About Us 2

Easter Sunday is more than baskets and bunnies; it’s a day to celebrate our belief that anything is possible with God. Once we see Jesus for who He is — the Risen Son of God, we are changed.

We read about the transforming power in those who witnessed the appearance of Jesus on that first Easter. Jesus interacted with his followers, sharing meals with them and allowing them to touch the scars in his hands. The men and women who saw Jesus after the resurrection could never go back to the way things were before that day. They were inspired to share the stories that we read in the gospels. They spent the rest of their lives spreading the message of Jesus. They created communities of believers who would share the good news and serve others.

We too desire to be like those early followers; to have our lives transformed by the deep knowledge of God’s love that we experience on Easter morning. My “go to scripture” is found in Roman’s chapter 8 verse 39. “neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Easter is the ultimate example that nothing, not even death, can separate us from God’s unending love.

As a teen, I had a poster in my room that said, “You can fly but that cocoon has got to go!” Cocoons and tombs are initially places of darkness and isolation. However, within that space, transformation begins and that results in new life! When we find the courage and claim our faith then we can embrace our new beginnings through Christ.

This Easter Sunday, let us be people whose words and actions demonstrate our desire to once again be transformed. Let us be people whose lives reflect the good news. Let us join together to rejoice in the gift of new life! Let us join our voices together saying the familiar refrain “He is Risen, He is Risen indeed!

The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a distinct and diverse community of Christians that come together as one church to join faith and action. With over 5,000 churches and nearly one million members across the U.S., the UCC serves God in the co-creation of a just and sustainable world. The UCC is a church of firsts, a church of extravagant welcome, and a church where "…they may all be one" (John 17:21).

The Church of Firsts

Since 1957, the United Church of Christ has been the church of firsts, weaving God’s message of hope and extravagant welcome with action for justice and peace. Together, we live out our faith in ways that effect change in our communities. The UCC's many "firsts" mean that we have inherited a tradition of acting upon the demands of our faith. When we read in Galatians: "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus"—a demand is made upon us. And so we were the first historically white denomination to ordain an African-American, the first to ordain a woman, the first to ordain an openly gay man, and the first Christian church to affirm the right of same-gender couples to marry. We were in the forefront of the anti-slavery movement and the Civil Rights movement. Our response to the demands of our faith is woven into the history of our country.

A Church of Extravagant Welcome

Today, we continue to change lives throughout the world. We work alongside more than 200 mission partners. We labor ceaselessly to fight injustice, in the United States and abroad. We instill our vision into our youth and young adults, forging leaders who will imagine new dreams. And we sustain and develop church leaders, pastors, and our local churches to live their faith in exciting new ways. We believe in a God that is still speaking, a God that is all-loving and inclusive. We are a church that welcomes and accepts everyone as they are, where your mind is nourished as much as your soul.

We are a church where Jesus the healer meets Jesus the revolutionary, and where together, we grow a just and peaceful world.