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Our Vision Statement |
| Our vision is to be an accessible, open and
affirming community growing in Christian faith,
committed to peace and justice, and reaching out
in healing love to all people, respecting the diversity
of people’s sexual orientation, race, culture, gender,
age, opinions, and physical and mental abilities. |
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| Find out more:
www.ucc.org
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- Do you want a church community that is open
to all who wish to come together to worship God?
- Do you seek to be a follower of Jesus and
live out his teachings of justice and grace?
- Do you take the Bible seriously, but not
always literally?
- Are you looking for meaningful ways to serve
God and others in the church, community, and world?
- Would you like a church where kids and youth
are a visible and vital part of the community?
- Do you believe God is still speaking?
If you answered yes to any or all of these questions,
Peace may be a good fit for you! We welcome you to attend
worship any Sunday at 8:30 or 10:30, and follow the
steps below. |
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What if I am interested in joining?
First Step
Attend a series of three Wednesday evening Inquirer’s
Classes offered three times a year—September, January
and April. This is not required for membership, but it is a
great opportunity to learn more about our local congregation
as well as the UCC denomination.
Second Step
Be received into membership during our worship service
on the Sunday following the last Inquirer’s Class.
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Top 10 Reasons to Check out the United
Church of Christ
10. What if church is like spinach .
. .?
You know, like something that you hated as a kid but you
love as an adult because you eat it in ways that suit you
much better. Guess what? A lot of people are having the same
sort of experience with church . . . In the UCC, things are
often quite different and worth checking out.
9. Variety . . .
UCC churches tend to tailor themselves to fit the people
they feel called to serve in their local community. The result:
A wide variety of musical traditions, expressions and values
that have integrity and purpose. From conservative to liberal,
we’re not short on variety.
8. No apologies . . .
You are what you are . . . and so are we – we like
ourselves just fine. Find a church where you will fit in,
be nurtured and challenged to grow.
7. No waiting . . .
You don’t have to join to be active in many UCC
churches. If you want to get involved, many of our churches
will find a place to help fulfill your need to give –
whether or not you decide to join.
6. No boxes
God can blow the lid off any box, unfold it and turn it
into a dance floor. We tend to be the “out of the box”
people. Among our many firsts, we were the first mainline
church to take a stand against slavery (1700), the first to
ordain an African American person (1785), the first to ordain
a woman (1853), the first in foreign missions (1810), and
the first to ordain openly gay lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered
persons (1972). We value education for all people. We founded
Harvard and Yale, as well as many historically black colleges,
six of which remain affiliated with the UCC to this day.
5. One God, One Faith, One Baptism for All
When we baptize you into our community, we promise that
we will never take it back – no matter what you discover
about yourself or what others discover about you along life’s
journey. We believe that baptism places each of us into the
“body of Christ” and lasts forever. Some are baptized
as infants, others as adults. Some are sprinkled. Others are
immersed. Some reclaim their baptism from a previous church
life. For each of us, however, baptism is big enough, strong
enough and cleansing enough to last forever. We believe that
everyone – old, young, straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgendered, physically or emotionally challenged, rich
or poor, sure or unsure, lost or found, Democrat or Republican
has a place in the body of Christ. Baptism is like a badge
that says, “you’re a full member of the church
and no one can take that away from you.”
4. Good News People
We believe that No. 5 is good news!
3. “Party” Church
God is having a party and we are all invited. At God’s
party our spiritual hungering is fed and our thirsting is
satisfied. At God’s party we get strength, stamina and
community support that helps us through the tough times that
come to everyone. Feeding our spiritual hunger helps reduce
those, “I can’t believe I’m so stupid”
moments – but we’ll never eliminate them all.
That’s why we need friends and companions and not judges
(no offense to judges) for the journey.
2. Spiritual Guidance . . .
It’s not about commandments. It’s about relationships
– even with God. The most important relationship is
our relationship with God. Second most important is our relationships
with the rest of the human family. In balance, these relationships
produce justice amid injustice, kindness in the face of meanness,
and the humility of self acceptance that comes as we sense
the presence of a God who knows our inmost thoughts and loves
us uncontrollably – just as we are. Spiritual journeys
can be like the exercise equipment we buy and leave under
the bed. Without coaches and workout partners, most of us
don’t stick with it. We’re the “Journeys
Wanted” people . . . bring yours.
1. We’re waiting
for you.
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