Soundview – A Powerful and Vital Ministry

   Reading the heartfelt and beautiful statements posted on-line about Soundview makes one thing very clear - Soundview is a congregation. It is a congregation that embraces and serves youth and young adults in a way that more traditional congregations cannot. As such, it is a vital ministry and an integral fit with the stated 2016 goals of the Olympia Presbytery – to found new congregations and revitalize current ones. The proposal to sell the physical site of this amazing ministry thus makes no strategic sense to me. I would envision instead expanding this amazing ministry, building on its strengths and potential to bring the love and hope embodied in the Gospel alive in new ways to many more, especially children and youth.

   Miracles happen at Soundview – miracles of healing and transformation. I experienced this first hand when my daughter attended Soundview as a teen. It was a dark time in her life. God created her with many beautiful and unique gifts, as well as some challenges. These differences led to being ostracized, bullied, and manipulated at school and other social settings to the point that she withdrew from all contact with people, especially other teens. If we were out walking, she would cross the street to avoid walking past other youth. This was intensely lonely, and after two years she courageously decided to attend an LIT session at Soundview, where she had positive experiences as a child (junior & family camps.) The leadership at Soundview builds an amazing culture of acceptance and love, and this literally saved my daughter. The warmth, compassion, and understanding of the LIT mentors and other campers was truly amazing and opened the door to many things for her, including a renewed connection to God.

   In the old children’s song, we sing that the church is not a building, it is a people. However true this is, people still need a place to come together in a time and space conducive to building those relationships of support, love, dialog, acceptance and understanding that form church congregations. For our youth, Soundview provides that time and space in a way that a church basement or meeting room cannot. One of the young adult testimonials referred to Soundview as their “Narnia,” C.S. Lewis’ magical kingdom where four ordinary children experience adventures that help them develop courage, compassion, and acceptance and bring them face-to-face with God. What an apt description of Soundview! It provides a space where people of all ages, but especially youth, can learn and connect by working together, playing together, and having adventures together. I have three other children who also participated in numerous Soundview summer camps and retreats during the year, and those experiences were all very formative. Youth learn and grow best by doing and experiencing, not just by talking, and they need the company of other youth on their journey. Our city church congregation, like many others, had too few youth to offer any peer companionship and mentorship, and Soundview filled this gaping hole. My kids maintain contact with friends from Soundview, and these were and are some of their deepest and most supportive friendships.

Soundview has the potential to continue the crucial summer camp program and develop new uses of this amazing space and congregation of youth. In a world with so many urgent needs, Soundview can play a vital role. What about a space to welcome youth of many faiths, Christian & Muslim for example, to a weekend of learning to respect and understand instead of fear one another? What about a space to explore our care for God’s creation by exploring Environmental Stewardship and faith? What about a space to explore poverty & hunger issues in a role-playing type setting like the Heifer Village in OK? What about an expanded youth ministry, “Soundview in the City” which would host events for youth around the presbytery during the school year to build and nurture the relationships and seeds of faith planted by the summer camps? Soundview as a place and as a congregation is bursting with possibilities to become the most engaging and vital of ministries. My prayer is that the presbytery envision and weigh these possibilities as they ponder the question of whether to sell Soundview.

Margaret Henderson

Testimonials