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First Congregational

United Church of Christ

... exploring the frontiers of faith in Jesus

right arrowCheck out our new sanctuary photo and some of the people who make us who we are!

(Click on the photo for a larger view.)

Your face would fit nicely in the picture, don't you think?

Unique Theatrical Group for Teens

A new group for those in high school with an interest in writing, acting, and directing is being formed. The project will be called Parabola and will be part of our efforts to emphasis arts ministry within the church.

The group will work as an ensemble to create original works to be performed around the area. The goal is to foster some of the area’s most talented young actors, writers and directors.

An organizational meeting is planned for Thursday, May 15th, from 5:30 - 7:00 pm here at the church. For more information call Greg at 234-8927. Please pass on the word to any interested high school youth in the area.

About the Jeremiah Wright/UCC controversery

Here are some of my reflections on the widespread condemnation of Rev. Jeremiah Wright based on video clips of a few of his sermons ...

Actions speak louder than words. It is so important for us to remember that, because we live in a time when our words may be used as weapons against us, when just a few words may be used to judge or dismiss or denounce an entire career, an entire life.

That is just what has happened to one of my colleagues, a member of our church, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, recently retired pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. You have undoubtedly heard the news stories or seen some of the video clips: Jeremiah Wright standing in the pulpit saying, “God damn America!” For those few words and for a few others that have been excerpted from thirty-six years worth of sermons, he has been judged and vilified and denounced as unpatriotic and a hatemonger.

It is surely unfair to lift a single phrase or a few short paragraphs from their broader context. If you were to listen to the entire sermon from which those words came, you might better appreciate what Rev. Wright was trying to say about our country and what he was not trying to say. You might not, but you might.

And it is surely uncharitable to ignore the cultural context from which and to which he speaks, a context very different from our own. We don’t know what life looks like from the underside. We who are white cannot begin to understand what it is like to be a person of color in America. And the style and substance and heritage of African-American worship is probably like a foreign language to most of us.

But even taking his words at face value, out of context, we have to remember: actions speak louder.

To read the rest of the Rev. Ensworth's comments, go to his blog: more on jeremiah wright.

Church sanctuary filled with people!
First Congregational
United Church of Christ
608 West Fourth Street, Waterloo, Iowa 50702
319-234-8927 (phone)
319-234-0116 (fax)
ensworth@firstcongucc.org (email)
Office hours: M - F, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm

Sunday Schedule
Sunday School -- 9:15 am
Worship -- 10:30 am

Get directions to First Congregational UCC

Pilgrim Heights logo

Click on the logo above to access information about the summer camping program at Pilgrim Heights Retreat Center. The summer camping schedule runs from May 24 - September 1 and includes camps for children and families, youth and adults. Registration forms are available from Greg Holt or here.

Click on the link beloew to see a schedule for the 2008 summer camping program at Pilgrim Heights:
Summer Camps 2008

First Congregational United Church of Christ
Five-year Vision Statements

Click on the link above for the text of our five-year vision statements, outlining goals in the three areas of mission, youth ministry, and small group ministries.

History

church door with bannerThe First Congregational Church of Waterloo was organized on September 24, 1856, a short time after the organization of the town itself. The founding members of the church were motivated by their desire to preserve the congregational traditions of freedom of conscience and self-rule, and to take a strong stand against the institution of slavery.

The first services were held in an old log schoolhouse. The cornerstone of the present building was laid in 1907. In 1961 the church voted to become part of the newly formed United Church of Christ.

Today, after more than one hundred and fifty years, we value the same things: freedom of conscience, liberty for all people, faithful service to the kingdom of God. We extend a loving welcome to all people -- no matter who you are or where you are on life's journey! -- because that is the way God has welcomed us!