East Shore Unitarian Church

What East Shore Unitarian Church does

East Shore Unitarian Church is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit religious organization operating as a Unitarian Universalist congregation at 12700 SE 32nd Street in Bellevue, Washington. The church serves approximately 300 families through a multigenerational program portfolio: weekly Sunday worship services delivered both in-person and online at 10:30 a.m., a comprehensive Religious Education curriculum for nursery through high school (including Spirit Play, Chalice Children, Mosaic, and Flourish Congregations), the nationally-curated Our Whole Lives (OWL) comprehensive sexuality education program spanning K-1 through adult age tiers, Coming of Age for grades 7+, middle and high school youth groups (YES-U and YRUU), Soul Matters small group ministry for adults, social justice advocacy teams (anti-oppression, climate justice, voting rights), and an Art & Community Summer Camp launching for grades K-12 in 2026. Pastoral and program staff include a Director of Religious Education, RE Coordinator, Director of Membership Development, Director of Music, and an elected all-volunteer Board of Trustees.

The church's technology footprint is conventional and non-proprietary: a WordPress-based website serving as the primary digital hub, email newsletter distribution, social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, online registration for children's programs, and an external e-commerce storefront for branded merchandise. There are no AI/ML capabilities, mobile apps, APIs, or proprietary software systems. Technology functions solely as a communication and operations layer rather than a differentiating asset.

Revenue is generated primarily through voluntary member contributions including annual pledge commitments (via the Generosity Pledge Drive), regular tithes, and special donations, consistent with a donation-based nonprofit model. Ancillary revenue streams include facility rentals (Sanctuary, Education Building, Spring Hall), merchandise sales (t-shirts and hoodies), summer camp tuition ($300/week for campers, $40/week for counselors-in-training), OWL facilitator training ($350 online), and Kids Night In events ($10–$20 sliding scale). Programming is free or subsidized, with scholarships and tuition waivers available and a stated policy that no one is turned away for financial reasons. The congregation is affiliated with the national Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) for curriculum, training, and regional coordination, and maintains operational partnerships with Mobile Meal Alliance, Jubilee Reach, Backpack Meals for Kids, and Bellevue School District Family Connection Centers for community food-security initiatives.

Name

East Shore Unitarian Church

Legal name

East Shore Unitarian Church

Website

https://esuc.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

East Shore Unitarian Church is a 501(c)(3) Unitarian Universalist congregation in Bellevue, Washington, serving approximately 300 families through weekly worship, comprehensive religious education for all ages, OWL sexuality education, youth programs, social justice advocacy, and community summer camps.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Congregation Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (81311)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)

Keywords

• Religious education programs
• Unitarian universalist worship
• Sexuality education curriculum
• Community ministry services
• Social justice advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Bellevue

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Member Donations and Tithes: As a Unitarian Universalist congregation, East Shore Unitarian Church primarily generates revenue through voluntary member contributions including regular tithes, special donations, and pledge commitments. The church conducts annual Generosity Pledge Drive campaigns to encourage financial commitments from members. Additional revenue streams include proceeds from events such as auctions, merchandise sales (t-shirts, hoodies), and facility rentals.
2. Merchandise Sales: The church sells branded merchandise including ESUC t-shirts and hoodies featuring slogans like 'My Faith is Love,' 'My Faith is Community,' and 'My Faith is Justice.' Sales are conducted through an external e-commerce platform (tempusfugitt.com).
3. Facility Rentals: East Shore Unitarian Church generates revenue through renting its facilities. The website includes a dedicated Rentals section (esuc.org/about-us/rentals/) indicating the church rents out its space for events and gatherings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

East Shore Unitarian Church operates as a Unitarian Universalist congregation providing weekly worship services (in-person and online), comprehensive religious education for children and youth from nursery through high school, comprehensive sexuality education through the Our Whole Lives (OWL) program, summer camps, small group ministry, and social justice advocacy initiatives. The congregation serves approximately 300 families in Bellevue, Washington and operates under a nonprofit 501(c)(3) religious organization model.

Product overview

East Shore Unitarian Church offers a comprehensive suite of spiritual and educational programs centered on Unitarian Universalist principles. The core offerings include Sunday worship services (in-person and online), Religious Education programs for children and youth (nursery through high school), the Our Whole Lives (OWL) comprehensive sexuality education curriculum, summer camps, small group ministry through Soul Matters, youth groups, and Coming of Age programs. These programs work together to support lifelong faith formation, community building, social justice advocacy, and spiritual exploration across all ages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Worship Services
• Religious Education Programs
• Our Whole Lives (OWL) Program
• Art & Community Summer Camp
• Coming of Age Program
• Middle & High School Youth Groups
• Soul Matters Small Groups
• Children & Youth Summer Programs

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Backpack Meals for KidscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 October 2020Partnership for the COVID Food Relief Project. East Shore volunteers pack weekend meal packs for Bellevue School District children experiencing food insecurity. The program serves approximately 680 food packs per week at $6 per pack. East Shore provides volunteer labor and financial contributions.
• Jubilee ReachcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 October 2020Partnership for the COVID Food Relief Project providing groceries for families financially affected by the pandemic. Jubilee Reach distributes nearly 700 grocery bags per week at $35 per bag. East Shore pre-purchases items, packs at the church, and volunteers to help distribute. Located 2 miles east of East Shore.
• Mobile Meal AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 October 2020Food truck meal voucher program partnership through the WA State Food Truck Association. East Shore works with Bellevue School District Family Connection Centers to distribute meal vouchers to children and families experiencing food insecurity. Vouchers cost $10 each.
• Food Bank FarmminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 October 2020Located in Snohomish County, this farm grows food for food banks and organizes gleaning efforts. East Shore provides cash donations for seeds and supplies and organizes field trips for families, children, youth, and adults to harvest produce. The farm donated 360,000 pounds of food last year to local food banks.
• Bellevue School District Family Connection CenterscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 October 2020Partnership to distribute weekend meal packs and food vouchers to children and families at Stevenson Elementary and Lake Hills Elementary who are experiencing food insecurity.
• Sophia's WayminorOthers · 29 October 2020Local Eastside community organization addressing food insecurity. East Shore has a legacy partnership through its food insecurity efforts.
• Crossroads MealsminorOthers · 29 October 2020Community meal program addressing food insecurity in the Bellevue/Eastside area. East Shore participates through its food relief efforts.
• Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliation with the national Unitarian Universalist Association. The church follows UUA guidelines and curricula including the Our Whole Lives (OWL) comprehensive sexuality education curriculum and Tapestry of Faith curricula. UUA provides training, resources, and support for UU congregations.
• Teens in Public Service (TIPS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram that places teens in non-profits around the greater Seattle area for summer internships. East Shore hosts TIPS interns who work with children and RE staff during summer programs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• First Parish in Cambridge: Historic UU congregation in Cambridge, MA with progressive social justice programming and multigenerational RE. Comparable governance model and adult RE programming structure.
• All Souls Church Unitarian (NYC): Large urban UU congregation offering a similar progressive, justice-oriented programming model at scale. Relevant for benchmarking program breadth and community engagement tactics.
• Unitarian Church of Evanston: Mid-size suburban UU congregation with established OWL, youth, and justice programming. Comparable in scale (~300-400 family range) and community integration approach.

Regional players

• Plymouth Church Seattle: United Church of Christ (UCC) progressive congregation in Seattle with long-standing social justice identity and family-oriented programming. Co-creator of the OWL curriculum with UUA, sharing a key programming asset with East Shore.
• University Congregational UCC: Large progressive UCC congregation in Seattle with broad programming for all ages. Comparable in mission, multigenerational focus, and UU/UCC theological affinity.
• St. Andrew's Lutheran Church: Progressive ELCA congregation in Bellevue with similar emphasis on social justice, family programming, and contemporary worship. Competes for the same pool of Eastside progressive families.
• Crossroads Community Church (Bellevue): Bellevue-area congregation serving Eastside families with similar community-engagement and family programming ethos. Competes for the same geographic donor and member pool.

Broad incumbents

• Temple De Hirsch Sinai: Reform Jewish congregation with a Bellevue location serving progressive families in the same Eastside catchment. Comparable in offering progressive values-aligned worship, education, and lifecycle programming.

Direct peers

• University Unitarian Church: Historic Seattle UU congregation with similar multi-generational programming, social justice advocacy, and adult RE offerings. Closely mirrors East Shore's go-to-market motion and theological positioning.
• First Unitarian Church of Seattle: Another Unitarian Universalist congregation in the Seattle metro with comparable progressive programming, OWL offerings, and adult RE. Most direct UU peer for member overlap and competitive recruitment dynamics.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/esuctube
• Facebookfacebook.com/EastShoreUC
• Instagraminstagram.com/eastshore_uc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/east-shore-unitarian-church

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about East Shore Unitarian Church