About Us 2 2

March 9, 2025

We gather in person and online. Join us at 10 a.m. on Sundays via Facebook: hopeuccmacomb or IN-PERSON.

See the March Beacon Newsletter for details on upcoming events!

3/8- Saturday- Food Pantry 9-12. Volunteers needed.

HOLY COMMUNION will be on MARCH 9th.

3/9-Blessing Bags available. Donations help veterans work with service dogs.

Pick up a free Lenten Devotion Guide on Welcome Table to help you grow in your faith.

Lenten Book Study-Wednesday March 12th at 7pm. In-person at church & on Zoom. Books are for sale at church. You Can’t Ask That! 50 Taboo questions about the Bible, Jesus and Christianity.

3/16-Chili Cook-Off- Please sign up to make a chili. All are welcome!

Celebrating Life Workshop- Plan your own Memorial Service 3/28 4/1- 5/18- See Beacon Newsletter for details

Confirmation Sunday-March 23rd during worship and special celebration to follow.

Removing the Clutter Challenge- Pick up the explanation and bag at church. Remove the clutter from your home and heart!

We have lots of programs and worship opportunities during this season of Lent. We need your financial support to continue to meet our expenses. You can give your gift on Hope’s website- hopeuccmi.com or in-person.

Please sign up to bring a treat for coffee hour. Sign-up sheet on the welcome table. We need more people to participate!

As we get ready to begin our Lenten journey, we seek God’s truth to sustain us. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

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.