Three Sunday Mornings on Summitview Avenue
West Side Church gathers on the west side of Yakima, Washington, in a building set back from Summitview Avenue on the city's west ridge. The congregation meets for three Sunday morning services at 8:00, 9:30, and 11:00 am, and the 9:30 am gathering is broadcast live on the church's YouTube channel for those who want to participate from home.
Each service follows a simple, four-part rhythm that the church calls its Service Fundamentals: worship in song, regular corporate prayer, biblical preaching, and the Lord's Supper, observed every other month. Children's programming runs alongside the 9:30 and 11:00 am services, and mid-high students are dismissed after the music portion of the 9:30 gathering for a teen-focused lesson. On the last Sunday of every month, mid-high students stay with their families for the entire service.
First-time guests are greeted at the Connection Counter near the front entrance, where volunteers can answer questions about the church, hand out information about upcoming events, and walk newcomers through what to expect. Greeters, an espresso bar, and a cookies and coffee station serve the same hospitality role throughout the morning.
Glorify God, Proclaim Christ, Make Disciples
West Side's mission statement, posted on its About page and reproduced on every life group handout, is six words long: Glorify God, Proclaim Christ, Make Disciples. The church unpacks that statement into six commitments that shape its calendar.
The first two, Corporate Worship and Individual Worship, point to the rhythm of gathering on Sundays and pursuing God privately through prayer, Bible reading, and a life submitted to His will. The next two, Personal Evangelism and Global Missions, describe a church that takes the gospel seriously at home and around the world. The final two, Small Group Discipleship and Serving, focus on the day-to-day work of following Jesus in community. West Side builds disciples through life groups, Bible studies, and a culture in which older believers walk alongside younger ones in every area of service.
Articles of Faith
West Side identifies as a Baptist church and holds to a confessional Articles of Faith that covers Scripture, the Trinity, humanity, salvation, the church, civil government, and the last things. The church teaches that the sixty-six books of the Holy Bible are the verbally inspired, inerrant Word of God and the final authority for faith and practice. Belief in one sovereign God, eternally existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, anchors the statement.
The articles affirm the classical view of humanity as created in God's image and fallen into sin, and of salvation as a free gift received by faith in Jesus Christ. Justification, the church teaches, is by faith alone, and those who are truly born again are kept by God the Father for Jesus Christ. Christian baptism is practiced as the immersion of a believer in water, and the Lord's Supper is observed as a memorial of Christ's death. The church also affirms the bodily return of Christ, the resurrection of the saints, and the final judgment.
Position papers on baptism and the Lord's Supper, Bible translations, sin, discipline and restoration, marriage and sexual morality, homosexuality and same-sex marriage, and political involvement are published alongside the Articles of Faith. The church cooperates with other like-minded congregations through Church Venture Northwest (CVNW).
A Pastoral Team and a Body of Elders
The church is led by a five-member Pastoral Leadership Team. Dean Ellis serves as Discipleship Pastor; Elias Garcia as Missions and Operations Pastor; Joseph Lehmkuhl as Teaching Pastor; Andrew Hartman as Worship Pastor; and Jason Webster as Family Pastor. Cole Lantrip leads the youth ministry as Youth Director. A Children's Director position is currently open, with the role overseeing all children's programming, volunteer recruitment and training, and serving on the Family Team alongside the family pastor and youth director.
A board of thirteen elders - Doug Bault, Roger Bracchi, Dennis Hoover, Calvin Howe, Ray Keller, Jamie Nordstrom, Bill Osborne, Nate Osborne, Daryl Schilperoort, Wes Schut, Timothy Swanson, Joel Whitehead, and Art Volz - provides spiritual oversight for the congregation. Coordinators lead early childhood, elementary, childcare, communications, and media, while a separate staff handles operations, bookkeeping, facility maintenance, and reception. The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and can be reached at 509-965-2800 or office@westsidechurch.info.
West Side Kids: Birth through Fifth Grade
West Side's children's ministry gathers children from birth through fifth grade every Sunday morning at 9:30 and 11:00 am. The Early Childhood Center, for infants through five-year-olds, meets on the downstairs west wing of the building. Elementary classes for kindergarten through fifth grade meet upstairs on the south side of the building. The purpose of the ministry, in the words of its staff, is to encourage children to know, love, and trust in God.
Safety is built into the check-in process. New parents fill out a form covering contact information, food allergies, and other important details, and once a family is added to the system, check-in is handled through tablets at the check-in stations. The check-in and checkout process is used for children from birth through fifth grade.
Beyond Sunday mornings, West Side Kids serves on Wednesday nights as well. The church gives age-specific Bibles to children at three milestones: an NIrV Study Bible for Kids in kindergarten through fifth grade, a NIV Teen Study Bible when a student enters sixth grade, and an ESV Study Bible upon high school graduation. Story Bibles, family devotional books, and parenting resources are recommended to families for use at home.
West Side Youth: Mid-High and High School
Students in sixth through twelfth grade are served by a dedicated youth ministry that meets in the Youth Building, a separate structure on the church campus. Mid-high students (grades six through eight) are dismissed from the 9:30 am service after the singing portion to join a teen-focused lesson; on the last Sunday of every month, they remain in the main service with their families.
On Wednesday evenings, mid-high students meet from 6:00 to 7:15 pm, and high school students meet from 7:30 to 9:00 pm. Both groups gather for worship, games, and a teaching time. The youth ministry maintains an active presence on Instagram (separate accounts for mid-high and high school) and Facebook.
Life Groups: The Heart of Discipleship
West Side believes that life change happens best in small Christian community. The church describes its life groups as small groups of people who meet regularly to study the Bible, pray, care for each other, and encourage one another to reach their world for Christ. Life groups meet in various parts of the city, on different days and times, and with different kinds of people, so that every member can find a group that fits.
Three simple phrases summarize the goal: pray together, grow together, serve together. Group handouts are posted on the church's Handouts and Classes page, with series on books of the Bible (a multi-part walk through Acts and studies in Genesis, Daniel, and 1 Peter) and topical series such as The Relationship Series, Blueprints for Discipleship, and Equipped. Many of the handouts are available in both English and Spanish.
Adult Ministry: Men, Women, Young Adults, and Parents
West Side's adult ministry is organized around four overlapping communities.
Young Adults (College + Career) meets on Monday nights from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at Common Grounds Café, the church's on-campus coffee shop.
Men's Ministry gathers on Thursday mornings from 6:30 to 7:30 am for a Bible study.
Women's Ministry offers two Bible studies each week: Tuesday mornings from 9:15 to 11:15 am and Wednesday nights from 6:00 to 7:15 pm. Mom to Mom, a Bible-based parenting program built on Titus 2 discipleship, also meets Tuesday mornings from 9:15 to 11:15 am, September through March. Widows of West Side, associated with Stand in the Gap Ministries, meets on the second Tuesday of each month from 2:00 to 4:00 pm.
Parents are supported through a Foster and Adoption Support Group that meets on the third Sunday of each month from 5:00 to 7:00 pm, September through May, and through a curated list of parent resources covering parenting, marriage, emotions, culture and technology, sex and sexuality, and family devotionals.
Walking Through Hard Seasons
West Side hosts a network of support groups for people navigating difficult seasons of life.
Celebrate Recovery meets on Friday nights, with dinner at 5:45 pm and a large group at 6:15 pm. The program is a Christ-centered recovery ministry for anyone with a hurt, habit, or hang-up.
GriefShare is a thirteen-week program that walks participants through the grieving process alongside others who understand.
Foster and Adoption Support Group meets monthly, September through May, to connect, train, and provide trauma-informed support for families working with children in and out of the foster and adoption process.
Mom to Mom, in addition to its role as a women's ministry program, functions as a community of older women investing in younger mothers.
Widows of West Side provides a monthly space for widows to grow spiritually, build relationships, and actively serve.
Reaching Out in Yakima and Beyond
West Side's local outreach ministry points to a network of partner organizations across the Yakima Valley. Child Evangelism Fellowship serves the region from an office on South 40th Avenue. CrossLink, Life Choices, Love Inc., the Union Gospel Mission, and Young Life all work alongside West Side in various capacities, from evangelism and crisis pregnancy support to benevolence, recovery, and youth outreach. Short-term mission trips and ongoing financial support for missionaries in the U.S. and abroad round out the church's missions commitment.
Serving at West Side
West Side treats serving as integral to discipleship. The church organizes its service opportunities around several teams:
- Hospitality: greeters, Connection Counter, espresso bar, cookies and coffee, communion prep, ushers
- Worship and Arts: vocalists, acoustic, bass guitar, keys, percussion
- Technology and Media: lights, sound, slides, livestream
- West Side Kids: early childcare, large group leaders, teachers, assistants, craft prep, music, support
- Youth Group: mid-high leaders, high school leaders
- Adult Ministries: men's, women's, senior ministry, life group leaders
- Member Care: visitation, small projects, auto repair, memorial service reception, transportation, providing meals
- Facilities and Security: property maintenance and security team
- Local and Global Missions: short-term trips, local service, missionary encouragement
- Support Groups: Celebrate Recovery, Foster and Adoption, Mom to Mom, Stand in the Gap
Connected Beyond Sunday
For those who cannot attend in person, or who want to revisit a sermon, the church livestreams its 9:30 am service on its YouTube channel and posts past messages through Church Center. Handouts for each week's life group study, along with recorded classes, are archived on the church's Handouts and Classes page, with Spanish translations available for many series.
Giving is offered three ways. Cash or check donations can be dropped in the offering boxes by the Worship Center exits on Sunday mornings, with envelopes available at the Connection Counter; checks may be made payable to West Side Church or West Side Baptist Church. Online giving is available through Church Center, and bill pay through a member's own bank is also an option.
For those considering a first visit, the New to West Side page maps out the building, explains the check-in process for children, and highlights the church's four service fundamentals. A printed map available on Sunday mornings shows where the Early Childhood Center, Elementary wing, Youth Building, and Connection Counter are located.