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about the UCC

Bethel Congregational UCC is a community of faith that joins with other congregations of the United Church of Christ in seeking to respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed. The United Church of Christ acknowledges as its sole head Jesus Christ, Son of God and Savior. We acknowledge as kindred in Christ all who share in this confession. We look to the Word of God in the Scriptures and to the presence and power of the Holy Spirit to support our creative and redemptive work in the world. We claim as our own the faith of the historic Church expressed in the ancient creeds and reclaimed in the basic insights of the Protestant Reformers. We affirm the responsibility of the Church in each generation to make this faith our own in reality of worship, in honesty of thought and expression, and in purity of heart before God. In accordance with the teaching of our Lord and the practice prevailing among evangelical Christians, we recognize two sacraments: Baptism and Holy Communion.

The UCC was founded in 1957 as the union of several different Christian traditions. From the beginning of our history, we have been a church that affirmed the ideal that Christians did not always have to agree to live together in communion. The motto of the United Church of Christ, "that they may all be one," is Jesus' prayer for the unity of the church. The UCC is one of the most diverse Christian denominations in the United States.

The United Church of Christ respects freedom of individual conscience. There are no "tests of faith" mandatory of our 1.4 million members, but we do honor the historic testimonies of our spiritual ancestors as they explored the Bible and applied its insights.

More information on the United Church of Christ, our faith, worship, and ministries, can be found on the UCC website.