Renton United Methodist Church sits in the Renton Highlands at 2201 NE 4th St. It is known for a traditional Sunday worship service that pairs printed bulletins, prayers, scripture, an adult choir and hymns with a light contemporary touch. The same church organizes education for children, youth and adults, fellowship groups, neighborhood service and mission work, giving its ministry both devotional and practical dimensions.
A Traditional Sunday at 10:30
Worship takes place every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. year-round. The service follows a traditional pattern: printed bulletins, prayers, scripture readings, the pastor's sermon, the adult choir and traditional hymns. Renton UMC adds contemporary elements in many choir selections and occasional music videos. All service content appears on screens as well, a choice intended to reduce paper use while giving the congregation a visual place to follow the order of worship.
Pastor Rev. Lisa Connolley leads worship in a service shaped by Scripture and song. A special children's time is part of the gathering. Parents have a nursery area, optional nursery care and children's activities during worship, so they can choose between staying with the congregation and using the nursery area.
Sunday services are livestreamed on Facebook, and recordings are available through the church's YouTube sermon archive. An electronic attendance form is also available for those who attend.
Children, Youth and Adults in the Classroom
Children's Sunday School begins at 10:30, the same time as worship. Children first share the special children's time, then move to classrooms for preschool and elementary lessons. A nursery class serves children from birth through age three, while preschool and kindergarten through fifth grade have their own class. Children's Sunday School does not run in summer, although the 10:30 worship gathering continues year-round.
Youth in grades 6 through 12 meet at 10:30 and remain together until 11:30 in the youth classroom. The class explores values and faith and asks how those ideas shape life. Two adult classes meet from 9:15 to 10:15. We Make This Road by Walking uses a book about faith lived beyond church walls, while Discipleship Opportunities works through Old and New Testament studies at a pace set by the class. There are no prerequisites for the latter group.
A weekly Monday Bible study meets through Zoom at 7 p.m. Pacific. It provides another regular setting for scripture and conversation alongside the Sunday classes.
Groups for Study, Fellowship and Shared Work
Renton UMC has several kinds of small groups. Some are social, pairing a shared meal with light discussion; others focus on defined study. Service-oriented groups meet for a task that places the needs of the church, community or world ahead of individual convenience. Renton UMC organizes its life around three words: COME, CONNECT and SERVE.
The Early Christians Book Club meets on the first Tuesday of each month for a light continental breakfast and a discussion of one fiction or nonfiction book. The Saturday Potluck group gathers on selected Saturdays outside July and August. It welcomes single adults and couples for a potluck supper followed by lively conversation, with members sharing hosting and discussion responsibilities. The Seekers meet every Wednesday at 11 a.m. for fellowship and to send cards offering comfort or celebration. Chore and Chortle meets Tuesday mornings at 8:45 for coffee, pastries, prayer and general maintenance around the building and grounds; group members supply the tools.
The monthly Circuit Rider gives members and leaders a place to publish news and reflections. An electronic edition is encouraged to reduce paper use and reach readers earlier. Sarah Circle, a women's fellowship, meets on the first Wednesday and makes prayer shawls, Christmas stockings for the Atlantic Street Service Center, and caps and mittens for Head Start. A quilting group also meets monthly at 10 a.m., alternating between Thursdays and Saturdays, for personal and collective projects.
Music at the Center of Worship
Music is a defining part of the traditional service. The adult choir meets Wednesday at 7 p.m., and a Women's Ensemble meets Sunday morning at 9. The church also has elementary and middle-school choirs that meet during worship, while the Bell Choir rehearses and performs occasionally. A separate Neighborhood Children's Choir welcomes children with any level of singing experience. Adults and youth can also join a rock band that meets in the youth Sunday school room after church each week; no instrumental proficiency is required.
Music Director Ms. Acheson is a Lake Washington School District music teacher with degrees in music education from the University of Puget Sound and Boston Conservatory. Her work in the congregation centers the adult, children's and youth choirs within the church's worship life.
A Faith of Love and a Welcoming Church
The church calls itself a nurturing family of Christians and describes its members as theologically diverse. It uses scripture, reason, life experience and Christian tradition together to follow the spirit of God's great commission, make disciples and love God, neighbors and themselves. At the center of that teaching is a concise affirmation:
- God is love, and creation is an expression of unwavering love.
- Jesus of Nazareth is a particular example of that love, revealing God's nature through teaching, healing and a nonviolent response to persecution.
- The resurrection reveals exquisite forgiveness.
- Mercy is new every morning, and every person is a beloved child of God.
Those beliefs lead into an invitation to become co-creators of the Beloved Community. Renton UMC is part of the Reconciling Ministries Network. It celebrates diversity and welcomes and affirms people of every gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation, across age, race, ethnicity, physical and mental ability, education, family structure, and economic, immigration, marital and social status. It also acknowledges profound social, economic and political inequities and commits as followers of Jesus to justice and solidarity with people who are marginalized or oppressed.
Serving Renton with Practical Care
Service within the church takes many forms. People make coffee, provide maintenance, greet Sunday arrivals, read scripture, lead children's time, light the altar candles, arrange the sanctuary for the lectionary season, operate audio and video equipment, sing, play organ or piano, serve as liturgists, usher and provide hearing-assist headsets. Together, these roles support the worship service and the building.
Beyond worship, Community of Care provides visits, calls and rides for people who need help. Minnows prepares temporary salads or meals for people during life-changing times such as births, serious illness and funerals. A technology committee provides digital outreach to members and the wider community.
The United Methodist Women organize programs for women in the community and emphasize women helping women locally and globally. Their work includes making Christmas stockings for Atlantic Street Service Center, crocheting hats for Head Start children, knitting prayer shawls, providing temporary housing for women through Center of Hope and for men through ARISE, and supporting other church and local needs. The United Methodist Men meet monthly for Christian fellowship and service. They maintain church properties, provide shelter for people experiencing homelessness, build small houses for local homeless programs, and sponsor a Boy Scout troop and Cub Scout pack. The church building also provides space for community support groups and volunteer organizations.
Mission Beyond Renton
The Missions Committee meets for two hours on the last Sunday of each month after worship. It looks for short- and long-term responses to hunger, homelessness, justice and mercy, maintains a dedicated budget and encourages both financial support and hands-on service. Members have participated in local disaster relief and mission trips.
Renton UMC's wider mission work includes Habitat for Humanity, Heifer Project, the General Board of Global Ministries, Africa University in Zimbabwe, UMCOR, Volunteers in Mission through the PNW Annual Conference, the YWCA shelter, Atlantic Street Center and the Church Council of Greater Seattle. This network joins neighborhood concerns in Renton with concerns that extend far beyond the city.
A Building Carried Across More Than a Century
Methodist Circuit Rider the Rev. Rial Benjamin came to Renton for a tent meeting in August 1902, when the street scene included false fronts, board sidewalks, coal and clay miners. In fall 1903, a lot at 209 Williams Street was purchased for $300. A sanctuary was built there, mostly with volunteer help, for $1,800. As the need for space grew, the church bought a lot at Second and Mill in 1911, moved the building onto a daylight basement, added an east wing with large roll-up doors, and later added a choir room, front steps, a bell tower and a covered porch.
By 1952, even the side walls were beginning to bulge. The Rev. Harry Monroe organized a building committee, and 75 members unanimously voted to buy the present property. A successful three-year fundraising campaign began in spring 1953. The present building was constructed in 1957, with its first service in September 1958. An education wing was added in 1963 and dedicated in May 1964. The mortgage was burned in 1972, when a building fund also supported improvements such as sanctuary and Memorial Room carpeting and completion of the parking lot and driveways. A permanent building fund began in 1989 to maintain the property for the future.
As Renton grew, community outreach expanded with it. The building became a place for support groups and shelter for people experiencing homelessness. In 2020, Kennydale United Methodist Church officially merged with Renton First United Methodist Church, and the congregation changed its name to Renton United Methodist Church to reflect its larger outreach. Rev. Lisa Connolley lived in Renton during her middle school years and previously served Kennydale UMC in the early 2000s.
Finding the Church and Its Office
Renton UMC is in the Renton Highlands. From either direction on I-405, drivers take exit 4 toward Sunset Boulevard North and Bronson Way, turn onto NE 3rd Street and then Bronson Way NE. After the curving climb, the church is on the right. The office is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon, and its telephone number is 425-255-5403.
Room for Weddings, Funerals and Community Gatherings
The church's facility accommodates small meetings through events of several hundred. Facility-use pricing is reasonable and may be free depending on the event, and a kitchen on the lower level can serve large groups; alcohol is not allowed on the premises. Weddings, funerals, conferences, trainings, support groups, voting, charitable events, and meetings for community and volunteer organizations are among the typical uses.
A Church Rooted in Worship and Service
Renton United Methodist Church's identity is rooted in traditional worship, open welcome, learning across generations and practical service. Its path from an 1902 tent meeting to a multipurpose church in the Renton Highlands shows a congregation that has repeatedly adapted its ministry while holding worship, education and service at its center.