Belonging

All people are made in the image of God and are welcome in our community. Each one of us is a unique and essential member belonging to an imperfect community on a journey of embodying God’s unconditional love.

Abundant life in Christ

Being with, following and sharing Jesus is the most abundant way of life together.

God’s dream

God has a restorative dream for all of creation. We want to join God’s redemptive movement in the West Central neighborhood through acts of service, justice, mercy and more.

Belonging Statement

Every human being is fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s image, reflecting the resemblance of God in unique and marvelous ways. Every person ― inclusive of race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, economic or immigration status, physical or intellectual ability, education or faith history ― is unconditionally deserving of dignity, belonging, and the fullness of God’s love in our community. Come as you are as we discover the Way of Jesus and join God’s movement of flourishing in the world together.

(Genesis 1:27, Psalm 139:14, Romans 8:38-39)

Pastor Phil would love to grab coffee with you soon and learn more about your story!

Hannah Rae Tjelle

Director of Kids Life

Hannah Rae oversees all things kids life with a degree in theology and a ministry endorsement from Whitworth University. Hannah Rae, her husband Ryan and dog Mia live here in the neighborhood — if you see them out gardening, say hey! Ryan works in the neighborhood for an organization called Side By Side that seeks to create space for people with and without disabilities to experience life together in Christ. 

Hannah Rae gets excited about seeing God's Spirit move in people to foster freedom and belonging, seeing diverse people sharing food at the same table, soccer with strangers, gardening with neighbors and ice cream! 

You bring so much to the table & I can't wait to hear about it!

Phil Moore

Pastor

Pastor Phil, his wife Nina and their son Teddy love living in the West Central neighborhood. Nina is a school counselor at a local school.

Phil is passionate about the love of God and walking through life with Christ. He likes to nerd out about the early church and the practices of Jesus. He’s also energized on movements to empower the powerless, art, forgiveness, outer space and Gonzaga basketball.

Phil studied Theology and Speech Communication at Whitworth and graduated from their Master’s in Theology program. He’s a licensed pastor in the Covenant denomination.

I would love to hear your story and get to know you more. Let’s grab coffee or go for a neighborhood walk!

Michaela Flanders

Co-Director of Worship & Arts

Michaela and her husband Seth love living in the West Central Neighborhood and are excited to grow their family in the beautiful city of Spokane. She attended WSU and Bellevue College and earned a degree in Diagnostic Ultrasound Technology and currently works at a local OBGYN. Seth is attending WSU and working full time on a doctorate of Environmental Science and Natural Resources.  You can find them active in their community on the Centennial trail, on the Spokane River in the summer or enjoying a movie with their neighbors in the front yard. Michaela has several years of experience serving with worship, primarily singing and is responsible for organizing and communicating to the worship team each Sunday. She has always believed in the complexity and importance of worship and its role, honoring and connecting us with God. And she enjoys encouraging others to explore who God is and the endless love God has for them wherever they're at. 

Your voice is a joyful sound to God. You matter and I would love to meet and connect with you! 

Emily Anderson

Co-Director of Worship & Arts

Emily is new-ish to Spokane after moving from NW Arkansas to be close to her brother and sister-in-law (and now her first niece!) in June 2023. She has greatly enjoyed this city/area and many of its activities - some of her favorites include floating the river, browsing farmers markets, going on hikes, fruit & berry picking, bike rides, trivia night, climbing, skiing, community hangs and quite a few more… 

Emily earned a BA in Psychology from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas and then a MA in Christian Formation and Outdoor Adventure Leadership from Wheaton College. She spent the years prior to life in Spokane leading a variety of different outdoor activities at two Christian Camps (in Wisconsin and Indiana) as well as working as a Resident Director at John Brown University in her hometown of Siloam Springs, Arkansas. Currently she is the Aquatics Director at the North YMCA in Spokane.

She chiefly enjoys getting to have meaningful conversations about big and sometimes hard questions of life with people, and loves coming alongside them in a curious and compassionate posture. She desires to share the grand adventure of learning what it means to live well and fully in Jesus with the people around her. :)

Lastly, she is honored with this opportunity to help facilitate worshipful spaces at The Garden, and is leaning more into what that means in terms of God’s heart toward us, our hearts toward him, and specifically how music can be a beautiful way that God meets with us. 

I would love to connect with you whether it’s about worship or just getting to make a new friend!