Music Director Zachary Fitzgerald has an exceptional lineup of handbells, choirs, instrumentalists, brass and vocal ensembles, and singalongs in store for two performances of our annual free Christmas concert at 7 pm on Saturday, Dec. 20, and 4 pm on Sunday, Dec. 21. The Festival of Trees in Fellowship Hall will open at 6 pm on Saturday for a pre-concert reception and again following the Sunday performance.
Christmas Eve Worship
Join us on December 24, Christmas Eve for one or more of our evening services.
4PM – A shorter, engaging service offered for all, but especially with the energy and joy of families and young children in mind. We'll end singing “Happy Birthday” to the Christ Child. Then, all are welcome to enjoy birthday cake at the reception that follows in Fellowship Hall.
7PM* – A worship with the traditional Christmas readings, carols and and choir singing. Worship ends with beautiful candlelight and “Silent Night.”
11PM – A more contemplative worship with communion. We’ll end with candlelight and singing “Silent Night.”
*= Offered in-person and live streamed on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/fauntleroychurchUCC
Festival of Trees
A forest of 16 creatively decorated trees will be open to the public in Fellowship Hall at Fauntleroy Church (9140 California Ave. SW) Dec. 1-Jan. 8 (9 am-noon Monday-Thursday). Also during a 6 pm pre-reception before the 7 pm Christmas concert on Saturday, Dec. 20, and during the reception following the 4 pm concert on Sunday, Dec. 21. Bring non-perishable food items when you come to vote for your favorites.
Giving Tree 2025
This year’s Advent giving tree focuses attention on three community needs our shared giving will address: supplemental food for low-income families over long school breaks, bond support so detained immigrants can await hearings with their families, and Christmas gifts bags for every child whose family depends on the free weekly Welcome Table in White Center for meals and other essentials. The West Seattle/Fauntleroy Y is again joining us in this effort. Tags to remind you of these needs will be on trees in the narthex and lobby Nov. 23 until the Dec. 14 donation deadline.
The Season of Advent
Advent is the season in which we are invited to journey to Bethlehem and the night on which God became “God with us,” Emmanuel. It is a season of introspection, connection, wonder and open-handed hope – for our world, for ourselves, for the Spirit’s enduring presence to be felt anew.
This year, we will journey to the stable with a focus on the places that play a role in the Christmas story: Rome, Jerusalem, Nazareth, Bethlehem and Persia. Places are characters in the story too after all, shaping the narrative, the people in it, and all of us who are taking in the story anew thousands of years later.
Come with us on the journey! Pack your longing for hope, your dreams for peace, a handful of simple joys to hold and share along the way, and the humility you need to invite God’s story to be your own again. Together, our hearts will go great distances at the same time that we root ourselves more deeply in places we seek to stand well – places where humanity is still crying out for love and the Sacred to come and dwell among us.
Fauntleroy Church Advent Devotionals: These wonderful devotionals, created from church members’ stories, will be available in the narthex by November 30. Enjoy each devotion as a small gift as you embrace centering time with God.
Study the Advent Scriptures and Places With Us: Take a Wednesday lunch break and join our pastors for interactive reflection on the scripture passage and place of focus for the coming Sunday worship service. With hopes to include those with limited time as well as some of our online and long-distance church folks, we’ll gather via Zoom on Wednesdays from 12:00 to 1:00PM PDT (November 26, December 3, 10, 17). Contact the church for Zoom details.
Help Decorate the Church for Advent/Christmas while Honoring and Remembering Our Loved Ones: We look forward to decorating our worship space and church with beautiful, Christmas cuetlaxolchitl flowers and other nice touches. If you would like to make an extra gift toward visual beauty that will welcome and inspire, submit your extra donation via check or online, indicating “decorations” so we know where to direct your donation. If you would like your donation to be in honor or memory of someone, please contact Kyle Lorenzen, Office Assistant, at kyle@fauntleroyucc.org or 206-932-5600 with the name of the donor (your name and anyone else’s names) and the name of the person being honored or remembered—as you wish for it to appear in the Christmas Eve bulletins—by December 16.
December 7 Children’s Christmas Pageant: This year’s pageant is called “A Donkey’s Christmas”. Can a sweet but grumpy donkey find their place and purpose in the Christmas story? Can we? Our children will help tell that story of tender, transforming love and invite us all to join in the fun! Get ready to have your heart turned toward Christmas. Many thanks to all those who are helping our children prepare this early gift for the season.
Advent Festival & Stone Soup: Immediately following the Children’s Christmas Pageant worship on December 7, gather in Fellowship Hall for stone soup and the Advent Festival where all ages can make Christmas-related goodies. The Advent Festival is a favorite—holiday fellowship, crafting, and hot soup warms our collective hearts. So don’t miss it! Have fresh ingredients to share for stone soup? Bring them to the kitchen before worship begins and watch all your contributions magically become amazing soups!
Festival of Trees, an Event Benefitting Our Local Food Banks: A small forest of Christmas trees has bloomed in Fellowship Hall. We’ll enjoy the trees during Advent coffee hours and our Advent Festival on December 7. Bring your unexpired, non-perishable food items to place under your favorite trees and help our local food banks meet increased need. Want to show off our trees to friends and neighbors? Fellowship Hall will also be open in December, Monday–Thursday, from 8AM–12 noon.
Giving Tree, Sunday, November 23 – Sunday, December 14: Our Advent Giving Tree is an annual opportunity to bring joy to the wider community at Christmas. Each year we select causes that reflect the pressing needs identified by our homelessness and immigration task forces. Tags will be on trees in the narthex and lobby starting November 23 and we will start sharing your generosity shortly after the drive closes on December 14. Take a tag or two to remind you to donate to help someone who is food or housing insecure or needing other support to feel joy this season. Your donations are truly gifts of the heart! Cash donations will be accepted online, in the offering plate (please use an envelope and clearly mark it for the giving tree), or in the church office.
Christmas Concerts—Saturday, December 20 @ 7PM & Sunday, December 21 @ 4PM: The Fauntleroy Chancel Choir, Fauntleroy Women’s Ensemble, the D.A.M. Ukelele Band, and additional singers will join us for our Christmas concerts this year. Enjoy a diverse program of Christmas music under the direction of our new Music Director, Zachary Fitzgerald, and come ready for plenty of congregational singing! The concerts are free, and all are welcome. Join us for a pre-concert reception on Saturday beginning at 6PM and a post-concert reception on Sunday- both in Fellowship Hall in the midst of the Festival of Trees!
Christmas Eve Offering: One-half of the Christmas Eve offering will go to the “Christmas Fund” of the UCC (an annual offering we support), supplementing inadequate retirement savings for clergy who earned poverty or below poverty wages and emergency aid for UCC church employees facing crises. The other half will go to continue our support of Alimentando al Pueblo, a Burien non-profit and food bank focused on feeding the Latine community with culturally relevant food while building community in powerful ways.
Fauntleroy Church Advent Devotionals: These wonderful devotionals, created from church members’ stories, will be available in the narthex by November 30. Enjoy each devotion as a small gift as you embrace centering time with God.
Study the Advent Scriptures and Places With Us: Take a Wednesday lunch break and join our pastors for interactive reflection on the scripture passage and place of focus for the coming Sunday worship service. With hopes to include those with limited time as well as some of our online and long-distance church folks, we’ll gather via Zoom on Wednesdays from 12:00 to 1:00PM PDT (November 26, December 3, 10, 17). Contact the church for Zoom details.
Help Decorate the Church for Advent/Christmas while Honoring and Remembering Our Loved Ones: We look forward to decorating our worship space and church with beautiful, Christmas cuetlaxolchitl flowers and other nice touches. If you would like to make an extra gift toward visual beauty that will welcome and inspire, submit your extra donation via check or online, indicating “decorations” so we know where to direct your donation. If you would like your donation to be in honor or memory of someone, please contact Kyle Lorenzen, Office Assistant, at kyle@fauntleroyucc.org or 206-932-5600 with the name of the donor (your name and anyone else’s names) and the name of the person being honored or remembered—as you wish for it to appear in the Christmas Eve bulletins—by December 16.
December 7 Children’s Christmas Pageant: This year’s pageant is called “A Donkey’s Christmas”. Can a sweet but grumpy donkey find their place and purpose in the Christmas story? Can we? Our children will help tell that story of tender, transforming love and invite us all to join in the fun! Get ready to have your heart turned toward Christmas. Many thanks to all those who are helping our children prepare this early gift for the season.
Advent Festival & Stone Soup: Immediately following the Children’s Christmas Pageant worship on December 7, gather in Fellowship Hall for stone soup and the Advent Festival where all ages can make Christmas-related goodies. The Advent Festival is a favorite—holiday fellowship, crafting, and hot soup warms our collective hearts. So don’t miss it! Have fresh ingredients to share for stone soup? Bring them to the kitchen before worship begins and watch all your contributions magically become amazing soups!
Festival of Trees, an Event Benefitting Our Local Food Banks: A small forest of Christmas trees has bloomed in Fellowship Hall. We’ll enjoy the trees during Advent coffee hours and our Advent Festival on December 7. Bring your unexpired, non-perishable food items to place under your favorite trees and help our local food banks meet increased need. Want to show off our trees to friends and neighbors? Fellowship Hall will also be open in December, Monday–Thursday, from 8AM–12 noon.
Giving Tree, Sunday, November 23 – Sunday, December 14: Our Advent Giving Tree is an annual opportunity to bring joy to the wider community at Christmas. Each year we select causes that reflect the pressing needs identified by our homelessness and immigration task forces. Tags will be on trees in the narthex and lobby starting November 23 and we will start sharing your generosity shortly after the drive closes on December 14. Take a tag or two to remind you to donate to help someone who is food or housing insecure or needing other support to feel joy this season. Your donations are truly gifts of the heart! Cash donations will be accepted online, in the offering plate (please use an envelope and clearly mark it for the giving tree), or in the church office.
Christmas Concerts—Saturday, December 20 @ 7PM & Sunday, December 21 @ 4PM: The Fauntleroy Chancel Choir, Fauntleroy Women’s Ensemble, the D.A.M. Ukelele Band, and additional singers will join us for our Christmas concerts this year. Enjoy a diverse program of Christmas music under the direction of our new Music Director, Zachary Fitzgerald, and come ready for plenty of congregational singing! The concerts are free, and all are welcome. Join us for a pre-concert reception on Saturday beginning at 6PM and a post-concert reception on Sunday- both in Fellowship Hall in the midst of the Festival of Trees!
Christmas Eve Offering: One-half of the Christmas Eve offering will go to the “Christmas Fund” of the UCC (an annual offering we support), supplementing inadequate retirement savings for clergy who earned poverty or below poverty wages and emergency aid for UCC church employees facing crises. The other half will go to continue our support of Alimentando al Pueblo, a Burien non-profit and food bank focused on feeding the Latine community with culturally relevant food while building community in powerful ways.
Fauntleroy Art Show November 14-16, 2025
Our centennial gift to the community in 2008 was a major art show and it’s still going strong. This year’s edition of the Fauntleroy Art Show will showcase 19 local artists and artistic crafters the weekend of Nov. 14-16. Fellowship Hall will come alive as they show, discuss, and send you home with the fruits of their creativity. Find the list of participants HERE and show hours HERE.
Art by Kristen Miller
Order Christmas Wreaths Today!
It’s time to order your beautiful Christmas wreaths in this fundraiser for our church. The 22” wreaths are made of noble fir with incense cedar and juniper accents topped with pine cones. These wreaths are great for decorating your own home and/or to give as a gift. Each wreath comes with a big, red bow, which will be created by talented church folks. Wreaths will be sold from now until November 7. The cost is $30 each. Shipping boxes are available for $5.00. To order, please email jackie@fauntleroyucc.org. Wreaths need to be picked up on Saturday, Nov. 22, (the Saturday before Thanksgiving) between 10 AM and Noon, in the church parking lot. If you can’t pick yours up, please make arrangements for someone else to do that for you.
You can pay online on the “Give Today” page of the church website. Select “Events & Projects”, type in the amount and “Wreath Fundraiser” in the notes field.
You can pay by check. Please make checks payable to Fauntleroy Church UCC with “wreath” on the memo line and mail to or drop by the church office. Payment must be made when ordering.
Payments must be made in advance.
Late Fall Events and Activities
Join us for the following events and activities this fall:
Questions? Contact the church office: 206-932-5600 or info@fauntleroyucc.org.
Recycle Roundup - 9/20/2025
Chili Cook-Off - 10/3
The Westside Interfaith Network’s second-annual chili cook-off fundraiser will be Friday, Oct. 3, at 6 pm, with Fauntleroy Church UCC hosting in Fellowship Hall. Proceeds will benefit the caring services WIN provides to West Seattle-White Center neighbors, including the free Welcome Table meal every Saturday. $30/adult and $15/kids 5-12. A spirited “dessert dash” will close the evening.
Purchase tickets at westsideinterfaith.com/.
Fall Events and Activities
Look for more event details in the weekly newsletter, Sunday worship bulletins, on Facebook, and on the church website. Questions? Contact the church office: 206-932-5600 or info@fauntleryoucc.org.
Second Time Sale - 9/13 & 14
The wildly popular 2nd Time Sale we’ve been hosting since 1992 will be back Saturday, Sept. 13 (9 am-4 pm) and Sunday, Sept. 14 (11:30 am-3 pm) in and around Fellowship Hall. Much anticipated by the whole community, this sale is for shoppers who really need bargains, collectors on the hunt, or browsers open to surprises. Click HERE to see the scope of what will be on offer.
If you have quality items in working order to donate, see the list of what we cannot take HERE. We'll be accepting items at Fellowship Hall 10am - 2pm Sept. 3-5 and 8-9, 11:30-1 pm Sept. 7, and Sept. 6 by appointment only. Call the church office to arrange an early drop-off at our storage site or to schedule a Sept. 6 appointment.
Adult Study Group - New Series
The Sunday Adult Study Group is starting a new series on Astronomy! Everyone is welcome to join us as we take a step back and explore something profound and beautiful, and (literally) above all the messiness of our lives. Every week before church, we meet in person in the church library or online to watch and discuss a short video from Dr. Guy Consolmagno, a Jesuit brother, renowned astronomer, and director of the Vatican’s astronomical observatory. Topics include "Dark Skies", "Astronomy in the Bible", and "Walking on Other Worlds". We'd love to have you join us as we look up together! Contact the church office (info@fauntleroyucc.org) for more information.
Blues Sunday - 8/24/2025
Sunday filled with heart, soul, and the blues you don’t want to miss! On August 24th, we're bringing the iconic Blues Sunday to life once again to our 10am worship service. The legacy of Jeff VanGilder’s brainchild continues, and we’re excited to keep the spirit of his vision alive with a day of music that’s sure to have you tapping your feet and clapping your hands. What is in Blues Sunday??
This special Sunday is all about blues-inspired music, and we’ll be serving up a mix of solos, group works, deep basslines, and tunes that’ll have you feeling the joy and the groove all at once from so many talented folk that live among us in the congregation here at Fauntleroy UCC!
New Music Director
Last fall, Fauntleroy Church UCC launched a nationwide search for a new music director. This resulted in the hiring of Zachary Fitzgerald—an acclaimed vocalist, conductor, and teacher who is now completing his Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance at the University of Washington. He presented his doctoral solo recital on May 31, showcasing his tenor voice with German lieder as well as songs in Italian and English. At UW, Zachary taught private and group lessons for both music majors and non-majors and assisted with opera workshops. Opera and musical theatre are two of his passions.
Zachary holds two master’s degrees from Kent State University—one in Choral Conducting, the other in Vocal Performance. He served as Director of Music Ministries and Choir Director at Trinity Lutheran Church in Kent, Ohio, has held numerous positions as a vocalist and music teacher, as has played oboe, English horn, and saxophone in several orchestras and ensembles. Learn more at ZacharyFitzgeraldTenor.com.
Zachary directed one of our Chancel Choir rehearsals this spring while the hiring committee was still in deliberation. “We loved Zach’s ability to convey vocal techniques for better breath control and sound,” said Sarah Finney, who sings in the alto section and coordinated the 11-month search and hiring processes. “We also loved his sense of humor and look forward to really fun rehearsals!”
“I want my choirs to know that I am there for them every step of the way, and that I care about their vocal development,” said Zachary. “I want them to have the voice they always dreamed of having all while doing it in a space that fulfills their soul.”
Throughout the summer, Zachary will coordinate music for Sunday services and plan for the coming year. Chancel choir rehearsals start in late summer. Fauntleroy Church has several additional ensembles, including a ukulele band that meets in homes throughout the summer and at the church starting this fall, a seasonal Handbell Choir and occasional children’s music groups.
“We’re also gauging interest in exploring more children’s music opportunities at Fauntleroy Church,” said Senior Pastor Leah Atkinson Bilinski. “Besides musical education, choir singing fosters a sense of teamwork, collaboration, and belonging, and builds self-esteem. I encourage families to give this some thought and get in touch with us for more information.”
Fauntleroy Church is a member congregation of the United Church of Christ. For more information, visit fauntleroyucc.org. E-mail all inquiries about the music program to zach@fauntleroyucc.org.
Sweet, Sweet Music - Boeing Employees Choir - 5/10/2025
SWEET, SWEET MUSIC presents the Boeing Employee Choir concert in the Sanctuary this Saturday evening, May 10 at 7 pm. Our music director, Bronwyn Edwards, will be performing with the choir as accompanist one last time before she retires. The choir will sing a diverse program of music ranging from the classical repertoire to gospel and jazz. Admission by donation, refreshments served at intermission. Suggested donation $10, kids are free.
Informational Event - 6/1/2025
Are you considering joining Fauntleroy Church as a member or would just like to learn more about the congregation while making some connections with other members, visitors and friends of the church? Come “taste and see” what we’re all about! The next “Taste & See” event will take place in-person, following worship on June 1st. We will meet in-person, share the history of the UCC denomination and of Fauntleroy Church, learn about how we govern ourselves, and have lunch together while getting to know each other. Lunch will be provided by the church. Sign up by contacting Sarah Ackers (sarah.ackers@fauntleroyucc.org) in the church office by Sunday, May 25th if you would like to participate. Childcare can be provided upon early request.
Burgers & Bingo - May 17, 2025
Guatemala Team Departs!
Holy Week and Easter 2025
Holy Week and Easter at
Fauntleroy Church, United Church of Christ
Artwork by church member, Susan Petty
APRIL 13, 10AM, PALM SUNDAY WORSHIP
Our guest preacher will be our PNCUCC Designated Conference Minister, Rev. Phil Hodson. Worship will begin with joyful palm waving. We welcome all children (and their parents with child-like hearts) to join in a palm processional with the choir. We process down the center aisle with joy, leaving our palm branches on the chancel steps. Then children can return to join their parents in the pews until Sunday School. Children who would like to be involved should look for Carol Gilderoy in the Narthex about ten minutes before worship.
APRIL 18, 8PM, HOLY FRIDAY WORSHIP (in-person only)
We will gather in the sanctuary for a contemplative Tenebrae service to remember the moments surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion. This is a worship of readings and songs, and candles will be extinguished as the service progresses to signify Jesus’ death approaches. Many say that the experience of community in the deepest shadows of this moving worship is what causes their hearts to soar on Easter morning.
HOLY WEEK VIGIL
The sanctuary will be open for a Vigil from 9PM on Friday, April 18 (Holy Friday) to 3PM on April 19. You are invited to choose an hour to “keep watch” during this stretch of time before Easter morning’s resurrection. Materials to help guide some reflection will be available, and someone will be at the church all night for security. Look for an opportunity to sign up during the coffee hour or reach out to Sarah Ackers.
EASTER MORNING WORSHIPS, April 20
Three opportunities to celebrate Easter!
6AM, we’ll join Alki U.C.C. and Admiral U.C.C. for a sunrise service on Alki Beach (look for a bonfire near 57th Ave SW). A simple communion will be served. Rain or shine! Dress warmly.
9AM and 11AM, identical Easter worship services will take place, with the 9AM livestreamed. We’ll transform a simple wire cross with beautiful spring flowers at the start of worship, so bring a favorite flower to add. Both services will include a Time with Children, and we’ll conclude with a joyous rendition of the "Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's Messiah. Sunday school is available at the 11AM service for elementary-age children, and childcare is provided at both services for infants thru age 3.
EASTER BREAKFAST Enjoy some wonderful Easter fellowship and a delicious breakfast from 9:30-11 on Easter morning in Fellowship Hall! Pancakes, egg casseroles, fruit, ham and sausage…! ($10/adults & $5/children suggested donation.)
EASTER EGG HUNT
After the 11AM worship (about 12:20) children are invited to enjoy an Easter Egg Hunt! Our youth will hide lots of eggs filled with treats around the church property. We’ll set aside the narthex/patio area for younger children and the front of the church for older children to enjoy this fun. (Dress for rain or shine!)
EASTER FLOWERS IN MEMORY/HONOR OF LOVED ONES
If you would like to give toward flowers used to fill our outdoor flower cross and supplement flowers brought for our wire cross, you can do so online or with a check marked “Easter flowers” + “In memory/honor of NAME.” These names will then be shared in our Easter bulletins if submitted by April 14.
