The Bellevue Seventh-day Adventist Church stands at 15 - 140th Avenue NE in Bellevue, Washington, the same address it has occupied since the congregation moved out of the Lake Hills Baptist Church where it first began meeting in 1963. From a core group of about eighty members who walked over from the Kirkland Adventist Church, the congregation has grown into a Saturday Sabbath-keeping community that fills its educational wing classrooms each weekend with children, teens, and adults, and opens its doors on Wednesday mornings for a free clothing bank that has served the wider Eastside for nearly four decades. The building reflects that history: a two-story north educational wing went up first, and the main sanctuary was occupied in 1979.
Saturday Mornings at 15 - 140th Avenue NE
Worship in Bellevue begins with Sabbath School at 9:30 a.m. and ends with the worship service at noon. Visitors who arrive a few minutes before 9:30 will find greeters and a printed bulletin, and most weeks the order of service includes a hymn sing or special music, a children's story, prayer, the week's offering, and a sermon by Pastor Maylan Schurch. The dress is what one would expect at a long-established, intergenerational church: a mix of casual and more formal attire, with everything from jeans and sneakers to dresses and ties.
Communion is observed quarterly and is preceded by foot washing, following the practice Jesus instituted in the Upper Room. During the communion service, the sanctuary empties for a few minutes while members move to one of three other rooms for the foot washing: women to the youth room down the hall, men to the Junior Room downstairs in the educational wing, and families who want to participate together head up the steps to the fellowship hall. Visitors are welcome to take part regardless of church background. After everyone returns, deacons at the door collect an offering for the Helping Hand fund, which is used to assist members facing emergency financial needs.
Sabbath School for Every Age
The Sabbath School hour is one of the most diverse parts of the morning, with classes for every stage of life running simultaneously from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. The children's divisions are organized around developmental stages rather than grade levels alone, with the descriptions below drawn from the church's own materials.
Beginners (birth through age 3) introduce the youngest children to Jesus through cheerful interactive songs, hands-on activities, and object lessons. Kindergarten (ages 4-5) strengthens knowledge of Jesus through action, singing, Bible verses, and character-building stories suited to concrete, realistic thinkers. Primary (ages 6-9) uses Bible stories, cheerful songs, and hands-on activities to spark the imagination, since at this age "thinking is doing." Junior (age 10 through grade 6) and Earliteen (grade 7-8) classes recognize that many lifelong decisions for Christ are made at this age and pair Bible stories about real people in action for God with practical service opportunities. Youth (grades 9-12) provides thoughtful sing-along music and Bible lessons that engage the realities of being a teenager.
For adults, the church offers several classes meeting in different rooms each Sabbath. The Adult Class in the Sanctuary follows the quarterly Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide (with current and archived guides available through the Adventist Bible Study Guide site). A Spanish-language class meets in the Fireside Room and works through the same guide. The Fellowship Hall class also uses the guide. Two more intimate classes gather in the Mother's Room (currently studying "Fruits of the Spirit") and in Shelley's Class (currently working through Genesis).
An Hour and Fifteen Minutes of Worship
The 11:00 a.m. worship service runs until about 12:15 p.m. and is structured much like services at other mainline Adventist congregations. The bulletin for a typical Sabbath lists an invocation by Pastor Maylan Schurch, a brief devotional reflection called "Strength 4 the Week," prayer concerns shared from the floor, scripture reading by a volunteer, an offertory, special music, and the sermon. Praise music is led by vocalists and instrumentalists from the congregation, with recent services featuring Sarah Roberto and Friends. Special music is often performed by Esther Spencer, and Jane Ye serves as pianist and organist for preludes, postludes, and offertories.
Sermons follow a chronological Bible reading plan that the church has encouraged for several years running. Pastor Maylan typically preaches expositionally through passages scheduled for the week, with occasional topical sermons such as "What About Christian Nationalism?" and a communion sermon titled "Do You Know?" drawn from John 13. Most services are recorded and posted to the Bellevue Adventist YouTube channel, so members who are traveling or unwell can follow along. One Saturday each year is set aside as Music Sabbath, when vocalists and instrumentalists from the congregation lead the music throughout the morning service.
Pastor Maylan and Shelley Schurch
Maylan Schurch has pastored the Bellevue church since May 1991, more than three decades of ministry in the same congregation. He grew up in Redfield, South Dakota, trained originally as a teacher, taught college English at Union College for a couple of years, and then answered a call to pastoral ministry that took him to the seminary at Andrews University. His wife Shelley was born in Juneau, Alaska, attended Pacific Union College in Angwin, California, and taught elementary school for five years, including four years in a one-room schoolhouse on an island in one of Alaska's floating logging camps. She went on to serve for thirty-four years as an administrative assistant in the Office of Education of the Washington Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
Both Schurches are deeply involved in the life of the church beyond the pulpit. Maylan writes most of the Friday and Sabbath Photo Parable blogs and serves on the personnel committees of both the Kirkland SDA School and Puget Sound Adventist Academy. Shelley writes the Sunday Photo Parable blogs and contributes to several women's ministry initiatives. Together they lead a neighborhood walking group, host the weekly Wednesday phone prayer call, and preach, write, and visit in a partnership that the church describes as central to its identity.
Around the Table on the First and Third Sabbaths
One of the easiest ways for newcomers to meet people at Bellevue Adventist is to stay for potluck. The meal is held on the first and third Sabbaths of each month, immediately after the worship service, in the fellowship hall. Members and visitors bring a dish to share, and the room fills with conversation over plates of home-cooked food. The congregation takes the table seriously, and newcomers are gently encouraged to linger.
On the off-Sabbaths, the same fellowship hall is used for the Fireside Bible Study and Prayer, a Saturday afternoon gathering that meets in the Fireside Room at 2:00 p.m. on selected weekends. Recent studies have moved verse by verse through Gospel passages, with members of the congregation taking turns as moderators. The Adventist Youth Meeting, a separate program for ages 10 through 17 and young adults 18 through 25, also meets at 12:30 p.m. on the first and third Sabbaths, but online through Google Meet rather than in person. Youth and young adults from beyond the congregation are welcome to register through a Google Form; facilitators must have a current Washington Conference background screening on file.
Wednesdays: Clothing Bank and the Prayer Call
The Wednesday rhythm at Bellevue Adventist is built around two long-running ministries. From 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the clothing bank in the educational wing opens its doors to anyone in the community who needs clothing or small household items, all distributed free of charge. Community Service volunteers sort donations, greet clients, and help fit clothing. A small food cupboard is also kept stocked for emergency needs. The clothing bank began in 1987 and has been operating ever since, predating by several years many similar ministries now common in the area.
On Wednesday evenings at 7:30 p.m., the church gathers by phone for an hour-long prayer call through Turbobridge. Anyone can join by dialing 1-800-309-2350 and entering conference ID 8804901, then pound. The format is simple: opening devotional readings, usually drawn from the writings of Ellen White and other Christian authors, are followed by an open season of prayer requests and shared praises. Regulars report that some requests have been carried on the call for years, while others resolve quickly, and the consistency of the weekly meeting has built a steady little community of its own.
Donations to the clothing bank can be dropped off any Wednesday morning while the bank is open. To drop off items at other times, donors are asked to call the church secretary at 425-746-1763 or email the office to make arrangements.
Pathfinders and the Sojourner Club
For young people ages 10 through 15, the Bellevue church sponsors the Sojourner Pathfinder Club, part of the global Seventh-day Adventist Pathfinder organization. Pathfinders is a scout-style program that emphasizes mental, physical, and spiritual growth. Members earn honor badges in areas ranging from camping and backpacking to hiking and a long list of other skills, with the stated aim of helping them become "better citizens of this world and the world to come." The club's website, sojournersonline.org, gives a fuller picture of its calendar and activities.
One recent Pathfinder fundraiser caught the attention of the wider congregation: the club sold hand-made Sojourner Sourdough loaves for seven dollars each, with all proceeds going to support the Pathfinder International Camporee in Gillette, Wyoming. Loaves were produced by hand from high-quality ingredients, and orders were coordinated through Rich Wong and his team.
Older youth are not left out. The Adventist Youth Meeting program, described above, runs biweekly online for ages 10 through 17 and young adults 18 through 25, with Annicia Gayle-Geddes and Shellie Roberto as the named contacts at the church. Facilitators and volunteers go through the Washington Conference background screening process before they can lead sessions.
SAGE and the Women's Ministry
Two long-running ministries serve the older members of the congregation. SAGE, which stands for Seniors in Action with God for Eternity, was founded by Bellevue member Bob Grady and operated for many years as a volunteer mission organization that sponsored trips and service projects for seniors, including a notable mission trip to Kenya. Bob Grady stepped down from his role as SAGE president on November 15, 2022, his ninetieth birthday, and the church marked the transition with a celebration at the Washington Conference office. The SAGE Advice newsletter, archived on the church's site, gives a longer look at the group's projects and travels.
The Bellevue Women's Ministry runs an Encouragement Card Train that anyone in the congregation can take part in: a collection box sits in the foyer, and members drop in cards of encouragement for fellow members. The women's ministry team collects the cards each Sabbath and mails out a steady flow of notes to people who could use a boost. Postage is provided. The Women's Support Group, a separate gathering for women, meets periodically in the youth room; participants sign a non-disclosure agreement before attending, which gives the group space to share openly. Members also help advertise and register for the larger Washington Conference Women's Retreat held each fall at a regional camp.
Helping Hands in the Community
The clothing bank and food cupboard are the most visible expressions of the church's community service, but they sit inside a broader ethic. The food cupboard began as part of a larger food bank started by the congregation in 1980; that ministry eventually grew so large that the church turned it over to a community multi-service organization to run on its own. The 1987 clothing bank, by contrast, has stayed in the building and remains staffed by Community Service volunteers from the congregation.
Other recent community-facing activities include a Garden of Eating Cooking Class that was well attended on a recent Sunday, with Miguel Flores and Robert Olfert demonstrating Mexican and Korean dishes. The Auburn Adventist Book Center makes occasional visits to the church parking lot in its bookmobile, and Puget Sound Adventist Academy and Kirkland SDA School routinely promote joint fundraisers, including a recent urgent appeal to update the fire alarm system across both campuses, a project estimated at two hundred thousand dollars.
Vacation Bible School Each Summer
Each June or July the church hosts a week-long Vacation Bible School produced in partnership with Group Publishing and open to children from both the congregation and the wider community. Attendance has typically run between 120 and 130 children, making VBS one of the largest outreach events on the church calendar. Volunteers from the congregation lead the singing, the crafts, the games, and the Bible story times, and the program draws on the same age-stage philosophy that shapes the Sabbath School divisions.
What the Church Believes
The church's own statement of belief is short and explicitly Christ-centered. "As Seventh-day Adventists, we center our teachings around Jesus Christ," the statement reads, and the name "Seventh-day Adventist" itself points to the two convictions its members consider most important: a seventh-day Sabbath and the Advent, or imminent return, of Christ.
The full statement runs: "We believe that Jesus Christ, the Divine Son of God, created all things together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and then introduced the Sabbath rest as a symbol of His finished creative - and later redemptive - work on our behalf. Even after our first parents Adam and Eve showed their distrust of Him, Jesus loved us enough to become human to show us what God is like, and to suffer the final consequences of sin in our place. After His sacrifice, He rose from the dead and ascended to heaven, where He ministers on our behalf in the heavenly sanctuary. Yet He is continually present with us through His Holy Spirit, who speaks to us through Scripture and conscience, urging us to a friendship with God, who is able to keep us from falling and who promises to write His law of love in our hearts, so we will naturally live 'by every word which proceeds from the mouth of God.'"
The statement goes on: "We believe that Jesus invites all people of every nation, race, and language into fellowship with those who 'keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus.' We also believe that He will soon return to this earth to bestow immortality upon those who wait for His appearing." For more detail on Adventist beliefs, the church points visitors to the official Adventist beliefs page at adventist.org.
The Daily Photo Parable
One of the distinctive features of the Bellevue congregation is its Daily Photo Parable blog, a year-round devotional written by a rotating team of seven members of the church. Each weekday a different contributor shares a photograph taken close to home or on travels, paired with a short reflection tying the image to a Bible verse or spiritual theme. Chuck Davis writes on Mondays with photos from his mountaineering trips. Robert Howson writes on Tuesdays with photos of birds, often exotic species he has photographed abroad. Darren Milam writes on Wednesdays with nature scenes that point to God's care. Russell Jurgensen writes on Thursdays with scenes closer to home. Maylan Schurch writes on Thursdays and Fridays. Shelley Schurch writes on Sundays, often drawing on her childhood memories. Bev Riter writes on Sundays and Mondays. The blog is accessible from the home page and is updated consistently.
The Chronological Bible Reading Plan
For several years the congregation has read through the Bible together using a chronological plan that arranges the books of the Bible roughly in the order their events took place, occasionally grouping parallel passages in Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles and inserting Psalms where the compilers think they fit best. The full year-long plan is published on the church's site, with about thirty passages per month. Pastor Maylan typically preaches from one of the readings scheduled for the week, and his sermons frequently begin by inviting newcomers to open their Bibles to the same passage he is using.
The church has published a set of practical tips for following the plan: pick a consistent time and place for daily reading, ideally morning; pray before each session for God to use the passage to change you; skim the genealogies and lists and slow down for the narrative sections; and if you miss a day, just jump back in. The aim is to read the Bible every day, not necessarily to read it through in a year.
Connection to the Wider Adventist Community
Bellevue Adventist sits inside the Washington Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, the regional body that oversees the western half of Washington State. The conference's main office, schools, and youth camp (Sunset Lake Youth Camp) are linked from the church's resource pages, as is the North Pacific Union Gleaner, the regional Adventist news journal. Two Adventist schools serve the children of the congregation: Kirkland SDA School for K-8 and Puget Sound Adventist Academy for grades 9-12. Walla Walla University is the Adventist university most often mentioned by members. National and international Adventist resources linked from the site include the Adventist Review, Hope Channel, 3ABN, Voice of Prophecy, It Is Written, Signs of the Times, and Adventist World Radio.
A Note for Visitors
The church asks that visitors planning a first visit know that the building is a no-attendance location for registered sex offenders, a policy that applies to all church-sponsored events. Parking is available on site at 15 - 140th Avenue NE. The sanctuary, classrooms, fellowship hall, fireside room, and youth room are all wheelchair accessible from the main entrance. Services are held in English, with one Spanish-language adult Sabbath School class offered in the Fireside Room. Giving is available online through Adventist Giving, and the office can be reached at 425-746-1763 or office@bellevueadventist.org during the week.