What we believe
By calling ourselves progressive Christians, we mean that we are Christians who…
- Believe that following the path and teachings of jesus can lead to an awareness and experience of the sacred and the Oneness and Unity of all life
- Affirm that the teachings of Jesus provide but one of many ways to experience the Sacredness and Oneness of life, and that we can draw from diverse sources of wisdom in our spiritual journey
- Seek community that is inclusive of ALL people, including, but not limited to: Conventional Christians and questioning skeptics, Believers and agnostics, Binary and non-binary genders, Those of all sexual orientations and gender identities, Those of all classes and abilities
- Know that the way we behave towards one another is the fullest expression of what we believe
- Find grace in the search for understanding and believe there is more value in questioning than in absolutes
- Strive for peace, justice, and equity among all people
- Commit to a path of life-long learning, compassion, and selfless love
The Path We Walk
Church is the people.
Christ is our blueprint for living.
No one is turned away from God’s unfolding kingdom.
The whole of sacred text teaches us how to live lives of compassion.
All actions have consequences; choose the more compassionate path.
We are all created in the image and likeness of God, but our language is inadequate to ever fully articulate who God is, nor can we comprehend how God works in the world.
Open and Affirming
Adopted by First Congregational Church, UCC, Elkhart, IN on 29 July 2018 with a unanimous vote to become an Open and Affirming Congregation of the United Church of Christ.
We affirm that we are created in the image and likeness of God, that we are part of the whole of God’s diverse creation, and that we are interconnected and interdependent with each other and with God’s created order.
We affirm that the diversity with which God created the natural world is evidence that humanity is also created with great diversity, to include all sexual orientations and gender identities, understood and celebrated by the LGBTQIA community.
We affirm that the church, in general, has done great harm to those in the LGBTQIA community, and that the harm was meant to disparage, dehumanize, and defraud those in the LGBTQIA from their rightful seat at God’s table.
We affirm that it is our collective responsibility to embrace God’s diversity of creation and to participate in God’s redemptive work of the church as it claims a new path toward inclusion of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and expressions. We denounce messages of hate, shame, division, and self-deprecation. There is no place in God’s kingdom for this kind of speech, inside or outside the church. We are called to love one another as God has loved us, and to embrace one another just as Jesus embraced his disciples.
We also denounce all programs or therapies that would deny the personhood of LGBTQIA individuals, and that seek to change, alter, or “fix” their sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression, and categorically state that God’s intention for all of humanity is to live authentically as determined by one’s individual relationship with God.
Therefore, our covenant: to live together in God’s kingdom, embraced by God’s love, cherished by our fellow sojourners, consecrated in holiness, and entwined by our diversity to grow and be transformed into bearers of light and compassion in a hurting world. To embrace our LGBTQIA siblings with joy and thanksgiving as they contribute to the full life of the church, from pew to pulpit, inside and outside the walls of our church.
Acceptance
Being created in the image and likeness of God, you have always been good enough. God sees you and knows you, and we’d like to do the same.
Benevolence
We practice random acts of kindness as a way of giving of what we have, whether that is time, treasure, or talent. Compassion is our calling.
Community
We seek to be transformed in community, always desiring to be the very best version of ourselves while creating a sense of belonging for all.
Diversity
We long to see you and know you regardless of all the barriers the world tries to place in front of you. The more diverse, the more we grow.
Engagement
We are active in our local community, and believe that to serve as Christ served, with love and compassion, is our highest calling.
