About Us 2

As autumn begins, our attention is drawn to trees as we notice the leaves begin to change. As I reflect on how to live out my faith during these complex times, I increasingly turn to our call found within the scripture to be like trees! (Psalm 1) We are encouraged to be deeply rooted in the living waters of Christ (John 4), knit together as fellow members of the family of God (Ephesians 2).

What if our witness in the world was like that of trees? Trees which offer life-giving oxygen to the world, along with beauty, shade, fruit, protection, and places to play?

Trees are rooted in one location and make their environment better by their very presence. Having deep roots allows trees to develop wide branches. These branches reach out and touch the branches of neighboring other trees. Trees provide a connection from the smallest insect to the most majestic bird. Trees offer these life-giving gifts to all around them, not only to their particular kind.

God calls us to be people who offer life to the world, rooted in Christ rather than fear or despair. We are called to be attentive to our location and always discerning how we might be like trees. What if we too offered life-giving breath, gifts, comfort, and sustenance to those around us like each tree does? Imagine if we honored each other’s roots and sought to grow connections rather than demarcating lines of division.

Remembering the words, “by their fruit you shall know them” (Matt 7). May the Spirit send a holy wind so the leaves of our heart might contribute to the healing of our relationships and our communities and beyond. May we, by God’s grace bear the fruit of the Spirit in our world. Let us be like trees!

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.