Stanwood United Methodist Church sits in the heart of West Stanwood, a few blocks north of the City Building and just west of the Floyd Norgaard Center/Museum. Its congregation calls it “a progressive congregation for thinking people” and gives it the motto “Open Hearts. Open Minds. Open Doors.” The church is known for a 10:00 AM Sunday worship service in the sanctuary, children’s Sunday school before worship, and an 11:00 AM coffee-hour gathering in Wesley Hall. Its worship blends lectionary-based scripture with hymns, contemporary praise, prayer, and fellowship, while its outreach reaches families in Stanwood, children at an orphanage in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and communities affected by disaster. The church is at 27128 102nd Drive Northwest, Stanwood, Washington 98292.
Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors
Stanwood UMC wants people who worship with it to feel “the warmth of God’s Spirit” and to be encouraged and strengthened in their faith in Jesus Christ. It describes itself as a diverse congregation centered on the central beliefs of the Christian faith, embracing diversity while maintaining “a unity of loving fellowship.” The church’s motto is also a description of its hospitality: every person is treated as sacred, of sacred worth, and as a beloved child of God.
Reaching out, in and up
The congregation defines itself as “Disciples of Jesus Christ” with a three-part mission:
- Reaching Out to the community, the state, the country and the world.
- Reaching In to build community within the church.
- Reaching Up to worship God and Jesus Christ.
Worship, growth and young people
Its vision is to seek vibrant worship through which people can experience the holy presence of God; nurture one another in love as disciples who continually grow and learn; and build dynamic children and youth ministries that share the Good News of God’s love while providing healthy activities. Three values guide the church’s future: worship is an inclusive part of life, the congregation is intentionally intergenerational, and everything it does is intended to be welcoming and inclusive.
That welcome is explicit and broad. Stanwood UMC invites full participation in the life of the church for people of every race, ethnicity, age, ability, physical or mental condition, socioeconomic status, political affiliation, gender identity, sexual orientation and family structure. The congregation commits to the hospitality Jesus taught by creating a place of safety and spiritual sanctuary, growing together in Christian maturity, living in fellowship and going forth into service.
The welcome language is tied to a shared life. Stanwood UMC wants people to grow together in Christian maturity, live together in fellowship and go forth into service. Its activities include intergenerational worship, children’s and youth ministries, music groups, mission work, and tables set for coffee and conversation after Sunday worship.
Sunday at Ten in the Sanctuary
Sunday worship begins at 10:00 AM and ends at 11:00 AM in the sanctuary. Everyone is welcome. The service is Biblically based, following the Lectionary, and combines a variety of music with prayer and praise of God. It is also a time for sharing, supporting and caring for the congregational family.
On Praise Sing Sundays, the praise band leads a service built around singing, with some hymns and some contemporary songs. The congregation describes its worship as combining traditional and blended elements with new expressions in the worship arts. Special services mark the Christian calendar throughout the year: Christmas Eve includes a traditional candlelight service with special music, and the church also observes Lent, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and Easter. The Easter sunrise gathering includes singing, prayer, a message, coffee and breakfast items shared by those who wish to contribute.
Services are also available live on YouTube and Facebook. A collection of recorded services is also available.
Children Learn While Grown-ups Gather
Children’s Sunday School is offered weekly from September through June, beginning at 9:15 AM and ending at 9:55 AM. While the children are in class, parents are invited to meet with refreshments in the Conference Room. The congregation’s vision calls for children and youth ministries that share God’s love and offer healthy activities, and its commitment to being intentionally intergenerational places children and adults together within one church family.
Children are included in the congregation’s express commitment to welcome people of every age, while the value of being intentionally intergenerational keeps children, parents and other adults within the same church family. Family movie nights add another setting for families, children and youth to connect, build friendships and form community. Their stated purpose is to create a welcoming space where those groups can strengthen relationships with one another.
Coffee Hour in Wesley Hall
At 11:00 AM on Sundays, the service shifts to Wesley Hall for coffee hour fellowship. Light refreshments, coffee and a variety of food items are served from 11:00 AM until noon. People chat with old friends and make new ones, and some use the hour as their Sunday brunch or lunch. The gathering is largely volunteer-run and has become a substantial part of the church’s fellowship rhythm.
Coffee hour follows both the regular 10:00 AM service and Praise Sing Sundays, when snacks and treats are also served. For a congregation that calls itself “a church family where we belong,” this hour offers informal connection with people on the spiritual journey.
Choir, Handbells and the Praise Band
Music appears throughout the church’s regular rhythm. The choir, handbells and praise band each contribute to Sunday worship, while their regular practice times make room for people who want to participate in music with or without previous experience.
Choir
The Choir rehearses on the first and second Sundays of each month at 8:45 AM in the Choir Rehearsal Room and performs during the second Sunday’s 10:00 AM service. Members rehearse from 8:45 to 9:45 AM before joining the worship service. The invitation to sing is open, no experience is required, and newcomers are welcome.
Handbell choir
Handbell practice is held Mondays from 5:00 to 6:30 PM in the sanctuary. The bells usually perform on the third Sunday of each month, except January. Rehearsals run from September through May, with workshops in January. No previous handbell experience is needed.
Praise band
The Praise Band rehearses every Friday from 9:15 to 11:00 AM and leads worship on the fourth and fifth Sundays of the month. Its singing helps give Praise Sing Sunday its mix of hymns and contemporary songs. Together, the choir, handbells and praise band make music a substantial part of congregational worship and offer several ways for people to participate.
Mission Work Close to Home and Farther Away
Food for Stanwood
Stanwood UMC facilitates ongoing giving of both food items and dollars to the Stanwood Food Bank. The food bank is the only one in town and provides free food for residents. These donations are one of several mission opportunities supported by tithes and offerings.
Welcome and best-wishes boxes for families
The church works with the Interfaith Association of Northwest Washington, which addresses the needs of families experiencing homelessness through a united commitment of faith groups and community members. Stanwood UMC provides Welcome Boxes containing items needed as people enter the shelter. It also assembles Best Wishes Boxes with useful items for families moving from the shelter into permanent housing.
Children at Jamaa Letu
Donations support 80 children at the Jamaa Letu orphanages in Lubumbashi, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. $493 supports one child for a year.
Disaster response and recovery
Through the United Methodist Committee on Relief, or UMCOR, the church supports disaster response and recovery at five levels at once: conference-wide efforts, UMCOR work, district response and recovery, local church efforts, and community support. Disaster response and recovery are understood as a vital part of the church’s mission.
Participation in mission work takes several forms: giving food or dollars, assembling Welcome and Best Wishes Boxes, contributing through tithes and offerings, volunteering with the church’s garden project, and making quilts for charitable organizations.
Financial support for missions and the church’s work can be given through online giving, including gifts designated in honor or memory of someone. These funds support church operations and the ministries Stanwood UMC serves.
Gardens, Quilts and a Place in the Congregation
Puget Sound Public Farms has a project at the church where weekly volunteer days include a one-hour lesson on gardening topics followed by hands-on work in the garden. The program combines practical activity with learning about sustainable gardening.
The Crazy Quilters meet on the first Friday of each month. They make quilts for children in need and other charitable organizations, plus one quilt each year for graduating high school seniors. Extra hands are welcome in this hands-on ministry.
Prospective members and newcomers can use the church’s Get Connected form to share contact information and communication preferences, choose whether to receive the weekly church email, and indicate whether they would like the pastor to contact them. That invitation fits the congregation’s emphasis on friendship, connection and full participation in church life.
Stanwood United Methodist Church’s character is formed by the combination found throughout its weeks: lectionary worship with a broad range of music, children and adults learning together, a table filled at coffee hour, and service that reaches from Stanwood to families in shelters, children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and disaster-affected communities. At its center remain the welcome and hospitality expressed in “Open Hearts. Open Minds. Open Doors.”