People at Episcopal Church of the Redeemer will be reading and discussing Stephanie Spellers’ latest book, Church Tomorrow? What the ‘Nones’ and ‘Dones’ Teach Us About the Future of Faith. Through this book, we learn how we can better be church, carrying Christ’s love into the world. Every person interested in this topic should plan on attending. You do not need to be a member of Church of the Redeemer.
Classes will be held in the first alcove off of the Parish Hall in the main church building. View the class schedule, below. On Sundays there is a children’s education class meeting at the same time.
The class is free. However, you will need to buy or borrow the book on your own. Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park is one place you should be able to buy it.
Church Tomorrow?
The Nones, Dones, Unchurched, spiritual-but-not-religious (SBNRs). Call them what you will, they’re a dominant force in American religion and the majority among Millennials and Gen Zers. In Church Tomorrow? Stephanie Spellers presents hard truths about declining religious affiliation in America, paired with stories and wisdom from her interviews with dozens of young people who either grew up with no faith or gave up formal religion.
Class schedule
We will have a break from our education session for Palm Sunday, Easter Day, and the First Sunday after Easter.
Sections of Book Discussed
Sunday at 9:15 am to 10:15 am
Tuesday at 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm
Introduction
February 22
February 24
Part I (Chapters 1-2)
March 1
March 3
Part II (Chapters 3-5)
March 8
March 10
Part III-a (Chapters 6-7)
March 15
March 17
Part III-b (Chapters 8-9)
March 22
March 24
Part IV-a (Chapters 10-11)
April 19
April 14
Part IV-b (Chapters 12-13, Conclusion)
April 26
April 21
Church of the Redeemer
Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
When God told Moses to lead the ancient Israelites out of slavery in the land of Egypt, Pharaoh stood in his way. Pharaoh wanted power and control over God’s people, and Exodus tells us that the more serious the situation got, the more hardened his heart became. Despite locusts and frogs and all manner of chaos in the land of Egypt, Pharaoh remained trapped by his view of the world, which had himself and his power at the center. He could not see that God’s imagination was far bigger and more expansive than his. He could not imagine liberation for God’s people—or for himself.
Today, in the opening collect of our Ash Wednesday service, we ask God to “create and make in us new and contrite hearts.” I think of Pharaoh’s hard heart, and sometimes my own, when I say that prayer, and never more so than this year.
These days, it can seem as if we are living in a wasteland of Pharaoh’s imagination. We see the principalities and powers promulgating violence, dehumanization, and injustice on our streets, and it seems nearly impossible not to react along the lines of the divisions and polarization that our political leaders have championed. It is easy to have a hardened heart. It is tempting to get angry and be governed by outrage, or to grow cold and indifferent.
If we turn from Pharoah’s imagination toward God’s imagination, however, we find a different path. Jesus tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves. With that great commandment, he is teaching us that we are all one, all part of God’s chosen people, and when we hate and revile each other, we are actually destroying ourselves. Theologian Howard Thurman, whose thinking helped shape the Civil Rights movement, put it like this in “Jesus and the Disinherited”: “The logic of the development of hatred is death to the spirit and disintegration of ethical and moral values.”
It is not easy to leave behind Pharoah’s imagination and its toxic drip of polarization that hardens our hearts and minds. The liberation we seek requires the conversion—the turning—of our hearts. We can begin that process anytime, but Lent gives us an opportunity to undertake the work together.
In the old 1928 Book of Common Prayer Ash Wednesday service, we called on the book of Lamentations: “Turn thou us unto thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned.” I believe that as we Episcopalians turn, as we fast and pray for the conversion of our hearts, we can make a great witness to a world that has been brought to its knees by the power of hatred and division.
On Monday of Holy Week, a number of my bishop colleagues will hold public liturgies or prayer services to lament the violence and hatred that has come to define our common life and to witness to our conviction that Christians must come together across our unholy divisions. I hope that if you can attend a service nearby, you will.
I will also host a service on Zoom on Palm Sunday, March 29, at 8 p.m. Eastern so that we can pray together for God’s blessing on our witness. Look for more information coming soon.
Like the apostle Paul, the conversion of the heart that we must undertake may start with a blinding light, but the ongoing change it requires is the work of a lifetime, and may require everything we have. This Lent, I pray that God might create and make in us new and contrite hearts that will sustain us as we make our witness to the world.
Faithfully,
The Most Rev. Sean W. Rowe Presiding Bishop
The Most Rev. Sean W. Rowe
The Most Rev. Sean W. Rowe was elected presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church in June 2024 and took office on Nov. 1 for a nine-year term. In this role, he serves as the church’s chief pastor and CEO. Known for his expertise in organizational learning and adaptive change, Rowe is committed to strengthening support for local ministry and mission.
He was ordained bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania in 2007 after serving as rector of St. John’s in Franklin, Pennsylvania, for seven years. From 2014 to 2018, he served as bishop provisional of the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem, and from 2019 to 2024, he led a partnership between the Episcopal Dioceses of Northwestern Pennsylvania and Western New York.
Rowe holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Grove City College, a Master of Divinity degree from Virginia Theological Seminary, and a doctorate in organizational learning and leadership from Gannon University. He has served as a leader of many civic and churchwide organizations and governance bodies, and as parliamentarian for the House of Bishops.
Church of the Redeemer
Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
Bishop LaBelle shares his reflections for Lent this year and encourages us to join him in fasting this Lenten season.
Hello, dear friends in the Diocese of Olympia.
We’re about to embark on the holy season of Lent, and on Ash Wednesday, clergy will invite us to the observance of a holy Lent in the name of the church, calling us to self-examination and repentance, prayer, fasting, and self-denial, then by reading and meditating on God’s holy word.
One of the things that’s always been interesting to me is how people talk about fasting. We often give up something like chocolate or maybe meat, and yet when I started going deeper into interreligious relationships with Muslim and Jewish neighbors, I’ve realized that we were the only of the Abrahamic faiths that didn’t really engage in a fast during our holy season like they did. This year, Ramadan will begin actually on Ash Wednesday, and our Muslim neighbors will be fasting from sunrise to sunset each day throughout that season, that 28 days, including giving up water.
I often wonder why it is that we don’t fast as much together as Christians, and so this year I’m especially calling us to do that fast. Not because it’s an opportunity for us to say how great we are, but rather to engage in this practice that was seen throughout holy scripture, especially at times of political turmoil, for needing to make lament and for prayer. Jesus himself reminds us again and again that we are to fast, especially during those times that are difficult.
So this year for Lent, I’m gonna be giving up a lunch every day through those 40 days, and then when instead of gathering together for that meal, I’m gonna be going and taking some time to pray the Jesus prayer, using this prayer bracelet, just going through and praying again and again, “Jesus, son of God have mercy on me, a sinner.” Because we all know that that’s where we begin, right? That it’s the self-reflection and our need to make amends with God and with each other. Well, that’s the work of Lent in order that we might be prepared for Easter.
I encourage you to join me in this fast of engaging in that work together. There are some carve-outs, of course, those who might be needing to eat because of medical reasons or they’re elderly or maybe a past experience with an eating disorder, and so fasting in this way is not helpful. But together we can engage in this spiritual practice. We can do it in a way that brings us and draws us closer to God.
So I hope you’ll join me on the Lenten fast, that whatever you choose to do, it will be reflective of your desire to draw closer to God so that when we do get to Easter, we may celebrate with one another of Christ’s overcoming of the grave.
The Rt. Rev. Philip LaBelle
Bishop Philip LaBelle
The Rt. Rev. Philip N. LaBelle is the Ninth Bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia. The Diocese elected Bishop LaBelle on May 18, 2024. His Consecration and Ordination as bishop was on September 14, 2024.
Bishop LaBelle previously served as rector of St. Mark’s Church in Southborough, Massachusetts. During his time in the Diocese of Massachusetts, Bishop LaBelle did the following:
Co-led the Mission Strategy Committee.
Served on Executive Committee and Diocesan Council
Directed the Fresh Start program.
He co-founded Southborough Neighbors for Peace with Dr. Safdar Medina in their small town. The organization did the following:
Hosted peace vigils.
Began a community-wide Iftar dinner during Ramadan.
Established an interfaith Thanksgiving service.
Sponsored other bridge-building events.
Additionally, Bishop LaBelle served on the core team of Central Mass. Connections in Faith, an organization centered on fostering relationships and learning about other religious faiths through quarterly gatherings.
Church of the Redeemer
Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
7:00 pm, service (with music) at the church in the nave with optional marking with ashes.
Sunday, February 22, 2026
1st Sunday in Lent
Services at 8:00 am (simple) and 10:30 am (music) at the church in the nave.
Children Education at 9:15 am just off of the parish hall in the Children’s Room.
Adult Education at 9:15 am in the first alcove off of the parish hall. We will be reading and discussing Stephanie Spellers’ latest book, Church Tomorrow?Today: Introduction.
Tuesday, February 24, 2026
Repeat of the previous Sunday’s Adult Education class from 5:30 to 6:30 pm.
Sunday, March 1, 2026
2nd Sunday in Lent
Services at 8:00 am (simple) and 10:30 am (music) at the church in the nave.
Children Education at 9:16 am just off of the parish hall in the Children’s Room.
Adult Education at 9:15 am in the first alcove off of the parish hall. We will be reading and discussing Stephanie Spellers’ latest book, Church Tomorrow?Today: Chapters 1-2.
Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Repeat of the previous Sunday’s Adult Education class from 5:30 to 6:30 pm.
Sunday, March 8, 2026
3rd Sunday in Lent
Services at 8:00 am (simple) and 10:30 am (music) at the church in the nave.
Children Education at 9:16 am just off of the parish hall in the Children’s Room.
Adult Education at 9:15 am in the first alcove off of the parish hall. We will be reading and discussing Stephanie Spellers’ latest book, Church Tomorrow?Today: Chapters 3-5.
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
Repeat of the previous Sunday’s Adult Education class from 5:30 to 6:30 pm.
Sunday, March 15, 2026
4th Sunday in Lent
Services at 8:00 am (simple) and 10:30 am (music) at the church in the nave.
Children Education at 9:16 am just off of the parish hall in the Children’s Room.
Adult Education at 9:15 am in the first alcove off of the parish hall. We will be reading and discussing Stephanie Spellers’ latest book, Church Tomorrow?Today: Chapters 6-7.
Tuesday, March 17, 2026
Repeat of the previous Sunday’s Adult Education class from 5:30 to 6:30 pm.
Thursday, March 18, 2026
Stations and Soup
Begin the Stations of the Cross at the church in the nave at 6:00 pm. Afterwords, a simple soup supper and community gathering in the parish hall.
Sunday, March 22, 2026
5th Sunday in Lent
Services at 8:00 am (simple) and 10:30 am (music) at the church in the nave.
Children Education at 9:16 am just off of the parish hall in the Children’s Room.
Adult Education at 9:15 am in the first alcove off of the parish hall. We will be reading and discussing Stephanie Spellers’ latest book, Church Tomorrow?Today: Chapters 8-9. (After today, the book discussion will continue after Easter Day.)
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
Repeat of the previous Sunday’s Adult Education class from 5:30 to 6:30 pm.
Service at 8:00 pm. It lasts for 2-2.5 hours. We welcome children, as we do to all of our services, and know they may fall asleep. The Great Vigil recounts salvation history and is the most important church service of the entire year. You have “gone to church for Easter” if you come to this service.
Church of the Redeemer
Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
For 15 years, Episcopal Relief & Development has been blessed by the opportunity to join readers on their spiritual journeys with thought-provoking meditations.
Written by Sister Monica Clare, an Episcopal nun, author and unlikely TikTok star, our 2026 meditations offer an invitation to rediscover—or deepen—holy habits of prayer, worship and Scripture engagement. These holy habits provide a path to a life rooted in God, given shape, meaning and direction.
Visit our website to subscribe to daily emails, download a PDF, read the meditations and access a Group Study Guide to reflect on the meditations and Scripture with others.
For more than 80 years, Episcopal Relief & Development has partnered with trusted faith and community partners to advance lasting change in four priority areas:
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Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
This Lent, Seminary of the Southwest is offering a new Lenten project that invites the wider church into a season of renewal and hope.
Designed to accompany the first five weeks of Lent, the series creates space for prayer, conversation, and faithful reflection on repentance, discipleship, and the promise of new life. Shaped by the voices of five women members of our faculty, these gatherings reflect both the depth of Southwest’s theological life and our commitment to forming leaders for ministry, service, and healing.
Rooted in the Lenten journey, this project offers a hopeful reminder that even in times of change, God is at work bringing new life.
For each week of Lent (excluding Holy Week) one of our contributors will create:
An 8 to 10-minute video on a specific theme of that week
They do this formation with great intention and care, with active and accessible faculty members who not only challenge the students but challenge each other. The seminary continually updates its curriculum to provide fresh answers to old questions, while maintaining a tradition of excellence and faith that is the cornerstone of Southwest’s identity.
Church of the Redeemer
Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
I have recently learned of the death of The Rt. Rev. Cabell “Cabby” Tennis, Esq. A service for +Cabby will be held at 10:30 am on Saturday, February 28, 2026, at Saint Mark’s Cathedral. Clergy are invited to vest, process, and take part in the Commendation. If you plan to vest, please be ready no later than 10:10 am that morning. Please find +Cabby’s obituary below.
Cabell “Cabby” Tennis was born on October 24, 1932, in Hampton, VA. His parents were Calvin and Sylvia Tennis. His family was active in the Episcopal Church and attended St. John Church in Hampton, Virginia. Cabby attended the College of William & Mary, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1954 and with a Juris Doctor in 1956. After graduation, he worked as a night watchman in a housing project and as an usher at Constitution Hall. In 1954, he married Hyde Southall Jones, and they have four children. He was admitted to the Virginia Bar on June 11, 1956, and worked in tax and litigation for the Judge Advocate General. While practicing law, he “came to appreciate the deeper realities that go on in people’s lives.” Cabby felt the call and attended the Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia, where he graduated with an MDiv in 1964.
He was ordained as a deacon on June 1, 1964, and to the priesthood on December 19, 1964, by Bishop George P. Gunn, the bishop of Southern Virginia. Cabby was called to serve as a curate at St. John’s Church in Portsmouth, Virginia, where he served from 1965 to 1969. Cabby was then called to serve as rector at Trinity Church in Buffalo, New York, from 1969 to 1972. As rector, he worked with other clergy on civil rights, remedial programs for the poor, open housing, a high-rise for the elderly, and transitional services for the mentally ill. He participated in a three-hour Good Friday service at Trinity Church with the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. In addition, he served on the Executive Council of the Diocese of Western New York.
In 1972, Cabby was called to serve as dean and rector of St. Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle from 1972 to 1986. During his time as dean, he added counseling services and a variety of social services and spoke out on the issue of nuclear war. He expanded St. Mark’s community outreach by offering Bloedel Hall for meetings, seminars, workshops, and celebrations. In addition, he served on the Board of Directors for the Diocese of Olympia and as a deputy to the 1982 General Convention. Cabby also traveled and served as a consultant to the Diocese of Sierra Leone and the Diocese of Zambia. He traveled to South Africa and the Soviet Union, in part, because he saw “the church as a global reality. The diocese is part of a global human family, a family that transcends cultures and national identities.”
Cabby was elected as the ninth Bishop for the Diocese of Delaware on June 14, 1986, at Grace Church in Brandywine Hundred, and was consecrated on November 8, 1986, at St. Helena’s Catholic Church in Wilmington, Delaware. As a bishop, he served the Episcopal Church as a member of the Committee on Sexual Exploitation, the Joint Commission on Program Budget and Finance, and the House of Bishops. He was a member of multiple bar associations, the Academy of Family Mediators, and the Association for Conflict Resolution. He was also active in social justice programs. Cabby was one of the bishops involved in the heresy trial instigated against Bishop Walter C. Righter after ordaining a gay person as a deacon. Cabby retired as bishop on December 31, 1997.
After retiring, he and Hyde moved back to Western Washington, where he served as an assisting bishop in the Diocese of Olympia for twenty years. During retirement, he was active with Bishop’s United Against Gun Violence, a member of the Washington Medical Quality Assurance Commission, the Committee on Public Legal Education, and a mediator with the Dispute Resolution Center of King County. Bishop Tennis presided from time to time at worship and provided pastoral care at the request of the St. Mark’s Dean. Cabby remained active in justice programs at Saint Mark’s and in the greater Seattle community. In 2018, Cabby was part of an Amicus Curiae Brief with other Episcopal Bishops when Hawaii sued the President over banning people from various countries.
He is survived by his four children, Anne, Cabby III, Whiting, and Molly, his son-in-law, Olivier Seguin, daughter-in-law, Madeleine Hewitt, and the seven grandchildren who adored their Nana to the moon and back: Liza, Whiting, and Clay Tennis, and Henri, Samuel, Theodore, and Nicolas Seguin.
Please join me in prayer for +Cabby and all those who loved and cared for him. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.
Blessings,
The Rt. Rev. Philip LaBelle
Bishop Philip LaBelle
The Rt. Rev. Philip N. LaBelle is the Ninth Bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia. The Diocese elected Bishop LaBelle on May 18, 2024. His Consecration and Ordination as bishop was on September 14, 2024.
Bishop LaBelle previously served as rector of St. Mark’s Church in Southborough, Massachusetts. During his time in the Diocese of Massachusetts, Bishop LaBelle did the following:
Co-led the Mission Strategy Committee.
Served on Executive Committee and Diocesan Council
Directed the Fresh Start program.
He co-founded Southborough Neighbors for Peace with Dr. Safdar Medina in their small town. The organization did the following:
Hosted peace vigils.
Began a community-wide Iftar dinner during Ramadan.
Established an interfaith Thanksgiving service.
Sponsored other bridge-building events.
Additionally, Bishop LaBelle served on the core team of Central Mass. Connections in Faith, an organization centered on fostering relationships and learning about other religious faiths through quarterly gatherings.
Church of the Redeemer
Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
No matter how you slice it, things in our country are pretty dire. News headlines focus on the revelations of men in power who were connected with a known pedophile, on American citizens being killed on the streets by federal agents, on the continued rise of costs for basic necessities, on the arrests of people with brown skin—citizens, immigrants, or refugees—by agents wearing masks and refusing to identify themselves. It’s a lot. But it’s not the first time in history when similar events have taken place. Sadly, we humans have a tendency to repeat the past unable to learn the painful lessons when those in power do anything they can to feed their insatiable desire for more.
During one such time, Dietrich Bonhoeffer expressed in a letter to Mahatma Gandhi that the issues of the day were neither political nor economic, they were spiritual. And he lamented that churches as a whole were not responding in a spiritual way. He wanted to find a community living into the values found in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, and he didn’t see that in Christian communities in Europe or the US. He believed that the best community living it was the one Gandhi had established in India, and Bonhoeffer wanted to see it in real life.
Friends, the issues of our day is neither political nor economic but spiritual. And spiritual matters need spiritual responses.
In less than two weeks, we’ll begin the holy season of Lent. On that day, our clergy will call us to a season of penitence and fasting. A time of reflection, repentance, prayer, and abstaining from food in order to be prepared for the Great 50 Days of Easter.
It seems that fasting has become disconnected from the call for contrition, almsgiving, and prayer. We give up things like chocolate or alcohol or pizza or meat—all well intentioned—but don’t connect it to spending more time with God or meeting the needs of the poor or in lament. The point of fasting isn’t to show our willpower or how spiritual we are. Rather, we fast to respond to God’s cry for justice and to grieve the ways in which we—and our country—have ignored the ills of our day which are spiritual.
I therefore invite each of us to observe with great devotion a time of fasting this Lent. Of giving up food or a meal daily throughout this holy season. There are caveats, of course, best described by our Muslim friends who fast throughout their holy month of Ramadan. Those who are pregnant or who have medical issues—including a history of eating disorders—or the elderly or young are all discouraged from this fast. We are not to do harm to ourselves in this. It is to draw us closer to God.
Additionally, I want to note that we are the only Abrahamic faith who does not practice their fast in community. Our Jewish neighbors gather with each other for a 25-hour fast from all food on Yom Kippur, and a traditional greeting is “May your fast be easy.” Muslims during Ramadan when they go without food or water during daylight hours will often gather each night with family and friends for an Iftar meal to break the fast together, including inviting non-Muslims to join with them. I wonder what that might look like in our congregations, of perhaps gathering for a simple supper and reflection each week so our fast is done in connection with others.
For those who wish to join with me, I will be forgoing lunch and snacks between a simple breakfast and dinner each of the 40 days. (And a reminder, Sundays are always feast days and aren’t included in the count for Lent.) During the noon hour, I’ll be praying the Jesus prayer—“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner”—using a simple knotted prayer bracelet to focus my attention. Conversion always begins in our own lives.
Because the truth is that both we and our nation need to repent, to turn around. To experience deep transformation through the love and grace of Jesus Christ. For the issues of our day are not political or economic. They are most certainly spiritual.
Faithfully,
The Rt. Rev. Phillip LaBelle Bishop of Olympia
The Rt. Rev. Phillip LaBelle
The Rt. Rev. Philip N. LaBelle is the Ninth Bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia. The Diocese elected Bishop LaBelle on May 18, 2024, and he was Consecrated and Ordained on September 14, 2024.
Bishop LaBelle previously served as rector of St. Mark’s Church in Southborough, Massachusetts. During his time in the Diocese of Massachusetts, Bishop LaBelle co-led the Mission Strategy Committee, served on Executive Committee and Diocesan Council, and directed the Fresh Start program. He co-founded Southborough Neighbors for Peace with Dr. Safdar Medina in their small town. The organization hosted peace vigils, began a community-wide Iftar dinner during Ramadan, established an interfaith Thanksgiving service, and sponsored other bridge-building events. Additionally, Bishop LaBelle served on the core team of Central Mass. Connections in Faith, an organization centered on fostering relationships and learning about other religious faiths through quarterly gatherings.
In June of 2024, Bishop LaBelle received his Doctor of Ministry from Fuller Seminary focused on Christian Spirituality. His thesis work explored the theology and practice of zimzum and how to make space in our overly busy lives for God, others, and the natural world. He received his MDiv from Yale University in 2004, along with a diploma in Anglican Studies from Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. He holds a Master’s degree in composition and rhetoric from Northeastern University and a Bachelor’s degree in English with an additional concentration in theological studies from Gordon College. He has also received certificates in congregational development and religious fundraising.
Church of the Redeemer
Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
The Rev. Canon John Fergueson, beloved rector of Redeemer for 30 years, died peacefully on Saturday, January 24, 2026. He was surrounded by his family and friends. Three priests gave Fr. John last rites, the Rev. Theresa Newell of Redeemer, Fr. John Forman from St. Elizabeth’s in Burien, and Fr. Michael Ryan from St. John’s in Kirkland.
The funeral will be on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at 10:00 am here at Episcopal Church of the Redeemer. The celebrant is the Rt. Rev. Philip LaBelle.
Almighty God, we remember before you today your faithful servant, John; and we pray that, having opened to him the gates of larger life, you will receive him more and more into your joyful service, that, with all who have faithfully served you in the past, he may share in the eternal victory of Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
Fr. John wearing a birettaGrandpa with granddaughterFoot washing at Qwest FieldThe Rev. Canon John FerguesonThe Rev. Canon John FerguesonLeading the liturgy on Palm SundayCanon John Fergueson at the 2013 All Souls’ observance (Picture, Kate Donaldson)At a lunch at Holy Apostles in Shoreline
Fr. John Fergueson
The Rev. Canon John Fergueson was born in Jackson, Michigan, in 1944. He graduated from Albion College in 1966 with a Bachelor’s degree in biology. Later that year he entered the United States Marine Corps.
From 1967 to 1968, Fr. John served with the 15th Marine Counterintelligence Team in northern Quang Tri province in Vietnam. While in Vietnam, he received his call to become a priest.
Upon returning home, Fr. John entered Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. He graduated in 1972 with a Master’s of Divinity degree in theology.
After ordination as a priest, Fr. John served at a mission church in the Ada-Cascade region of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Later, Fr. John was Dean of the Cathedral Church of Christ the King. Following four years at Emmanuel Parish in Hastings, Michigan, Fr. John came to Church of the Redeemer in 1983. He retired June 1, 2014.
For the last 15 years of his ministry at Church of the Redeemer, Fr. John’s non-parochial energies had been devoted to the subject of spirituality and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He had participated in national psychiatric workshops on the topic. Fr. John works with veterans and others who are experiencing trauma issues on an ongoing basis. With Landy F. Sparr, he wrote the chapter “Moral and Spiritual Issues Following Traumatization” for the book Psychiatry and Religion: The Convergence of Mind and Spirit.
Fr. John and his wife Ginny lived in Bothell, Washington. They have two adult children, Susan and Dan.
Fr. John had a passion for adult education. He enjoyed jogging and lifting weights, and reads theology, history, and murder mysteries. His 30-year relationship with his spiritual father, a Trappist monk at Our Lady of the Assumption Abbey in Ava, Missouri, was a continual source of inspiration and strength to him.
Church of the Redeemer
Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
Floods began impacting western Washington in the second week of December 2025. Episcopal Relief & Development quickly engaged staff at Diocesan House to ask “How can we help?”
Raising aid
Within the first 48 hours, diocesan staff members Canon Cristi Chapman and Michael Seewer worked up a plan with Race Hodges of Episcopal Relief and Development. By the following Monday, the Diocese of Olympia received a $20,000 grant to support relief efforts in western Washington. The diocese made this money available to anyone in Western Washington affected by the floods, whether Episcopalian or not.
As people communicated impact from the floods to the Diocese, other donations came pouring in. Current total is just under $14,000, making the total amount of relief money to just under $34,000. Additional money is still being received.
In working with Episcopal Relief, diocesan staff identified a strategy. To get the money into the hands of those who need it quickly, a Flood Impact Form was created.
In the days that followed, the impacts of the flood continued to change on a daily and sometimes hourly basis. Michael Seewer began working with clergy in the regions affected. The diocese shared contact information of those who had requested support with the local clergy. Those clergy assembled quickly to begin contacting affected families and issuing gift cards.
Where people need help
The damage and need for relief communicated to the diocese has been widespread. It ranges along the I-5 corridor from as far south as Lewis County to as far north as Whatcom County.
Lewis County
“In the eastern part of Lewis County, [we are aware of] 11 families impacted by the flooding who are in the Red Cross Program, plus at least 10 more families who are living in their flooded RVs,” said the Rev. Kay Flores, rector of St. Timothy, Chehalis.
Whatcom County
In Whatcom County, the Rev. Dr. Jane Maynard, priest in charge of Christ Church, Blaine, has been working with the Whatcom Long Term Recovery Group to get assistance to as many of the 800 families on their list as possible.
Skagit and Snohomish Counties
We have received reports of some of the areas of greatest need are along the Skagit and Snohomish Rivers. Flooding affected communities from Mt. Vernon to Hamilton along the Skagit River. Communities affected along the Snohomish River are from Snohomish and Monroe.
In Mt. Vernon, the Rev. Dennis Taylor, deacon at St. Paul’s, Mt. Vernon, has been assisted by a team of volunteers from the parish. They assist in getting relief money in the hands of dozens of families along the Skagit River. When reaching out to the people who contacted the Diocese for assistance, those families often shared information about other families they knew who also could use assistance.
Along the Snohomish River, Chinook Farms was hit particularly hard. The food bank at Holy Cross, Redmond, is in a partnership with Chinook Farms. Most of the farm was destroyed. The need here is particularly great. Working with the Rev. Jim Eichner, associate rector at Holy Cross, we have been able to provide financial support to approximately 30 families. In addition, we provided access to power washers for clean up and money to assist in rebuilding two greenhouses.
Help for Holden Village, outside of western Washington
We have even been able to provide support to those on the other side of the Cascades in the Diocese of Spokane. In particular, we provided help to those evacuated to Chelan from Holden Village. We have been working with the Rev. Paul Palumbo, Pastor of Lake Chelan Lutheran Church, to provide assistance to approximately 18 families impacted in that community.
The future
We continue to learn of more families who could use assistance in the recovery after the flood. Diocesan staff continues to engage with clergy across the diocese to follow up with those with destroyed homes, and whose communities have suffered.
Thanks to the generosity of dozens of people across the Diocese who helped raise the additional $14,000. With this money, we have been able to provide financial assistance to over 130 families. This number will likely continue to increase.
If you’d like to make a donation to additional relief money, on the Diocesan Give page:
From Giving Options, select Other Donations.
In Designation Specification, type this: Flood Relief
Feel free to reach out to Michael Seewer if you have any questions.
Episcopal Relief & Development: Working together for lasting change
Episcopal Relief & Development
Since 1940, Episcopal Relief & Development has been helping facilitate transformative, lasting change worldwide. When working alongside communities and our network of partners, Gifts for Life have the power to make a tangible difference. These symbolic gifts are based on the three key priorities of community development that have proven to be most effective in our 80+ years of faith-based work.
Diocese of Olympia Seal
Diocese of Olympia
The Episcopal Diocese of Olympia traces its history to the establishment of the Missionary Jurisdiction of the Oregon and Washington Territories in 1853. General Convention admitted the diocese in 1910.
The Diocese of Olympia has more than 26,000 Episcopalians in more than 100 worshiping communities through Western Washington. Our geographic area stretches south from Canada to Oregon and west from the foothills of the Cascade Mountains to the Pacific Ocean.
Church of the Redeemer
Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
