‘Hamster Church is our monthly opportunity to hear from a Belling’hamster to learn about their life, hear their stories and how they are contributing to the life of this city.

Our guest for August is Deanna Wildermuth! Deanna is the Executive Director of the Interfaith Coalition in Bellingham, WA. Their mission is bringing people together to offer solutions, community, and empowerment to families experiencing homelessness. The Interfaith Coalition is a trusted organization in Whatcom County, doing vital work. We’ll have the opportunity to hear about this unique agency, both in terms of its successes and its challenges.

Deanna’s work has been varied: from teaching young children to providing services for the elderly, from administrative work to custodial employ, from wife and mother to student and then to pastor. She has served congregations from very small to very large, from rural to small towns to cities to suburbs, and has been a solo pastor, associate pastor, and head of staff. In September 2020, Deanna began serving as Executive Director of Interfaith Coalition in Bellingham.

Here is one way she describes her core:

I knit, simply defined as using two sticks and a string to create a series of loops and knots built on two stitches with results of extraordinary diversity. Our work as God’s people could be similarly defined. When asked, Jesus said it all comes down to two ‘stitches’: love God and love your neighbor. We knit, putting these two stitches to work in a world that is increasingly diverse, that is our creative call.

We will broadcast this interview live on our Facebook page and Youtube page. We’ll start at 6:30pm, and have time for some Q & A at the end.

For more information and to donate to this important organization, check out their website: https://www.interfaith-coalition.org/