Tucked into a residential block on 108th Avenue NE in Kirkland, the Kirkland Seventh-day Adventist Church has been a steady presence on the east side of Lake Washington for the better part of a century. The building sits among trees and homes, with a sanctuary, fellowship hall, classrooms, and a community service center that together form the heart of a congregation whose life stretches from a 1930s Grange hall to a multi-generational church with two schools on its campus and a network of ministries reaching across the neighborhood.
From a Grange Hall on Slater Street to a Kirkland Landmark
The congregation traces its beginnings to the mid-1930s, when a small group of believers began meeting in the old Grange hall at the end of Slater Street on Lake Washington. As the group grew, the members purchased the hall, giving the Kirkland Seventh-day Adventist Church its first building of its own.
World War II changed the neighborhood. The Lake Washington Shipyard, now the site of Carillon Point, brought a wave of new residents to Kirkland, and the little church quickly outgrew its quarters. Members secured property no longer needed by the shipyard and built a new church on NE 52nd Street. In the basement of that chapel they started a church school, the seedbed of what would become the Kirkland SDA School and Puget Sound Adventist Academy.
By the late 1960s the congregation had outgrown the NE 52nd Street facility as well. Through years of personal sacrifice, the present building at 6400 108th Avenue NE was completed in 1970. A Fellowship Hall and Community Service Center followed in 1986, expanding the church's capacity for worship, study, and mission. Across all of this, members describe a desire to serve both their own fellowship and their neighbors, to the glory of God.
The Sabbath Morning Rhythm
The week centers on Saturday, the Sabbath the church sets apart for rest and worship. Adult Sabbath School opens at 9:30 am with several options to study the quarterly lesson: a Pastor's Study, a Book Club Study, and the main Sabbath School Quarterly Class. A separate Women's Ministry class meets in the Training Room at the same hour.
At 9:45 am the Children's Sabbath School begins, with graded classes from Beginners (birth through age four) up through Kindergarten, Primary (grades 1-3), Juniors (grades 4-6), e-Teens (grades 7-8), and Youth (grades 9-12). The children's program uses GraceLink, a Christ-centered, Bible-based Sabbath School curriculum produced by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
At 10:45 am, a short Sabbath Prayer time gathers in the church library, just a few doors south of the foyer, for fifteen minutes of prayer for the worship service and for one another. Then at 11:00 am the main Worship Service begins in the sanctuary. A praise team leads the singing, a children's story is offered for the younger members of the congregation, prayer requests are collected on the back of the pew welcome card, and the pastor or a guest preacher brings the sermon. Communion is observed several times a year; the most recent observance, on September 12, 2026, drew the wider congregation together around the Lord's Supper.
For those who cannot attend in person, services are livestreamed on YouTube, and a sermon video archive stretches back through 2026 and earlier years. Tithes and offerings can be given online through Adventist Giving, and giving envelopes are available in the pews for those who prefer to give in person.
Children, Youth, and Young Adults
Children's ministry is woven into almost every part of the church's life. The graded Sabbath School classes run every Saturday morning, and during the week the Kirkland Kernels Adventurer Club serves children from pre-kindergarten through fourth grade. The Adventurers describe themselves as a family club rather than just a children's club, and their program is built around four relationships in a child's life: My God, My Self, My Family, and My World. They meet once a month on Sabbath afternoons, with field trips, service projects, and family events throughout the year.
For older youth, the Sojourners Pathfinder Club welcomes young people age ten and up, as well as adult staff. Pathfinders is a worldwide Seventh-day Adventist organization, and the Sojourners club brings together members from the Kirkland, Bellevue, Edmonds, and Green Lake churches. The program mixes Scripture study, worship, physical activity, outdoor games, three or four campouts a year, four to eight honors per Pathfinder, and service activities designed to grow faith, leadership, and an attitude of unselfishness.
Vacation Bible School is a hallmark of summer. Each year in July, the church hosts a week of VBS in the evenings, with a light dinner served, Bible stories, songs, activities, and crafts. Recent themes have included "Rome: Paul and the Underground Church," and the program is open both to church children and to the wider community.
Music is another way young people plug in. The praise team, open to singers and instrumentalists of all experience levels, leads worship most Sabbath mornings, and a children's Christmas choir rehearses on Sabbath mornings in the fall to sing during the holiday season.
The Adventist Youth Retreat, sponsored by the Washington Conference, brings together young people ages 12 to 20 from across the Northwest for a weekend of worship, music, youth-led presentations, outdoor activities, and outreach. Recent retreats have been held in Sandpoint, Idaho, and the church has also hosted the gathering at its own campus.
Two Schools on the Campus
The Kirkland church shares its grounds with two Adventist schools. Kirkland SDA School, established in 1945, is a private kindergarten through eighth-grade elementary and middle school. Its teachers are certified by the state of Washington and by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and the curriculum is designed to challenge students academically, socially, physically, and spiritually. The school office can be reached at 425-822-7554, and more information is available through its own site.
Next door, Puget Sound Adventist Academy is a Christian high school recognized by the National Council for Private Schools, with accreditation from the Washington State Board of Education and the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools. Small class sizes and a family atmosphere define the school, and more than eighty percent of PSAA graduates go on to higher education at institutions such as Walla Walla University, Andrews University, Pacific Union College, Loma Linda University, the University of Washington, Washington State, Seattle Pacific, and the University of Oxford. The school's mission is to grow every day in love for God, for learning, and for service to the church community in preparation for His return.
Students from the two schools participate in the life of the church: the Christmas choir, mission projects, joint prayer gatherings, the church potluck, and the annual "Raise the Roof" capital campaign, which is raising $550,000 by July 2027 to replace the long-suffering roof on the PSAA/KSDA campus. Donations to the campaign can be sent to Puget Sound Adventist Academy with "Raise the Roof" in the memo line.
Midweek Prayer and Bible Study
Beyond Sabbath morning, the church offers a regular pattern of prayer gatherings throughout the week. A long-standing Tuesday evening prayer meeting is held by Zoom at 6:30 pm for thirty minutes of focused prayer together. A morning prayer line, dial-in by phone, runs at 6:00 am every day with devotional thoughts, promises, and prayer requests. A Health Ministries United prayer line meets on Friday mornings via Zoom from 6:30 to 7:00 am, and a Sabbath prayer time gathers in the library each Saturday at 10:45 am.
Wednesday evenings at 7:00 pm bring the Adult Bible Study and Prayer Meeting, with periodic deeper series such as Pr. Harold's Bible Study Adventure, a six-week journey through Scripture, and the Great Controversy study group. The moms' prayer group meets monthly in the fellowship hall for prayer over the church's children, with a light breakfast served.
Periodically the congregation joins a Washington Conference Virtual Week of Prayer, gathering each evening for a week of spiritual refreshment via Zoom with guest speakers from across the church.
Women's Ministry, Seniors, and Hospitality
The Women's Ministry is one of the more active threads in the church's life. In addition to its weekly Sabbath School class, the ministry organizes special evenings, retreats, and intergenerational events. A recent "Legacy of Love" evening, for instance, brought women together for fellowship, Brazilian cuisine, an inspirational word from one of the pastors, and a bouquet-making project to share with a friend.
SAGE, the Washington Conference's senior ministry, connects members fifty and older. Through potlucks, retreats, and service projects, SAGE is designed to enhance the spiritual, mental, physical, and social health of active seniors, and meetings are coordinated through the conference office.
Hospitality is taken seriously. Greeters welcome members and visitors at the door each Sabbath, and the monthly potluck, which generally falls on the third Sabbath, is a chance for the whole church to share a meal together. Potluck themes vary by season, and members are encouraged to bring a vegetarian dish to share. The annual church barbecue in the summer features burgers, hot dogs, and side dishes, and a church work bee a few times a year keeps the building and grounds in shape.
Reaching the Neighborhood
Outward-facing ministry is built into the rhythm of the week. Every Monday at 5:00 pm, a team of volunteers meets in the church kitchen to prepare and deliver meals to the Safe Parking Shelter in Kirkland, a program serving people experiencing homelessness in the area. The church is one of the community partners that helps keep that ministry fed.
The Cookie Ministry for Dorm Students sends care packages to young people from the church who are studying at academy or university. Coordinated by Stephanie Windemuth and other volunteers, the program reminds boarding students that their church family is praying for them, and parents are invited to fill out a short form to include their student.
Each summer the church hosts Vacation Bible School for children from the neighborhood, with an evening format, a light dinner, and a program aimed at helping kids and their families get to know the church. The church also hosts blood drives in partnership with the American Red Cross, the Adventist Youth Retreat for the Northwest, and occasional music events and fellowship gatherings for the wider community.
Mission, Vision, and Values
The church's mission is "to be a welcoming community where people encounter the Gospel, grow in faith, and share God's love with all." Its vision, expressed in three short lines, is "Practice Faith. Live Generously. Love Boldly." Its six core values are Scripture, Evangelism, Learning, Hospitality, Belonging, and Service.
In its own longer description, the church adds that it seeks to be the most loving people possible, to be true disciples of Jesus, to be fully equipped for every good work God calls its members to do, to understand the entire message of the Bible (and especially the messages that are important for today), and to worship God according to the Spirit and truth of God.
What to Expect as a First-Time Visitor
On a given Sabbath, a first-time guest can expect a warm welcome at the door, music from the praise team, a service that runs roughly ninety minutes, a children's story for the younger worshipers, a sermon, and a chance to meet people over a fellowship meal if the visit happens to fall on a potluck Sabbath. Casual dress is normal, and the sanctuary is a comfortable, traditional setting.
Children are welcome in the main service, and graded Sabbath School classes begin at 9:45 am. Adults who arrive at 9:30 am can join one of several Sabbath School options before the main service. Parking is available on site, and overflow parking for special events is arranged at the nearby Northwest University and Northwest Physical Therapy lots, with a shuttle back to the church.
The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm and Friday from 8:00 am to 11:00 am. Visitors and members can reach the office at 425-822-7922 or office@ksda.org. Membership transfers from other Seventh-day Adventist churches can be initiated through the church's online form.
Leadership and Affiliation
The church is pastored by Senior Pastor Harold Alomia and Associate Pastor Raven Leonardini. Pastor Alomia regularly preaches on Sabbath mornings and leads pastoral series on stewardship, generosity, prayer, and spiritual growth. Pastor Leonardini, who studied theology and biblical languages at Walla Walla University and previously served at Green Lake Church, joined the Kirkland team and preaches regularly, leads the women's ministry event series, and works to cultivate "spaces where people can be real, ask big questions, and encounter the transforming love of God in everyday life." The pastoral team is supported by a bench of elders, deacons, and ministry leaders who serve on the platform each week, and by a long list of volunteers who teach classes, lead the praise team, visit shut-ins, and prepare the weekly bulletin and e-news.
The Kirkland Seventh-day Adventist Church is part of the Washington Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, and the Washington Conference is, in turn, part of the North Pacific Union Conference and the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church. The local Adventist family extends outward to Auburn Adventist Academy, Puget Sound Adventist Academy, Kirkland SDA School, and Walla Walla University, all of which are listed among the congregation's educational partners and supported through the annual "Raise the Roof" campaign and other joint giving.
Living Generously and Worshiping Together
Across more than nine decades of growth, from a borrowed Grange hall on the lakeshore to a busy multi-building campus in the heart of Kirkland, the congregation has stayed focused on the same set of practices: gathering on the Sabbath for worship and study, raising up the next generation through its schools and clubs, praying together during the week, and serving the neighbors around the church. Whether someone is visiting for the first time, looking for a school for their children, hoping to join a Pathfinder club, or seeking a place to pray, the doors at 6400 108th Avenue NE are open.