Welcome

Whatever the reason that brought you here today, welcome! Whether you’re spiritually seeking or a life-long Lutheran; unsure about organized religion or a big worship nerd; looking for a church home or are just wanting to make friends – you are invited to bring your whole self to this place. The community of St. John United Lutheran Church is open to receiving you, and all that makes you unique.

The community of St. John United Lutheran Church welcomes all persons into membership, leadership and full participation in the life of our community without regard to gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, race, age, ability, economic status, illness, or other human conditions. We affirm that Jesus Christ has entrusted the ministry of reconciliation and healing to the Church. We commit ourselves to racial equity and actively seek to include all who have felt excluded or alienated. We see you and affirm who you are.

– SJU Welcome statement

At our core, we are a community of faith. If we did nothing else, we would continue to gather for worship. This time together is what animates us, sustains us and guides us. It’s when we practice the traditions of our faith – remembering our Baptism, singing hymns, sharing Holy Communion, praying together, sharing peace, and being open to being transformed for the sake of the world.

To learn more about our particular branch of Lutheran Christianity visit the online home of our denomination, the ELCA, or it’s local expression, the Northwest Washington Synod of the ELCA.

The community of St. John United is also wider than just those who gather for worship. We are also rooted in our neighborhood and care deeply about the many and diverse relationships that sustain and enrich our shared life. We have building partners who care for our space and contribute to daily life in the building, and organizational partners with whom we actively work together for the common good. These partnerships and the various ways to engage the SJU community have developed out of the relationships that find connection here. Some partnerships are experiments only days in the making, and some have lasted for decades.

We thrive because we work together and invest in our shared values. If you are seeking – justice, peace, compassion, mercy, understanding, connection, or forgiveness – we invite you to seek with us.

As you explore, know that I am available to walk with you. My door is always open for conversation, prayer and concerns.

I look forward to meeting you among the gathered,
Pastor Anna