What to Expect

We know that visiting a new church for the first time can be an awkward experience, so we want to be as helpful as we can in making your experience a good one! 
Below are some information that we hope will make your visit more enjoyable.

  • Our Sunday morning service is a mixture of old and new. Pastor Yvonne will typically offer a lesson (sermon) based on a text from the Bible and her reflections on contemporary events.
  • Together we sing traditional hymns as well as more contemporary pieces of music.
  • We celebrate Holy Communion on the first Sunday of every month and follow the practice of “intinction,” which is a fancy word for dipping the bread in juice. We serve gluten free bread and grape juice for all.

We invite you to come as you are whether you are visiting for the first time or for the hundredth. Casual or more formal: you decide. We want you to feel at home!

Our worship services last for about one hour. After the service, we offer coffee and cookies in the Narthex/Lobby and it’s also a time to connect with new folks.

While you will be greeted and welcomed, you won’t be put on the spot or publicly embarrassed. During the service, you may notice a paper slip with the word “Welcome” on the top. If you’d like more information about the church or if you’d like to connect with the pastor or a ministry, you can fill it out and place it in the offering plate when it is passed towards the end of the service. You can also fill out the “First Time Visitor” check-in card online if you’d like. If you’d rather remain anonymous, that’s cool too.

We also invite you to share in Prayers of the Community, Communion, and the Passing of the Peace.

  • Prayers of the Community: We care for the people outside our walls. Prayers of the Community is a time for us to come together in prayer for those who are in need of God’s presence. Some churches use a microphone and go one by one, but we just allow a few moments for anyone to say aloud, or think to themselves, the names of people for whom they have been praying. The liturgist says a general prayer for all who have been named, as well as for the wider community and world.
  • Communion and the Passing of the Peace: Every church does communion a little bit differently. If you happen to join us on the first Sunday of the month when we are participating in communion, know that at RUMC, communion is open to all who want to take part in God’s love. Feel free to file out with the others in your row toward the center aisle, receive the bread and “wine” (we use grape juice, but that doesn’t make it any less sacred!) and consume it as you take the side aisle back to your seat. On Sundays when we do communion, we are also invited into a special time of greeting called the “passing of the peace”. This is a time in our service for us to greet one another and invite peace into one another’s lives. Many will say “Peace be with you” and offer a hand to shake, but feel free to greet in a way that you feel comfortable.

Absolutely not! However, during each service there is a time to worship God through the giving of tithes and offerings. This is an act of worship for our members and friends (those who consider Redmond UMC their church home), allowing them to share in the church’s ministry to the community of Redmond and to the world. As a guest, please do not feel any pressure or obligation to give.

Yes, the main level of the church facility including the foyer, restrooms, and sanctuary are wheelchair accessible via a ramp. An exterior ramp provides access to the lower level which includes the fellowship hall. Educational rooms in the adjoining building are on the same level as the sanctuary with no stairs impeding wheelchair access.

Redmond United Methodist Church is a congregation of The United Methodist Church and is, along with 263 other congregations, a part of the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference which connects churches throughout Washington.

While we are a United Methodist church, people who attend come from a wide variety of faith backgrounds – Catholic, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Nondenominational, etc. Most have found a home at Redmond because of its relaxed nature and the way people listen to each other and engage in honest dialogue.

We believe that the spiritual life is best thought of as a journey. Some of us are miles down the road and others have miles to go. Some imagine they are going the right way while others insist a new road will get ‘there’ faster.

At Redmond UMC, you’ll find companions for the journey and possibly people heading down a similar path to yours. We believe that the big questions of life are best asked and wrestled with while one is walking along talking with others and discerning truth as they go.

Our pastor works to speak to people where they are and to connect the teachings of the Bible with the challenges modern people face today. Her messages are accessible to those new to the faith and nuanced for those who have been around for a while.

Please feel free to contact us at anytime – though our church office hours are 9am-1pm, we’ll respond as soon as we can! Our contact information can be found on the bottom of the page.

We’d love to take the time to answer any question you may have. Better yet, why not visit us this Sunday and see for yourself what a great place Redmond UMC can be!

Parking

 

Designated visitor parking is available (2 spaces in the parking lot, 3 curb spaces on the north side of NE 80th Street in front of the church)

Street parking is also available along 165th Ave NE and across the street from the church on the south side curb of NE 80th St.

RUMC Parking Lot The back parking is accessed off 165th Avenue NE and has 34 spaces; three are designated as handicapped accessible and two are visitor parking. 
The Dentist Lot  north of the church on 166th Avenue NE
The Capstone Lot north from the church on 8195 166th Ave NE