DENOMINATION

We are a member congregation of the United Church of Christ. Our UCC denomination marks as its beginning the year 1957, with the union of two historic bodies: the Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church. Both denominations had a strong commitment to freedom of worship, a respect for diversity while remaining committed to a covenant, and an eagerness for spiritual guidance that would foster individual engagement in the wider community. Our own congregation’s roots are in the Congregational tradition, which can be traced back to the Pilgrims and Puritans who settled New England.

UCC churches have a profound respect for each other, but they are not bound by hierarchical control. The covenant we share allows individual churches to be responsive to divergent voices. Each church calls and supports its own pastors, manages its own resources, and creates and sustains its own liturgical patterns and practices. We draw strength from our covenantal connections with other congregations and with the wider church. The United Church of Christ is deeply committed to interfaith dialogue and cooperation. 

The UCC has always been a prophetic denomination—in the quest for religious freedom, in the struggle against slavery, in the furthering of access to higher education, in the ordination of African-Americans, women, and gay and lesbian people, and more. To learn more about the groundbreaking ways of our denomination, check out UCC Firsts.