Celebrating Diversity
"Theological pluralism at its best means real convictions actually held, although variously, and it invites continuing search for truth along multiple routes." Mary Luti, Prism 1998
We, the members of First Congregational United Church of Christ, are called by God to live as one community. We strive to love, as we are loved by God, both freely and unconditionally. We recognize, celebrate, and affirm the full humanity of all individuals, with ourGod-given diversity. We do not seek to erase our differences, but to journey together in faith toward greater understanding and mutual respect.
As a non-creedal church, there is no testament each member must proclaim in order to belong. This means that each of us takes on the responsibility of personal study and reflection in order to articulate what we believe to be true about God. As a consequence, we embody the full theological diversity of Christianity and we celebrate it. As we worship together over the course of time, each of us can expect to hear our favorite metaphor for God and to hear or sing the type of worship music that feeds our soul. Some Sundays everything will hit your faith perfectly. Some Sundays you can enjoy watching your neighbors relish their preferred metaphors and music. In variety we honor the diversity of our members.
As an Open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ, we are committed to being an inclusive church which encourages all people to live fully in our community, both as worshippers and as leaders. We intentionally welcome, celebrate, stand with, and affirm all individuals including, but not limited to, those of every ability, age, class, culture, ethnicity, race, gender identity and expression, or sexual orientation into full fellowship and participation in the life of the church.
As a church we pride ourselves in opening our facility to those others might leave out. We host rituals, fundraisers, and meetings for many community groups who have had a hard time finding a place elsewhere. If you have had doors closed to you, we will do our best to keep ours open.
Our institutions were forged in the congregational tradition, following the cultural norms of European protestants. While much of what we do reflects these traditions, we are open to changing in ways that will allow us to be a true place of welcome and affirmation for those from other cultures and traditions. Because we follow congregational polity, the final authority of how we will be together as a church is the gathered body of our congregation. This allows us the ability to listen with intention to all members, new and old, and to adjust our church in ways that reflect our current members. Our guiding force in this open-ness is Jesus. We seek to include and unite with all who hold the story of Christ as their central faith expression.
We strive, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to become more like Jesus in our love and support of one another, in order to oppose and overcome any injustice, oppression, and prejudice that continues in our society, our communities and ourselves.
As a non-creedal church, there is no testament each member must proclaim in order to belong. This means that each of us takes on the responsibility of personal study and reflection in order to articulate what we believe to be true about God. As a consequence, we embody the full theological diversity of Christianity and we celebrate it. As we worship together over the course of time, each of us can expect to hear our favorite metaphor for God and to hear or sing the type of worship music that feeds our soul. Some Sundays everything will hit your faith perfectly. Some Sundays you can enjoy watching your neighbors relish their preferred metaphors and music. In variety we honor the diversity of our members.
As an Open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ, we are committed to being an inclusive church which encourages all people to live fully in our community, both as worshippers and as leaders. We intentionally welcome, celebrate, stand with, and affirm all individuals including, but not limited to, those of every ability, age, class, culture, ethnicity, race, gender identity and expression, or sexual orientation into full fellowship and participation in the life of the church.
As a church we pride ourselves in opening our facility to those others might leave out. We host rituals, fundraisers, and meetings for many community groups who have had a hard time finding a place elsewhere. If you have had doors closed to you, we will do our best to keep ours open.
Our institutions were forged in the congregational tradition, following the cultural norms of European protestants. While much of what we do reflects these traditions, we are open to changing in ways that will allow us to be a true place of welcome and affirmation for those from other cultures and traditions. Because we follow congregational polity, the final authority of how we will be together as a church is the gathered body of our congregation. This allows us the ability to listen with intention to all members, new and old, and to adjust our church in ways that reflect our current members. Our guiding force in this open-ness is Jesus. We seek to include and unite with all who hold the story of Christ as their central faith expression.
We strive, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to become more like Jesus in our love and support of one another, in order to oppose and overcome any injustice, oppression, and prejudice that continues in our society, our communities and ourselves.
