Called to be a community “On Mission” for Jesus Christ, West Side is drawing people from across the Tri-Cities to live for Jesus. We are committed to being a church that loves on our community by getting out from behind the walls of the church building in order to bless our neighbors.
When we gather on Sundays for worship, we embrace the call to be the family of God, where many generations interact, share, learn from and bless each other. We enjoy gathering with friends and feel honored when guests join with us. It is our hope that if you visit with us, you will feel warmly embraced and encouraged to know that you have a place to belong. Whether you are an early riser or like to get a little extra sleep on Sunday morning, have a specific affection for traditional or modern music styles, there is great likelihood that you will be able to connect with some West Siders at one of our two worship services* who identify with your passions, interests and concerns.
Following Jesus is an adventure with many challenges but also moments of profound beauty and significance. Jesus challenges us to be a Spirit-led people that shares life and supports one another on this journey. The Bible is central to informing our journey. We have ministries to help every age and every stage of spiritual development take our next steps of going deeper into life with Jesus.
We hope you will join us sometime soon!
If you’re planning to come to one of our worship services on Sunday mornings, “Kids Check-In” opens at 8:45 am and our contemporary service begins at 9 am. Our traditional service starts at 11 am. We suggest arriving a bit earlier to find a parking space, be welcomed, and make your way into worship.
It’s hard to give an exact time, as our song and sermon lengths can vary. Our services generally last 70 to 80 minutes, however we’d love you to stick around longer for a coffee so we can get to know you (and so you can get to know us!)
Our pastors teach from the Bible. We usually teach in series, where the talks build on one another throughout the series. Sometimes these series are built around significant life topics and other times we work through a specific book of the Bible. You can expect to hear the Bible read, explained, and a compelling call to live into the goodness, truth, and beauty of what it says.
Absolutely! We have many families attending West Side Church. While parents are always welcome to keep their children with them throughout the worship service, we have exciting ministries for children of all ages to provide a safe, fun and engaging environment where kids can be rooted and encourage their relationship with Jesus.
Unsure where to take your children when you arrive? Just look for a Hospitality Team member or someone wearing a blue, West Side Children’s Ministry shirt – they’ll be able to assist you through the Check-in process.
We have childcare for two and under that opens at 8:45 am. Our childcare workers are screened and trained to give the best care possible to your young ones. You are welcome to leave your child with them (we’ll give you a pager if your child needs you). In the contemporary service, there is a special room where parents can care for their infants and participate in the worship service.
Each Sunday morning Holy Word Studios (our kid’s ministry area) opens at 8:45 am and runs for the duration of our Contemporary service.
Again, absolutely! We seek to create compelling worship experiences that will engage teens and adults in our main services. During the 9 am Contemporary service, we also provide the opportunity for Middle School students to gather with their peers and adult leaders to laugh, connect, and grow together.
Wear what you like. There’s no spoken or unspoken dress code. There’s no right or wrong. Typically, contemporary services are a little more informal, rarely will you even spot a tie or a dress. At a traditional service you may see people a little more spiffy, but again jeans and a shirt will never surprise anyone. What matters to God and to us is that you are here.
Here are some things to think about as you make that decision:
Deacons and Elders are lay members who are elected annually by the Congregation for a 3-year term to provide servant leadership.
Deacons lead or co-lead 12 different ministries and are blessed by serving, giving, caring, and praying for the congregation and those in need who live in and around our community. These ministries include Card Ministry, Communication (Monthly Deacon Beacons), Communion, Community Outreach Ministry (financial partnership with local nonprofit organizations), Hands-Up Ministry, Helping Hands Ministry, Parish Ministry, Prayer Chain Ministry, Receptions, Rosebud Ministry, and Seasonal Outreach Ministry. Deacons also represent a chair on the Session.
Elders (22 members) and staff meet monthly as the Session. The Session is responsible for effective disciple-making, ministry processes, equipping covenant partners (members), and faithfully nurturing covenant partners into spiritual maturity and significant ministry. The Session is led by lead pastor Ralph Kieneker and includes a representative from the Deacons.
West Side Church is committed to moving God’s kingdom forward in several ways, including serving our local community. West Side Church gives money each month to these organizations through donations made to Deacons. To see a list of the ministries we support, click the button.
West Side Church also partners with and supports missionaries across the globe. To see a list of the missionaries we partner with, and information on how to support them, click the button below.
Address: 615 Wright Ave.
Richland, Washington 99352*
Phone Number: (509) 946-4656 ext 3
Email Address: info@westside1.org
*Our church office is usually staffed Monday-Thursday from 9 am – 5 pm, but the doors may be locked. Please ring the doorbell on the side door of NORTH (1-story bldg) – follow the “Office” signs; a staff member will let you in. We are closed on Fridays.
Address
615 Wright Ave.
Richland WA 99352
Phone Number
509-946-4656 ext 3
Email Address
info@westside1.org
The team from Chaplaincy Health Care focuses on the entire person – their physical, emotional and spiritual needs. We guide, comfort and care for people experiencing serious illness, end of life, loss, and grief. Our heritage of compassion began in 1971 when a group of local churches in the Tri-Cities area established a program with one chaplain to provide outreach to people not being served in jails and nursing homes, and people coping with dying or the loss of a loved one. Chaplaincy Health Care is a nonprofit organization and assists all individuals in need throughout our service area in the Mid-Columbia region of southeast Washington. Our work is supported by individuals, businesses, foundations, local service clubs and communities of faith
Our Mission is to share Christ’s love through practical acts of compassion by providing free healthcare services to those in need in Benton and Franklin Counties and Burbank. Founded by two local physicians, the Clinic provides services to low-income uninsured residents of Benton and Franklin counties and is operated primarily by volunteers. In the early days, the Clinic provided medical care and then over time added dental and mental health services.
Grace Kitchen is a nonprofit that offers hope and opportunity for lasting change to women survivors of trafficking, addiction, homelessness and poverty. We do this by fostering a community of grace where women learn job and life skills that enable them to gain sustainable employment and a secure future for themselves and their children.
Mirror Ministries’ mission is to respond to domestic minor sex trafficking with the love of Christ through local education, intervention, restoration and aftercare. Our vision is to see local victims of sex trafficking become survivors who have hope, healing and restoration by: Reaching women and girls being exploited through SUDS Hotel Outreach and direct street outreach Connecting survivors of the sex trade with services and real options to reach freedom through the Mirror Ministries Outreach Center and Survivor Services Educating the community through awareness presentations and trainings Reaching hospitality staff and managers through SUDS Hotel Outreach
You Medical envisions a community where individuals facing an unexpected pregnancy and related sexual issues find guidance and hope, and are transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ through our life-affirming services. Some of our services include pregnancy tests, counseling, limited OB ultrasounds, and sexual health services.
The Tri-Cities Food Bank provides emergency food to the needy residents of Benton City, Kennewick, Finley, Richland, and West Richland. The Tri-Cities Food Bank, founded in 1975 & is a nonprofit agency. This organization has more than 100 volunteers who have donated more than 30,000 hours collecting and distributing food to low-income people. Our volunteers collect food 365 days of the year. Because we are an all volunteer organization, we have never paid a salary since our founding.
The Sullivans work with Wycliffe Bible Translators to translate materials and Bibles into the Aja language of Benin and Togo, Africa.
Terry and Nancy Sullivan, missionaries with Wycliffe, wish to express their gratitude to the West Side community for the many blessings and friendships they have known these past few years living in Richland and continuing their Bible translation ministry work "from afar". Now they return to Benin to directly work with Aja colleagues from their departure of October 29, 2022 , until their return in April 2023. They look forward to returning to this wonderful home and Body of Christ here at West Side, under the "official" job title of "Remote Assignment living in the U.S.". Their actual work, pretty much full-time, will be the same, but with a U.S.-based location instead of a Benin-based location. So the Sullivans say not "Goodbye", but "See you later". In the Aja language, the words for "thank you very much" are: Akpe keké. However, folks add more 'very much' by adding the word "ke" at the end. So the Sullivans express their gratefulness to you, by saying:
"Akpe kekekekekekekekekeke! ".
To support their ministry, please mail gifts to
Wycliffe Bible Translators
P.O. Box 628200
Orlando, FL 32862-8200
www.wycliffe.org
For gifts, add note:
With preference for the ministry of
Terry & Nancy Sullivan
Tyler and Rochelle Holm are serving in Mzuzu, Malawi (Africa), at the invitation of the Church of Central African Presbyterian (CCAP), the Presbyterian Church (USA) World Mission and Mzuzu University. The CCAP is the largest and oldest Protestant denomination in Malawi.
Tyler teaches theology at the University of Livingstonia, one of the CCAP’s institutions training future pastors and church leaders. With the growth of the CCAP there is only one ordained minister per every 7,000 members, training pastors and other Christian leaders in society has been identified as a priority by the CCAP. Rochelle works directly for Mzuzu University, a government university, primarily on issues of water, sanitation, and hygiene, bridging the gap across boundaries of research and innovative practice by working together with communities, government officials, academics and faith based organizations.
To support our ministry, please donate to:
Presbyterian Church USA, PO Box 643700, Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700. Please designate the funds for “Presbyterian World Mission: Account #E200532” or https://www.presbyterianmission.org/donate/E200532/
Fellowship of Christian Athletes - Tri-Cities, WA
We are blessed to serve the Tri-Cities, WA and surrounding areas. Zenon & Amy have served together since 2016. Zenon serves as the Area Director providing overall leadership to the team while Amy's primary focus is Women's Ministry & Discipleship. We appreciate your investment in this ministry. We are looking to add one or two additional FCA staff members to our area. Pray for continued access to the public school campus and volunteers to serve alongside us.
To support our ministry, please donate to:
https://my.fca.org/zenonthornton
Or mail a check made out to "FCA" to: 954 Sirron Ave, Richland, WA 99352
Wycliffe Bible Translators
Wycliffe serves with the global body of Christ to advance Bible translation and work together so people can encounter God through his Word and be transformed.
My mission is to work in partnership with nationals, organizations, churches, etc. to enable the work of Bible translation. We work to ensure the world’s 7000 languages gain access to Scripture in a language and form that speaks to their heart, and to preserve minority language and cultures. At Wycliffe, we prepare, equip, and support members and their families as they engage in the work of Bible translation.
I am a missionary with Alongside Ministries International, en route to begin service in the Czech Republic in spring/summer of 2025. My missionary career began in 1991 in Costa Rica with the Latin America Mission (LAM), and later at LAM’s headquarters in Miami. In 2003, I moved to Brigham City, Utah to begin a multimedia ministry for outreach to Latter-day Saints (Mormons). Then after 20 years, the Lord began to move me in a new direction. I will be working with the Czech Evangelical Alliance following intensive Czech language and cultural training. I will be helping the Alliance develop communication and multimedia strategies and also have a burden for the spiritual formation of the new generation of Czech Christian leaders. Online gifts can be made at: www.alongside.org/donate. I also have a personal website: www.scottinprague.com.
Alongside Ministry - Europe & North America
We partner with European churches and ministries to serve the increasingly secularized and non-religious populations of Europe. AMI is active in both Estonia and The Czech Republic. These are two of only five countries in the world with a non-religious majority. We also serve in Albania, which is still emerging from decades of an officially atheist dictatorship layered on top of 600 years of Ottoman rule. Before the Ottomans more or less imposed Islam Albania was a mix of Christian faith and traditional religions. AMI also serves in secularized France.
Our goals for the next 3 years inclue:
1. Develop at least one short term mission trip this calendar year to bring American and European believers into shared relationship and ministry. An English camp in France this June is the leading possibility. (Would any West Side folks be interested?)
2. Take the next steps of relationship and partnership with The Estonian Baptist Union and also 4D Ministries in Central Europe (Romania and surrounding countries)
3. Revise/restart our recruiting effort
4. Discern/invite/nominate new board members.
5. Strengthen financial support for our U.S. staff, particularly myself as I am the only full-time U.S. employee of AMI.
6. Our board is seeking to reduce our Administrative Fee from the current 15% level to 12.5%.
Let us thank God for the faithfulness and fruitfulness of his people in Estonia, France, Czech Republic and Albania, often under difficult circumstances. Jesus said, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” - John 15:8
To support our ministry, please mail checks to:
Alongside Ministries International, PO Box 610, Langley, WA 98260.
Online gifts can be made at our website: https://www.alongside.org/donate
Alongside Ministries International strives to advance the Gospel in Europe and North America through a network of prayer, partnerships, and practical help.
We have been serving in the Czech Republic for 19 years with AMI, 10 years in our current location.
Our goal is to strengthen the Church and advance the Gospel by partnering with local churches and Christian organizations. Andrew serves alongside the national office of the Czech Evangelical Alliance and Amy serves alongside The Wholehearted School, a Czech Christian elementary school. Through these partnerships we are involved in a variety of organizations and projects that serve to strengthen the Church through parish renewal and Christian education, and to advance the Gospel through evangelism and church planting.
To help The Wholehearted School grow and expand its Christian influence, including adding grades 7 – 9.
Help launch and expand the M4Ready program into the M4 church planting process.
To work with the national youth ministry of Církev Bratrská to re-launch and expand Draft Camps.
To support our missionary work, go to:
https://www.alongside.org/donate or Alongside Ministries International, PO Box 610 Langley, WA 98260
Lift-off/Ripe for Harvest (linguistics support)
The mission of Lift off is to promote healthy demographics, culture/beliefs, and structures in the global work context for those who come in, specifically single men and women.
Through Ripe for Harvest, I offer linguistic consulting & training upon request, to further minority language development (particularly translation). I specifically support minority communities especially of Asia, via providing consulting/training for global workers upon request.
In the next three years, I would like to:
(1) Present and publish, especially via Missio Nexus
(2) Establish Lift Off officially
(3) Move ahead on establishing a fund (and funding) for offering research grants.
(4) Move ahead on establishing structures for an online presence to promote research, interaction, and creative problem-solving.
Please pray for the Lord’s creative ideas, team of people, and prayer power that can break through some status quo rock with His light and life.
To support my ministry, please visit:
https://ripeforharvest.org/kathy/
We envision building a network of people who embrace the life-shaping goodness, rhythms, power, and calling of God. At Ingalls Creek, people gain clarity about their faith, their calling, and their contribution to the world.
Ingalls Creek Enrichment Center gathers people who seek to connect their faith, life, and work in the richness of community, sending them into our changing society with a renewed sense of Christian calling.
Northwest American culture has moved on a steady trajectory away from previous views of life and faith, and today only a small fraction of young adults report any relevance of “church” to their day to day experience. Churches, denominations and Christians in all walks of life are looking for ways to connect in positive ways with this emerging post-Christian context. We seek to equip God’s people—the church—to engage this changing world, demonstrating God’s love in every aspect of their lives.
Among the most critical times in life is the transition from High School to College and throughout the college experience. During this season of life, the influence of peers, professors and academic study shapes their worldview, and can make or break a student’s commitment to Christ for a lifetime. Ingalls Creek provides a training ground for high school and college-aged students in the critical times of transition through mentoring and community.
We have served with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in Boston, Massachusetts for the last 13 years. Our vision is to see students and faculty transformed, campuses renewed, and world changers developed.
We hope to give every college student the opportunity to encounter Jesus, helping Christians grow in their faith and witness.
To support our ministry, visit: givetoIV.org/MarieAdams
ORBIT and ASHA
After completing the translation of the New Testament in Kukna language of South Gujarat, we have been training the other translators, guiding them in their works of Bible translation, Literacy primer preparation and conducting Literacy Programs, Dictionary preparation, and doing consultant checking of their Translations and Literacy Primers. As the President of ORBIT, and the Executive Director of ASHA I am taking care of the administration of both the organizations. Right now I am mainly doing Consultant checking of the translations and Literacy Primers, guiding the field work, and administration.
Donation to support my missionary work can be sent to West Side church office from where it will be sent to SLIM (Sight and Light India Ministries) which is our fund forwarding organization. Or it can be sent directly to SLIM. The check should be written to Sight and Light India Ministries and sent to:
Sight and Light India Ministries
2937 Cimmaron Lane
Fullerton CA 92835
We have been serving with Alongside Ministries International to encourage and empower Christian leaders and churches in Europe through an international network of prayer, partnership and practical help. We have been stationed in Estonia since 1998.
Our main functions are pastoral ministry in the Rapla Evangelical Church,
equipping ministry and lecturing in cooperation with the seminary,
Church consultation, pulpit supply and seminar speaking,
Mentoring of youth, young couples, Bible school and seminary students, and
Academic research and writing.
Some time in 2023 (Lord willing) I will take on a more active role in theological education through our seminary system in Estonia and continue to conduct research on congregational life and theology in Estonia’s churches.
In line with both of these goals, we have been constructing a guesthouse on our property since 2020 with the aim of offering hospitality to small church pastors and their families, international ministry visitors and – if necessary – immigrants or refugees in need of a first home and a path to inclusion in Estonian society. Construction of the hospitality house continues incrementally on my free evenings. You can follow our progress on the Hospitality House at http://www.edminsters.com/portfolio/hospitality-house/.
To support our ministry, please send gifts to
Alongside Ministries International
610 Langley Loop, Langley, WA 98260
I work with United World Missions on the Created to be Free project. I am currently stationed in Tigard, Oregon.
Based on Isaiah 61:1, Created to be Free hopes to contribute to the prevention and understanding of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and other Neurobehavioral Conditions as invisible brain based physical disabilities and thus help the Church and greater community love people with difficult behaviors better, like Jesus does. Suzanne does this through the following: 1. Education and training at Universities, Seminaries, churches, hospitals, schools, etc. 2. Individual consultation with professionals and family members. 3. Family support groups where the real transformation takes place. God is opening exciting new doors for this ministry on a global level. Suzanne also serves on the Member Care Team of UWM, creating “sacred space” for spiritual formation/transformation to occur as she walks alongside UWM missionaries all over the world. One day a week I serve as Nurse Practitioner at the Good News Community Health Center in one of Portland’s roughest neighborhoods. We are a non-profit faith- and community-based health center serving our neighbors in Rockwood and East Multnomah County.
You can support my ministry here: https://uwm.org/missionaries/27381/
World Vision is a global Christian relief,
development, and advocacy organisation dedicated to working with children, families, and
communities to overcome poverty and injustice. We work in nearly 100 countries around
the world.
World Vision’s core mission is to focus intentionally on the well-being of children. By partnering closely with local community groups, churches, families, and children themselves, we address the root causes of poverty that directly impact children, especially the most vulnerable. We believe that boys and girls should enjoy good health, be educated for life, experience the love of God and their neighbors, and be cared for, protected, and participating in their own development.
Our vision: “For every child, life in all its fullness. Our prayer for every heart, the will to make it so.” We believe that the best way to fulfill this vision is with rigor and integrity that honors the communities we serve and our donors. We’re not only focused on individual children, but on all of the surrounding conditions that impact children’s lives.
To support my ministry, please mail a check to:
World Vision
P.O. Box 78481
Tacoma, WA 98481-8481
On the notes section of your check write: West Side Church WASH
International Students, Inc. exists to share Christ’s love with international students and to equip them for effective service in cooperation with the local church and others.
Our plan is to focus on making disciples who make disciples. This means sowing the Gospel broadly, and investing deeply in the few who exhibit the most spiritual hunger and interest, equipping them to become disciple makers.
We also are mulling over whether it makes sense to stay in Forest Grove, or to move to a larger college or university, where there is a greater number of international students. We are likely to at least finish out the school year here at Pacific University as we have a couple of students that we are pouring deeply into right now.
We also are in talks with some people locally about some other ways that we can get the local church involved in God’s global purposes. How these talks go, and the level of engagement more broadly from the church may have an impact on where we stay or land.
To support our ministry, donate to:
https://www.isiportland.org/donate.html
Fields of Grace - Eastern Washington
Ettie is the director of Fields of Grace.
Fields of Grace was established in April 2006 as a ministry at West Side Church in Richland, WA. The program began when Second Harvest voiced a need for fresh produce for area food banks and area farmers wanted to donate a portion of their crops, but lacked the resources to pick the additional produce. Fields of Grace was created to provide the hands of service that pick the fruits and vegetables for residents in need. After reading a newspaper article about the effort, a local farmer, Gary Middleton, agreed to be the liaison between Fields of Grace and the area’s farming community.
A training program was developed to teach volunteers proper gleaning etiquette. Gary Middleton was instrumental in providing gleaning “do’s and don’ts”. All volunteers must go through a training program and sign a liability waiver before they can participate in a gleaning activity.
Since its inception, the ministry has trained over 1,000 volunteers who have logged over 14,000 hours of service to harvest over 1.7 million pounds of produce. This produce has included apples, sweet corn, carrots, sweet cherries, apricots, plums, grapes, tomatoes, potatoes, and more.
Alongside Ministries (alongside.org) and Torchbearers (Torchbearers.org).
We are sent missionaries through Alongside, for 27 years now, and of course Alongside has a rich history with West Side.
Our mission here is under Torchbearers international, which through camping, conference and Bible School ministry proclaims the transformational work of Christ. There are 26 Torchbearers centers around the world.
Mark is Pastor the Erseka Evangelical Church, with a team of Albanian leaders and missionaries; Director of Torchbearers - Albania with a 6 month winter international Bible School and an extensive summer camping program.
Flourish Mid-Columbia serves Columbia Basin residents by providing Christian education and formative practices aimed at integrating faith, work, and everyday living. In partnership with individuals, churches, organizations, and institutions, Flourish Mid-Columbia helps people live integrated and flourishing lives of faith and service as followers of Jesus by encouraging, equipping, and accompanying them into thoughtful and wholehearted participation in His Life – in all of life – in their homes, workplaces, and community.
To learn more about our mission, visit flourishmidcolumbia.org.
DwellingsNow is a charity that has been building homes and changing lives since 2009 by providing shelter and hope for recipient families as well as a life-changing experience for those involved in the building process. Your involvement will make a lasting difference in the lives of those who live in difficult living situations. By making a donation or becoming a volunteer you will help provide a new start for a grateful family.
Our Mission is to help as many families as possible, with our focus at this time being on the island of Roatan, the mainland of Honduras, and in Palmor, Colombia, by building and presenting homes that bring dignity, hope, security, and a fresh start to our "neighbors" in need, making the dream of owning a home a reality.
To donate, visit dwellingsnow.com