Any churches close to where we might move?

My husband & I are considering moving to Blaine, Washington but there are no WELS or ELS churches nearby. As a lifelong WELS member I'm very nervous about living somewhere where I cannot attend a church that will support my faith. What would you recommend?

Widening the search radius on the WELS Locator to 50 miles reveals that there is an ELS congregation (St. Luke’s Lutheran Church) in Mt. Vernon, Washington. The church is 45 miles south of Blaine and it looks like mostly interstate driving.

If the distance appears to be impractical, you might want to contact the pastor of St. Luke’s to see if there are other WELS/ELS members in Blaine who might be served in some way or serve as the nucleus for a new mission start.

In addition, if you look north, WELS-Canada has a church in Vancouver, British Columbia: Savior of the Nations Lutheran Church. That appears to be about 30 miles from Blaine.

If you live in the Midwest and are fairly close to your current congregation, these may seem like great distances to drive to church. I can assure you that there are people, outside the Midwest, who do travel distances like these—and greater—to their churches.

You certainly have wonderful priorities and the right concern in contemplating a move. God bless any relocation plans you and your husband make!