Pastor’s eNote: Weekly Update

If you have driven to FFMC over the last few months, you have likely noticed quite a bit of construction happening nearby. Older homes have been razed to the ground in favor of more condos, which allow a greater density of housing. Despite some economic headwinds, the development of higher-density housing is moving along throughout the city.

Read More HERE

This is all part of a broader effort across Seattle to build more housing. The housing crisis facing us in the Puget Sound Area is happening across the nation. Just last week, the median price of a home in the United States was up to $440,000. This trend is impacting broader affordability issues across the country, which are now beginning to shape political policies and platforms in upcoming elections.

Despite all the construction nearby the church, most of it will be out of reach for too many households. Initiatives for affordable housing continue to take shape so that many will not be pushed toward difficult options. Yet it is the poor who are at risk of cramped housing or forced to consider the reality of being unhoused altogether.

These situations are not foreign to us at FFMC. First, we engage with many young people and families who are living at these edges of housing. Fostering Hope and our youth ministry are interceding in this space where families are on the margins. Second, the Free Methodist tradition itself is historically aligned with the poor. It’s in our name…FREE. Part of our heritage and calling is to be engaged with those at the edges of our world. Third, we are in the middle of discerning how to use our own property to both sustain our church into the future while engaging with the deep needs of our city.

I encourage all of us to:

1. Find ways to participate in supporting our ministry with young people whose families are dealing with issues surrounding poverty and housing. (Email jayde@ffmc.org to engage.)
2. Pray and financially give to FFMC toward the initiatives we support, such as Operation Nightwatch, REST, Queen Anne Helpline, and our own ministries through the ONE Ministry Fund.
3. Listen carefully to the stories of those living at the margins and let God deepen our hearts to their needs so we can respond with justice and compassion.

“I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.” – Psalm 140:12

Grace to You All,

Pastor Craig Brown

(July 21st, 2026)