Landmark of Seattle equality celebrates 100 years

A Seattle landmark is celebrating a century of worship this weekend, but for the community the red brick church on the corner of Seneca and Harvard on Capitol Hill is much more than just a religious sanctuary.

“The church is a little unusual in the architecture in that there is no front door to this church. There are two equal doors,” says Bob Sittig, Administrator of Seattle First Baptist Church.

The welcoming equality embodied in the church design is also a characteristic seen in the congregation that first held services on Capitol Hill in Sept. 1912.

“We’re kind of a unique community for what people commonly think of as a Baptist Church. We’re a rather progressive, a rather liberal church. We’re a welcoming and affirming church,” Sittig says.

The leadership and members of Seattle First Baptist have been living by those same beliefs for the last hundred years. They helped Chinese immigrants who were being forced to build railroads in the West. They also supported Japanese Americans who were sent to internment camps.

While the issues have changed over the years, the church’s interpretation of Baptist teachings has not.

“In 1980, the pastor at that time, Dr. Rod Romney, understood what the issues were around the gay community here on Capitol Hill, and his stance was ‘God loves everybody,'” says Sittig.

Dr. Romney conducted one of the first commitment ceremonies in Seattle to honor the love of two gay men. And, yes, Sittig says the pastor is related to our current presidential candidate.

“A distant cousin, very distant. As you can tell from philosophy,” Sittig quips.

The church’s liberal, welcoming policies seem to fit our city and the people who live here, but they do not always sit well with other Baptists. Sittig remembers when the church was protested by the Westborough Baptist Church.

“Walked up and down the street with their signs ‘God hates fags.’ This was probably about 12 years ago,” says Sittig.

The church leadership at Seattle First helped to create a national association of welcoming and affirming Baptist Churches. They are also actively raising money for the effort to create marriage equality in Washington.

The 100-year old Seattle landmark also supports dozens of other community organizations. Sittig says 66 different non-profit groups have rented space in the church buildings.

More than 500 people are expected to attend the service on Sunday, Sept. 22 to commemorate Seattle First’s Centennial. Some of them will be third and fourth generation members of the congregation.