Next Door
Learn How We Engage Our Neighbors
What Is Next Door?
An invitation to join Jesus in his mission to reconcile all people
Our passion is to share Christ’s love in the places where we live, study, work, and play. As the culture around us shifts, we seek to engage with it in more meaningful ways.
God is bringing the world to our doorstep here in Seattle, and we have a unique opportunity to share the Gospel with people of all ages, generations, and ethnicities.
Let’s join Jesus in his mission to reconcile all people!
Our Mission
We are a family of communities joining Jesus to transform our lives and the lives of our neighbors at the University of Washington, in our neighborhoods, and all around the world.
In Short: Joining Jesus in his mission to reconcile all people.
Our Vision
We believe God is working in mighty ways in our community drawing men, women, and children to place their trust in his saving grace. At UPC, our goal is to invite and welcome all into the body of Christ—to disciple and rejoice in each unique story.
We seek to invite those who worship with us into a personal, transformative relationship with Jesus on a weekly basis, believing God is drawing them into his presence where he is waiting to receive them in love and grace.
Our Method
Life Groups.
We’re all about pursuing a way of life that occurs when circles of friends live as family on mission for their neighbors, while being formed as disciples in the process.
When we talk about what it means to be a healthy follower of Jesus, we’re really talking about Life Groups. These are the strategy Jesus uses to transform the world. We learn by doing, and we grow by going. Nothing will change our lives more that seeing God change someone else’s.
Life Groups involve three parts of the Christian life all working in tandem:
- Formation as Disciples
- Mission for Neighbors
- Community Like Family
Why are we looking toward our neighborhoods?
Our mission begins in our neighborhoods. Jesus forms and grows us as we live as family alongside our neighbors and share the good news in ways that are inviting and authentic.
God has put you in your neighborhood. You are not where you are by accident. You have been uniquely positioned where you live, study, work, and play. Jesus is at work in the people around you, and you have an assignment to join him in a ministry of reconciliation.
Together, we embody Christ’s love in circles of community, build relationships with the disconnected next door, and invite them into the family of God!
Who are our neighbors?
Our neighbors live next door. Neighbors are people who share a natural connection, whether that’s geographical, interest-based, or circumstantial.
Neighbors might live next door in our physical neighborhoods, or they might be fellow parents we see at soccer practice. They might be our clients or customers. They might be in a specific community we feel called to know better.
Neighborhoods are different than small groups. And they’re not a mission target. A neighborhood is a space for mutual support and understanding. A neighborhood is both a context for outreach (when we live authentically, we naturally share the gospel) and a greater sense of connection within a community.
As we begin to look for others who share a common call to a particular neighborhood, we’ll form circles of community in that neighborhood and begin living as a family with those neighbors.
Where can I find the Vision Book?
The vision book is available online and in print. Pick up a printed copy at the Welcome Kiosk.
I'm in. How can I help in the season ahead?!
Pray! Jesus is already at work in your neighborhood. Ask him to show you how and where you can love your neighbors.
Start considering how you’re living life in the context of a Life Group:
1. Identify your primary neighborhood
2. Invite someone to join you
3. Love them like family
What are our core values?
- Gospel-Shaped Lives: The good news of Jesus transforms us.
- Living as Family: We share life together in circles of community.
- Sent for Others: We’re here for the sake of people beyond ourselves.
- Growing With Students: We grow as students together with student
- Global Culture: We open our lives to the world on our doorstep.
Mission Statement
We are a family of communities joining Jesus to transform our lives and the lives of neighbors at the University of Washington, in our neighborhoods, and all around the world.
Learn more in the digital vision book or pick up a printed copy at the Welcome Kiosk.
As I learn more about this, I'm hopeful but also skeptical. How can I begin to feel more like I belong here?
If you’re curious to take the next step, pray and ask God what your primary neighborhood is.
Then, invite someone to join you and begin living like family together.
How do you describe the connection between our neighborhoods and the wider UPC community?
We are still committed to gather as a family of communities at UPC. As believers, we don’t live at church… we live in our neighborhoods. But on Sundays, we come together for encouragement that helps us live as the church, with circles of friends in our neighborhoods.
What are Life Groups?
In Life Groups, circles of friends live as family on mission for their neighbors. And, they are formed as disciples in the process. Life Groups involve formation, mission, and community working in tandem as they did for Jesus’ disciples.
