ALL ABOUT

Our Church

Good Samaritan Episcopal Church is a diverse, welcoming and affirming Christian community.

People of all backgrounds, ages, and life experiences are welcome here – without exception! We strive to be a place where people at any place in their spiritual life can explore our invitation to a life-long journey with Christ, a journey that enables us to love God and our neighbor. We believe God’s love can transform us and the world. We invite you to join the journey!

WHAT WE
BELIEVE

THE EPISCOPAL
CHURCH

OUR
BUILDING

STAFF
MEMBERS

FAITH

Our Faith Confession

Who we are and what we do as a church is shaped by what we believe about God and humanity. Our beliefs are not new, but we always seek to make them come alive in our contemporary world. Along with the Bible and Christian traditions passed down throughout history, our beliefs and actions are informed by the Apostle’s Creed, the earliest confession of the Christian faith, and The Episcopal Church’s Baptismal Covenant, our unique understanding of how Christians, both individually and corporately, follow the way of Jesus.

These beliefs are not barriers to being a part of our community. Good Samaritan is a Christian community that welcomes questions, embraces mystery, and recognizes that, while anchored in history and tradition, our beliefs are still being informed and shaped by the Holy Spirit.

The Apostle’s Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day, he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

The Baptismal Covenant

We promise to continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers; persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever we fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord; proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ; seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself; strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.

EPISCOPAL

The Episcopal Church

Good Samaritan is an Episcopal Church, one of many Protestant Christian denominations alive in our world and witnessing to the story of God in human history. “Episcopal” describes the way we understand the governance of our communities—meaning the local Bishop and the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church are the principal leaders of our church. The Episcopal Church can trace its history back to the Church of England and remains a part of the Anglican Communion—a body within Christianity that encompasses 80 million members in 44 regional and national churches in more than 160 countries.
Episcopalians view the Church’s Scriptures, Tradition, and Reason as the foundation of our expression of Christian life and faith.
  • Scriptures: the story of God told in the Old and New Testaments
  • Tradition: the embodiment of Christian experience, practice, and expression of the Christian faith throughout history
  • Reason: our God-given ability to think critically and take responsibility for our own actions
Since the mid-late 1700s, the Episcopal Church in the United States has occupied a unique position in the landscape of American religious life. Many view the Episcopal Church as living somewhere between Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions. Good Samaritan, and the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion, can feel very traditional, but you will find Episcopalians engaging in the social, political, and cultural conversations at every point in modern history as we seek to live out our faith in the world. Today, Episcopalians are on the front lines of such causes as: LGBTQ+ rights, ending systemic racism, and environmental sustainability and the threat of climate change.
For more information about the Episcopal Church, visit episcopalchurch.org.
For more information about the Anglican Communion, visit anglicancommunion.org.
For more information about the Diocese of Olympia, the Episcopal Church in Western Washington, visit ecww.org.

FACILITIES

Our Space

The Church is not a building; it is people who come together to worship, learn, and serve. But we also recognize that our facilities are a gift and tool that allow us to gather as a community. In the first decade of its existence, Good Samaritan worshiped in several rented locations here on the Plateau. We are grateful for the beautiful property and facilities that now serve as a physical space for our community to meet. Our facilities, particularly our sanctuary, have been lovingly crafted by the Good Samaritan community to blend with the beauty of the natural environment that surrounds us and draw our attention to the God whose presence we gather to experience. We are eager to share that space with our neighbors. Our sanctuary can be rearranged to accommodate dinners, fundraisers, and recitals. For more information about using Good Samaritan’s facilities, please contact us.

The Mosaic Reredos

The Good Samaritan Episcopal Church reredos mosaic design is an abstract representation of the resurrection. The purpose is to give the viewer the freedom to get lost within the design and feel the Holy Spirit move within them. Find something in it for yourself: a symbol, colors, or a movement. We also have 14 images of Jesus in the Stations of the Cross that surround the church. The reredos mosaic image completes the story that Christ has risen from the dead and is now sitting at the right hand of God. We invite you to sit, absorb it and be one with the Holy Spirit.

Over 30 members of Good Samaritan contributed to this project. Through their commitment and passion, they laid each piece of glass on the reredos you see today. It was a spiritual opportunity for each person to tap into their God-given gifts of creativity. None of the members had prior mosaic experience.
Hours were spent cutting large pieces of stained glass into tens of thousands of small pieces. Members gathered around tables with color coded bowls of glass gluing the pieces in rhythmic fashion. For 19 months members spent time on ladders, scaffolding and at tables as the twelve panels were constructed. One artist designed and cut by hand over 300 paper doves that were transferred to glass and then cut and ground by a professional glass cutting machine. Another artist traced, cut and ground each feather shape to perfectly fit into the wing. Finally, the wall was grouted over two days.
The project was a labor of love. There were times of stress, pride, and excitement, but mostly of faith and pure joy in the process of creation. Working together we achieved our goal to create a permanent resurrection piece of art for the Good Samaritan Episcopal Church community that will be enjoyed for decades to come.

MANAGEMENT STAFF

The Rev. Chris McPeak
The Rev. Chris McPeakRector
The Rev. Chris McPeak is a native of the Puget Sound region. Chris loves living so close to both mountains and ocean, with plenty of green and water all around. Chris has had a circuitous faith journey. He was baptized Presbyterian, then fell in love with the liturgy through the Catholic Church, where he was confirmed. After much searching, he landed in an Episcopal Church, was received, and has never looked back. His is truly a journey of finding the “middle way.”

Chris received a BS in Biology from Seattle Pacific University, a Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of Washington, and a Master of Divinity from the Seattle School of Theology and Psychology. His varied educational background lends itself well to finding new avenues and understandings for how, as embodied people, we relate to one another and to God. Prior to ordination Chris worked as a physical therapist and as Worship Coordinator at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral. After being ordained on June 18, 2019, Chris served as the Curate and the Associate Priest at Christ Episcopal Church in the University District of Seattle, as well as serving with campus ministry to the University of Washington. Chris is a self-professed liturgy nerd and loves finding new ways for people to experience the divine.

Chris shares his life with his spouse, Amanda, the Director of Long Term Care Pharmacy Operations for Kelley-Ross Pharmacy Group, their spunky and theologically intuitive four-year-old, Wren, and their Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier, Godric.

Outside of being a priest, Chris enjoys cooking new recipes, dabbling in urban gardening, and making art – anything from crafts with his kiddo to writing icons to playing musical instruments and singing.

Nathan (Nato) Shiu
Nathan (Nato) ShiuDirector of Music
After earning his B.A. from Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA with a focus on Music Composition, Nato stayed to work as Staff Accompanist with Whitman College’s Music Department. For the following eight years, he played for private voice and instrumental lessons, student recitals, as well as Opera Workshop productions and fully-staged productions presented by Whitman College’s Harper Joy Theatre. In addition, during the last three of those eight years, Nathan began teaching voice as an Adjunct Voice Teacher which opened his eyes to the joys of teaching singing.

Finally, in 2013, Nathan made the decision to pursue a Master’s in Music. His two-year tenure at Washington State University provided concentrated experience learning about and researching the elements of singing. Nathan’s graduate studies culminated in a written project on teaching singing to children and adolescents. In addition, he served as Teacher’s Assistant for the Opera Workshop program both years where he continued learning about the details of producing semi-staged opera scenes and fully-staged operettas and musicals.

Moving back to the Greater Seattle Area and based in Bellevue, Nathan is excited to teach voice, play piano, and collaborate with the music community. Before Good Samaritan Episcopal Church, he was choir director for Salem Lutheran Church in Mount Vernon, WA. Outside of Good Samaritan, Nathan currently works as pianist and vocal adviser for Master Chorus Eastside, pianist and administrator for Bellevue Youth Choirs, and teaches piano and voice through the innovative small business Play at Work.

Renée Smith
Renée SmithAdministrative Assistant
Originally from Central New York, Renée has lived in Washington state since 1984. She was stationed at Fort Lewis (now Joint Base Lewis-McChord) while serving on active duty in the US Army. After her discharge she moved to Bellingham, WA, to finish her B.A. in Journalism at Western Washington University.

She’s had a variety of jobs including gas station attendant (before people pumped their own gas), house painter (when it was done by using brushes), and ice technician (aka Zamboni driver). Her professional experience includes working in human resources, providing technical support on computer software and hardware, and spending 20 years writing technical documentation for a local software company.

Outside of the office you’ll find her hiking with her Portuguese Water Dog, learning new ways to concoct nutritious meals, playing Wordle, and watching too many videos of puppies. She is an international traveler and has driven across the country seven times. However, her most adventurous trip was spending nine weeks on a 34-foot yacht circumnavigating Vancouver Island with one other person.

She has a passion for organizing and looks forward to helping Good Samaritan achieve its goals in the coming seasons.