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Seattle Church Plant Begins New Multi-Ethnic Ministry
SEATTLE, WA (October 20, 2001) - A longtime Covenant church has aided the start of a new one in Seattle as Quest began its weekly ministry to those between the ages of 18-35 at Interbay Covenant Church last Sunday.
Quest, a church plant sponsored by the North Pacific Conference, had approximately 170 people at its "launch" service under the leadership of pastor Eugene Cho. Quest meets on Sunday evenings at Interbay Covenant, which holds morning worship Sundays under the leadership of pastor Ray Bartel.
In the summer of 2000, Cho left his position as associate pastor of one of the largest ethnic churches in the region - Onnuri in Edmonds, a Korean congregation - to start Quest. After being jobless during the fall, Cho found a position as a custodian and began Bible studies for the new church in January this year. In April, Quest held its first preview service with 20 people in attendance. From there, the ministry grew and Cho is encouraged that so many unchurched people have appreciated the ministries of Quest.
"I think for a lot of people it (the October 14 worship service) was emotional because it's been difficult," said Cho." A year ago, I had resigned from my previous job and was jobless for five months. My wife (Minhee) had just had our second child and we had no insurance and at that time we hadn't started meeting for our church plant. But we knew it was God's timing."
Quest is trying to reach "those who have become weary and cynical of organized religion," said Cho. "We've never been afraid of the church not growing. Our fear was whether the church would engage with culture, seek justice, resonate with irreligious people."
At age six, Cho emigrated from Seoul, Korea, and he knows that there are many Korean Americans nearby with a similar story. A recent Seattle Times article stated that nearly 40,000 people of Korean descent live in and near Seattle - in Pierce, Snohomish and King counties.
But Cho and Anglo associate pastor Jeff Englehorn aren't interested in being a homogeneous church. The launch service had a balanced mix between Asians and Anglos. The church is more concerned with being relevant to people and believes its emphasis on the "postmodern"
generation will allow it to cross any ethnic boundaries.
"We are a gathering of people who, from the get-go, want to be a multi-ethnic church that encourages relationships," said Cho, who hopes that community groups meeting on week nights will provide opportunities for people to further relationships and deepen their spiritual walk with God.
Quest wants to start a coffee shop at a local warehouse and is pursuing city approval. They expect the coffee shop to provide increased visibility for the church. To learn more about Quest and its ministries, call 206-352-3796 or email qinfo@seaQ.org. Information also will be found on the church website at www.seaq.org.
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