Nichelle Keatley prayed this prayer on our 4th Sunday discussion, “Taking Place Seriously: Where We’ve Been & Where We’re Going”:
Dear God, Creator of All Things,
We come today, with questions laid before us. While we seek to know the answer of HOW You would use this land for the welfare of the city, we pray first to align our hearts and minds with You. May You meet us here in a time of confession, a time of gratitude and acknowledgement of the blessing this land has been, and a time of prayerful consideration.
Lord, we confess that this land we currently occupy was long inhabited by the traditional and first peoples of Seattle, the Duwamish Tribe. Still present and living in this land today, we acknowledge the complex history our country, state, and city has with the Indigenous peoples - the broken treaties, the stolen land, and genocidal laws - all of which paved the way for us to occupy 415 Westlake Avenue as we know it today. Lord, we confess this history to You, we say it out loud, to honor and respect the Indigenous Peoples who have come before us, and to resist erasing their history from this land.
We are immensely grateful for the land and building that we have occupied these last 12 years. On numerous occasions, it appeared that we would be looking for a new "home", but You, Lord, provided the means and opportunities for us to purchase the building, perfectly appointed in the center of a developing hub in Seattle and a window to the larger world. As we seek to be "for the neighborhood", You have blessed us with relationships in the cafe, partnerships with organizations big and small, and a growing heart and ministry that serves the homeless, feeds the hungry, and seeks justice for the oppressed. We are so grateful for the relationships we have developed with Compass House, Catholic Health Services, CHOOSE 180, DADs, Lake Union Village, Street Youth Ministries, Lowell Elementary, One Parish One Prisoner, the IF Project, and the many other organizations that I have failed to mention. Lord, bless those organizations in the tireless work they do, and we pray that we may authentically walk in partnership with them to bring the wholeness of life that You promise.
Lord, we are thankful for the building and how it has been such a blessing. While at times it has felt small, the life that is bursting forth from our growing number of children and families, the loud second Sunday conversations, community events, weekly women's shelter, and lively Kakao cafe, all of these are representative of the fact that You bring forth life. We are so grateful for a building and location that allows us to come together and celebrate the life that You bring, and is so evident in our gathering together and going out into the community. We are grateful for the flexibility this space has afforded us: a worshipful space that has allowed us to authentically connect with the community through the cafe and the 415 event space, and a gathering place for this Union community as well.
Lord, as we ponder what the future of this space may be, we want to give thanks for the 415 Vision Studio that has met every other week for many months, discerning and listening to God's voice and this community, learning how this space has been used, and carefully planning how we can move ahead in a physically and fiscally responsible manner. We pray that they would remain attentive to Your Holy Spirit, particularly as we find ourselves in a new time of pandemic, economic uncertainty, and a reckoning of how our country has historically under-valued and oppressed our Black, Brown, and Indigenous brothers and sisters. Give the 415 Vision Studio clarity and endurance for the remainder of this process, and a strong sense of peace with whatever final decisions are laid before them.
And Lord, we lift before You the question of how You would use this building and land. May we have Your Spirit of creativity as we consider how we can continue to be "for the neighborhood" in radically new ways that You call us to be. May we seek restoration, healing, wholeness, and transformation for all people. Show us how we can be a place of hope and engagement that brings healing and opportunity and restoration. May we be a part of "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth (in South Lake Union) as it is in heaven." We pray that as we reach out to our neighbors in South Lake Union, we would attentively listen and hear what is on their hearts for people that live in this city, and that we would center the voices of those individuals that are oftentimes underrepresented AND vital to our community. Guard us from developing a "Savior" mentality that many predominantly white churches and organizations can fall into and can be so harmful for communities experiencing oppression. Lord, we seek clarity in how this new building can be a blessing to the community, and how our church can be Your living hands and feet in South Lake Union for years to come. And we pray for the courage and bravery to live into that calling.
Finally, Lord, we pray for wisdom and discernment for James B, Renée, and Studio 3 as they weigh the decisions before them over the next year. May Your Holy Spirit be present and guide them and us, communally and individually, today and every tomorrow that you grant us.
Lord, we offer this prayer to you.
Amen