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About our Congregation

First Congregational Church is part of the United Church of Christ (U.C.C.), which is one of the most diverse Christian churches in the United States and affirms the ideal that Christians do not always have to agree to love God and live together in communion.

We are an Open and Affirming congregation. We welcome all people - regardless of race, age, ability, gender, sexual orientation, economic status, ethnicity and religious tradition - into full participation in the life of our church.

We have committed ourselves to using inclusive language in our worship services, hymns, and prayers.

Our congregation is made up of people who were raised in a variety of religious traditions as well as in the UCC tradition.

We strive to be intergenerational in our planning and programs. We believe that God beckons us to continue to explore and deepen our faith over the entire span of our lives - both as individuals and as a church community.

We strive to create opportunities to help us discover how God is reflected in each other, to discern what God is calling us to be, and do so as a true faith community.

Our Holy Conversations Process - And It's Results

In 2004 our "Holy Conversations" process began. The newly-constituted Holy Conversations Committee, made up of a group of diverse members of our congregation, was charged by the church "to listen to God and to the congregation, to discern a new vision for our life together as an intentional faith community."

As the Committee describes its process: 'We began by asking "Who are we now?" and continued to consider "What is God is calling us to be or to do?"' The process consisted of a variety of events and opportunities over 2 years, involving a broad cross-section of our congregation.

In April of 2006, the final Holy Conversations Report, REAWAKENING, was prepared and presented to the congregation. The Holy Conversations Committee describes their report with these words: 'In the HC Committee and in the group conversations throughout the process, a rich offering of ideas has been 'harvested' and prayerfully considered. Drawing on all of the conversations along the way, we have developed a vision that draws upon our strengths and challenges us to develop and deepen our experience together.'

The Vision of who we are and what future we believe God is calling us forward into can be described in these words, from REAWAKENING:

We are an intentional Christian faith community, and we know ourselves to be children of a loving God. Therefore we:

• Seek to continually deepen our spiritual journey - to cultivate faith both at our core and expressed in our daily activities in the world.

• Yearn for true community - to know ourselves and one another, and through those relationships, the Holy Spirit.
• Strive to live a committed Christian life - to follow Christ's example with our whole selves.

Read the full text of REAWAKENING, the Holy Conversations Committee Report here:

REAWAKENING