About First Congregational UCC
-
God is alive and well and still speaking.
The Vision of this church will be: to be OPEN to the guidance of the Holy Spirit; to GROW in our knowledge of God and Jesus; to MODEL Christ’s love in all relationships; and to SHARE our concerns for others in our community and world.
As a covenantal body of believers, First Congregational United Church of Christ is committed to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ as revealed in both scripture and throughout life experiences; and our mission is to proclaim this relationship in all activities within the local congregation and throughout the wider community; and we are called to embrace the differences among us, always moving toward the unity of God’s people; and we are challenged to carry God’s vision always, never limiting what God has called us to do or be.
As a congregation, we proclaim our historical relationship to Judaism and are faith descents of the first apostles of Jesus, sharing the good news of God’s constant and unconditional love; our rich heritage has grown amid the divisions within the Christian faith, yet we continue to affirm our Protestant theological traditions as proclaimed through the great Saints of the Faith; as one of the youngest American denominations, we have grown to reflect the constant theme of “United and Uniting”, having been born June 25, 1957, out of the life blood of four earlier existing religious denominations:
The Congregational Church of the English Reformation, the Christian Church of the American Frontier,
The Evangelical Synod of North American, German American Church, The Reformed Church in the United States, composed of churches. The affirmation and hallmark of our congregation is one of inclusivity of all people in journey, bound together by the inspiration and the authority of the local body, yet relational to the wider church, rich in history; scripture based; practicing the two sacraments, baptism and holy communion; strengthened with God, through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit; acting upon informed minds; caring for and supporting each other as a body of believers.
We profess to be a congregation spiritually united in searching to know the will of God as taught in the Holy Scripture and to affirm this message; we ascribe to the mission of the church and proclaim the gospel to all human kind; we affirm and encourage the worship of one God; we affirm peace and justice for all people; we are committed to work and play, transforming lives of all created beings we respond to our brothers and sisters through mission, evangelism, stewardship and service; with our resurrected Christ, our departed family and friends, we prepare to celebrate in the eternal presence of our Creator and our God.
