First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ
Christianity...
First Congregational is a Christian community. We find energy and joy as we seek to follow Jesus--to love the people Jesus loved, to seek healing for the world in the name of Jesus, to live from the power of love that enabled Jesus to bring life and find resurrection even after he was crucified.
Joining the church is an act of faith. It's a gesture towards receiving the unconditional love that is God. When we join hands voluntarily to become united as the Body of Christ, we are making a courageous gesture towards life and against fear. We are promising to recognize and nurture in each other an awareness of the Love that makes us One with each other. In our commitment to stand together in covenants of love, we become the Body of Christ.
Jesus said, "As you have done it unto the least of these, you have done it unto me." We believe that God mandates a connection with those who struggle in life. When we stand in solidarity with those who suffer, we live out our identity as the Body of Christ. We recognize the political significance of historic Christian practices--prayer, hospitality, generosity, compassion, Sabbath-keeping--and we try to incorporate these practices into our lives.
To say that we have chosen to live as disciples of Jesus does not mean that we disrespect the
validity of other spiritual paths and traditions. It is, simply, to say that this is the path we have chosen to walk in life. We participate, as Christians, in interfaith ventures of mission and unity with Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus and other people of faith.
Faith :: Christianity :: Getting Started