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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Genesis Church will open officially with Sunday service

Pastor Brad Bruszer stands in the sanctuary of Genesis Church in Spokane Valley Tuesday. Bruszer opened the church in a commercial strip behind the Staggering Ox restaurant.  (Jesse Tinsley)
Nina Culver, Ninac@Spokesman.Com, (509) 927-2158

A new church that has been meeting informally for several months will open its doors to the community for its “grand opening” worship service at 10 a.m. Sunday.

Genesis Church, affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America, was founded by the Rev. Brad Bruszer. The church meets at 14415 E. Sprague Ave., No. 2, tucked in behind the Staggering Ox. “We’re hidden,” Bruszer said. “We’ve got a sign, but it doesn’t always catch your eye.”

Bruszer was a youth pastor at the Berean Bible Church in Spokane Valley before moving to Alabama to spend another five years as the senior pastor of Grace Bible Church in Mobile. He moved back to the Valley earlier this year with the goal of launching a new church and found the empty space his new church now occupies.

“The place needed a lot of work,” he said. He’s been leading informal services with a small group of friends and acquaintances while he cleaned up the space and got things ready. The worship space is simple, with rows of chairs facing a small stage. Bruszer describes the atmosphere as friendly and casual. There is no pulpit and he often preaches in jeans. “Some people really want the stained glass, the steeples, the pews,” he said. “But not everyone does.”

The message he preaches is straight from the Bible, he said. “People are looking for depth, but not something that’s over their head.”

Bruszer is looking for people who might want to find a church home but are intimidated by the thought of trying to fit in with a congregation. “It becomes very hard for an established church to reach new people,” he said. It’s different with a newly forming church. “You get to start over and be part of a fresh start.”

The church has a nursery and Sunday School classes for elementary-age children. Some small groups are forming and more will come, along with a youth ministry. “We need more people to do those things,” he said.

The goal is to create an intimate congregation. “We want to have a community of people who care about each other,” he said. At the same time, church doesn’t have to be serious all the time, he said. “Church is about joy.”

Guest speakers

Evangelists Tony and Janet Alward will share their healing and prophetic ministry at the 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. worship services Sunday at Greenacres Christian Fellowship, 215 N. Barker Road. The couple will also speak at 6 p.m. Monday. Call 465-3625 for more information.

Schedule change

As the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection continues to search for a permanent pastor, the church has decided to temporarily drop the 9 a.m. service from the Sunday schedule. The church will now offer services at 8 and 10 a.m. each Sunday. Adult education will continue to be offered at 9 a.m. and Sunday school will still begin at 10 a.m.

The church is at 15319 E. Eighth Ave. Call the church office at (509) 926-6450 for more information.