First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ

Mission Groups...

Mission Groups at First Congo are designed to support us as we live into Christian faith. We gather monthly to look at challenges to welcoming others, peacemaking and living more simply. Mission groups meet on Sunday evenings at 6:30 p.m. There are three of them:

Keep it Simple

Keep It Simple is a mission group for people who want to feel freedom from consumerism and materialism. We look at the effects of our lifestyle on the creation and we seek to live in ways that affirm justice and well-being for the poorest of our world. We affirm the value of relationships formed in love, and find our security in the abundance which genuine community creates, rather than in our dependence on material possessions. We sponsor the Revolutions bicycle shop and the Global Goods Store in partnership with the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center. We meet the first Sunday of each month at 6:30 pm.

Welcoming the Stranger

Welcoming the Stranger is a mission group focused on encounters with those seem different than us--at least at first glance. Acknowledging that Jesus was a stranger on this earth, we seek to grow in our ability to receive strangers as friends.

We look at our fears of difference and seek to live out our commitment to peace by learning how to welcome others in a spirit of hospitality. We work towards building an inclusive community based on an awareness and appreciation of each other's stories and cultures, solidarity and compassion. We seek to reach out especially to those who may have suffered from isolation, misunderstanding, injustice or indifference. We meet the fourth Sunday of each month at 6:30 p.m.

Just Peace Fellowship

The Just Peace Fellowship is a mission gorup which enables us to grow in our understanding of justice--locally and globally.

We seek to learn how to respond to conflict non-violently and to learn the implications of living nonviolently. We examine how violence and violent impulses hold sway in our lives. Taking seriously Jesus' words, "Blessed are the peacemakers", we gather to learn the ways of peace, reconciliation and justice-building.

The Just Peace Fellowship sponsored "The Shoe Project" as a way of building consciousness of the misery caused by economic sanctions against the people of Iraq. We meet the third Sunday at 6:30 p.m.






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