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New Church Name Suggestions

• Kindred UMC
  • Communicates warmth and belonging. Suggests chosen family- not just membership. Faith as a connection, not just belief. Echoes ‘Kin-dom of God.”
• Open Heart UMC
• Common Table UMC
  • Communicates radical hospitality, shared life, equity. Everyone gathers at the same table- no hierarchy. Everyday sacredness. Inspired by Jesus’ table practice, Acts 2 early church holding all things in common and breaking bread. Communion.
• Hope UMC of Seattle or Hope and Joy UMC
  • Hope United Methodist Church of Seattle
    If Hope UMC is already in use, then: Hope and Joy United Methodist Church
    “…Put your hope in God…” Psalm 42:5b
    “Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.” Psalm 62:5
    Reasoning: People are looking for hope, not only during these difficult times in our country, but in their personal lives – the dreaded diagnosis, severed relationships, disasters, both natural and human-made – all of this and more gnaws at people’s hope. This is especially true of the unchurched, and it is the unchurched that we want to reach.
    We live in a world that desperately longs for hope. May our church be that place where people come to know the hope that God provides.
    “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31
• Christ Church UMC
• Hope, Love, and Faith UMC
• Gathering UMC (x2)
  • “Communicates action, fellowship, openness, invitation, and action. Just using “Gathering” without specific neighborhood allows us to minister in multiple neighborhoods; Green Lake, U District, and beyond.
• Open Hearts Church
• By the Way Church
• Your/Our Church by the Lake
• Our Church
• “Keep UMC in the name. Avoid name that is neighborhood specific.”
  • “I do not have a name suggestion at this time. But I do want us to keep “United Methodist Church” at the end of our new name. Denominational affiliation is important. I also think we should avoid a name that is neighborhood-specific, as we want to do ministry in both Green Lake and the U District.”
  • Another comment from another submission: “I concur with the person who requested keeping UMC in the new name. Certainly when I travel and am looking for a church to worship at, I only look for those with UMC in the name as I wouldn’t know what theology was being preached at a non-UMC. Also, does the Conference have guidelines regarding the new name creation when a merger occurs? If so, it would be helpful to have those guidelines in print. Thank you!”
• Lakeside Community UMC
• University Green UMC
• Green Lake Gathering UMC
• New Beginnings UMC
  • “This is a day of new beginnings, time to remember and move on, time to believe what love
    is bringing, laying to rest the pain that’s gone.” Verse 1 of “This Is a Day of New Beginnings”
    UMH #383
    “Christ is alive and goes before us to show and share what love can do. This is a day of new beginnings; our God is making all things new.” Verse 4 of “This Is a Day of New Beginnings” UMH #383
    Yes, this is a time of new beginnings for our two congregations, but more importantly, I hope our church – our fellowship of believers, our community of faith — can be a new beginning for those who are searching, for those who want to leave their past behind, for those who have been hurt or are hurting by society, by a former church, by broken relationships.
    Every day is a “new beginning” for all of us – believer and non-believer alike. Every day is a new opportunity to share Christ’s love, grace, forgiveness, peace, kindness…
    “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
    faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23a
• Beacon of Light UMC
  • “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5
    “[Jesus] said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness,
    but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
    “You are the light of the world.” Matthew 5:14a
    Reasoning: Jesus brings light and life. May those who are searching come to our
    community of faith as we share God’s love, Christ’s grace, and the Holy Spirit’s power.
    Through our welcome, our witness, our sharing of the Word, may others come to see Christ
    as their “Beacon of Light.”
    “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living i n the land of deep
    darkness a light has dawned.” Isaiah 9:2
    “Your word is a lamp for my feet, and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:105
• Seattle Evangelical Community

• Justice Journey UMC
• Church of Pride
• The Welcome Church
• Church of Fire
• Castle Community
• New Creation UMC
• We Are the New Neighbors UMC
• Sojourner Truth UMC, John Lewis UMC, James Lawson UMC
  • “How about some historically justice-minded Methodists to balance out all the Asburys and Wesleys?”
• Resurrection UMC
  • We of the Temple have experienced the destruction of our building.  Now we rise as a renewed church, by the grace of God.
• Joy & Justice UMC
• Welcome Table UMC
• Charity UMC
• UBelong UMC
• You Belong UMC
• The Belonging UMC
• The Gathered UMC
• (The) Gathering UMC
• Journey UMC
• The Church of Love / Kindness
• Beacon of Hope UMC (combination of two earlier suggestions)

Supper at Emmaus by the Chinese artist He Qi

Kindred in Christ,

“When have you said, we had hoped…?”

This Sunday, we continue our Eastertide series, Signs of New Life, as we step onto the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13–35), a road marked by grief, confusion, and dashed hopes. And yet it is precisely there that the risen Christ draws near. At first unrecognized, he walks alongside, opens their eyes, and reveals new life in the breaking of bread.

There is a striking detail in the story. When Cleopas, one of the disciples, speaks to Jesus, Luke’s Gospel uses the Greek word παροικεῖς (paroikeis), a word that carries the sense of being a foreigner, an outsider, one who does not fully belong. Jesus is addressed as the stranger in their midst. And yet it is precisely as the one treated as outside that Christ is revealed, reminding us how often resurrection appears among those who are pushed to the margins or made to feel as though they do not belong.

This opens a deeper invitation for us. If Christ meets us in the outsider, then we are also called to recognize Christ in those whom our world treats as outsiders today, including migrants, refugees, and those who live with the vulnerability of being undocumented. Resurrection is not only something we witness, but something we participate in through how we welcome, protect, and stand in solidarity with those whom society too often overlooks.

Alongside Peter’s bold words in Acts 2, we will reflect on what it means to turn away from systems of harm. We will consider not only where hope has faded, but also where we are invited into transformation, justice, and participation in God’s unfolding new creation.

This is resurrection work. It is learning to see again, to trust again, and to notice the signs of new life already stirring among us.

I am also excited that Pastor Anna Shin will be with us in worship this Sunday. She will serve as our Interim Pastor while I am on paternity leave in May and June. This will be a wonderful opportunity to begin getting to know her. She will be staying after the service, and I encourage you to take a moment to say hello and offer a warm welcome.

I hope you will join us this Sunday as we continue the journey together on the road to something new.

Alongside you,
Pastor Paul

Christ Appears to Thomas, mosaic by Rowan and Irene LeCompte in the Resurrection Chapel, Washington National Cathedral

Kindred in Christ,

What a joy it was to celebrate Easter Sunday together. Thank you to everyone who showed up, served, sang, brought food, welcomed others, and helped create such a meaningful and energy-filled day. It truly felt like a glimpse of resurrection life in our midst.

This Sunday, we begin a new Eastertide series called Signs of New Life. Together we will explore how resurrection is not just something we celebrate once a year, but something we learn to notice and live every day. We notice the signs of new life around us and join in God’s work of justice, healing, and change-making in the world.

We’ll begin with John 20:19–31 and 1 Peter 1:3–9. In the Gospel reading, the disciples are behind locked doors and Thomas wrestles with what feels impossible to believe. It is a story about fear, questions, and the surprising ways Christ meets us right where we are.

As we begin this journey, the invitation is simple and profound. To become people who stay open to the signs of new life around us. To trust that God is still at work. And to grow together into a resurrection people who embody hope, courage, and love in the world.

May we open ourselves to new life together this season!

Alongside you,

Pastor Paul Ortiz

Mary Magdalene and Christ the Gardner by Kelly Latimore

Kindred in Christ,

Death and injustice do not have the final word!

Resurrection bursts into the world. It overturns death, oppression, and exclusion. Inspired by John 20:1–18 and Acts 10:34–43, we will remember Mary Magdalene, Peter, and the early followers who witnessed God breaking expectations and widening the circle of belonging. No empire, policy, or prejudice can stand against God’s love.

Join us for a joyful, status-quo-breaking celebration. Our choir will lift their voices. A special brass ensemble will fill the air with triumphant music, all a reminder that life refuses to be contained.

After worship, stay for a potluck meal and Easter egg hunt, a chance to break bread, build community, and share stories of hope. Bring friends, neighbors, anyone seeking renewal and joy.

This Easter, we are also called to justice. On Saturday, a group from our community will stand in solidarity with migrants outside the Northwest Detention Center. God breaks the rules that divide and oppress. We follow, daring to cross boundaries, advocate for the vulnerable, and embody joy in unexpected places.

Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed, alleluia! Come celebrate, proclaim, and live resurrection with us.

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz