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About University Presbyterian Church Seattle

University Presbyterian Church is a multi-generational congregation with a singular focus on Jesus Christ. Everything we do—every worship service, every ministry, every small group—is about Jesus Christ.

Our Vision

Every member a minister

Our Mission

To SHARE HOPE in Jesus Christ

Core Experience

Alive in Jesus, alive together, living for the world

Ministries

To accomplish our mission, UPC's ministries emphasize spiritual formation, life-changing community, and lay leadership. Here's a rundown on a few ministries:

Small Groups

For decades, small groups have been a vital part of forming communities within our larger church community. We now have more than 300 small groups throughout Western Washington, all sustained by leaders who give of their time and their energy to form these vital communities within the larger community.

Side-by-Side

Eleven years ago, a couple UPC members saw a need in our neighborhood: When families brought their children to Children's Hospital for treatment, they often left their support networks behind. These members created a ministry called Side-by-Side, which supports families who have children with cancer, giving them a community and sharing hope when they need it most. Side-by-Side puts on one of the most extravagant summer camps anywhere—all so that families can have a break from cancer.

University Ministries

We're just two blocks from UW—and we're right on the path between Greek Row and Starbucks—which puts us in a unique place to minister to college students. Every Tuesday we have The Inn, a large worship service where college students can grow in their faith and bring their friends. One of the coolest things about University Ministries is the way they take college students beyond the Inn, giving them a vision for a lifelong walk with Christ. University interns and students have gone on to found and lead ministries across the country, and UMin continues to support them through the Ascent network.

Children & Youth

UPC is a place where children and youth are actively encouraged to share hope in Jesus Christ. Our children recently supported and raised money to build a school in Haiti. Our middle and high-schoolers regularly serve right here in Seattle and make annual trips to serve in Tijuana, Los Angeles, Wapato, and Scotland, to name a few.

Outreach

UPC supports over 30 missionaries and ministry partners in the USA and abroad, and each year we send hundreds of people on short-term international missions. Right here in Seattle, we partner with Urban Impact, the University Food Bank, Renton Area Youth and Family Services, and Street Youth Ministries, among many others. And also, each year after Easter, we also send groups out to share hope in their very own communities as part of the Love Your Neighbor(hood) project.

More Info

Fun Facts

University Presbyterian Church celebrated its 100th birthday in 2008.
We started as a church plant from First Presbyterian Church in downtown Seattle, commissioned to reach out to the "new" university (University of Washington).
Parking problems were first mentioned in Session minutes sometime in the 1930s.
We're a part of the Presbyterian Church (USA), the biggest Presbyterian denomination in the US.
We have almost 4,000 members, and around 2,500 people attend on Sunday.
Our outreach ministries support 45 individuals and families serving in 33 countries.

Really, if you want to know about us, just come visit—we'd love to see you!