904 Washington St SE, Olympia, WA 98501
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For this month’s Thin Place, I am providing my part of our recent, “State of the Church” gathering, that was held after the morning worship service on Sunday, July 26th. Since the majority of you who receive the Windows were not able to be there, we hope this will give you a comprehensive snapshot of where we’ve been, where we are currently, and where we hope to be going into that unknown future.
The other piece of news is that I will officially retire, on January 1st, 2029. Part of the near future will be transitioning to new pastoral leadership. The good news is that your current church leadership team has already begun discussions about process, timelines, etc., as well as starting conversations with Rev. Doug Avilesbernal, our Executive Minister for the Evergreen Association of American Baptist Churches (our Regional affiliate). My commitment to you all and to Oly First will stay grounded and intact, toward continuing our work of building a bridge into a healthy, proactive, sustainable future. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.
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State of the Church Recap • July 26th, 2026
In October we will acknowledge & celebrate 155 years of mission and ministry here at Oly First.
Legacy – Presence – Spirit – Relationship – Hospitality – Service
In my mind, we are like any other church. We worship, we serve, we provide spiritual guidance, presence, wisdom; opportunities to know God, say yes to God, and to follow God out into the world through the Resurrected One, Jesus Christ.
What sets Oly First apart, in my mind, are these moments of stepping through the various doors that God’s Spirit provided during those 155 years.
This is our Legacy:
In 1879, Festus Campbell was called as Interim Pastor. Festus, African-American, was a former slave, who served the church for the next several months as their acting Pastor. In 1885, May Jones, who was ordained, was called to be Pastor and served the church in that capacity for the next 2 years. Think of that, an African-American, former slave and a woman, called to Pastor this fledgling church community before the turn of the 20th century. Surprise!
In 1891, a Baptist Chinese school and Sunday school were established. In 1918, the church (Central Baptist at that time) opened a night school for Chinese immigrants, that later becomes a drop-in center for kids after school. In the 1950’s and early ‘60’s, the church sponsored 3-different sets of families, political refugees/immigrants from Eastern Europe living under the veil of Communist rule and oppression. In the 70’s, a family from Vietnam came to live in what is now the Emmaus House. Doors open, God surprises, people respond.
This legacy of welcome, connection and hospitality continue today, as we support, partner, serve, minister to and with World Relief and the families they help resettle here in Thurston County. To date, the church has hosted 9 families from 7 different countries. All of that is just a taste of the legacy of Oly First and it continues today with many of the community relation-ships we are building across our city as well as the ministry of Table Grace as we respond to the challenges of the house-less, the addicted and the ongoing issues around food scarcity.
We have committed ourselves to being a downtown, community-driven church, with all of the joys and challenges that that brings to our doors.
We stand behind our stated values of: Hospitality – Relational Connections – Spiritual Nurture.
Those values are at the core of our ministry as the living presence of the One we follow, Jesus Christ. We reflect those lived values as a way of shining the light of Christ to others while providing a place of belonging, a spiritual oasis, if you will, where all are welcome, and all can drink and eat from God’s Table and the living water of awe, wonder, and mystery the grace, reconciliation & redemption, found in Christ. What we do, ministry wise, people wise, community-wise is grounded in God’s story. It is biblical.
It is real. It is truth. Ours is grounded in Kingdom, not Empire. Period.
But we aren’t done yet. Not by a long-shot. I know that we have challenges. We are experi-encing some of them already. We have lost dear ones these last 3 to 4 years. We feel those losses, relationally, spiritually, and yes, financially. But, their stories of faith and service live within this faith community and within us who knew them and loved them. Still love them. Their memory, their spirit is intertwined with the Spirit. They are our cloud of witnesses. And so, they cheer us on, approvingly, I hope.
We are building a bridge into an unknown future, but it is a bridge that is sustainable, flexible, adaptable, looking not at short-term fixes based on trends and fads, but innovative, practical, and prayer-filled practices that are, again, people-centered and focused. Why? Because people matter. People, made in God’s image, enough in God’s eyes and deeply loved are why we exist. Anything else and we’re just blowing smoke and trying to look good to others.
We aren’t building a brand or a reputation, we are building a community; a Kingdom-driven, Kingdom-valued, Kingdom driven community of inclusion, acceptance, belonging, where God’s grace, redemption, and salvation are free for whoever is in need. We are a come and see community of Christ! If you were here last Sunday, we heard a story of inclusion, acceptance, belonging, grace, redemption… a coming out party! Yes!
We have a working group who is looking at long-term options to utilize our campus and existing property for future mission and ministries that can benefit both our church and the surrounding neighborhood. We have a team of people who are engaged with a denominational cohort that focuses on Stewardship as responding to God’s Generosity. We have another team of people who are working with a Regional/Evergreen Cohort on Reimagining Community and Reimagining Telling Our Stories. We will continue to build relationships with a variety of people, churches, non-profits and organizations, creating partnerships and being a spiritual presence within those partnerships, projects, ministries, etc. The work of Christ continues within those partnerships, even though, at times, they will look different than what we might be accustomed to.
Last thing:
I am committed to you all, to Oly First, and building a sustainable, future, that is Christ-centered, Kingdom-driven, and entrenched in the values we are committed to: Hospitality, Relational Connection, & Spiritual Nurture.
I am here, giving you all that I have in what is the last few years of my ministry career. So, when I retire we can, you can, be assured that your legacy, the ministry and mission we have established here on the corner of 9th and Washington, continues, can shift, pivot and change, as God’s Spirit continues to open doors of connection and opportunity.
We are in good hands because God is Good – all the time – all the time – God is Good! The future is there for the taking. We got work to do, but it is a work of good news, hope, and love. God’s abundant agape love.
155 years, and counting, into God’s future for us all!
Blessings and Joy!
Humble over Hype!
Come and See!
Pastor Mark (Rev)
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