Who we are
Hope UMC is a brand new congregation that was born in March 2025!
This congregation came from the merging of two Bellevue United Methodist Churches: First UMC of Bellevue and St. Peter’s UMC. Building on the missional heart of both churches, Hope UMC was founded to faithfully and intentionally make a choice to enter into a season of newness where a new congregation has been formed that has greater abundance in terms of people and resources. With the formation of this new congregation, there is a renewed United Methodist and progressive Christian presence in this part of Bellevue that can exist as “a new place for new faces” and where church members, newer and long-term, will have a church home where they can worship and serve.
Inclusion. Connection. Creation
Our vision to be a joyful community that: includes unconditionally, connects broadly, and creates hope through service.
Our mission
To embody the good news as followers of Jesus.
Our mission is connected to the original mission of the church in Matthew 28 and Acts 2. The word “embody” serves as a reminder that we are called to be the physical presence of Christ in our community.
Our core values
Deep Thinking - Community Building - Spiritual Practice - Helping Others
The Core Values of Hope United Methodist Church are like threads that make up a tapestry. On their own, they represent a single idea or value, but when woven together, you see a brilliant reflection of the depth and diversity of this community. While some aspects of our ministries may rely more heavily on one value over the other, these threads are an ever present part of how we live into our mission.
How do we live our faith?
Our community is where we join with others to do the work that Jesus set before us: to love one another and play a role in transforming the world.
As an inclusive community, all are invited to full participation in the life of our church. We exclude no one and make public our support of the LGBTQ+ community and their place in God's world.
Science and religion come together for us in our work as stewards of God's world as we take responsibility for a more ecologically equitable and sustainable world. Our goal is a higher quality of life for all of God's creation.
Methodists have long demonstrated a concern for SOCIAL JUSTICE taking unpopular positions on controversial issues such as the slave trade, health care for the poor, the cruel treatment of prisoners, and education for all.
Reconciling Ministry
We honor and affirm all people’s expressions of their own gender identity and sexuality, and we affirm and celebrate love between people.
Our church is what Methodists call a, "Reconciling Congregation." We have a deep and abiding commitment to be an inclusive community where all people are invited into full participation in the life of our church.
While the larger United Methodist Church is not of one mind, our church marries same sex couples, supports the ordination of openly gay pastors, and believes that God's love is truly for everyone.
We march in the Seattle PRIDE parade, host a Transgender Day of Remembrance event, stock our library in the lobby with books of interest to the LGBTQ+ community an their allies, engage in ministry to support homeless LGBTQ+ youth, and are always looking for new ways to be supportive and to walk alongside our queer siblings.
Here are the answers to many Frequently Asked Questions about the LGBTQ+ community and what it means to be a reconciling church.
Click the link below for a recent article written about some of our work and partnerships with the LGBTQ+ community.
FIND OUT MORE
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Newcomers welcome
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