A Congregation Built on Hospitality and Full Inclusion
Garden Street United Methodist Church (often shortened to GSUMC) is an open and affirming congregation in Bellingham, Washington, that describes itself as a community working to embody love in the neighborhood and beyond. The church gathers weekly to pray and center on God, and its stated commitment is to a church of full inclusion: "enriched by people of all ages, racial or ethnic backgrounds, gender identities, sexual orientations, political affiliations, economic levels, mental or physical conditions, biblical interpretations, and family structures." The congregation lives into the United Methodist motto of "Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors," and welcomes people at every stage of their faith journey.
Although the church carries the name "Garden Street," its current home sits at 2401 Cornwall Avenue, where it worships in the sanctuary of the First Congregational United Church of Christ building. That partnership shapes daily life at GSUMC: the Handbell Choir, for instance, rehearses with the host congregation and rings during worship services throughout the year. The mailing address remains PO Box 308, Bellingham WA 98227, and the church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm. The phone line rings at 360-733-7440, and email reaches the office at office@gardenstreetumc.org.
Sunday Worship at 2:30 pm
Sunday is the heart of the week at GSUMC. Worship begins at 2:30 pm in the sanctuary of the Cornwall Avenue building. The service follows the United Methodist pattern of liturgy, hymns, and a message, with the order of worship printed in a weekly bulletin that is published by the Thursday before each service. Communion is observed on the first Sunday of each month, and special Sundays such as World Communion Sunday and Laity Sunday are marked in the calendar.
The atmosphere is intentionally relaxed. Masks are no longer required, and visitors are invited to "wear whatever you are most comfortable in." For those who cannot make it in person, the entire service is livestreamed on YouTube every Sunday at 2:30 pm through the church's GardenStreetUMC YouTube channel, with recordings available afterward.
Music carries a prominent place in the service. The choir rehearses in the sanctuary at 1:00 pm each Sunday, an hour and a half before worship, and contributes weekly hymns, spirituals, and other choral music to the liturgy. The Handbell Choir, drawn from the shared ministry with the host congregation, joins the musical offerings during worship at intervals across the year.
Pastor Justin White and the Pastoral Team
The congregation is led by Rev. Justin White, a United Methodist elder who joined GSUMC in July 2025 after serving Stanwood United Methodist Church in Stanwood, Washington, and earlier appointments at North Mason UMC in Belfair and Brownsville UMC in Bremerton. A native of rural Mississippi, Pastor Justin was baptized at Shiloh United Methodist Church in 1984, holds a Bachelor's degree from Mississippi State University, and earned his Master of Divinity from Duke Divinity School in 2010. He was ordained an elder in the Mississippi Annual Conference in 2013 before transferring to the Pacific Northwest Conference.
Pastor Justin's ministry is marked by a commitment to social justice, advocacy for marginalized communities, and worship design he describes as working against injustice. He has been an openly queer minister throughout his career and was a featured voice on the UMC Day of Faithful Resistance against Immigration Injustice in Washington, D.C., a trip that the congregation fully funded along with three Western Washington University students. Within the Pacific Northwest Conference, he serves as Chair of the Puget Sound Missional District Committee on Ministry, has completed his tenure as Annual Conference Worship Chair, and in July 2025 assumed the role of Residence in Ministry Chair for the Board of Ordained Ministry. He publishes at irrevjustin.medium.com and can be reached at pastorjustin@gardenstreetumc.org.
The music ministry is led by Niko F.C. Pen, the Music Director, who oversees the choir and works with hymn leaders and musicians across the congregation. Michael Hannon, the accompanist, has played piano for GSUMC since July 2024. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Western Washington University, where he studied with Dr. Jovanovic, and lists Chopin, Debussy, and Beethoven among his favorite composers. The financial side of the church is in the hands of Treasurer Chris O'Keefe, a CPA with over three decades of accounting experience who has served GSUMC since 2016 and returned to the role in January 2025 after a brief absence.
Groups and Weekly Rhythms
Beyond Sunday worship, GSUMC keeps a busy weekly calendar that mixes Bible study, fellowship, service, and shared meals.
Christian Book Club meets every Sunday at 10:30 am on Zoom, gathering to discuss the latest read. Anyone interested in joining is invited to email office@gardenstreetumc.org for the link. The club has become a steady weekly touchpoint for readers across the congregation.
Wesley Club, the church's college ministry, meets every Wednesday at 6:00 pm at the Cornwall Avenue building for a weekly dinner followed by discussion, games, and connection. The club describes itself as "a welcoming environment to help college-age students grow in their faith," and is open to anyone who loves food and friendship regardless of where they are in their faith journey. Many of the participants are students from nearby Western Washington University. The club is at wesleywwu.org and can be reached at wesley@gardenstreetumc.org.
United Methodist Men host a weekly Men's Breakfast every Wednesday at 7:00 am at Avenue Bread on James (2301 James Street, Bellingham). The gathering includes conversation, scripture, and the topics that arise in the moment among those who show up.
United Women in Faith (UWIF) gathers on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 12:00 pm in Rooms 12 and 14 of the Cornwall Avenue building for lunch and fellowship, with meeting dates shifting during summer and winter. The group focuses on local community ministries and needs and runs several ongoing fundraisers, including a monthly Book Sale held in the sanctuary immediately following worship on the third Sunday of each month, and an annual Cookie Walk.
Other recurring touchpoints include the Board of Stewards Meeting, held monthly in Pastor Justin's office, and the Lunch Bunch, an informal weekday gathering at a local restaurant that gives members a chance to share a meal outside the church building.
The Layette Ministry: A Program Rooted in the 1940s
One of GSUMC's most enduring hands-on ministries is the Layette program, which dates back to around 1940. In its earliest form, new and volunteer-made items were assembled into layettes and distributed through the local Health Department. Today, the program produces twenty layettes each year, ten for boys and twenty for girls, that are given to Sea Mar Clinic, a community health provider serving families throughout northwest Washington.
Volunteers sew and knit quilts, receiving blankets, knitted hats, hooded jackets that zip up the back, burp cloths, bibs, and pillowcases. Purchased items round out the layettes with sleepers, onesies, pants, dresses, socks, wipes, and diapers. A group of volunteers assembles the layettes on the last Friday of each month, and new helpers are warmly welcomed; inquiries can be sent to Holly at office@gardenstreetumc.org.
Social Action and Community Engagement
The Social Action Team is the congregation's engine for outreach beyond the church walls. In September 2024, the team and a circle of volunteers traveled to Everson, Washington, to help rebuild rooms in the home of two senior women whose property had been damaged in the 2021 Sumas floods. Volunteers laid new floor panels, hung a new door, and began installing cupboards over several working days.
The Social Action Team has also engaged on broader justice issues. In December 2024, team members joined the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship's Social and Environmental Justice Committee for Write for Rights, hosting a 26-year-old Palestinian speaker from Wadi Foquin in the Bethlehem District of the West Bank for an evening focused on International Human Rights Day. The team has also spoken up on the removal of the lower Snake River dams and the church's broader stance on human rights.
GSUMC also participates in the Community Singing Vigil, a partnership with Singing Resistance Bellingham/Whatcom that meets on the second Tuesday of each month at the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship (1207 Ellsworth Street) for simple, easy-to-learn resistance songs in solidarity with immigrant neighbors. The gatherings are free, with donations supporting Whatcom Faith Community Immigrant Support (WFCIS).
An Outward-Facing Identity
The church has consistently used its voice to mark denominational milestones. After the 2024 General Conference of The United Methodist Church, the congregation celebrated the removal of language that had declared "homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching," the lifting of a longstanding ban on funding LGBTQIA+ ministries, the striking of the 40-year ban on "self-avowed practicing homosexual" pastors, the removal of penalties for clergy or congregations holding same-sex weddings, and the initiation of a moratorium on judicial proceedings concerning human sexuality. The new social principles were distributed in January 2025.
The congregation was nominated for a #BeUMC Award from the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference in partnership with United Methodist Communications, recognizing GSUMC for exemplifying courageous, faithful discipleship. The nomination highlighted the church's funding of Pastor Justin's trip to the UMC Day of Faithful Resistance against Immigration Injustice, along with three Western Washington University students, "without hesitation."
In Bellingham, GSUMC shows up for the annual Whatcom Pride Parade, with Pastor Justin hosting a booth at the festival and the congregation often holding a contemplative service on Pride Sunday. Members have also supported Hunger vs. Hunger, a fundraising event for the Bellingham Food Bank, contributing more than $2,500 in one recent year to a campaign that ultimately raised $220,000.
Faith, History, and the Building's Story
Although Garden Street carries a name tied to its earlier location on Garden Street in Bellingham, the congregation has deepened its roots in the Cornwall Avenue sanctuary it shares with First Congregational United Church of Christ. The building holds layers of history that have come to light through careful attention: the current offering plates were once used in the old Garden Street building and were discovered to be engraved "In Loving Memory of Garfield Watson," a longtime community member born in 1897 and remembered at his death in 1964. The altar candle lighter bears an inscription reading "In Memory of Anna Poalson by Daughters Ella Howard and Edith Glenn," tracing back to a Bellingham woman born in 1859. As more memorialized pieces are discovered, they are catalogued and shared with the congregation as a way of honoring the families who shaped the church's past.
The church's theological center is rooted in what Pastor Justin describes as "the liberating love of Christ" and a sense of faith as both personal transformation and community action. Liturgy and the sacraments, especially weekly Communion on the first Sunday of the month, are core to the rhythm of life at GSUMC, alongside a steady stream of music, study, and shared meals.
Visiting Garden Street UMC
A first-time visitor will find a Sunday shaped around three anchors: the 10:30 am online Christian Book Club, the 1:00 pm choir rehearsal in the sanctuary, and the 2:30 pm worship service. Communion Sundays fall on the first Sunday of each month and are noted in the church calendar. The dress code is informal ("wear whatever you are most comfortable in"), and the building is fully accessible, with elevator access to lower-floor rooms. The office is reachable at 360-733-7440 or office@gardenstreetumc.org during weekday mornings.
For those wishing to support the church financially, online giving is available through the church's giving page, with a 2.2% processing fee that donors can choose to cover in order to ensure the full gift reaches the ministries of GSUMC. Monthly giving can also be set up through PayPal.
Weekly announcements, sermon titles, and special events are published in a regular newsletter called the GSUMC Messenger, with editions from recent months archived on the church's news page. A weekly worship bulletin is uploaded by the Thursday before each Sunday, and a Safe Sanctuary Policy (updated October 2024) guides the church's work with children and vulnerable persons.