Westminster Congregational United Church of Christ has stood at the corner of 4th and Washington in downtown Spokane for well over a century. The brick building across from the freeway has watched the neighborhood change, but its purpose has stayed the same: to be a place of refuge, resistance, and honest faith. The congregation calls itself a joyful, loving, and intentionally inclusive community of people who grow in faith through the teachings of Jesus, and the welcome that greets visitors reflects exactly that.
A Welcome That Names Who You Are
Westminster's welcome statement is one of the most direct of any church. "We are queer and straight; our families take many shapes and configurations. We come from a variety of life experiences, and we welcome and celebrate a diversity of cultures and peoples. We welcome people who think like us, and people who disagree. Who you are - just as you are, in all your complexity - matters to God. Come see, and be seen, for yourself." That openness shapes everything from Sunday worship to the church's stance on social justice.
Theologically, Westminster is grounded in the teachings of Jesus Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit. The congregation affirms that all people bear the image of God, values every stage of spiritual growth, and holds that faith is dynamic rather than fixed. Worship pulls from the United Church of Christ's wider practice, drawing on the tradition's conviction that "God is still speaking" today.
Worship That Stays Old and New at Once
Worship at Westminster seeks to connect ancient traditions with a contemporary context. The congregation sings hymns, prays, and reads scripture in the way Christians have for millennia, and then finds room for surprise. "We gather to worship in ways that feel old, familiar, and yet surprisingly new," the church explains. Communion is served on the first Sunday of each month, and all are welcome at Christ's table regardless of background.
Sunday worship begins at 10:30 AM at 411 South Washington Street. Services are offered in person and over Zoom, and past services can be viewed on the church's YouTube channel. The sanctuary is a historic space, and the music reflects that: Janet Hubbard plays both organ and piano during services.
Children, Sunday School, and the Activity Room
Westminster takes seriously the care of children during worship. On Sunday mornings at 10:30, an Activity Room staffed with two caregivers is open for children under six. Children ages six to twelve begin in the sanctuary for the first part of the service, then leave for Sunday School after the Young Disciples time, taught by two teachers. On Communion Sundays, children start in Sunday School and join the adults for communion. In bad weather, Sunday School may move to Zoom.
A Youth Group also meets for outings and gatherings throughout the year. Details come through the church office.
Bible Study, Reading Groups, and Tuesday Night Talks
Spiritual growth at Westminster extends well past Sunday morning. The Word This Week Bible Study meets Mondays at 12:30 PM, led by Pastor Bob Feeny, focusing on the upcoming Sunday's lectionary texts - primarily the gospel, with attention to the other readings. It is a lunch-hour study that opens with prayer and ends with time to discern where the Spirit is leading.
Tuesday Night Talks meets at 6:30 PM on Zoom. The group discusses important issues to faith: racism, white supremacy, mental health, health care, biblical applications, and more. A new session typically begins in mid-October.
Other regular gatherings include a Christian Nationalism Reading Group on Tuesday evenings in October and November, a Book and Salad Club on the third Monday at noon, the Joanna Women's Chapter on the second Wednesday at 11:30 AM at Rockwood Lane, and standing board meetings for Education and Spiritual Growth on the first Monday at 7:00 PM, Serving Our Neighbors on the first Wednesday at 6:30 PM, the Trustees on the third Wednesday at 5:00 PM, the Church Council on the fourth Monday at 6:30 PM, and the Diaconate and Music and Arts Board as scheduled.
The Book and Salad Club reads a book each month and discusses it over a salad potluck, typically in members' homes.
Serving Our Neighbors and the Medical Respite Center
A downtown church for well over a century, Westminster has continually adapted to the needs of its changing neighborhood. Today, the building houses a Medical Respite Center, providing a place for those leaving the hospital who have nowhere else to recover. The Serving Our Neighbors Board organizes the congregation in outreach activities such as collecting warm clothing for people experiencing homelessness.
The church describes itself as a place of refuge and resistance, dedicated to being "deeply anti-capitalist, anti-racist, and anti-misogynist," and a place where queer folks are embraced for who they are, not in spite of who they are.
The Spokane Alliance and the Covenant With People of Color
Westminster is an active member institution of the Spokane Alliance and the Faith Action Network. Through WestCAT, the Westminster Community Action Team, the church partners with the Spokane Alliance to work for change for the common good in Spokane. The church has also adopted a Covenant with People of Color, naming the work of racial justice as central to its life together.
The Covenant With the Environment
The congregation voted to adopt a Covenant with the Environment in February 2022. The covenant affirms the presence of God as Creator of the entire cosmos and recognizes the scientific consensus on climate change. It commits the church to education, advocacy, and spiritual nurture on environmental issues, and supports individual practices like "meatless Mondays" and "No-Driving Days." It supports the City of Spokane 2021 Sustainability Action Plan, with focus areas in energy, transportation, waste diversion, water resources, economic prosperity, the natural environment, and health and well-being. The covenant also commits the congregation to working with partners like Earth Ministry/Washington Interfaith Power & Light and Creation Justice Ministries.
Music That Has Been Centering Worship for Years
Janet Hubbard has served as the church's musician since the fall of 2013, playing both organ and piano during services. Her training includes both master and bachelor degrees in piano performance from the University of Colorado-Boulder and Pittsburg State University in Kansas. She teaches private piano lessons and Kindermusik classes, composes and arranges music, and occasionally brings her own arrangements into Sunday worship. Trevor Bushnell joined Westminster as Music Director recently, a graduate of Gonzaga with degrees in Applied Mathematics: Statistics and Music (Choral Directing).
The Pastor, the Staff, and a Place of Refuge
Rev. Bob Feeny is the church's pastor. He was born and raised in New Hampshire, developed a love of mountains and wild places, and came to the United Church of Christ after growing up in pentecostal traditions. He is an ordained minister in the UCC. He holds an undergraduate degree in English from Plymouth State University in New Hampshire and a Master of Divinity from the University of Chicago Divinity School. His vision for Westminster is for it to continue as a place of refuge and resistance, deeply anti-capitalist, anti-racist, and anti-misogynist, and a place where queer folks are embraced for who they are. Bob lives in Spokane with his partner, Rebecca, and their dog, Tali.
Rev. Andrea Castrolang was named Pastor Emerita of Westminster, having served as the church's pastor for twenty years from 2002 to 2022. During her tenure she strengthened the church community, advocated for justice in the wider community, and encouraged the congregation to bring about God's kingdom on earth.
Visiting Westminster: Parking, Hours, and How to Connect
Sunday worship at Westminster begins at 10:30 AM at 411 South Washington Street, at the corner of 4th and Washington in Spokane. Free parking is available on Sundays in the lot under the freeway across 4th Avenue from the church; that lot is reserved for Lewis & Clark High School students Monday through Friday. Street parking is available all around the church. Communion is served on the first Sunday of each month. Coffee and snacks are served in the Social Hall following each service.
The church office is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 to 4 PM, with other hours available by appointment Monday through Thursday. The office can be reached at (509) 624-1366 or office@westminsterucc.org. Giving is available online through a secure portal.
Visitors and members can also stay connected through the church's email newsletter, Facebook page, Instagram, and YouTube channel, where previous sermons are posted.