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.
Special Offering for April 2020 – Mwanzo
May I hold your hand? – April 2020 Special Offering for Mwanzo Loyce Ong’udi – April 2020 I recently returned from Kenya and was overjoyed to receive a warm welcome from my UCUCC church family—thank you! February 14, 2020 was my last day in Rabuor, so I selected to...
Online worship: Step-by-step instructions to join
Here are step by step instructions to join Sunday Services while we have them online. Facebook instructions for those with a Facebook account: Log onto your Facebook account and search for "University Congregational Church UCC" (while you're there, please make sure...
March 22 online worship service
A Time to Pray: Grounding Scripture: Psalm 23 Preacher: Todd Smiedendorf Join/view on Facebook at 10 am Join/view on YouTube at 10 am To view and join the worship service, click on either the Facebook or YouTube link above. If the link gets dropped or freezes, try...
Church Council assigns specific ministers’ roles, search process to begin
In its most recent meetings, UniversityUCC’s Church Council has taken important steps to move us through the transition we have been engaged in since Pastor Peter Ilgenfritz retired last year. At the February 17 meeting, the Council unanimously approved the leadership...
Tuesday Morning Bible Study
Hello fellow Bible students! For the next several weeks as we live into this time of physical distancing and spiritual connecting we will be meeting via Zoom. If you are on the Bible study email list you will get an invitation to join the zoom meeting via email. The...
Introduction to Sunday service on March 15
A Time to Pray: Prayer Our Sunday service on March 15 will be "broadcast" from Pastor Catherine's farm. It will include many of the components of our usual Sunday services, including scripture, prayer and a sermon. If you’ve grown up in a church setting, it’s easy to...
Worship information for Sunday, March 15, 2020
This Sunday, we will once again meet online for worship! We have cancelled the in-person service to protect our community and help everyone stay healthy. Instead will have our worship service together via the internet! We encourage you to join us via your phone or...
Taming our stuff – Decluttering for Superfluity!
While staying at home to reduce our interactions, how about sorting through that closet, drawer, garage, attic or basement you've been meaning to get to - some day... We can sell many of the items at our upcoming Superfluity sale! The proceeds from the sale go to...
Lent Plastics Calendar 2020
Sacred Earth Matters has published this guide to help us all think and act to reduce the amount of plastics we use. Our goal: 1) re-use/recycle existing plastics in our homes; 2) develop strategies to cut down on the plastics coming into our homes; and 3) make our...
News from Heidi Blythe
Beloved church, In late summer of 2007, I spent a sleepless night, excited about the possibilities I saw in a job posting for a church in the University District. I emailed my coworker, Meighan Pritchard, and asked her if this was the church she spoke so passionately...
Seabeck July 5-10, 2020
Seabeck UCUCC All-Church Summer Camp July 5-10, 2020 Earthkeeping: A Christian Call to Care for Creation Get away this summer with your family and friends from church. No cooking, no dishes, no deadlines, just connection, growth, and fun! During our morning programs,...
“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...
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...
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...
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...
October Church Council meetings
Church Council meeting summary October 16, 2019 Council Summary David reported Erin Lovejoy-Guron will be leaving UCUCC, as she accepted a position as church administer at Ronald United Methodist Church on Aurora. We will celebrate her in worship on November 24....
Dec, Death announcements
Jane Doughty Born: November 26, 1946 Died: November 4, 2019 Jane died peacefully with family by her side at Hospice House in University Place. Jane joined UCUCC over 30 years ago and was involved in various ways during some of those years, including Superfluity. The...
Thank God for Job
Back in February’s Along the Way, I said if I were to write a book titled Why I’m Still a Christian, it would have a number of chapters and the biggest might be titled Original Blessing. That’s still true, but the second biggest chapter would be “Thank God for Job.”...