About Us 2

“I know that it is well with your soul.” 3 John 1:2

How is it with your soul today? What a meaningful way of asking someone how
they are doing. Perhaps, we would get a more honest answer instead of the
obligatory response of, “I’m fine”, if we asked this question instead of how are
you. Certainly, during these winter months and during a time of uneasiness our
souls have gotten a workout.

John Wesley used the question how is it with your soul two centuries ago when he
developed a new way for Christians to support each other in the faith. His
followers met in “class meetings,” which we now call small groups. The groups
focused on the spiritual disciplines of prayer, support, study and accountability. It
was the 18th century version of a small support group.

It was also a profound way to help people grow in their relationship with God.
Imagine if you asked yourself or someone close to you, “How is it with your soul?”
We measure our lives in all kinds of ways- the hours we work, the salary we earn,
the success of our children, the home we live in, the time we spend exercising.
Corporations and other organizations focus on “best practices” or “quality
control” to measure their success.

But how do we assess the most important relationship of our lives, our
relationship with God? John Wesley’s question based on the scripture from the
Third Letter of John, is a good place to start.

During this season of Lent, ask yourself, how is it with my soul today? Your mind
may be filled with lists of things to do or problems to solve. Your heart may be
overflowing with joy or breaking with sadness and grief. But how is it with your
soul? Whatever the day may bring or has brought, how are you experiencing God
in this time?

How can you deepen this soul-searching experience? You might find that reading
a Lenten daily devotion or listen to music reminds you of God’s love. I invite you to
join us for worship or our Lenten study. Plan to attend our Celebrating Your Life
Workshop. You can contribute to your Lenten Blessing Bag or in our Removing the
Clutter Project.

This season is the perfect time to commit to worshipping or serving others.
Please pray for Hope Church and for those in need. Take time during the 40 days
of Lent, this season of preparation, to reflect on the state of your soul.
So, I ask, “How is it with your soul this day?”

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.