St. Monica is one of Mercer Island's largest religious congregations and it administers the neighboring K-8 school, both located just to the south of Mercer Island High School.
The church property occupies over eight acres, and is composed of a large sanctuary, a family center, chapel, and rectory. The well-manicured grounds include a grotto which surrounds the Madonna of Mercer Island.
The church sponsors several ministries, including the popular Friends of the Needy program, which feeds 100-150 people across the Seattle Metro area every day.
The parish church is led Father Patrick Freitag since 2008.
This congregation of the United Church of Christ (CCMI) strives to be a welcoming Christian community that supports the understanding of God and Jesus Christ through the rites of sacrament, prayer retreats and bible classes. The United Church of Christ also does not support a centralized church or doctrinal authority, illustrated by the lack of wooden pews inside the church sanctuary.
The church also supports several local and national service causes through a number of Global Ministries including the Atlantic Street Center, Family and Social Services, SafePlace and Treehouse.
The church's airy, circular sanctuary overlooks a wooded hillside and a small outdoor amphitheatre through large windows. There is also a small memorial garden and children's play structure nearby.
Formerly home to the Christian Science church, The Mercer Island United Methodist Church on First Hill has since expanded the small sanctuary and parsonage. In addition to Sunday services, the Methodists also hold Bible study classes every Wednesday at 7pm, led by Rev. John Chae. During the week, the church parking lot across the street from the sanctuary serves as a Metro Transit Park-and-Ride.
The Holy Trinity Lutheran Church follows the teachings of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Evangelical Lutherans believe in the Triune Godhead, open sacrament and support women in the clergy. The church is one of two Lutheran churches on the island, but the two maintain small differences in doctrine.
The church was founded at the Keewaydin Clubhouse in 1948 and soon built a small brick chapel on S.E. 40th Street. Today, the chapel remains but is dwarfed by a large, brightly-lit sanctuary with room to seat more than 400 parishioners.
Redeemer Lutheran Church is located on Island Crest Way just south of Island Crest Park. The church is one of two Lutheran churches on the island, but the two maintain small differences in doctrine. Redeemer Lutheran is part of the Missouri Synod denomination of the church, which places a greater, conservative emphasis on how their faith is practiced. Rev. Gene Baake is currently the interim pastor at Redeemer Lutheran.
The Mercer Island Ward meetinghouse is a one-story modern brick building complete with meeting rooms, chapel and an all-purpose hall that is used for church-supported athletics and community activities. Youth meetings are held at the meetinghouse Tuesdays at 7pm - 8:30pm, and all visitors are welcome to attend. Bishop Ken Tracy leads church services here.
The New Hope International Church is an evangelical ministry that is guided by pastors and husband-and-wife team Varun and Da Laohaprasit. The tenets of the church are guided by Christian principles of spiritual revival, salvation and faith in God and the Holy Spirit. New Hope regularly holds "Care Groups" to welcome members and curious visitors during the week to introduce them to the church.
The church traces its origins in the 1980s to the basement of Dr. Varun Laohaprasit's north Seattle home. It has since expanded to two chapels, the other located in Montlake Terrace. New Hope also maintains strong ties to its fellowship churches in Thailand. The church is sheltered amidst an East Island grove of trees, with ample parking and a playground behind the church building.
The Covenant North Pacific Conference provides support and coordination between Covenant Evangelical churches in Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. This regional office supports the administration of various youth programs, men's and women's clubs and pastor's retreats.
Called a "gathering place" by the church ministry, The Mercer Island Covenant Church is a large evangelical church centered on traditional Christian biblical values.
The congregation was founded in 1949 and initially met at the present VFW Hall. The first small sanctuary was erected at the present post office site and was later moved to its present corner, conveniently located across from Mercerdale Park. Four building additions have enlarged the facility, including the sanctuary located on the corner of 78th Ave. SE and SE 32nd St. Both traditional and contemporary worship services take place on Sunday mornings, meeting worship desires of all age groups.
The Evangelical Covenant Church of America has been shown to be the fastest growing multi-ethnic denomination in the country. This fact is also reflected in the Mercer Island congregation. The church also supports a diverse array of ministries both locally and worldwide.