For All to Belong on the Eastside of Bothell
On a quiet stretch of 100th Avenue NE in Bothell, Washington, Eastside Church has built its identity around a single phrase: "For All to Belong." The motto hangs above everything the congregation does, from its Sunday morning service to its food pantry, from its youth gatherings to its global mission partnerships in Germany and Uganda. Locally the church is simply called Eastside; its formal name is Eastside Foursquare Church, tied to the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, a movement headquartered in Los Angeles that has long described itself as inter-denominational, Spirit-led, and focused on evangelism and caring for those in need.
Eastside meets at 14520 100th Ave. NE, Bothell, WA 98011, with a mailing address at P.O. Box 1439, Bothell, WA 98041. Office hours run Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and the phone lines (425.488.2500) and inbox (info@eastsidechurch.org) are answered through those windows.
Pastors Russell and Ana Maria Schlecht
Senior Pastor Russell Schlecht leads Eastside alongside his wife, Co-Pastor Ana Maria Schlecht. The two describe themselves as parents to six children (ranging from elementary to college age), twenty years of marriage, and eight years at Eastside. Russell was raised in a Christian home, walked away from faith for close to a decade, and returned to God at twenty-four, eventually entering formal church ministry in 1995. He has planted or led churches in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Oak Harbor, Washington, before coming to Bothell. He is a graduate of Boston College and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and he previously served as a chaplain at Harvard University for six years. He has also served Foursquare nationally on the Board of Directors, as an Area Pastor, on the District Advisory Council, and on the National Church Committee.
Ana Maria, a Harvard College and Harvard University School of Education graduate, joined Russell in Cambridge in 2005 and was licensed as a pastor in 2007. She currently oversees Eastside's long- and short-term rentals ministry while finishing law school at Seattle University. Together, the couple says they share a heart to engage people who feel far from God and to reach those navigating questions about faith in a changing culture.
What Eastside Believes
The church's statement of faith centers on three pillars: the Bible, people, and Jesus. Eastside teaches that the Bible is "God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" (citing 2 Timothy 3:16), and that Scripture is whole, complete, without fault, and still relevant for today's questions. The church is described not as a building but as people equipped to serve and meet needs everywhere in the name of Jesus, based on 1 John 4:17. On salvation, Eastside holds that humanity's relationship with God was broken by sin and that Jesus, the Son of God, willingly died on the cross to pay that debt; faith in Jesus restores the relationship (John 3:16).
As part of the Foursquare family, Eastside embraces the four-fold ministry of Jesus Christ seen in the Gospels - He is the Savior, the Baptizer with the Holy Spirit, the Healer, and the Soon-Coming King.
Sundays at 10:00 a.m., Both In Person and Online
Eastside gathers every Sunday at 10:00 a.m., and the service is offered simultaneously online and on the church campus. The welcome carries an open invitation: "Whether you are new or ready to take a next step, there is a place for you to belong, be known, and grow with others who are pursuing Jesus together." A Connect Card is available for newcomers, and the team will follow up personally to help visitors find the right next step, whether a Life Group, a serve team, or a simple conversation.
Two special rhythms mark the calendar. On every month that contains a fifth Sunday, the congregation gathers as one family for a 5th Sunday Service that combines water baptism, child dedication, worship, fellowship, and a shared meal afterward. After the regular service, the church also offers a short three-week Bridge Group designed to help newcomers and people at different stages of life find their footing at Eastside.
Eastside Kids: Nursery Through Fifth Grade
Children's ministry at Eastside runs every Sunday morning for kids from six months old through fifth grade. The Children's Director, Meagan Snively, oversees a program organized by age: a staffed nursery where infants play and interact with caring volunteers; an early childhood classroom built around an interactive curriculum with songs, games, books, and crafts; and an elementary classroom where kids explore what it means to live a daily life devoted to Jesus, including a short time of heartfelt worship. Check-in is available in the lobby and upstairs, with printed nametags directing families to their assigned classrooms.
Parents of little ones not yet ready for a classroom are not left on their own. A Parent Viewing Room, located upstairs near the elevator, lets caregivers watch and listen to the service while their children play, and a Nursing Mothers' Room provides a private space to nurse, change, and follow along. Pre-registration for kids is optional but recommended, and mobile passes speed up the Sunday morning check-in process.
Eastside Youth on Sunday Nights
Middle and high school students have a full program of their own. On Sunday mornings during the sermon, middle schoolers break out into their own space designed to help them grow in faith and build friendships. Then on Sunday nights from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., both middle and high school students come together in the Student Center for a dynamic service with worship, teaching, small groups, and time to hang out. The student entrance is on the back side of the Student Center; questions can be directed to the youth team online. The youth ministry can be followed on Instagram at @youthoftheeastside.
Life Groups and the Rooted Experience
Small groups, called Life Groups, are the backbone of adult community at Eastside. Groups meet across the area and cover every stage of life, including Bible studies, prayer groups, and casual gatherings. A directory of open groups is available online, and the church encourages anyone who does not find a fit to reach out directly so a new group can be developed.
Twice a year, Eastside runs Rooted, a ten-week experience that meets Wednesday nights from 6:15 to 8:15 p.m. on the church campus. Childcare is provided. Through the seven rhythms of discipleship seen in Acts 2 - daily Scripture reading, prayer, serving the community, giving, repentance, worship, and sharing your story - participants grow deeper in their relationship with Jesus and with one another. Sign-ups are open online.
Local Outreach: Food, Schools, and an Annual Serve Day
"Let's be the hands and feet of Jesus in our community and world," Eastside says, and the church's local mission work has several steady rhythms. Year-round, an outdoor food pantry supplies shelf-stable food and household items to neighbors facing need. A shopping list is available for those who want to donate supplies, and the church runs periodic food drives to keep the pantry stocked.
Each August, Community Serve Day brings local churches, schools, nonprofits, and businesses together for one day of service, typically helping school campuses prepare for the new academic year by setting up classrooms and making facility improvements. In November, the church dedicates the month to a season of giving called Eastside on Mission, partnering with local organizations such as Vision House, Union Gospel Mission (UGM), and Kokanee Elementary School to meet tangible needs, including a gift-tag drive for families and outdoor clothing collected for unhoused neighbors.
Beyond food drives and seasonal projects, outreach funds are kept bubbling along by the Eastside Café, where coffee drinks purchased on Sunday mornings turn their profits directly to missions and outreach. Online ordering is available through the café.
Global Outreach: Four Partners in Four Regions
Eastside's mission footprint spans four regions, each supported through a dedicated missions fund. In Cologne (Köln), Germany, the church partners with Brandon and Marcie, Foursquare church planters and community developers working to reach a city where 98 percent of the population does not know Jesus, with a focus on discipleship and raising young leaders. In Uganda, the church walks alongside the African Hospitality Institute, a community of faith that prepares unemployed young men and women for careers in the tourism industry through a two-year, hands-on vocational training program blended with relational discipleship. Globally, Eastside supports thinkSMALL, a non-profit that runs Child Empowerment Outreaches in schools, churches, and communities across Asia, Africa, and Latin America to help children resist trafficking, abuse, and drugs. Each year around Thanksgiving, individuals and families from Eastside travel to Rosarito, Mexico, to participate in YWAM's Homes of Hope, building a home for a family in need over the course of a week and sharing a Thanksgiving meal with roughly 150 people at a local orphanage. No construction experience is required.
Becoming a Member of the Family: Baptism, Dedication, Serve Teams
Two ordinances mark the life of the church. Water baptism is offered as a public next step for believers who want to identify with Jesus' death and resurrection, symbolic of dying to an old life and rising into new life in Christ. Parents can schedule a child dedication, an opportunity to publicly express their desire to raise their child in a home committed to Christ and to invite the church family to walk alongside them. Both are scheduled through online forms.
For those wanting to jump in, a wide variety of serve teams are open: greeting and hospitality, making coffee, leading small groups, holding babies in the nursery, and serving on the Worship & Tech team (sound, ProPresenter, photography, and video). Pastoral staff and ministry coordinators are listed online and welcome outreach from anyone looking for the right fit.
Rentals: Weddings, Memorials, and Community Events
The Eastside campus is also a venue. The church makes its facility available to other churches, civic groups, and service organizations for events, and personal use is limited to weddings and memorial services. Each request is reviewed in light of the church's vision and mission and in accordance with its Facility Usage Policies and Procedures. A Facility Use Request form is available online for anyone interested in booking.
Giving, Livestream, and the Eastside Connection App
Giving to Eastside is available in three ways: online through the church's giving platform, by check or cash in the giving envelopes found in the sanctuary chair backs (which can be dropped in secured boxes in the lobby or in the tithe baskets during the service), and by mail to P.O. Box 1439, Bothell, WA 98041. The church also walks donors through options like corporate matching gifts, Qualified Charitable Distributions from retirement accounts, and gifts of appreciated securities.
Sunday services and past teachings are livestreamed on YouTube, and the Eastside Connection app (available on the Subsplash platform) puts services, sermons, event notifications, and giving in one place for phones and tablets.