An exodus, filled with uncertainty

At the First United Methodist Church building in downtown Seattle, days start early and run late.

In the morning, several people open a day shelter in the church annex, preparing for the homeless women who will stream in throughout the day. A men's shelter operates at night.

On different nights each week, the Seattle Men's Chorus and Seattle Choral Company rehearse in the basement. Across the hall, on Friday afternoons, about 150 Muslims gather to pray. And throughout the week, members of Alcoholics Anonymous and other support groups meet to share their stories.

In recent years the First Church building has gotten all the attention as battles raged over whether the century-old sanctuary should be preserved or torn down.

But churches are more than just buildings, often serving as home not just to a congregation but to all kinds of organizations that typically rent space at below-market rates.

That's certainly true for First Church, where about a dozen groups are now preparing for the day this spring when the building will cease to be First United Methodist Church. It's the unraveling of a Seattle institution.

The groups -- some of which have met there for more than a decade -- are searching for new homes or already planning their moves.

"They made us feel at home," said Kamran Salahuddin, a Downtown Muslim Association board member. "We were so comfortable, we never even thought of having another place."

Drawn-out departure

About a decade ago, the First Church congregation decided it couldn't afford to maintain its large building at Fifth Avenue and Marion Street. It gave its approval to replace the sanctuary with an office tower.

After contentious litigation and several failed plans for new development, a deal was announced last spring that would preserve the sanctuary but tear down the annex next to it and build an office tower at the site. The developer has not yet said what it plans to do with the sanctuary.

The congregation will be relocated to a church to be completed next year in Belltown.

Mary's Place day shelter for homeless and formerly homeless women -- as well as the men's shelter -- will likely move there when the congregation does. At Mary's Place, there are activities every day, such as health talks or arts and crafts. Everyone is expected to sign up for chores.

It's "where women can come and just have a place to be," said a woman named Taylor, who declined to give a last name and said she's been coming for two years. "Some women are just lost without this place."

The shelter is now negotiating with another church for short-term space until the Belltown church is ready. But there are challenges: The temporary quarters are smaller and outside Metro's free-ride zone. And some women are anxious about the move: Will there be hot meals? Laundry facilities?

"When this is the only constant in your life ... and now the ground is literally moving beneath you, what do you do?" said Marty Hartman, program director for Mary's Place. "We've told them: No matter what, we'll always be together."

A faithful partner

Elsewhere in the building, down winding stairs, Muslim men and a few women gather for prayers on Friday afternoons.

The Downtown Muslim Association formed about 10 years ago when some downtown workers sought a nearby place for Friday prayers.

The day after Sept. 11, 2001, association President Charles Comstock got a call from the church.

"I thought for sure they were going to say we couldn't pray there," Comstock said. "But they said: 'We're worried about you. We will have our staff at each entrance door to make sure you can pray in peace.' "

The association doesn't know yet where it will end up or how much it will have to pay for new quarters.

The choral groups are in much the same position.

Frank Stilwagner, marketing director for Seattle Men's Chorus, says his group needs a facility big enough for 250 singers and a grand piano.

Fred Coleman, artistic director for Seattle Choral Company, hopes for good lighting, room for 90 people, no sound-dampening carpets and a piano -- since his choir has been using the Seattle Men's Chorus piano.

"I'm extremely hopeful," he says. "But I've seen a lot of rooms that are so inadequate that I'm just prayin' real hard about it."

Part of the mission

For First Church's congregation, supporting such groups is part of the ministry, said business administrator John Breen.

The congregation will be moving its offices to a building on Queen Anne Avenue North, and starting March 30, will temporarily hold services at the Charlotte Martin Theatre at Seattle Center. Its last service in its current downtown home will be on Easter, March 23.

There is still so much to do and decide. The chapel, located in the annex, will be demolished, so what to do with the pews, the baptismal font, the piano? What will happen to the big tree out front? Should they keep the baby furniture?

"Every group is going through that process," said church member Barbara Moreland. "We'll probably have a giant garage sale at one point."

Come next month, Moreland plans to hand out markers for members to scribble their memories on walls about to be demolished. It will be like "one giant valentine for this building," she said.

And though a bit scared of the changes, she's also excited.

"First United Methodist Church is 150 years old, and that has nothing to do with the building," Moreland said. "The people have been there for each other over however many years. The church will continue to be just as strong and just as vibrant when we move down to Second and Denny."

Janet I. Tu: 206-464-2272 or jtu@seattletimes.com