends finished quilts around the world as part of the Lutheran World Relief Quilting Ministry. Visitors are welcome to drop by and see the many beautiful designs that have been created over the years. No sewing experience is required - the group always has tasks for volunteers who want to help in other ways.
Counseling in the Fireside Room
Our Saviour's hosts an office of the Lutheran Counseling Network, a regional ministry with seventeen locations across the Puget Sound region. The Bellingham counselor is Margaret Mary Pierce, MA, LMHCA, a Certified Pastoral Counselor and Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate. She holds a Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling from Seattle University and integrates spirituality and psychology in her work.
Specialties include individual and couple counseling, spiritual direction, anxiety, depression, relationship distress, loss and grief, early adult transitions, emotionally focused therapy for couples, marriage enrichment, and therapy for those in ministry. Treatment approaches include Spiritual and Psychological Integration, Marriage Enrichment, Emotionally Focused Therapy, and clinical hypnosis for anxiety, depression, pain management, sports performance, and healthy lifestyle choices. Through the generosity of the ELCA, a discounted fee scale is available, with limited insurance accepted. Appointments can be made at (360) 927-6753.
A Building Made for Gathering
The church building is wheelchair accessible, with a lower entry and an upper entry connected by an outer sidewalk. The sanctuary sits on the upper floor and seats over three hundred. The Fellowship Hall on the lower floor covers more than 3,100 square feet and comfortably hosts 150 to 200 people. It comes with wi-fi, a stage, a projector screen, and a sound system. Three smaller classrooms - one with child-sized furniture - are also available.
The building is offered for rental to not-for-profit groups. Weddings and memorial services are held in the sanctuary, with options for a light reception in the small kitchenette, pastoral services, an organist or accompanist, and printed programs. Small group meetings can use a formal conference room, a casual fireplace room, or a classroom for groups of five to twenty. Spiritual communities in search of a weekly worship location are invited to inquire as well.
Joining the Congregation
Anyone interested in becoming a member can fill out a new member form online. Members vote at annual meetings and may hold council positions. Newcomers are encouraged to read the What is a Lutheran? page if Lutheranism is new to them. Opportunities to serve include the Community Meals, the Quilting Ministry, serving during worship, community gardening, fundraisers for various charities, sandwich making through C.A.S.T., and, for students, campus ministry as well. There's always something happening.
Weekly offerings are collected during the worship service. Checks may be mailed to 1720 Harris Avenue, Bellingham, WA 98225, and online giving is available through Tithe.ly, with both one-time and recurring options. A weekly newsletter called The Call keeps subscribers posted on what is on the horizon.