Belltown Messenger

Seattle's known as one of America's least churchgoing cities. Belltown, with its relatively childless and rootless population, might be even less churched. Yet hundreds of people, including many from other neighborhoods, attend services in and near the neighborhood each week. For Easter month, we attended typical recent services at five of these congregations. Our purpose was not to pass judgment on the churches' doctrines, but to review the services as the cultural performances they are.

The City Church (2700 1st Ave.; 425-803-3233; thecity.org) was founded by two former leaders of a similarly-named church in Portland. But by placing that name on a megachurch in deepest Kirkland, at which the downtown Seattle skyline appears on a photomural behind the preacher's podium, a statement is made: This is a missionary endeavor, from the (godly) suburbs to the (sinful) City.

The City Church's Belltown unit, at the former electricians' union hall (home of the Vera Project's first all-ages rock concerts) is only a satellite facility literally. The service comes on a bank of three projection TVs, assisted by ushers and a four-woman choir.

The choir was already underway as we entered. Parishioners sang along to American Idol-style pop anthems with religious lyrics, as superimposed on the video screens. Cofounder Jini Smith then appeared on the TVs from Kirkland. She read a few church-business items and meeting announcements, then turned the podium over to her husband and fellow cofounder Wendell Smith. His sermon (accompanied on the TVs by video footage and PowerPoint slides) proclaimed that the city was full of wayward souls (which he defined as those erring in any way whatsoever from fundamentalist Christian doctrine), and The City Church was here to save them all. As part of that mission, the church had just signed papers to acquire the former Christian Science building on the U District's Frat Row. It was another sign, he proclaimed, that the Lord had blessed this particular ministry to grow and keep growing; and it was the membership's responsibility to support this by giving lots of money. His sermonizing style was right out of the infomercial school of persuasion. Overall aesthetic: Slick, high-tech, and almost fetishistically clean-cut. While no political issues were mentioned, you have to understand the language of churches like these if you want to "get" the Republicans' catch phrases. These congregations, these people's senses of fear and obedience and tribal belonging, are what the GOP cynically manipulates, as much as beer and fashion advertisers cynically manipulate young people's sexual insecurities.

Seattle International Church (2130 6th Ave.; 206-256-0100; seattleichurch.com) is rooted in the same "non-denominational" sphere of Christianity as The City Church. But their services and their aesthetics couldn't be more different. Seattle International, in the former King Kat Theater, has a sort of Southern Baptist intensity to its experience.

We arrived during a video presentation (what's with it with evangelicals and video production?) depicting the church's various ministries and subgroups. But instead of The City's commercial-grade production, this was assembled with all the kitschy fonts, graphics, and editing effects of a cable-access hiphop show. It almost seemed like a parody of itself, but was entertaining. Then came some engagement announcements, some church-bulletin listings, and full-bore gospel singing by a small female choir and a four-piece band (including a pianist and guitarist). The collection involved churchgoers coming up to a stationary bucket at the front of the old King Cat stage. The tithe collection man wore a mafia-style suit and stood with his arms crossed. Then came the sermon, an almost-hour-long affair by Dr. Ray Hampton, a stout black gentleman in a large grey suit. He had everyone recite the Bible verses aloud. He spoke about how we were all "wonderfully made," and deserved to prosper as long as we did our part to make prosperity happen, and were patient about it. "There is seed time, progression time and harvest time. It's not microwave time. God is not your sugar daddy." (Hampton frequently used the word "hater-ade" to describe Satan's poisoning influences on people's minds.) Hampton concluded his highly emotional speech by asking particularly moved parishioners to pray at the front of the stage. Several did, very vocally and emotionally. (One lady fainted during this.) Hampton then asked other parishioners to come front to hold hands with the more distraught prayers: "Men with men, women with women."

Overall aesthetic: More friendly, more informal, more intimate, more engaging than The City. There's a real, live feeling. Mind you, there were many black people at The CIty and many white people at Seattle International. I just got the vibe that I'd be judged a little less and humored a little more at Seattle International.

St. Joseph's Chapel (1902 2nd Ave.; no phone; unavoceww.com) conducts the only old-style Latin Catholic mass in Western Washington. (Its brochure bills it as "the Tridentine Latin Mass according to the 1962 Missal.") The Josephinum Apartments' former hotel banquet room still bears its original ornate terra-cotta ceiling and marble wall trim. Otherwise, it's a plain back-to-basics room for a plain back-to-basics service. If not for the bank of three confession booths in the back and a few scattered bits of statuary, it could be a bare-bones Protestant sanctuary.

St. Joseph's is popular among neo-traditionalist Catholics. Discussions in Internet forums have described it as a refuge from the liberalism and tolerance that's overtaken much of local Catholicism.

If Father James Reichmann used a microphone during his chants, it was a really cranked-down one. There was a small male choir but no musical instruments; the only other sounds in the room were the frequent cries and yelps of bored children. (The other four churches in this piece all had separate kids' classes or services.) Reichmann did speak for a short time in English in the middle of the service; he interpreted a few Bible stories, principally the miracle of the loaves and the fishes. Ushers provided a full script with English translations; this let newbies know what the priest was chanting, and when they were supposed to stand, sit, or "genuflect."

Overall aesthetic: Sober, stiff, proudly formal. A work of living history.

Seattle Unity Church of Truth (200 8th Ave. N.; 206-622-8475; seattleunity.org) has its own custom-built building. The three churches within Belltown proper are all in structures originally built for something else. The neighborhood's most famous former church building, Bethel Temple (razed in 2004 for the Cristalla condos), was itself remodeled in the 1940s from the old Crystal Pool swim complex.

Unity's building, however, spurns ostentation. Except for a small curved-brick chapel area near its main entrance, it's a plain white structure that blends in with the no-nonsense commercial look of the Dexter/Westlake area. First-time attendees were asked to raise hands; everyone who did got a packet containing several brochures, a 1977 issue of the denomination's meditations magazine Daily Word, and a small plastic squeeze toy (possibly from Archie McPhee's) depicting a smiling Buddha with a latte and a cell phone. A slip of paper accompanying the toy said it was meant to represent our search for peace within a busy life.

The service's first half hour was highlighted by the dedication of a tapestry to be hung on the sanctuary wall, the sixth of a projected series of 12 honoring the world's major religions. This one honored the wicca/pagan tradition, with silhouettes of dancers surrounding a green Earth. During this portion of the service, various speakers mentioned Unity's doctrine of accepting all people and learning valuable lessons from all faiths. (For all the talk of diversity, it was the second whitest of the five congregations. The palest was Denny Park Lutheran across the street.) Senior minister Rev. Richard Levy, raised Jewish, spoke with emotion and broad gestures about "the Judas Effect," his term for the forces of betrayal within all of us. He claimed Judas's role in Jesus's life was preordained, that "God is Creator, Destroyer, Preserver. In order for something new to be created, something old has to be let go of.... Practice the Kiss of Christ consciousness. I see you, I know who you are. I kiss you with the love of Christ. Now go and do what you must do.'"

"Special music" was provided at the service by Geoffrey Castle, a busy lounge jazz artist. He played an electronic violin whose digital echo effects produced the illusion of a whole string section.

Overall aesthetic: Warm, comforting, inviting. As a curious pseudo-intellectual and lapsed progressive Methodist, I felt most at home here, despite the occasional lapses into baby-boomer smugness. (My mother has attended Unity branches in Snohomish County.)

Denny Park Lutheran (766 John St.; 206-623-7447; lutheransonline.com/dennypark): Like Unity, it's got a custom-made building. Unlike Unity, it's a building that says "THIS is a CHURCH." It's got a sloped roof, a steeple, stained glass windows, a pipe organ, and an elegantly carved wood altar complex. The service is old-fashioned (not retro-traditionalistic) mainline Protestant. Hymns are read from real hymnal books. The communion even includes real wine.

The minister, Douglas Lindsay, gave a brief, rather stern sermon. He told of his rural Puyallup childhood, when he had to spend his Saturdays on farm work. He said it taught him "the lessons of suffering and hard work and willing obedience," things every devout Christian ought to know well. Overall aesthetic: Dry, stern, as solid as the bricks of its building.

Conclusions: All five of these churches essentially worship the same New Testament God. But each does it in its own way. And that's fine.

My own belief: There might indeed be a guiding intelligence behind the universe; but if there is, our minds would be too simple to ever fully understand it. (Heck, the human mind's too simple to fully understand itself.) So any attempt to either define or communicate with this intelligence will be built on conjecture, belief, and prevailing social norms. What we say about God really reveals ourselves.

-CH

(Thanks to Megan Lee for helping plan this essay.)