About First Church of Christ Congregational
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Bethany First Church ABCs:
Actively Making a Difference
Building an Inclusive Community
Connecting People with God and Each Other
Our Mission
Bethany UCC is a fully inclusive community of Christian faith. We are a congregation dedicated to building and strengthening connections to God, one another, and the needs of our neighbors.
Our Vision
Taking seriously Jesus’ instructions to Love God and Love Others, Bethany UCC seeks to be a community of love. We wish to see lives changed for the better through faith formation and exploration, deepened community ties, and acts of service to those in need, in our community and around the world.
2020 Goal #1: Community
We wish to see at least four new small groups form, with 8-15 members in each (an average of 12 per group). Groups will be a place for community building and faith formation. As groups form, at least half will be primarily focused on acts of service to the community.
2020 Goal #2: Faith Exploration
Our congregation has expressed a specific passion to re-engage (or engage for the first time) those who are not presently active in a faith community, particularly among younger generations. Since this is not presently happening in our church, some new things will need to be done In order to achieve this desire.In conjunction with interested parties, the pastor will work to create opportunities for faith exploration. Two such opportunities will be offered per month (either two different things each once/month, or one twice/month) for an initial trial period of 6 months.
2020 Goal #3: Refugees
Partnering with other community organizations, particularly IRIS, we will assemble a team to work toward resettling refugee families in our local area. Since refugee families require easy access to public transportation, resettlement within the Bethany town limits is not an option, so we will seek housing in nearby areas – such as the border of Woodbridge and New Haven – where our support network is enhanced by local infrastructure. According to the IRIS website, the total cost for a community organization such as ours to resettle one refugee family is $6,000-10,000.
2020 Goal #4: Food and Fellowship
The church will continue its newly developed practice of monthly fellowship meals. Additional opportunities for fellowship outside of Sunday Morning and Small Group gatherings will be made available at least quarterly. Opportunities might include (but are not limited to) coffee houses, movie nights, breakfasts, camps/retreats, “field trips,” etc. So long as our two congregations remain yoked, at least one of these quarterly events should be planned in conjunction with South Congregational Church in Waterbury Increasingly
