Dear friends and neighbors,

I write to update you on the presence of the group known as Nickelsville in our community.  Our church chose to respond to the immediate need of the group for temporary shelter and safety, and provide a basic human need.  Though welcoming this community was done in an act of kindness and with compassion, it was also a decision that impacted our neighbors.  Groups have generously stepped forward from many areas within and around the  University District and the University of Washington, but there also many concerns and questions that members of our neighborhood share, especially in regard to how the presence of this group might affect us on multiple levels from the economic, to the personal and professional, and our ecumenical relationships.

To help answer some of these questions and to provide open discussion regarding this matter, our congregation is hosting a Community Meeting this Wednesday, October 15th.  Members from Nickelsville will be present to answer questions about their community.  We will also have conversation about the impact of this community on our work together as a parish and a neighborhood.  The format for the evening's discussions will consist of an informal pot-luck dinner at 6:00 p.m., followed by a formal question and answer period beginning at 7:00 p.m.  You are invited to participate in all or part of the evening's forum.

I want to personally encourage business leaders in our district to attend, as well as residents in our community.  I also realize that scheduling the meeting on a Wednesday night may conflict with programs already scheduled in the many congregations in our district, but I am hopeful that representatives from the congregations can be present.  It is important that we come together to talk about this unfolding development and be mindful of each other as we engage in a process that will help move our neighborhood through this together.

I want to stress that this is a meeting for everyone:  for the enthusiastic and the skeptical, for the ones who see good in this and the ones who see bad, and for the opinionated and unopinionated.  Please share this with the groups you are a member of, and help us pass the word along to our neighborhood.  This is a matter that concerns everyone in our district.

Our church is located on the corner of 15th St. between the blocks of 45th and 50th.  I look forward to your presence as this meeting.

Peace,
Janetta Cravens Boyd
Minister, University Christian Church


Contact Information
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Greater University Chamber of Commerce
4710 University Way NE, Suite 114
Seattle, WA  98105
phone: 206-547-4417
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