Ever wonder why we do the things we do and say the things we say? MEMBERSHIP101 is a great opportunity to hear what we believe, what we are all about as a Church and how you can get involved!

WHAT IS MEMBERSHIP101? This is simply the title of our membership dinner/membership class. This class is Sunday June 2nd and we will offer these dinners once a quarter. The format is simple. Join us at 5pm at the church for an awesome Italian dinner, gourmet dessert–and a 2 hour class. The whole event will last 3 hours total and we are done by 8pm. Child-care is provided and Funland will be open so bring the little ones!

WHO CAN COME? If you consider BC your home church you are welcome to come explore membership. If you are a regular attender at BC and like what you see you are probably the best candidate for membership because you already have a good feel of what’s happening, what the church looks like, stands for, and is all about. Membership goes deeper “behind the scenes” into the “why” behind “what” we do at the church. If you are currently attending, serving, or giving to Ballard Church you should definitely check out membership.

WHAT WILL THE CLASS COVER? We will go through a packet of information which gives the 411 on everything about Ballard Church including: history, staff, beliefs, values, mission, vision, values, our DNA and the membership covenant. There will be some discussion and videos during the class and an opportunity to take notes, ask questions, as you explore everything there is to know about BC. The membership covenant is an actual document that you sign if you want to commit to membership and this outlines the basic membership commitment and expectations.

WHAT IF I DON’T WANT TO COMMIT? No bigs. If at the end of the class you decide membership is not for you, then just don’t sign the membership covenant and walk away – no hard feelings. The purpose of MEMBERSHIP101 is to get all the details in order to see if you want to join the team. No guilt from us either way. We won’t pressure you and of course it’s totally optional. Even if you don’t sign up as a BC member you are still welcome to come and enjoy the church for as long as you want. Membership is simply an opportunity for those who are looking to take their commitment to the next level but it’s certainly not for everyone.

COME CHECK IT OUT! We would love to hear from you if you are planning on attending. Please RSVP to info@ballardchurch.com and let us know how many of you will be attending. We’ll save your spot! SUNDAY JUNE 2ND: 5-8PM

As you know summer in Seattle is awesome and church may not be high on your priority list but we would love to change that! Getting involved at church is a way to meet new friends and help out a great cause. Come join the movement of people who sincerely want to make a difference in our city and in our world. There is something for everyone.

WAYS TO GET INVOLVED ON SUNDAY:

KIDS CLASSROOMS: We need volunteers for our kids classrooms for a variety of positions. Crafts, games, activities, skits, teachers, or just classroom helpers. The commitment could be one week a month or it could be one month straight this summer. Now with BC offering 2 services at 9:15 and 11am you can go to one and serve at one if you like. To get involved with older kids grades k-5 e-mail samuelsandquist@gmail.com or for kids pre-school age and younger e-mail erika@ballardchurch.com

USHERS/GREETERS: With people traveling there are lots of holes in our usher/greeter schedule. And with the weather nicer we would love to have more outside greeters on Sunday mornings. This is an important but low commitment job for people who don’t have time to attend both services but want to serve in some way. All you need is a smile and a heart to serve! E-mail ashelyn@allstarkidscompany.com

HOSPITALITY: Do you love to make people feel welcome on Sundays but like serving behind the scenes? If so, hospitality is the thing for you. Making coffee, setting up bagels/donuts, and keeping the coffee shop and common areas neat and tidy!  In addition we are having a dads/grads summer kick-off party in June that we need extra help for and this summer we will probably do at least one a month bbq after church which will require extra hospitality peeps. E-mail michilynnekozu@gmail.com to get involved.

WAYS TO GET INVOLVED WITH BALLARD CHURCH IN LEADERSHIP

LEAD A SUMMER ACTIVITY GROUP: We are starting to form summer activity groups for Ballard Church to help people have fun and connect with each other. We have ideas for hiking groups, camping groups, movie groups, greenlake picnic and family groups, running, biking, golden gardens, happy hour . . . and more. The commitment can be every week for 6-8 weeks straight, or once a month for 3 months, whatever you want. This is a great role for you if you love to welcome and meet new people and love outdoor type stuff. What do you like to plan and do? We are open to ideas. We will publish a list in early June of all the summer activities offerings. To get involved or gives ideas for groups e-mail Toby at tpiering@gmail.com or Brittany at bnkaza@gmail.com

LEAD AN OUTREACH EVENT: Help us plan a monthly community service project or ongoing work volunteer work projects. We are hoping to make a difference this summer through serving people in our neighborhood and we would love for you to help get involved with that. If you have a heart to serve the community and some great ideas e-mail Sam at samcook287@hotmail.com

HELP LEAD AT ALL STAR KIDS SUMMER CAMPS: We are offering 5-6 week long summer camps including arts, spanish, and some others. We need volunteers/helpers/assitants to help plan and run these camps for kids. These will be great times to connect with kids and make a difference and help our new pre-school. To get involved e-mail ashelyn@allstarkidscompany.com

WAYS TO GET INVOLVED AT BALLARD CHURCH WITH LABOR AND WORK PROJECTS

CHURCH WORK PROJECTS: Important. We have like 3 big projects at the church that we need help with that involve construction but we don’t really have the money or materials for the projects. If you work in construction or know any handymen or if you personally have a heart to fund part of one of these projects please let us know. E-mail Mark at rawlinsm@spu.edu to help with any of these projects:

1. KITCHEN REMODEL: Our commercial kitchen at church has gotten lots of use over the last 40+ years and is in dire need of an extreme kitchen makeover including – new flooring, new counters, paint on the cabinets, and new appliances. We want to make it look nice and be neat, clean, and shiny!  At BC we do tons of food prep and this is a big ongoing priority for us to do something to make it better

2. YOUTH ROOM: We want to convert the old conference room above the coffee shop into a cool youth room by the Fall!  We want a place where 6th-8th graders love to hang out. This is going to involve a graffitti mural, hanging some metal, installing a tv someone donated, new lighting, a stage, comfy furniture, and new flooring.

3. ADDING AN OFFICE: In our main copy room we want to tear out an old built in desk and a bunch of built in cabinets, frame in a non-supporting divider wall and door to make a youth office, and put new flooring or carpet and paint afterwards. We want a space where our youth pastor and leaders feel comfortable hanging out and connect with kids as well. We also might relocate the copier and supplies to a different area of the church.

BUILDING MAINTENANCE AND YARD WORK: Painting, cleaning, mowing lawns, edging, trimming bushes, watering, planting flowers, trimming trees.  All the stuff that you do at home, we have to do at church! If you have some extra time to volunteer once a week or once a month we can put you to work at BC. Also we have a bunch of doors that need new knobs installed or repaired and signs that need to get hung. To get involved with the BC maintenance and grounds crew e-mail Mark at rawlinsm@spu.edu

Thanks so much for reading about our needs at Ballard Church. Seattle summers are amazing already and this one could be even more amazing with your help! To stop by and see some of the projects sometime or to contact us with any other questions e-mail us at info@ballardchurch.com. Get involved and make this a summer to remember!

FEEL THE HOTNESS: The weather is getting nicer and the days are getting longer . . . a sure sign that summer is coming! School will be out soon and you will be making your plans on what to do and where to go.  So this summer we want to encourage you to make church a priority. And we also want to encourage you to do something special. Something life changing. Something that is meaningful and significant. And that “something” is volunteering with our kids ministry! You can make a huge difference as you impact young impressionable lives at Ballard Church. 

NOT ONE SIZE: We know there are different strokes for different folks and our kids team understands that it’s not “one size fits all.” We will work with you to figure out the best plan for your involvement. Maybe it’s one week per month for the summer? Or maybe it’s one month straight?  Or maybe it’s just volunteering for some of our summer kids camps? Let us know what you can do and we will work with you. Either way, we are figuring out our summer volunteer schedule and anything you could do would help. To start the process fill out an application and got on the list as an “approved volunteer.” Also e-mail Sam or Erika on our BC Kidz Team (samuelsandquist@gmail.com or erika@ballardchurch.com) to let them know you are interested in helping out.

FIND YOUR FIT: There are a variety of different roles. Whether your gift is teaching, helping, making crafts, or just holding babies . . . there is something for everyone. In addition to our regular birth through 5th grade classis – this summer we are planning for our future youth ministry. Exciting news because the church is growing and in the fall Ballard Church will offer birth through 8th grade at our services!  There are roles for small group leaders, games and skits leaders, and behind the scenes office help. We will work with you to find a job that works for you and fits with your personality and gifting.

Who says church can’t be fun? Come get involved with Ballard Church Kidz and make a huge difference!

Ballard Church member, Sini Schmidt shares her story of how her and her family found their faith in Jesus.

BC Video Message – The Me I Want To Be from Ballard Church on Vimeo.

We also want to open this class up to those who are newly married and want to find out more about how to make their first few years of marriage successful.

Look before you jump. Marriage is a big step. It’s not the type of thing you want to jump into lightly or before you are ready. Come be inspired in this exciting 8 week class offered at Ballard Church.

The class starts on 4.28.2013 in the Ballard Church upstairs balcony loft. To get more information, view the current roster, or sign up visit our groups site. This is a great place to find out more about this group and all the groups we offer.

“Before You Tie The Knot” is taught by two couples – Paul and Gina Diaz (married 14 years) and Sam and Annika Cook (married 1 year). This way you can get both perspectives on what it takes to not just survive but thrive in marriage.  The style of class is discussion based and will involve lots of question and answer times.

Topics will include expectations, family background, conflict management, financial planning, roles and responsibilities, faith, God, commitment to church, parenting styles, etc.

In marriage it’s so important to be on the same page. God’s plan is for us to have unity in marriage and our desire at Ballard Church is to strengthen couples and support them as they head in the direction of marriage. It’s so important to talk about hopes, dreams, and aspirations BEFORE you “tie the knot.” We would love to have you in this class. It could potentially be life changing. Come join us on Sundays at 7pm

In this video interview, Kristen shares her story of how she found refuge in God, despite her brokenness and pain.

Hey Ballard Church! Groups are back in full effect. Launching this week, there are 11 new groups at Ballard Church. We have something for everyone. Sign up now and get connected. It’s a great way to meet some new friends and grow in your walk with God.

ALL GROUPS WILL START ON THE WEEK OF APRIL 22ND. All of the groups will meet at the church. (How convenient is that!?!). Here’s is a short list of some of the groups we will be offering:

Financial Peace University, Christianity 101, Men’s Group, Women’s Group, College Age, Married Couples, Young Professionals, Young Families, Pre-Teen Girls, Before You Tie the Knot (Pre-marriage group).

For more detailed group descriptions click here!

This is a great opportunity to meet the staff and hear more from the pastor about the mission, vision, and core values of BC. We will share with you why we do what we do and the reasoning behind it. And there will be a time of Q&A as well.

There are TWO OPTIONS for this Sunday.  If you attend the 9:15am service there will be a quick 30 minute bruncheon up on the balcony loft with cinnamon roles, scones, and fresh fruit.  If you attend the 11am service there will be a 30 minute luncheon up on the balcony loft with sandwiches, chips, and fresh fruit. Or if you want, you can attend BOTH . . . we just really want to meet you and eat food and have some great conversation about our new church.

Here’s the scoop on the Lunchables:

1) Everyone is welcome – whether you have been to BC one or two times or never you are welcome to come.

2) Bring your friends – if you have people who are curious about BC bring them, we’d love to meet them.

3) Bring the family – we’ll have the Funland open for the kids and sitters to keep an eye on them.

4) It’s only 30 minutes– quick and easy

5) No pressure- we aren’t selling knives, kitchenware, candles, or vacuums!  Also we aren’t going to try to get you to sign up for anything or commit to anything – it’s just info and Q&A – promise

6) Let us know – it would be great to have some idea of  who is coming so we know how much food to buy. Also let us know if you have any food allergies so we don’t accidentally kill you with something we bring! (aka RSVP) to info@ballardchurch.com