FIND YOURSELF.
We have GPS.
WE ARE PEOPLE OF GOD'S EXTRAVAGANT WELCOME.
JESUS DIDN'T TURN PEOPLE AWAY, even those often rejected by others. We don't intend to either. We are like a "company of strangers," made family by the grace of God. God welcomes, claims and loves all people. God also feeds our hunger, forgives our sins, and frees us from aimless wandering.
This is no idle chatter. At the First Congregational Chuch of Montclair, have joined our UCC ancestors in boldly extending and invitation to all. For example, our historic denominations were first to ordain an African American pastor (1785), a woman (1853), and a gay or lesbian person (1972).
COME, SHARE YOUR JOURNEY WITH US
WE ARE ONE AT BAPTISM AND AT THE TABLE.
GOD'S GRACE IS CELBRATED IN BAPTISM AND HOLY COMUNION. We call these rituals "sacraments."
Through the water of baptism, God embraces, you - no matter who you are - and brings you into Christ's church. Baptism reminds us of our special covenatn with God. In it, you share in the life, death and resurrection of Christ. In turn, the church promises to love, support and care for you throughout your whole life.
At Holy Communion, we share a simple meal of bread and juice. Here, we encounter Christ's presence. Together, around God's welcome table, we recall God's loving acts in Jesus, experience oneness in God, hope for a time when all will be fed, and anticipate the fullness of God's love and justice throughout creation.
COME TO THE WATER OF BAPTISM AND THE TABLE OF CHRIST. RECEIVE GOD'S GOODNESS AND LOVE
WE ARE A PEOPLE OF COVENANT, A UNITED AND UNITING CHURCH
GOD INVITES US INTO A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP CALLED "COVENANT." The Bible speaks of God's holy covenatns with people, communities of faith, nations, and all creation.
As God covenants with us, we covenant with one another. Local churches also covenant - prayerfully acting on their own, but also relating with associations, conferences, the General Synod, and national settings of the UCC. We covenant with many other Christian denominations, and pray that all may be one (John 12:21). This prayer extends beyond the unity of all churches to the reconciliations of the whole world.
ALL ARE WELCOME INTO A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, ESPECIALLY YOU.
WE LISTEN FOR THE STILLSPEAKING GOD.
FOUNDED IN 1957, THE UCC IS GROUNDED IN THE ANCIENT CHURCH of the New Testament and in historic streams of Christianity in this country, dating back to the Pilgrims and German immigrants in colonial Pennsylvania. We affirm the words of our Pilgrim forbearer, John Robinson, that God has "more light and truth to break forth..." (1621)
In our generation, we seek and serve God in innovatibe ways. God continues to form us through new people among us, offering a multi-cultural mosaic that reflects all of creation. We celebrate our common ground, while honoring our differences: "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, diversity; in all things, charity."
Through prayer, sacraments, and worship; through the arts and sciences; through compassionate and political acts; and particularly in the voices of those who suffer, God is at work in our hearts and minds, in faith communities, and in the wider world.
LOOK, LISTEN ALL AROUND. GOD'S TRYING TO TELL US SOMETHING.
WE THANK GOD BY WORKING FOR A JUST AND LOVING WORLD
JESUS TAUGHT ABOUT THE REALM OF GOD. This realm is one of love and justice, hope and peace. We see it in the past, particularly in the life of Christ. But we also glimpse it in the present, and look for the fulfillment of it in the future. God's promise extends even beyond death to life eternal.
God continues to break through the barriers of sin and death in the bold witness of God's people. In gratitude to God, we seek to root out injustice; to stand in solidarity with those who are poor and oppressed; to give with inspiring generosity; to care for their earth; and even to sometimes go against the grain of coventional norms.
YOU ARE INVITED TO BOTH THE JOY AND RESPONSIBILITY OF DISCIPLESHIP.
WE BELONG TO CHRIST.
JESUS CHRIST IS CENTRAL TO WHO WE ARE. We know God especially in Jesus, who live, loved, died, rose from the dead, and is present today. Because we belong to Christ, we welcome, love, pray, and serve.
The God we know in Jesus is also know by many names. We share a tradition among Christians speaking of one God as "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." We also speak of God in ways that enrich our faith - God as Mother, Rock, Liberator, Savior, and Friend..
We affirm historic creeds and statement of faith, not as tests for belief, bu as inspired words of faithful women and men who came before us. We discover God through the Bible, through prayer, and through engaging the world.
No single statement fully expresses who God is; but where there is justice, peace, and compassion, we seek the living God at work in history. To such a God, we belong.
HOW DO YOU KNOW GOD? TELL US YOUR STORY.
LET'S GROW TOGETHER
WHAT MATTERS TO YOU, MATTERS TO US. First Congregational, United Church of Christ. We are about faith and justice, exploration and understanding. So, no matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, you and your questions are welcome here.
