What's this all about?
Bellevue First United Methodist Church is a small, progressive, open and affirming, intergenerational community, with a long history in Bellevue.
As a member of the United Methodist Church, we are a part of a family of churches (around the world!) that all have the same mission: Making disciples in the ways of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. A bit wordy - we know. That's why sometimes we just say that our mission is simply: transforming the world in the ways of Christ.
While our church and many other churches have this same mission (or a variation of it) we believe that our vision is unique to this community and the story we are continuing to tell. "Vision" is all about how we see this mission unfolding right here and now.
Like anyone's vision - it changes with time. How we saw mission unfolding in 1980 was different than how we see it now - and yet there's still a long story being told here.
This story is about a community of people in the Eastside who are striving to be faithful to the idea that the way of Christ can change lives and our world.
We've seen it happen. And this is why we still continue to meet.
To keep telling the story - that the world has been transformed and is still transforming.
We believe the ways of Christ help us change the world for the better. Care to join us?
OUr Mission, Vision, and Core Values
Our Mission
As members of The United Methodist Church, our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. While this language is specific to the UMC denomination, we the larger purpose of this mission is what binds Christian churches together across the world. While our vision for how we live into this mission may change, the bigger picture of what the church represents remains unchanged - we exist to transform the world in the ways of Christ.
Our Vision
While the mission of our church remains the same, we believe vision changes over time. How we saw ourselves living into mission in 1980 is not how we see things today. We have a vision for a new expression of Church that is more accessible than ever before. We call this idea "The Kaleidoscope" - a vision for creating new pathways of engaging in Christian community, that revolve around our core values. Click here for more info on the Kaleidoscope!
Our Core Values
Deep Thinking - Community Building - Spiritual Practice - Helping Others
The Core Values of Bellevue First 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.