No matter who you are, or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here at University Congregational United Church of Christ. Young, old, sure of your path, or still searching --- we invite you to join us in imagining love and justice - as Jesus did - in acting to change the world.

We would love to welcome you at our in-person service each Sunday at 10 am. A digital service is also offered on line on Sunday evening at 5 pm. Our service is streamed on YouTube and Facebook. You will find the links just below this section on our home page. The weekly 5 pm service is  available on line after it is initially presented on Sundays..

We strive to walk in the path of Jesus, and to offer an authentic welcome to everyone who walks through our door or joins us online. If you are new to us, we would love to get to know you and answer your questions about our church, even if we cannot greet you in person. A member of our Welcome Committee, or a pastor, would be happy to correspond on email or talk with you on the phone. Click here to arrange for a meeting.

Our in-person worship service starts at 10 am and includes hymns, prayers, scripture reading and a sermon. It usually lasts about an hour and fifteen minute.. During the 10 am service we also offer live-streaming to a nearby room that offers those with compromised immune systems to be more isolated. We also offer a separate space for children, with supervised play and crafts during the 10 am service. Sections of the 10 am service are programed into the 5 pm digital service, which is offered as a "vespers."

Children are an important part of our community, and are welcome for all or part or the service.

UCUCC Parking Map

View for detailed Google Map.

Parking can be a challenge in the University District! Persistence, patience and an early start are keys to success.

UW has free parking on Sundays. Enter the main campus gate at NE 45th and 17th Ave NE and turn left past the toll booth. It's about a three-block walk to the church. The UW Meany Garage at 15th Ave. NE and NE 41st St. is a five-block walk.

The church also owns three parking lots - Lot A is across the street from the church on 16th Ave. E. Lot B is beneath Sortun Court, just north of the church on the east side of 16th Ave. E. (It closes at 2 p.m.) Lot C (for those with difficulty walking, young children and visitors) is at the corner of 15th NE and NE 45th St., next to the church.

If you need to be assured of a close parking spot, you can call the church office before noon on Friday to reserve one: 206-524-2322.

From time time we host lunches for people who are interested in learning more about our church and/or possibly becoming a member.  We are also happy to meet with you over coffee or at the church to explore and explain a range of topics about our church, from history, to theology, to membership. Click here to arrange a meeting with a Welcome Committee Volunteer or pastor or to set up a meeting and/or to learn when the next Welcome Lunch is planned.

Thank you for your interest in our church community.

We are an inter-generational church and strive to be family-friendly, with an active ministry for children and youth. All ages are welcome in worship. We also offer nursery and child-care, Younger children begin the 10 am service with us and usually leave after about 15 minutes. Older children have the option of leaving for a special sermon time. Junior high and high school youth meet at 9 am and then often sit together in worship. Give us a call at 206-524-2322 for more specifics or email Margaret Swanson, our Director of Children, Youth and Family Ministries..

Our programs for children and youth continue during this pandemic. Sign up at the bottom of the home page to receive our Children's Ministries and/or Youth Ministries newsletter.

Hearing Impaired: Our sanctuary has an induction loop system that uses the T-Coil mode of your hearing aids. You can get the necessary equipment just before entering the Sanctuary on the right or ask any usher.

Visually Impaired: We offer each Sunday's program in large print for easier readability.

Wheelchair Access: The front entry is wheelchair accessible as are the rest rooms. Please don't hesitate to ask for assistance.

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Join us for a day of mediation and contemplative prayer, Saturday, May 6 | 9 am – 4 pm | Whidbey Island

by | Apr 2, 2023 | Adult Education

You are invited to spend a day in quiet contemplation on Whidbey Island to nurture your spirit and experience the deep calm that meditation offers.

In a one-day retreat led by Northwest meditation teacher Kurt Hoelting and practitioner Virginia Felton, we will explore and experience various styles of meditation. The retreat will be held at Kurt’s meditation studio near Clinton on Whidbey Island (a short drive from the Clinton ferry terminal).

The day’s goal is to engage in dialog and guided meditation from various traditions: Zen meditation practice, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, walking meditation, and Centering Prayer as practiced by Fr. Thomas Keating. Periods of sitting meditation and discussion will be interspersed with physical activity including Qi Gong, walking meditation, and walking the labyrinth at the Whidbey Institute, adjacent to Kurt’s property.

Morning and afternoon sessions will be introduced by prayer and meditative music. Lunchtime conversation that encourages deeper understanding of each other and the practice of meditation will be encouraged/facilitated.

The deeper goal in offering this day-long retreat is to explore ways to go deeper spiritually, drawing closer to God however Spirit is perceived and finding strength and support for our work in the world.

Retreat details

The retreat will be a small group experience, limited to ten participants. Lunch, consisting of simple soup, salad, bread and dessert will be provided. We will arrange carpools to the retreat once signup is complete. The cost of the retreat is $100, including lunch and resource materials that will be provided. Scholarships are available.

Registration

Signup is open now on MyUCUCC. For information on scholarship assistance, other payment options or questions, please contact Virginia Felton at 206-979-7539 or email her.

About the retreat leaders

Kurt Hoelting is both an experienced meditation teacher and an ordained UCC minister. From 1994-2021 he was Head Guide and Teacher with Inside Passages, guiding over 75 week-long mindfulness-based kayaking retreats along the Inside Passage of Southeast Alaska. Kurt is certified as a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher through the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine. Since concluding his Alaska program, he has continued to teach retreats near his home on Whidbey Island.

Kurt has lifelong roots in the Pacific NW, growing up by the shores of Puget Sound, and is a graduate of the University of Washington and Harvard Divinity School. He is the author of The Circumference of Home: One Man’s Yearlong Quest for a Radically Local Life, which was a finalist for the 2011 Washington State Book Award.

 

 

Virginia Felton has been a member of UCUCC since 1991 and currently Co-chairs the Personnel Committee and is a member of Church Council. She has been meditating consistently for the past two years and attended Kurt’s Alaska meditation retreat in 2021.. 8

She has extensive experience in structuring adult education offerings and retreats including writing, communication and public relations workshops, life-balance workshops, strategic planning retreats, conferences, and festivals.