Our story…

By Pastor Bruce L. Bronoske, Sr.

The story of Spanaway Christian Center must begin with the age-old saying, “God works in mysterious ways!”

I committed my life to the Lord in the Fall of 1973. The next seven years were spent in ministry training, followed by a time as the Associate Pastor and Senior Teacher of the congregation at Peace Assembly.

One beautiful Spring morning in 1980, as I was turning south onto McKinley Avenue from 38th Street East, the Lord spoke to me plainly, “You are going to pastor in Spanaway.”

Being a teacher by gifting and calling, I spent a considerable amount of time pondering this very strange word. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t just hearing things 😊 so I shared this word with my wife, Virginia (Ginger). She was about as puzzled as I was over this major change of direction. But then, over the next two years, something began to work in our hearts that made this rather odd calling more and more real.

Everything was going well at Peace Assembly, our church home at the time. There was no earthly reason to consider this change of direction. The church was growing, with attendance numbering over 450 members. I was supervising all areas of Christian Education in the congregation, including operating as the Sunday School Superintendent, the K-12 Christian Day School founder and Principal, and the Tuesday/Thursday evening Bible School Coordinator. Yes, we were very busy, indeed.

But by the Spring of 1983 the prompting of the Holy Spirit had become both overt and obvious. it was time for us to venture out. This was a bitter-sweet decision since we had many friends at Peace. But we knew it was time.

With the prayerful commitment of three other families, the decision to begin the work in Spanaway was set for Sunday evening, September 11, 1983, at 6:30pm.

It was a strange work-up to the starting date since we were not able to find a place to meet. But Friday, September 9th, we met with a Catholic nun who was over the care of the property that was originally Marymount Military Academy, then later a private boys home.

The downstairs was being used at the time, but she told us we could use the upstairs library area, called “the orange room.” As she showed us the area it became apparent why it had that specific name. The carpet in the room was VERY orange.

However, it was a good-sized room with chairs enough to seat about 50-60 persons, so we agreed to the terms of use, including rent and a separate charge to have the boiler turned on. The room was heated with old, 1930s-era steam radiators.

There are many, many stories about Spanaway’s time at Marymount, and though many of the stories are humorous (e.g., having to open the windows in the winter because the boiler got so hot), the memories of our 25-plus years of growth and fellowship at Marymount from 1983 thru 2009 are sweet.

From the first day of planning for the establishment of SCC, there was a fund established to purchase land and our first building. In 1991 we purchased and paid cash for 4.91 acres of land at the northeast corner of 22nd Avenue East and 215th Street East in Spanaway.

We then began saving for the building. With numerous starts and stops, we gradually cleared, leveled, and prepared the land for the building in 1995 and 1996. Along with more savings, the final funding was secured in the Fall of 2007, and we began building the next year. That happened to be the year that the 2008 “Great Financial Crisis” would hit the world. This was a time marked by challenge, stress, and success, but if nothing else, we learned how to persevere and to trust the Lord through to the completion of the project.

Occupancy was secured on June 23, 2009 (my 60th birthday) and the first service in the new building was held on Sunday morning, June 29, 2009.

As I have mentioned, there are a myriad of stories of challenges and Divine interactions in the story of SCC to that point. But we knew that the Lord wanted the work in Spanaway to begin. He wanted a building built, He wanted a Godly presence in midst of an area that, to many people at the time, was considered an area of spiritual darkness.

Our mission and purpose remain the same now as then: to honor and serve the Lord, to preach and teach His pure Word, and to have an impact upon the area in which He has placed us.

Over our nearly forty years of service the Lord has directed and confirmed our journey as a congregation. We have seen His Divine hand work on our behalf, and we have found His ‘divine fingerprints’ on our works and efforts.

To Him be glory, forever, in the Church - which we are now, and will ever continue to be, a part.

Pastor Bruce L. Bronoske, Sr.

Editors Note: Virginia (Ginger) Bronoske, pictured above, was called home to be with the Lord in 2020 after a heroic three-year battle with cancer. She is greatly missed by all who knew her.