WALLINGFORD (VAN HERK)

TUESDAYS @ 7pm

Tom & Grace van Herk

Where are you from & how long have you been in Seattle? Tom is from the Netherlands but spent the majority of his adult life (~11 years) in Switzerland, where he and Grace met. Grace grew up on Whidbey Island (30 minutes North of Seattle) and after spending 6 years in Switzerland, moved back with Tom and (now) 7-year-old son Jonathan in February 2020. Esther was born into our family in 2025.

How did Sideris become home for you? We wanted to find a church near our place that felt like home and was full of people with whom we could become close friends. We appreciate that it is a fun church that doesn't take itself too seriously but does take the Gospel and loving others seriously. We like that people at Sideris have very diverse backgrounds!

Also, true story. Friends from our church in Geneva, Switzerland recommended a church in Seattle that their friends were starting, but never told us the name. The first church we visited after moving into the Greenlake neighborhood was Sideris. Then, when Pastor Ryan and Christy told us at dinner that they had been next-door neighbors with our friends from Geneva, we were amazed to learn this was the church our friends had been talking about all along! It felt like a confirmation that Sideris was the church God called us to be at

Why is considering in community important? We have all been imparted insights into scripture and into God's heart through the Holy Spirit, and when we can share and reflect on these experiences together, we all have a richer image of who God is, and this helps us draw closer to Him.

What is your favorite restaurant or coffee shop in your neighborhood? Ah, we don't get out much these days, haha, but we really do love getting takeout from Kisaku Sushi or Dumpling The Noodle.