The United Churches of Olympia

The United Churches of Olympia is a federation of two mainline Protestant denominations: the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the United Church of Christ. This means that we exist as two congregations in one. When new members come to join, they are given the choice to join one of our denominations or simply join as a member of The United Churches of Olympia (or TUCO as we like to call ourselves). Because we have these two denominations, we are involved in both the Olympia Presbytery and the Pacific Northwest Conference. There are times in our life together where we highlight the individual work of both denominations, but it’s not the most important aspect of our common life.

Our members are many and diverse. They are local business members, from earthmovers and attorneys to healers. We have organizational members who work for climate change and for the rights of women. Our many individual members support and participate in a wide variety of progressive causes. All of our members are encouraged to work together in a spirit of cooperation as they seek to educate the broader community. In the beginning of worship, we remember that we are learning, living and changing lives.

We are learning together about the gospel of Jesus Christ as adults, youth and children. We encourage our whole family to participate fully and grow in their faith. We believe that God loves all people and wants us to be as whole and healthy as possible. Most of us do not take the bible literally, but we certainly take it seriously as a rule for life and faith.

We are living together and creating Christian community. We support each other when our lives are challenging through special ministries offered by our pastor and members of this community. In all our worship experiences we attempt to use inclusive language out of respect for the many diverse ways people today view God. We respect a diversity of approaches to God and to faith and hold in high regard others who call themselves Christians along with all of various other faith communities.

We are changing lives inside and outside of our church building. We believe God wants us to challenge the injustices, inequities and the systems of our world that take advantage of the marginalized, the disadvantaged, the differently-abled and those who cannot speak or act for themselves. Members of TUCO are excited about social justice. We are eager to serve our community and offer several opportunities for direct service. We believe that Jesus calls us to serve others in our community and around the world and so we partner with other organizations like Interfaith Works (Thurston County) and the Thurston County Progressive Network to affect greater change. This includes our volunteer opportunities — many of which happen within our church building.

Thus, we are the Church of Jesus Christ alive, attempting to be faithful to God’s good news and to speak a word of encouragement and hope as we continue to struggle with what it means to be Christian in an ever and rapidly changing world.

Sunday Worship Services:

9 am Chapel Worship
10:30 Sanctuary Worship with Sunday School

Middlers youth group meets Thursdays, 5-7 pm
Senior Highs meet Sundays, 11:30-1:30 pm

Office Hours:

Our office administrator is available from 8:30 am to 3 pm Monday through Friday. The church office is closed on holidays.