ARLINGTON — A group of teenagers from Arkansas are now part of the community here in Arlington.
Immanuel Baptist Church from Little Rock teamed up with The Commons church in Arlington, and two dozen teens visited Snohomish County in June. They com
pleted several service projects during the week they were here, said the Rev. Tim Corbin, pastor of The Commons.
The two congregations are Southern Baptist, a denomination that encourages relationships among churches from around the country. Many congregations look for opportunities to serve in another state or overseas.
Corbin, originally from Dallas, Texas, came to Snohomish County to start a church. Washington attracted him as one of the “most unchurched” states, he said.
He saw an opportunity to spread the Gospel.
“We wanted to reach out to people who had questions about God but weren’t going to church to get those answers,” he said. “Our desire is to create an authentic Christian community… where people are comfortable asking questions.”
The Commons meets at Pioneer Elementary School and has about 130 people attending Sunday services.
During their visit, the Arkansas team partnered with the Arlington Parks & Recreation Department to clean out flower beds near the Centennial Trail and do yardwork at Everett Gospel Mission’s women’s shelter.
The group visited Tulalip and learned about the tribal history and culture.
The Commons is also planning to send a team on a mission, Corbin said.
The congregation has been raising money to send a group to Guatemala in March, to help at an orphanage in the nation’s second-largest city, Quetzaltenango, also known as Xela.
They hope to install electrical service and improve plumbing and also provide school supplies.
“We’ve always had a desire to serve in whatever way possible,” Corbin said.
Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452; kyefimova@heraldnet.com.
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