About The Church
Who Are We?
Our congregation’s life of faith is described in our Purpose Statement, which follows:
We are an open and inclusive Christian Community, members of the worldwide Body of Christ, gathered to do the work of disciples:
Worshiping God, as we celebrate our faith through scripture, sermon, prayers, song, and sacrament.
Sharing the Good News of the Gospel, as we join with others to lead the way to a just and peaceful world.
Nurturing the faith of children, youth, and adults, as we shape Christian character and conduct.
Caring for each other as a congregation, as we share our hopes and joys, our doubts, and our sorrows.
Loving our neighbors near and far, as we generously use our hands, voices, and abundant gifts to serve those in need.
We try to use Inclusive God language in our worship services. For example, we begin the Lord’s Prayer with “Our Creator, Our Mother, and Our Father…”
Strengths or Positive Qualities of Our Congregation
Theological, gender, and family diversity.
The members of First United Church come from a large variety of religious backgrounds, resulting in a rich and varied theology and diversity of viewpoints. Several retired or inactive ordained clergy from many denominations contribute their knowledge and experience. The church’s Open and Affirming/Lighter stance has fostered a diverse and welcoming membership regarding sexual orientation and gender identification. Same-sex parents, adoptive families, and ethnically mixed families are numerous within the congregation. These diversities add up to a unique approach to Christian faith.
Strong and resilient lay leadership.
The Church Council and other lay leaders take their responsibilities very seriously. Often driven by strong opinions, this leadership challenges and spurs the congregation to action. This in turn has built a resilient, capable church, able to thrive in times of adversity. The church has high expectations of itself and its leaders.
Desire for social justice.
This longstanding commitment is reflected in the church’s relationships with several mission partners. Support is expressed in many forms: intensive use of the church building; thousands of hours of volunteer time; and contributions of about $100,000 annually to mission projects - in our church, the community and the world. We have a long history of lay leadership in our social justice initiatives through a dedicated Faith In Action Team.
