Crista Ministries

CRISTA is a family of ministries serving people in the areas of education, global relief and development, youth camps, senior care and media. Since 1948, CRISTA (symbolizing "Christianity in Action") has been headquartered in the Richmond Highlands neighborhood of Shoreline, Washington, just north of Seattle. Its campus is the former Firland Tuberculosis Hospital campus.

History

In 1949, Mike and Vivian Martin leased the abandoned Firland Tuberculosis Sanatorium from King County for one dollar per year, and founded a youth home and retirement community of about 80 elderly residents, naming the operation King's Garden. The youth home quickly became a school, graduating its first class in 1951. In the early 1950s, King's Garden expanded both its operations and geography with Miracle Ranch, a summer camp near Gig Harbor, and a radio station, KGDN. The organization later added a second summer camp, Island Lake, and expanded to four total radio stations.

In 1970, Medicine for Missions, an international relief organization, joined the organization and renamed itself World Concern. In 1979, King's Garden changed its name to CRISTA Ministries and the schools became King's Schools.