It all started with a storm.
Katie Robertson, of Gig Harbor, Washington, faced one of life’s greatest storms after losing her daughter to a 5 year battle with cancer. In the midst of this loss, Katie held firmly to the Anchor of her faith, Jesus. She knew she was not the only woman experiencing the trials of life — her heart broke for the women in her community facing storms without any anchor at all. She felt the urgent need to share the hope we have in Jesus to encourage and anchor one another in faith and friendship.
Together with her friends, they wanted a place where women could gather in a non-threatening environment and hear about the hope that faith in Jesus brings while a community of new and old friends alike grew. After much prayer and dreaming, The Anchor officially began in March of 2012 in a net shed on the waterfront in Gig Harbor.
After outgrowing the net shed in 2 years, The Anchor relocated to the Gig Harbor Yacht Club. It was in the same year, 2014, that The Anchor Bellevue began after connecting with friends on the East side with a similar passion to share faith. The Anchor Snohomish began in the Fall of 2015 out of that same passion and vision for all to hear about Jesus in a real and comfortable gathering of friends. The Fall of 2017 brings the start of The Anchor Kirkland as well as The Anchor Richmond Beach & Edmonds.
The Anchor is based on two verses from the Bible:
Our dream and passion is that The Anchor will start in many more communities and that the great hope we have in Jesus will be made known to everyone.
The Future of the Anchor
The Anchor has many planned activities for the future. The Anchor is currently operating in 8 cities with a goal of starting 2 Anchors a year. The 8 cities are in the Washington state area and they include Gig Harbor, Bellevue, Snohomish, Lake Stevens, Edmonds, Lakewood, Seattle, and Suncadia/Cle Elum. The Anchor will be starting in Duvall/Woodinville in January 2020. Several more cities are on the horizon and are prayerfully considering starting an Anchor in the near future. They include: Pullman, Maple Valley, Puyallup, Mt. Vernon as well as other states such as Newport Beach, CA and Annapolis, MD. The Anchor is also planning to start up in other countries. There is interest in starting an Anchor in Norway, Hong Kong and Moscow, Russia. We are dreaming big and praying for guidance to where the Anchor will start in the future with hopes of it starting in communities everywhere!
Other future activities include offering Bible studies to women interested in going deeper in faith and learning more about Jesus. These studies offered are part of the “Live Anchored” series written by the founder of The Anchor, Katie Robertson. They are studies written for all levels of Bible knowledge and provide a 3-5 week study. There are 2 studies available on Amazon now “Live Anchored” #1 in the series and “Jesus Our Anchor” #2 in the series. There will be more studies written in the future to add to this series and more truths to be anchored on of the characteristics of Jesus and the promises He brings in our stormy world.
There are future fundraising activities planned for the future for The Anchor. There will be an annual Christmas Gift Basket Sale in early December and an annual Anchor Fundraiser Cruise in the late spring. There is also work being done to apply for grants in the near future. Each Anchor is advised to collect their own donations to cover the individual costs for food and drink.
The Anchor is also planning for future “all-city” Anchors where all Anchors will be invited to join and be encouraged in faith and friendships. There is also plans for a future weekend retreat offered to all Anchors everywhere. Women of all ages will be invited to gather together to be encouraged in faith and friendships. This weekend will include popular Christian musicians and speakers and host other special activities and seminars. All of these activities will have the goal of sharing the hope we have in Jesus the true ANCHOR for our souls and help women of all ages to be encouraged to stand strong in faith anchored on the truths of Jesus Christ. The world is filled with varying degrees of storms that come upon us in relationships, finances, health, marriages, families etc. we need an anchor firm and secure to hold in the ups and downs of life. The hope and prayer is for women of all ages to gather together in community and be encouraged and anchored in faith and friendships.
