Making Christ Known - Mission at First Congregational UCC

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength . . . .  Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these."

Our congregation expresses its love for God by imitating the compassion of Christ in caring for our neighbors. Through local church leadership and the United Church of Christ (UCC) our congregation reaches out in love to those in need both locally and across the world.

In our leadership structure we have a Mission Planning Group which oversees all church sponsored projects for mission and outreach. There are many opportunities available for service using time, talent and treasures.

Locally, we support the Berea Community Meal which is an ecumenical dinner offered monthly for all. Area churches volunteer and serve a meal on the fourth Wednesday of each month at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church on Bagley Road. We support this effort with our time and our monetary gifts.

Once a month we sponsor a Food for the Body/Food for the Soul Sunday when members gather food and non-perishable items to donate to the food pantry at Church Street Ministries. We also support this ecumenical outreach ministry by serving on the board of directors with members of other area churches, by contributing to food baskets distributed at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter and by volunteering at the thrift shops.

 In love, we act in faith to bring forth God’s realm across the earth. As a Just Peace church, we struggle with the social and economic injustice which prevents peace in God’s world. We are committed to this grassroots movement of the United Church of Christ (UCC) where congregations commit to proclaiming a public identity as a justice-doing, peace-seeking church.

We are a “5 for 5” church within the UCC. This means we provide basic support to Our Church’s Wider Mission through our church budget while also providing parishioners the opportunity to participate in four special mission offerings during the year – One Great Hour of Sharing, Neighbors in Need, Strengthen the Church and the Christmas Fund. In 2009, our members contributed thousands of dollars for disaster relief around the world through the United Church of Christ.