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.

New Here?

Rev. Loren McGrail called to be Bridge Minister of Care and Outreach

by | Dec 23, 2021 | General News, Ministry Update

With the recommendation of the Bridge Search Committee, the UCUCC Church Council has approved a call to Rev. Loren McGrail to serve as our Bridge Minister of Care and Outreach in 2022. Her official start date is January 10, and she’ll be relocating to Seattle (from New York State) in January.

She was ordained to a call as a hospital chaplain. In addition to being a Jonathan Edwards scholar, she graduated from Andover Newton Theological School with two certificates from the Boston Theological Center, in World Mission and Faith, and in Health and Spirituality. Her call is both pastoral and prophetic. She was a mission co-worker with Global Ministries of the United Church of Christ and Christian Disciples of Christ for five years serving in Israel/Palestine with the YWCA of Palestine and as an ecumenical associate with the Church of Scotland at St. Andrews.

Rev. McGrail initially felt called to palliative and hospice care and clinical pastoral education (CPE). Her call expanded and her passion today includes working for justice and peace. Pastor Loren is currently serving as an interim pastor in upstate NY (since 2019) and led the church there as a solo pastor through Covid-times.

Ed Coleman, Bridge Minister Search Committee chair, introduced Rev. McGrail to the Council and shared that she was the recommendation of the committee.

Pastor Loren shares the following thoughts: “My ministry path has been a labyrinth walk full of twists and turns rather than a straight or narrow line. September 11, 2001 was my first day of seminary. I had a clear call: get ordained and become a professional chaplain so I could be a healing presence. That was the deal, but September 11 changed everything for everyone, including me. I realized that my call to be a healer was too narrow. The repair and mending of the world needed more from me; it needed my activist and later, prophetic, and creative self.”

During her discussions with Church Council members, Rev. McGrail was asked why she was interested in becoming the bridge minister here. “Your church has many gifts to offer,” she said. “It is a larger church, working in partnership, and it is exciting to join this partnership. I have been wanting to find a church that is clearly progressive, and I have a soulful need to be working with other clergy.”

Reflecting on her aspirations for her time with us, she said, “I believe I may have a role in helping the congregation to  process grief and loss. The challenges of Covid have been difficult. Accustomed to meaningful in-person worship at the center of social life, we have been forced to reckon with the question of, ‘If we can’t gather in person, who are we then? What holds us together?’ These are questions we will continue to ponder together.”

If you would like to learn more about Pastor Loren before her arrival, this YouTube interview provides additional information and context.

Members of the Bridge Search Committee included Terry Moore, Margaret Stine, Carol Bryant, Christina Purdy, Joyce Jackson and Ed Coleman (chair).