Our worship service starts at 10 am and includes hymns, prayers, scripture reading and a sermon. It usually lasts about an hour and 15 minutes. 
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 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.
Wheelchair Access: The front entry is wheelchair accessible as are the rest rooms. Please don't hesitate to ask for assistance.
“Miriam!” brings Exodus story to life through dance
Our liturgical theme for the season of Epiphany is "Another Way Home," exploring how our ways of being and our ways of living may require change if we are to find the true home where God's Shalom reigns. On Sunday, Feb. 16, Betsey Beckman, along with a group of UCC...
Moving Mountains Youth Celebration Dinner & Fundraiser Feb 29
Saturday, February 29, 6-9pm On leap day of leap year, take a leap… and come to our Moving Mountains Dinner to celebrate and support the youth of UCUCC. Enjoy a lovely dinner served to you by the youth. Listen to their stories from last summer’s mission trips as you...
Digital Mindfulness Series: Screenagers
God invites us to be present and mindful with ourselves and each other to connect to Divine Spirit. Though our digital screens have ways that connect and help us, there are many ways that our devices distract and cause stress - not just for teenagers, but for adults...
News from the Scheyer Library
February is Black History Month. What do you know about Black History? Likely, there is much more for you to learn. The Library and the Racial Justice Task Force have worked on building a collection of books that can help us fill in the gaps in our knowledge and even...
What your Special Offering generosity can do!
~Cassie Emanuel Thank you, thank you, thank you for the big-hearted November Special Offering to the Sahuarita-Samaritans in association with The Good Shepherd United Church of Christ. Pam and Rick Irvin say our offering “raised our spirits and resolve to keep going...
Raising Our Voices to Save Our Planet
Considerable progress was made in Washington’s 2019 legislative session to protect orcas, mandate 100% carbon-free electricity and clean buildings, and regulate refrigerant hydrofluorocarbons. But, oh so much more has to happen to mitigate the impacts of climate...
Superfluity 2020: Annual rummage, collectibles and plant sale – April 2-4, 2020
Mark your calendar and invite your friends to the 2020 Superfluity Collectibles, Plant and Rummage Sale on April 2-4 in Ostrander Hall. We need YOU and your good “stuff”! Superfluity provides all of us with an opportunity to help others. All proceeds benefit local...
A letter in support of Liturgical Arts
February 1, 2020 Dear Friends, Don’s diagnosis of late stage pancreatic cancer a year ago was a game changer for us. You can imagine, or perhaps know personally, how this changes your perspective on life. Don is as healthy as he can be for now, but it’s made us both...
Safety Team Opportunity
The Facilities and Equipment Board (F&E) invites your consideration to serve on a new Safety Team. F&E is about to update, improve, and implement the “UCUCC Emergency Procedures Manual”, last approved in February 2016. The manual is focused on dealing with...
YouthCare GED Program to vacate room 105
After an assessment of their GED Program, YouthCare has decided to vacate room 105 (previous home of Trettin Drop in program) and will instead offer their GED services on a 1-on-1 basis with youth in their homes. This leaves us with a vacancy in that room, and a...
Katrina Fitzpatrick — Pastoral Internship
Katrina Fitzpatrick, a member of our congregation and a student at The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, will be participating in our congregational life in a new way this spring. Katrina, who has been an active leader with our youth, will be participating in...
Finding my way home by Leaving
I don’t think I know any prophets or angels. Not personally anyway. But I do, every once in awhile, just get a strong nagging feeling that I’m supposed to go somewhere or talk to someone. Sometimes it feels like it comes out of nowhere. Many times it’s in the midst of...
An Update from Kyna
January always feels like a good time to start a new project, so spending last month training with David Anderson and learning the ins and outs of UCUCC finance and operations felt like auspicious timing— a new beginning for me, here, at the start of a new decade. As...
2020 Pledge and Budget Update
Sometimes when you summon your courage, and risk something big, that’s the place where God meets you. In November, the congregation adopted a budget for 2020 with $1,150,000 in pledges and we have the great pleasure of announcing that our current pledges for 2020 are...
Ministry update – February 2020
There are two updates to share, one about Children’s Ministry and one about the ongoing work of the Staffing Proposal Committee which is focused on the Leadership team (clergy staff). Our vibrant Children’s Ministry will be looking for a new Director. Betsy Herring...
Another Way Home – A reflection on the High School Winter Retreat at Camp Indianola
One of my favorite times in youth ministry is the van ride to/from a retreat. The stuff is piled in the van – sleeping bags under the seats, luggage strategically packed like a game of Tetris. The music is on and folks are chatting and connecting. Usually, a song...
Snow and inclement weather protocol
When there is snow or other inclement weather here in Seattle, we do have a protocol in effect. As in past years, we follow the lead of the Seattle School District. * If the Seattle School District is closed due to snow or other inclement weather, the church...
Kyna Grace Shilling hired as Director of Finance and Operations
On Dec. 10, the Church Council unanimously approved the recommendation of the Business Manager Search Committee to hire Kyna (pronounced “kinna”) Grace Shilling to assume the responsibilities of overseeing the finance and operations functions at University UCC, a post...
Invitation: a trip to the Holy Land, April-May, 2020
Many of us aspire to travel to the Holy Land. We want to see the places we read about in the Bible. We want to walk where Jesus walked and brought The Good News. But the Holy Land is more than just the stirring backdrop of our faith. It is also a land of heartbreaking...
January meetings and events
Jan. 5, noon-1 pm, Common Good Vigil at the corner of 45th and 15th Start the year by taking a stand. Join us in our monthly public vigil: Standing for the Common Good. We stand together with signs that encourage people to consider the values that benefit us all: care...
Contribute to the Alternative Food Bank Project
Our Immigrant Justice Team, along with six other congregations in the U-District Immigrant Justice Hub, will again collect food donations in January for immigrant families experiencing food insecurity. The generosity of the November collection was much appreciated by...
Homelessness Advocacy 101, Jan. 29, 6-8 pm
Brought to you by the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness (where member Hillary Coleman works), the Homelessness Advocacy 101 Workshop will help you learn how to speak up for smart policies and robust funding that will lead to a healthy and housed...
Looking ahead to Seabeck 2020, July 5-10
Reasons to put Seabeck on your calendar now If you’re like me, making commitments for summer many months in advance is hard. But it is easy to have one thing on our family calendar that stays the same every year. The four of us in the McAbee family look forward to...
Financial planning seminar offered: important estate planning elements
Do your estate planning documents reflect today’s laws? Do they meet your ever-changing needs and values? Powers of Attorney (POA's) are not all the same. Do you understand what powers you are giving away with your current Power(s) of Attorney? Trustee authority is...
Get ready for Superfluity 2020 – April 2 – 4
Superfluity is a highlight of the spring season. After last year’s sale, we distributed $31,800 to area nonprofits! Superfluity runs on the energy of many volunteers and it is FUN! We need YOU to make it work. Here’s how you can join in: Comb through your household...
Earth Bistro, Feb. 2, 2020: Plastics – good idea or big mistake?
Sacred Earth Matters is hosting a gathering on Sunday, Feb. 2 to activate our thinking about plastics. Our guest speaker will be Elisabeth Archer, from Zero Waste Washington. She is a life-long environmentalist who decided to focus her energy on the plastics crisis...
January Gathering Ground: Mending, writing and a stone of hope
When is something beyond mending? When have you been surprised that a piece of clothing or a broken chair could be repaired? Mending is the theme that knits together Gathering Ground programs in the first months of 2020. Writing, reflection and really good beverages 2...
Sacred Earth Matters opposes cruise ship expansion at Port of Seattle
We continue to hear of our worsening climate crisis and the need for deeper and faster cuts in our greenhouse gas emissions (UN Emissions Gap Report). Meanwhile the Port of Seattle is planning to expand the number of cruise berths so that we can host four cruise ships...
HVAC upgrades: the “greening” of the church
Thanks to the generosity of donors, a new heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system has been installed for the fourteen offices located on the south end of the third floor. Until late November, these offices for clergy and other staff have had natural...
UCUCC signs ministry covenant with St. Luke the Evangelist Universalist Orthodox Church
On Sunday, December 1, 2019 Saint Luke the Evangelist Universalist Orthodox Church and University Congregational UCC blessed our Covenant of Understanding including: “Celebrating the gift of God’s presence in our midst whenever we gather, and celebrating our mutual...
January 2020 Special Offering: Elizabeth Gregory House
Our January Special Offering will support Elizabeth Gregory Home, a welcoming and respectful refuge for older and at-risk women in the University District. Located in neighboring University Lutheran Church, the agency is working to expand its services for the growing...
Spiritual practice for Epiphany: geocaching with a twist
The idea that we are on a spiritual journey is a familiar one. This Epiphany season we will experience actual journeying together through the practice of geocaching. A geocache is an item (typically a container holding several items or logbook) that has been hidden at...
November Church Council Notes
The Council of the University Congregational United Church of Christ met on November 20 in the church library. A quorum was noted just after 7:00 pm and the meeting was called to order by Don Guthrie. After celebrating Catherine’s birthday with cake, ice cream, 6+...
Staffing Proposal Committee working on Leadership Team structure
Change itself may be a constant, but the pace of change is rarely constant. UCUCC is in a period of increased pace of change, especially relative to its leadership staff. Pastor Peter Ilgenfritz retired a year ago and Church Administrator David Anderson will retire on...
Sendoff for David Anderson – Feb. 1, 5 pm, Ostrander Hall
Join members and friends on Saturday evening, Feb. 1 to celebrate David Anderson’s 22 years of service to our congregation. We will celebrate his good work with a potluck dinner and party. The fun will begin with gathering at 5:00 in Ostrander Hall, followed by dinner...
A Season of Gratitude
I’m in a season of deep gratitude. I am excited about Kyna Shilling joining UCUCC as Director of Finance and Operations. I’m grateful to her for reaching out and then saying yes, and to the search committee that found her. I’m already appreciating her gifts, skills,...
PNC-UCC Men’s Retreat: Climate Change, from despair to hope
Jan. 31 to Feb. 2, 2020, Pilgrim Firs Conference Center a Silent Retreat is also planned The topic of this retreat will be climate change. In the coming months, please be on the lookout for materials and resources that you might like to share with others at the...
Stories of Awakening
~ Candyce Rennegarbe, The Scared Feminine Team In her book, Another Way Home, Lonardelli writes, “At the heart of the Jesus movement, . . . there are individuals experiencing an awakening to the presence of the Sacred. “(26) If you are interested in nourishing and...
Communicating your values on your road to planning, protection & preparation for life’s decisions
~ John Kloess, Planned Giving Committee A few months ago, through a survey to our entire congregation, we asked what is important to you as you plan for your future and the futures of the people and organizations important to you. How can you best have your values and...
Planting Trees, Restoring Forests
The Earth is Sacred – Not Ours to Wreck One of the most useful things we can do to mitigate the climate crisis is to preserve existing forests and plant new ones. That’s because trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and incorporate it in their roots and...