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ST. PETER'S EPISCOPAL PARISH PROFILE
MAY 2007
"From humble beginnings as a small mission…one word aptly characterizes your life: faithfulness."
- 75th Anniversary Celebration Book, 1983
We shall always respect and value our Japanese heritage, but today we are at a different place as we actively seek to become an inclusive and diverse community.
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OUR HISTORY
 In the late nineteenth century, early Japanese pioneers immigrated to the State of Washington to work predominately as laborers in a variety of settings including farms, saw mills, railroads, and salmon canneries. Among these immigrants were a few members of the Anglican Communion baptized in Japan or California. By 1907, several Japanese immigrants were attending Trinity Church; and in 1908 under the sponsorship of Trinity, two rented rooms at 9th Avenue South became the Japanese Mission of the Episcopal Church. To accommodate a growing membership, in 1912, St. Peter's Mission moved to Yesler Way. By 1932, despite the Great Depression, a church building was completed by the faithful at South King Street, near Seattle's International District.
Saint Peter's congregation continued to thrive until the onset of World War II. Together with others of Japanese ancestry, members of St. Peter's were forcibly removed and incarcerated in desolate camps away from the West Coast for the duration of the war. They found both their faith in God and their faith in America sorely tested. Yet, despite the oppressive conditions, pervasive racism, and badly impaired morale, church members and clergy worked through these challenges as best they could, with some support from non-Japanese Americans who recognized the injustice perpetrated on those of Japanese ancestry. The survival of St. Peter's as a community of faith throughout these trying times is powerful testimony to the membership's courage, resilience, and steadfast belief in God's grace.
Rebuilding and reclaiming damaged lives was an important mission for St. Peter's during the early post-war years. The ethnic church provided comfort and support for members who had been painfully scarred by their wartime experiences and continuing societal marginalization. Church programs flourished, serving as a major part of the social fabric for several generations of parishioners. A new sanctuary was built adjacent to the original church building by 1962, with the latter converted to a multi-purpose gymnasium. Stability was personified by a Nikkei priest whose tenure began in the late 1960's and spanned almost twenty-five years. During this period of vitality and growth, St. Peter's was incorporated as a parish in 1977.
By the 1980's most parishioners had successfully created new post-war lives, some Nisei, and even more Sansei-2nd and 3rd generations in America-found employment in mainstream positions, rather than in the ethnic economy as was common prior to World War II. Concurrently, St. Peter's membership began to decline as the 1st generation immigrant Issei were dying and younger members began to drift away from the church community.
A need for redefinition and renewal was recognized as St. Peter's entered into a search for a new rector in the early 1990's. A more diverse and inclusive vision of our church was formulated, culminating in the selection by the congregation of our first Caucasian, female priest in 1995. She became an integral part of our St. Peter's family, opening our hearts and minds to new experiences during more than five years of service.
Members of St. Peter's have continued to engage in a process of reflection and prayer as a spiritual community. A consensus has emerged that for this church community to be viable well into the 21st century, it can no longer be primarily a Japanese American church, but instead must reach out to diverse groups of people extending Christian fellowship and welcoming the rich experiences that each may bring. We shall always cherish and honor our historical heritage; the contributions and sacrifices made by those who have preceded us have helped us evolve and mature as a congregation that now seeks to embrace everyone interested in joining us in fellowship. One challenge now is to transform our consensus into action.
OUR WORSHIP
Our worship is relaxed and casual, yet it is filled with rich liturgy. We have one weekly eucharist, with approximately 45 parishioners routinely attending. Although our worship is strongly liturgical, it is also quiet and contemplative and would not likely be considered "high church." The wealth of diversity and strength can be defined in the liturgy at St. Peter's. We appreciate the many forms of worship offered in the Book of Common Prayer and Enriching Our Worship. One unique characteristic of St. Peter's liturgy is that each person exchanges peace with every other person present, further enhancing our community and fellowship, especially with visitors who may be worshiping with us for the first time. We seek to provide a worship service that makes visitors feel welcome, especially those who may not be familiar with our style of worship. Lay parishioners lead intercessory prayers, read the appointed scriptures, and serve as lay eucharistic ministers and as altar guild members. We also have a lay eucharistic visitor for our parishioners who may not be able to attend our weekly eucharist. Our heritage is reflected in the simple, but elegant, Japanese flower arrangements that frequently adorn the altar.
St. Peter's is blessed with the services of an organist and cantor, who provide music primarily from the hymnal, with some music from the multicultural Lift Every Voice and Sing, Wonder, Love, and Praise, Voices Found, and Hymns for the Gospels. We purchased a new organ nearly three years ago, further enhancing our music. Our church school is staffed by a dedicated group of volunteers, with approximately seven children enrolled. During the week, there is a bible study and a men's breakfast, which provide further education and fellowship.
OUR NEIGHBORHOOD
 St. Peter's immediate neighborhood is primarily residential. It is not far from Seattle's International District, and only two blocks from the intersection of four of the city's major streets: Jackson, Rainier, Boren, and 14th Avenues. Across the street is Washington Girls School, the Japanese Language school and soon to be Japanese Cultural Center. Located up the block from St. Peter's is a Vietnamese Buddhist temple and several blocks up the street is St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church. The Japanese Buddhist Church and the Japanese Congregation Church are two blocks to the North. Seattle University, a Roman Catholic Jesuit institution, is less than a mile away. The closest Episcopal Parish is Trinity, approximately one mile away. St. Peter's is about two miles from downtown Seattle.
The vicinity surrounding St. Peter's is in transition. For most of the 1990's, the area was depressed with over 70% rental properties. Since 2000, this has changed-new housing and renovations have spurred over 50% owner-occupied housing. Professional singles and small families are attracted to the neighborhood for its reasonable prices, cultural diversity, and proximity to downtown and freeway access. Two nearby major additions include an urban village, Jackson Street Place, and a soon-to-start 10 acre shopping/residential site. This will have over 400 housing units and 2 major department stores.
According to the 2000 census, the ethnic mix of the St. Peter's neighborhood is 36% white, 22% African American, 30% Asian, 8% Latino and 4% other. Thirty-eight percent of the local residents speak a language other than English at home, reflecting a large immigrant population.
St. Peter's is a small congregation and we currently have 62 pledging families. Only a few members live in the immediate neighborhood, whereas, over half reside in communities north and south of the parish. Our Sunday worship now includes approximately thirty percent non-Asian.
OUR OUTREACH MINISTRIES
A newcomer to St. Peter's might be surprised that a congregation of modest size could be engaged in so many endeavors. Extending a helping hand is crucial, whether by making and selling crafts and sushi at our Annual Women's Holiday Craft Fair or by putting on our annual "Big Take Out" fundraiser, whose proceeds benefit outreach ministries and programs outside the walls of our parish. We have a companion relationship with the Shonai Christ Church in Osaka, Japan and St. Paul's, New Orleans, a relationship we developed after the hurricane. We also contribute our time and talents to several organizations in the wider community, including:
Japanese American Citizens League
Nisei Veterans Committee
Nikkei Concerns (Seattle Keiro nursing home/Nikkei Manor assisted living facility
We are also active in organizations dedicated to social justice issues and the well being of the disadvantaged:
Asian & Pacific Islander Women & Family Safety Center
Asian Counseling & Referral Service "Walk for Rice" United Against Hunger
Episcopal Mission to Seafarers
Habitat for Humanity
Kay Abe ecumenical homeless
Kairos Prison Ministry feeding program
Operation Nightwatch homelessness program
OUR HOPES
We will become a more vibrant and enriching Christ-centered church, open to the neighborhood and the community.
We will become an inter-generational church, attracting young families with dynamic Sunday school programs.
We will develop afternoon and evening programs for youths in our neighborhood and our community, using our gymnasium and classrooms. This may include running our own daycare and preschool program, attracting families who may join our parish.
We will become a more ethnically diverse church, while still honoring and cherishing our Japanese-American heritage.
We will be engaged in social issues and community outreach.
OUR FEARS
Our church will fail to grow, will continue to lose members, and finally die.
We will be unable to attract new families, despite our efforts.
As the direct descendants of the original congregation die, they will not be replaced by their progeny.
We will lose our history and identity as a Japanese-American church.
We will be unable to transcend our history and identity as a Japanese-American church, and will not be open to new members and a changed mission at St. Peter's.
By focusing on efforts to bring back congregants' children and grandchildren into our parish, we will neglect outreach to our community and our neighborhood.
We recognize that some of these fears appear contradictory. Such is the nature of fear. We also recognize we are at an exciting and hopeful crossroads. We are determined as a parish to thrive and to grow, and to be more relevant, more vibrant and more nurturing in our Second Century, as we build on the legacy of our First Century.
OUR FUTURE
The love of God calls St. Peter's to invite all people to a life of faith through worship, education, service and spiritual development, our current mission statement. Our future is embodied in this statement, to be a Christ-centered congregation where God's love for us strengthens our resolve to invite all people to a life of faith.
St Peter's faces challenges known to many churches. We have an aging congregation, with many of our parishioners 70 years or older. Our attendance has steadily decreased over the last few years. This decrease is due to a number of factors. The children and grandchildren of our congregants generally do not attend our church, and many have moved out of Seattle to the suburbs. Our surrounding neighborhood, once a thriving, predominately Japanese-American community, has undergone many transformations. Most recently it is transitioning into a multi-ethnic neighborhood, attracting young couples and young families.
We are historically a Japanese-American church in a neighborhood that is no longer Japanese-American. Seattle is predominately white, and we are seen by many to be an "ethnic" church. Over the years there has been anecdotal evidence that this perception is an impediment for some Seattleites to attend our church. To compound this challenge, we have a small but vocal portion of our congregants that wishes to remain a "Japanese-American" parish. A few of the members of the parish are skeptical of attempts to recruit new members from the neighborhood, believing our best chance for growth is in bringing congregants who have left the church back into the fold.
On the other hand, our Parish is blessed with many wonderful physical resources. We have an indoor basketball/gymnasium, two kitchens, and several classrooms currently leased to an outside daycare provider. Across the street from the church is our Rectory, currently leased to a local girls' middle school. We fully own the property above with no financial encumbrances. We are in a neighborhood that has much potential for growth, with many new families moving within a few blocks of our church. We have a friendly, hospitable congregation, made up of dedicated, hardworking, generous and talented people.
The love of God calls St. Peter's to invite all people to a life of faith through worship, education, service and spiritual development.
Please join us in our ministries, and on every Sunday at 10:00 AM as we are renewed and challenged to deepen our faith and mission as the body of Christ at Saint Peter's.
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Our 2007 Annual Report
Please click Annual Report of Thanksgiving (pdf version) for year 2007 to read more about who we are. It was published on January, 2008, and covers highlights, January - December, 2007.
 To view files you must download Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Click here.
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