Grace Embodied
by David Dalton
The Hillyard neighborhood of Spokane, Washington, has long been a working-class community. But it began to decline in the early 1980s with the closing of rail yards that had been a major employer in the community for nearly a century. The closing of a nearby aluminum plant in 2000 resulted in a further loss of good-paying jobs that have not been replaced. While Hillyard has one of the lowest per-capita income levels in Spokane and in the state of Washington, it also has a thriving historic district and continues to welcome immigrants from around the world. And it has St. Peter Lutheran Church, a presence and an anchor in the community since 1911. With 303 members and an average worship attendance of 40, this congregation is, according to its pastor, the Rev. Betty Krafft, “one of the most active small congregations around.”
At the heart of St. Peter’s ministry is a food pantry that serves about 500 Hillyard residents every month. “We are very intentional that this is a place where people experience grace embodied. We don’t require proof of income or identity to be served,” Krafft said.
Much of the food for the pantry comes from the Second Harvest food bank network. Occasionally other area ministries help out, and once a month the congregation holds a food-pantry Sunday. Two of the congregation’s children wheel a red wagon down the aisles to collect food.
Meeting the needs of their neighbors
Most of those who rely on the food pantry are from the Hillyard neighborhood, but some come much farther distances. Pastor Krafft said the “survival network” in the community is strong — people with needs let others know about resources such as St. Peter ministries.
Out of the food pantry grew another ministry. “A woman who had relied on the pantry approached the congregation about starting a clothing bank,” Krafft said. “We saw a definite need for this and made space for it.” Clothing comes from many different sources including congregation members and friends in the neighborhood.
And for the past seven years, the congregation has served breakfast fast once a month to about 80 people in the neighborhood. “It’s another way that we are trying to meet the needs of our neighbors,” the pastor said.
The 40 active members of St. Peter are involved in the life of the church in many ways. Two women’s circles meet for fellowship and Bible studies while another group makes quilts and assembles sewing, health, and school kits for Lutheran World Relief. A youth group now has 10 members and is growing, as is the confirmation class. A free Bible school has attracted nearly 40 children from the community.
St. Peter’s continuing ability to serve neighbors was at risk last September when its furnace broke down. Spokane’s winters, unlike those in the relatively mild western region of the state, can see temperatures below zero.
“Half of the congregation’s members are over 70 years old and we have small children as well. You can’t get along without heat in the winter in Spokane,” Krafft said.
Invest to build the church
The congregation approached the Mission Investment Fund (MIF), a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, for a $20,000 loan to replace the furnace. “We knew that we would receive a competitive interest rate. But we needed to move quickly and the fund was very responsive to our loan application,” the pastor said. “Without the loan, we would have had to shut down.”
The congregation was able to replace the furnace before winter arrived with a new one that was significantly more efficient, resulting in a rebate from the electric utility and savings on its electric bill.
St. Peter is also an investor in the Mission Investment Fund. In 2000, the congregation invited a representative of the fund to talk with its memorial endowment committee. Committee members were pleased with the interest rate that would be earned on their investment. More importantly, they saw that an investment in the fund was an opportunity to help build the ELCA. With the money invested, the fund makes loans to established congregations like St. Peter for capital building projects and to young mission congregations for purchases of land and construction of initial church buildings.
Interest earned on St. Peter’s endowment allows the congregation to make contributions to several churchwide ministries and local organizations. ELCA ministries receiving contributions include the Fund for Leaders, which provides scholarships for seminarians attending ELCA seminaries, and a Lutheran outdoor ministry for camping scholarships. A local crisis center and Crop Walk also benefit.
Why does the congregation participate in the Mission Investment Fund and support the ELCA? “One of our members is a former Lutheran missionary who keeps us focused on the fact that we are a ministry of the ELCA,” Krafft said. “We believe it’s important to be involved in and supportive of the larger church.”
Working to bless the world
Pastor Krafft came to ministry as a second career. She graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in German and a teaching certificate but didn’t get a teaching job after graduation. After working for a time in the Spokane public library system, she decided to join the U.S. Navy to “see the world.” And she did, spending three years aboard the U.S.S. Ajax as operations officer with responsibility for radio communications, a data information center, and navigation systems. She was also stationed at the Pentagon and at bases in the United Kingdom, Australia, Iceland, and Germany.
Ten years before she retired from the Navy, Pastor Krafft became keenly interested in pursuing more in-depth theological studies. Much of the theology she had been reading was written by member of the faculty at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Chicago (LSTC) so she decided to spend a week of summer study at the seminary.
“I retired from the Navy and came to LSTC with the idea of being a theologically educated layperson in a congregation. But God had another plan for me,” she said. Pastor Krafft completed her theological studies at LSTC and was ordained in 2002. Her first call was to St. Peter.
Pastor Krafft said that it is “extremely important” that the congregation continue its ministry of service in the community. “It’s good for Hillyard that we are here, especially since another local ministry recently closed its doors, having run out of money and volunteers,” she said.
“This is a place where people can get the help they need without red tape. God is working through us to bless the world.”
David Dalton is the director of marketing for the ELCA Mission Investment Fund in Chicago.
Women of the ELCA and The Mission Investment Fund Challenge
Women of the ELCA met and surpassed the Mission Investment Fund challenge to open 500 new accounts or invest a total of $1.5 million by June 30, 2008. As of July, Women of the ELCA participants had invested nearly $3 million with the fund and opened 574 new accounts.
Because of this strong support and participation, MIF provided the Seventh Triennial Gathering in Salt Lake City, Utah, with a generous $33,000 grant to help offset the costs of putting on such a large event. To learn more about the ELCA Mission Investment Fund, go to www.elca.org/mif
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