United Church of Christ Statement of Faith

We believe in You, O God, Eternal Spirit, God of Our Savior Jesus Christ and our God, and to Your deeds we testify: You call the worlds into being, create persons in Your own image, and set before each one the ways of life and death.

You seek in holy love to save all people, from aimlessness and sin, through prophets and apostles.

In Jesus Christ, the man of Nazareth, our crucified and risen Savior, You have come to us, and shared our common lot, conquering sin and death, and reconciling the world to Yourself.

You bestow upon us Your Holy Spirit, creating and renewing the church of Jesus Christ, binding in covenant faithful people of all ages, tongues, and races.

You call us into Your church, to accept the cost and joy of discipleship, to be Your servants in the service of others, to proclaim the gospel to all the world and resist the powers of evil, to share in Christ's baptism and eat at His table, to join Him in His passion and victory.

You promise to all who trust You, forgiveness of sins and fullness of grace, courage in the struggle for justice and peace, Your presence in trial and rejoicing, and eternal life in Your realm which has no end.

Blessing and honor, glory and power be unto You.

Amen.

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Purpose

The purpose of this church shall be as revealed in the New Testament to win people to faith in Jesus Christ by the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and commit them actively to the church through all areas of its life and work; to help them grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ, that increasingly they may know and do His will, witnessing in all situations to the grace of God and Jesus Christ; and to work for the unity of all Christians and with them engage in the common task of building the Kingdom of God. Further, it shall be the purpose of this congregation to maintain a constant endeavor for Christ in carrying out the full meaning of the great commission of Christ, and to work cooperatively with other Christians in the United church of Christ and other communions in carrying out the mission of the church and in making united witness for Christ.

Source: Constitution and By-Laws of First Congregational Church, article 2, Purpose.

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Theological Principles of Faith

Article 1: We believe that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. We believe that Jesus Christ, out of love for the world, died on the cross as atonement for our sins and to make possible the new life promised in Scripture. We believe that Jesus Christ was resurrected (rose from the dead), ascended into heaven, and offers the gift of eternal life for all who will believe in Him. We believe that Jesus Christ is the Word of the Father, of one substance with the Father, and yet took human form (after being conceived by the Holy Spirit) and was born through the Virgin, Mary. We believe that Jesus Christ is, in the words of John 1: "The Word made flesh." And we affirm, along with the Apostle Paul, in II Corinthians 5:19 that "God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself."

Article 2: We believe that there is one true God, of everlasting and infinite power, goodness, and wisdom. We believe that God is the creator and sustainer of the entire Universe. Moreover, we believe within the unity of the God there are three persons of one substance, power, and will, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That is to say, we affirm the traditional Trinitarian formula normative to the ecumenical church since the early Christian centuries, most notably that of the Nicene and Apostle's Creeds, that the Oneness of God is revealed as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Article 3: We believe that God's paramount characteristics (the trunk of the tree, if you will) are love, mercy, justice, and grace. God loves us just as we are, yet also calls each of us into growth and greater Christian living. While God does demand accountability for the way we live our lives, ultimately this is always framed within the context of "prodigal son like" mercy and forgiveness.

Article 4: We believe that God's presence can be felt and known through many vehicles, such as other persons, the Word, and the Church, but primarily through the work of the Holy Spirit, who serves as our comforter, our guide, and our counselor.

Article 5: We believe that the Bible, inspired by God and recorded by humans, is the guide and final authority for our lives. The Bible contains all that we need to know regarding salvation. The Bible is to be received through the Holy Spirit as the true rule and guide for faith and practice. The books of the Bible, which we regard as cannon, are the sixty-six books of the Bible common to all Protestant versions.

Article 6:(The human condition) Here we concur with Christian tradition which states that: "humanity has been born with a sinful disposition, an inherent bias towards acts of sinning." God's grace has provided a means to overcome this; as we turn to Christ he provides a new disposition, the new heart as promised in Scripture (see Ezekiel 11:19-20). In the most basic sense, the human condition (historically called original sin) refers to the fact that we all stand and admit that we need God's forgiveness and empowering grace. It involves admitting that we need God's power to change our lives and hearts away from being self-centered towards serving and loving God and others.

Article 7: We believe that forgiveness of sin is offered to us by God, and that as Christians we need to confess our faith in Christ as Savior and Lord, accepting Christ as the master of our lives, and the Holy Spirit as our guide through life. There is nothing, however, one can do to earn salvation, because it is a gift from God. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9) The "love" offering that Christ made of his life, upon the cross, is the perfect and only sacrifice necessary for us to be forgiven in God's eyes. All we need to do is accept the gift.

Article 8: We believe that the Church of Jesus Christ is the body of believers, men, women, and children in which the Word of God is preached and shared, sacraments administered, and the building up of one another in Christian love and charity takes place. We believe the church has a two-fold purpose. One, to nurture the believer (in-reach); to be a body which loves and accepts one another and calls each other into Christian growth and Christian living. Two, the church exists to reach out to the unbeliever, inviting them into a trans-forming relationship with Christ. In this regard then, the church exists to be light of the world, the "salt" of the earth, to be a leavening influence in terms of social service and social justice.

Article 9: We believe the sacraments are the visible and outward signs of God's invisible and inward grace. They are means by which God works to bless, enrich, nourish, challenge, and change the hearts and lives of those who participate in them. There are only two sacraments that are ordained by Christ in the Gospel: baptism and the Lord's Supper. Baptism is a sign and profession of one's acceptance of Christ's power and rule in their lives, as well as the washing away of sins, and hence represents the new birth made possible through Christ. We believe in baptizing both infants and adults as was modeled in the early Church and by the apostle Paul. We believe that the Lord's Supper is a meal open to any and all who are seeking a relationship with Christ. We believe God freely gives from God's table. The Lord's Supper is a time to remember what Christ has done for us, as well as serving as a reminder for each of us to live out the life that Christ lived. It is a means in which God strengthens us, nourishes our soul, and allows us to receive God's grace. All are welcome at Christ's table.

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