We are a church that attempts to follow the person and teachings of Jesus Christ.

We are a church that values dynamic, thoughtful and well-crafted worship. We like to be involved in worship, to think and to be challenged. Our style of worship is deeply meaningful to us, but we also like well-planned changes. Worship is an essential element in our relationship with Jesus Christ.

We are a multi-generational church with commitments to members throughout their life spans. Our ministries address the needs of many stages of life. We bring people together and do not accept the necessity of “generation gaps.”

Our strong sense of mission and justice grows out of our desire to follow Jesus. Mission and justice are powerful elements of our faith. We support them with our money, our personal commitment and our time, both locally and world-wide. We give generously to UCC mission activities. We are always looking for new mission opportunities such as working for peace in the face of war, the Second Chance apartment program and prison ministry.

We value our music and our programs for children and youth. Music is an important part of our relationship with God. We are enlivened by having children in our midst and we take seriously the challenge to teach our children and pass on our faith in Jesus Christ. A decade ago, we decided to hire full-time staff for both areas; we are happy with the results and the growth we are experiencing.

We are an Open and Affirming congregation because we take seriously our belief that Jesus welcomes everyone into God’s realm. We welcome lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people into full membership, participation and leadership in our church. Since making the decision to become Open and Affirming in 1992, we are still discovering implications of what this means for us, for example in our relationship with the Boy Scout Troop we sponsor, in our defense of free speech in theatrical works and in our support for marriage for all.

In the midst of the busy-ness of our lives, we are aware of the need for greater willingness and more opportunities to get to know each other – through spiritual sharing groups, educational classes, eating together, outreach programs and other common activities. Our relationships with each other are a significant part of our spiritual lives. Caring for each other is part of our faith journey.

We value lay ministry as a rich way of caring for, loving and healing each other.

We are a welcoming congregation. In the spirit of the “God Is Still Speaking” campaign, we open our doors to any person whose faith journey brings them to us.

It is a wonderful and significant challenge to support the mission, programs and building that are First Congregational United Church of Christ. We do this as we give generously of our time, talents and money and as we work together.