What Time is Worship?
We welcome all to join us for Sunday worship. We gather in person and online via a livestream
broadcast at 10 am. A recoding of the livestream is posted on our Cross of Christ Bellevue YouTube
channel. You can watch this week’s recording, or others from our library of past services, by going to
Where Are We Located?
411 156th Avenue Northeast
Bellevue, Washington 98007
What’s Worship Like?
Hopefully you’ll find worship with us joyful, meaningful, and most of all, Christ and grace centered.
Some of the time our services as more “traditional” with hymns accompanied by the organ. Other times
we lean more casual, with praise music with piano and/or other instruments. And still other Sundays are
a blend of the two, or something altogether different.
Our basic order is based on worship patterns from both Hebrew Scriptures telling us about ancient worship and New Testament accounts of the earliest Christians: We GATHER with songs and prayer, we HEAR God’s word, we SHARE the meal of bread and wine, we are SENT into the world to love and serve. No matter what worship and music style, we focus on Jesus and his love for us and for all, offered by grace, received by faith. We explore the Bible to both learn and apply our faith to our everyday lives. We share Holy Communion almost every Sunday, practicing “Open Communion” which means we welcome all to encounter the living Lord Jesus through the gifts of bread and wine or grape juice.
Services are generally right around 60 minutes long; some Festival Sundays like Easter or Reformation Sundays we might go just a bit longer. Sermons are generally between 12-20 minutes.
What Should I Wear?
People sometimes ask us if there is a dress code or typical style at our worship services. Come as you are and as you are comfortable! Some folks dress up a bit for worship while others wear more casual clothes. On any given Sunday you’ll find folks in shirts and ties, jeans and polos, dresses and skirts, and in the summer, shorts and tee shirts. We want you to be comfortably you, and we want you to know you’re welcome just as you are.
Where Should I Sit?
You’re welcome to sit wherever; we don’t have pews with people’s names on them!
Families and children are welcome to sit wherever they like, but we do reserve the balcony for families with kids are 10 and under. We call that space the “Pray-Ground”. Especially during this time of COVID, when not all little ones have been able to be fully vaccinated, move the “Pray-Ground” to the balcony helped our families feel like they had a separated space. Plus the kids like the “bird’s eye view” of worship while some of their parents and caregivers feel like their little ones are freer to work out their wiggles upstairs, where there are age-appropriate books and toys.
What Are Your Current Health Policies?
As we have from the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we follow guidelines from trusted health professionals and resources, including the CDC and the State of Washington. Our current policies include:
Face masks are recommended but not required. Masks are provided for those who wish to wear one.
Hand washing and/or sanitizing is encouraged. You’ll find plenty of hand sanitizer throughout the
building.
Our pews have been spread out a bit and reconfigured, which has some added benefits including more
legroom, all pews facing front and center, and being able to see others worshiping with you.
We also highly encourage anyone who is sick or showing any symptoms of COVID, a cold, or the flue to
stay home to keep themselves and others healthy.
Do I Have to be Lutheran?
Not at all! Some of our members have been connected with the Lutheran church all their lives. Others
are new to a Lutheran expression of the Christian faith. Some come from other denominations, and a
few from other faith traditions, or none at all. Not even our pastor is a life-long Lutheran!
While all our worship services are built on Lutheran theological and worship foundations – like our focus on grace, our appreciation for music, our respect for the Bible, and our trust that God is encountered through the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion – they are designed to be approachable to anyone. So don’t feel like you’re not “Lutheran” enough to worship here. We’re more interested in you than what previous faith or worship experiences you have or haven’t had.
How Can I Learn More?
We invite you to further explore our website and YouTube channel. We also invite any additional
questions or concerns you may have. Email us at:
cofcinfo@crossofchristbellevue.org
All are welcome to worship, and all who believe that Jesus Christ is present in the bread and the wine are invited to commune at the Lord's Table. Communion is celebrated weekly.
Want to know what to expect from your visit? Read more here!
We celebrate one service each week during the summer.
Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, we worship together with one service at 10:00am. This service may be traditional, Mosaic, or a blend of the two. We like to use this time to try "Holy Experiments" with our worship, which may be reflected in a variety of ways. Our Adult Faith Formation class meets following the service for approximately 45 minutes through June.
During the rest of the year, we celebrate two services each week.
9:00: Worship using the traditional Lutheran liturgy and Evangelical Lutheran Worship hymnal. This service lasts approximately one hour.
10:00: Our Faith Formation hour (or about 45 minutes, as the case may be) with offerings for adults and children
11:00: Mosaic, an exploratory and alternative worship experience incorporating song and prayer. This service lasts approximately one hour.
We hope to see you soon!
Gluten-free wafers and grape juice at Communion are available upon request.
