About Us
We are the First United Methodist Church of Ellensburg, a reconciling congregation. We invite everyone to our services on Sunday mornings.
Our Mission Statement
The Ellensburg First United Methodist Church welcomes all and serves as a beacon of love and justice in the community. We seek to discern and act upon God's will through worship, service and study.
Our Vision Statement
Starting from our present baseline of about one hundred active participants, a commitment to social justice and reconciling ministries, and a 1920s church building, we of Ellensburg UMC see ourselves, five to ten years out, as a congregation of 200-250 active members that reaches out through a systematic program of:
- following up with guests, visitors and absentees,
- welcoming all as persons of sacred worth, and
- performing creative and energetic services of worship.
We'll continue our commitment to progressive Christianity, our program of education to children and youth, and our stewardship education program.
We want to be a healthy congregation that inspires loyalty, attracts persons, and supports a staff sufficient to facilitate the program we foresee. [Adopted by Church Council on Tuesday, June 8, 2004]
Our History
Settlement in the Kittitas Valley began in the 1860's. For the next decade, residents met for Sunday service and prayer meetings in private homes and schools. Every few months, itinerant preachers would visit Ellensburg to help build Christian interest.
In 1879, the Rev. Robert Hatfield became the first resident pastor of the Ellensburg Methodist Episcopal Church. The first Methodist Church building was constructed at the corner of Third Avenue and Ruby Street in 1844; but this church building, along with most of the downtown, was destroyed in the great Ellensburg fire of 1893.
Quickly rebuilt at the same location, it seated 200. As the population increased, the need for more room became evident.
Our current church was completed in 1921. At the time, its auditorium was the largest in the city; thus, baccalaureate services for both the Normal School and the High School filled it to standing room only.
Our Connection
Ellensburg UMC is one of about 45 churches that make up the Seven Rivers District. The Seven Rivers District is one of six districts that make up the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference. The other five districts include Inland, Pugent Sound, Seattle, Tacoma, and Vancouver. Ronald Hines is the Seven Rivers District's Superintendent. The Pacific Northwest Annual Conference is part of the Western Jurisdictional Conference. [See map of UMC Jurisdictions]
Watch the Structure of the United Methodist Church [an interactive Flash movie on the umc.org website]