Sequim Valley Foursquare Church

Where: 9090 Old Olympic Hwy., Sequim

Online: Sequimvalleyfoursquare.com and facebook.com/SequimValleyFoursquareChurch

Phone: 683-7382

Two Sequim pastors are finding that they are a good team after an unorthodox shift.

This summer Jonathan Simonson, former pastor of The Vineyard, and Randy Hurlbut, pastor of

Sequim Valley Foursquare Church, will mark three years after their two congregations merged.

Hurlbut says he’s wanted to work with Simonson in some capacity for about 10 years and the timing and opportunity was right.

“Pastor Jonathan is an evangelist and that’s powerful,” Hurlbut says. “He has a great gift with music, too.”

Simonson says freedom in ministry and tough financial decisions led him to pursue the merger.

The Sequim Vineyard was a church plant from the now closed Olympic Vineyard in Port Angeles. Simonson’s family and church members set up, tore down and cleaned the Sequim Boys & Girls Club each Sunday for four years to hold church services before moving to River Road where they reopened the church, and set up the La Vina Cafe on River Road, too.

There, they held concerts as an outreach ministry for three years. Noise complaints from neighbors and issues with rent led to some difficult decisions, however.

“We were at the point of being a mortgage-driven church,” Simonson says.

“People in the church were concerned about my family. We were paying church bills first and the leftovers were for our family. We saw God’s provision in that and from other churches in the community. One church paid our salary for the month. We’re part of the same (church) body and then I knew we had built great relationships with a lot of different churches.”

Offers began to come in for Simonson to lead different ministries, he says, but the opportunity at Sequim Valley Foursquare seemed most inviting because he’d be needed most there.

So, both ministers spoke with their congregations.

“I asked them, ‘What do you think about this? We won’t be leasing anymore. We would join together.’ Everyone started clapping,” Simonson says.

Hurlbut says both churches were supportive and most people stayed after blending.

“His group was worried I’d be too strict and my group was wondering if they were strict enough,” Hurlbut says.

“We asked them to try it for a year and after that year we can talk,” Simonson says. “But during that time we saw a few fizzle out but saw some come back.”

Co-ministers

Hurlbut says the invitation to Simonson wasn’t to work for him but with him as a co-ministers.

“It’s not two churches but one body in Christ,” Hurlbut says. “Our church doesn’t see him as the Vineyard pastor and me as the Foursquare pastor. They see us as a church family.”

Stylistically, the two agree they are quite different, with Hurlbut more into planning and administration, Simonson into rocking out and riding motorcycles.

“We’re so different from one another but we’re in the same vein,” Simonson says.

“I think the diversity is awesome. A lot of churches won’t embrace that. I let him be him and he lets me be me.”

“You’re not going to feel funny if you have tattoos or long hair or wear a suit here,” Hurlbut says. “You are going to feel accepted.”

As far as combining philosophies and church doctrine, Hurlbut says Vineyard and Foursquare ideologies are “cousins at least” and “very similar.”

“We’re saying the same thing but approaching it from different spots but it’s a neat thing,” Simonson says.

With energetic music a forefront of Simonson’s ministry, Simonson says he’s dialed it back some as to blend seamlessly with the Foursquare church. He hasn’t put on many musical events as often but he’s maintained those relationships, he says.

This summer, the duo plans to host a concert event as part of the church’s new adult ministry.

“We’re bringing in a little bit at a time,” Simonson says.

Sunday’s morning services are split among Hurlbut, Simonson and his wife Kenda.

“We’re not competing,” Hurlbut says. “We’re serving for the same purpose with different gifts and personalities and styles of ministering. It’s a good team.”

Future

Hurlbut marks 20 years as pastor at Sequim Valley Foursquare in September as the church officially turns 38.

In his tenure, Hurlbut says, the church has had a children’s and youth pastor briefly, but not a co-minister.

The church continues to offer Sunday morning services at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. along with a night service at 6 p.m. Sunday nights are more focused on prayer and worship music with less structure, Simonson says.

“You can sit back and have some good meditation time with the Lord,” he says. “I would keep doing it even if it was just me by myself with a guitar.”

Looking ahead, the two are beginning a Thursday night young adult class and considering adding another position: a youth children’s leader.

“There are young adult min-istries happening, but I feel like we could bring something else to the table,” Simonson says.

“They could find the kids falling through the cracks and outreach to others. Through that group maybe we could find a youth leader.”

Hurlbut says the church is looking to begin a campaign to pay off its remaining $34,000 in mortgage more aggressively so they can look to do more projects like creating an outreach center.

For more information about Sequim Valley Foursquare, visit www.Sequimvalleyfoursquare.com.