Missiongathering Bellevue

I grew up with a view of faith that was tied to believing in God, reading my Bible, and believing the correct theology about God and the Bible. What if Jesus' view of faith and belief are different?

In June we celebrated LGBTQ Pride. In July, Americans celebrate USA Pride. On the final day of Pride month in June, the Supreme Court ruled that businesses could discriminate against a person based on their sexuality in the defense of religious beliefs. What happens when we value our own religious freedom above the humanity of others? Jesus placed people above theology and his actions were conside...

We believe all trans people are beloved and that God is nonbinary! Hear Riley Aliamus share his journey toward discovering his true self along with practical ways to support the trans community. Riley's GoFundMe Page: https://gofund.me/ac22a98e

Matthew 10:35 "I have a come to turn a son against his father." - Jesus. Happy Father's Day! "Traditional family values" have long been a cry of Christianity in America, but what if Jesus' sayings about the family actually challenge traditional family values? Maybe that's a good thing.

*Content Awareness: Discussion of suicide and eating disorders.* Missiongathering's Kevin Criswell shares his personal mental health journey that partly led him to a career in psychology, helping people develop the tools to cope with mental health challenges. Kevin's honesty and vulnerability in sharing his story is inspiring and hopeful for all of us who struggle with mental health. *He was not a...

The record breaking anti-LGBTQ legislation happening in the U.S. is partly the result of people's interpretation of the Bible and their view that God created and approved of only two genders - straight male and straight female. But, did you know the biblical tradition of Jesus and ancient Judaism recognized four genders beyond male and female? What if the larger story of the biblical tradition is...

May is Mental Health Awareness Month! A recent Census Bureau report found that 1/3 of all adults and half of adults 18-24 struggle anxiety and depression, yet around half of U.S. churches rarely or have never talked about mental health. What can Jesus tell us about mental health? 15:30 Loving-Kindness Meditation

What if Easter points to something true in both science and spirituality? What if life, death, and transformation can help us live more meaningfully and bring hope to the world? Listen to our Easter message online from Sunday, Apr 9!

"As a therapist one of my tasks is to listen to the undercurrent of the story someone is telling. What’s being said and what isn’t? I’ve started to do that with the stories I grew up with. When I think back to how women in the Bible were presented to me as a kid, so many of the stories were told in a way to show off their quiet grace and servitude, thoroughly stripping them of the rage or other bi...

Lent is a season of reflection, change, and growth, but guilt and fear have been used by Christianity to "change" people for over 1500 years. True, real change begins, not with guilt and fear, but with radical self-acceptance.

The birth of Jesus can feel like a cozy Christmas story, but 2,000 years ago the story was deeply political and provocative. What can this story tell us about creating peace, joy, hope, and love in our world? Our message is followed by a brief spiritual practice and guided meditation to help us cultivate joy.

What if the Peace, Hope, Joy, and Love of Advent only emerge out of gratitude? What can psychology teach us about the spirituality of gratitude as a way of Jesus?

What can Halloween and Dia de los Muertos teach us how to process the spirituality of death?

How do we have healthy conversations with people we disagree with around gender, sexuality, religion, or politics? What can Jesus teach us about how to influence others in ways that build trust and lead to growth? At the end of the message, hear Creative Lead, Jake Haber, share how Missiongathering has led to his next journey in progressive Christian ministry.

Back to School!! We're in the season of learning, but even more important and more difficult is the practice of unlearning. How do we unlearn and become open to new ideas as a sacred practice? How do we overcome our own bias?

A Missiongathering member offers a path toward healing from fundamentalist Christianity by naming the challenge of biblical interpretation, our cultural lenses, and steps to reframe the harmful message we tell about ourselves.

For those who live in the suburbs, how do we address social justice? Kyle Reynolds pulls from his doctoral research on cross-cultural engagement and his experience managing a non-profit food bank to talk about how we can lovingly move from pity to compassion.

Heart Scan Meditation: 0:00 - 3:50 Message: 3:50-19:37 In the face of tragedy we so often hear "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims." The Bible has a harsh and uncomfortable message for those of us who offer prayers without stopping violence and oppression. As we close out Mental Health Awareness month, how do we address our anxieties and fears in the face of injustice? Mental Health Res...

Hear the powerful story of a Missiongathering community member who is intersex. They share their experience of being Christian and intersex and offer hope and encouragement by helping us see how the life of Jesus honored and valued nonbinary experiences. Through the church has caused much harm to those who are nonbinary, this story shares this person's own personal journey of healing and hope. **N...

Rev Kate Kilroy, is a church innovator, a foster child turned foster parent, a labor and delivery specialist, and a treky. She is queer, a parent to 5 kids, four of which are teenagers, a trauma survivor, and still doesn't know what she wants to be when she grows up but is loving the journey. She joins us to share the work she does with Uniting Stories, a community wellness coalition with a focus...

We are joined by founder of Missiongathering, Rev. Rich McCullen. Listen to his story of how overcoming abuse and exclusion as a child and as a gay man inspired the creation of an inclusive faith community. Our stories are part of God's larger story of creating wholeness in our fragmented world.

How can Halloween help us see the importance of everyday rituals in our lives? How can our everyday practices help us deal with grief and loss? Kate Creech, MACP, helps us reimagine how rituals can be deeply spiritual and meaningful for our lives.

What do we do after we deconstruct our faith? How do we process faith deconstruction in a healthy way? We're learning from Brian McLaren's new book as we learn ways doubt can be a doorway into a bigger, better, more loving spirituality and way of being.

In this Jesus story he talks to his disciples about tolerance, inclusion, hell, and salt. How do we become more open to people and ideas we don't understand?

The age-old argument about women's roles has largely been controlled by men who have misused and abused bible passages like Proverbs 31 to control women. Let's look at a better way to read the passage that honors and elevates women.