What We Believe

Who we are and what we believe

Early Christians called themselves “People of the Way;” walking in the footsteps of Christ, living out the vision of the ‘Kingdom of God.’  Following this model, we emphasize faithful living, character, and caring more than static creeds or second-hand faith.

God is still speaking, still moving in our lives, and we find God through engagement in simple patterns of shared worship and friendship, kindness and study, sharing and caring.  We do not have ‘tests of faith’ but encourage personal journeys of discovery.

Jesus taught that we are closest to God when we help others.  “When I was hungry, you gave me food; when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink…”(Matt 25) So we strive to reach out to help others in our community and the world through hands-on service projects and generosity.

This is a ‘congregational’ church; we share equally in ministry and governance.  We seek harmony and understanding in community life, teach children and adults the ways of God, and grow in spiritual depth and mature faith. This church has been worshiping on this spot for over 300 years, faithfully seeking God’s way.

Although our roots go back to the 1600s and we represent a merger of Baptist and Dutch Reformed Churches, we are members of an ecumenical Christian denomination, the United Church of Christ.  The United Church of Christ was the first American church to ordain a woman, the first to ordain a black man, the first to ordain an openly gay man, and the first to acknowledge that homosexuality is not sinful.  Our understanding of the world comes from the Bible, but we interpret God’s word anew for the context of our time.

“In essentials unity: in non-essentials, diversity; in all things love.”