First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ
Why We Moved...
Several years ago, we started discussing how our space was affecting our ministry. We were in a small, historic building in an exclusive neighborhood in Memphis. We looked at expanding our facilities so that we could stay linked with our nearly 100-year old sanctuary, talked with architects and explored possibilities with the neighborhood. We hit obstacles. It seemed like God was moving us a different way.
When we learned that a church congregation in the Cooper-Young neighborhood was considering relocation, we checked it out. We realized that Cooper-Young, a racially and economically-diverse neighborhood, opened up many possibilities to live out our dreams for community in new and positive ways.
We realized that the space was much, much bigger than we were used to. (Our entire old sanctuary
would fit in the choir loft of our current facility!)
We prayed. And we dreamed. We dreamed that there might be people looking for a new sort of community, people who would join with us to fill the 86,000 square facility with activity and promise and purpose.
This past year has been a year when we've come together as never before. We have worked, inch by inch, to make our new church building a place that testifies to the witness God has given us. We now share our space with over 20 partners in mission, and we hope to renovate our sanctuary so that it reflects the beauty of our Pilgrim tradition and enables us to worship faithfully together.
Back to Dreams
Why We Moved
:: How We Think God is Calling Us