We Are One At Baptism And At The Table.
God’s grace is celebrated in baptism and holy communion. We call these rituals “sacraments.”
Through the water of baptism, God embraces you-no matter who you are-and brings you into Christ’s church. Baptism reminds us of our special covenant with God. In it, you share in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. In turn, the church promises to love, support, and care for you throughout your whole life.
At Holy Communion, we share a simple meal of bread and juice. Here, we encounter Christ’s presence. Together, around God’s welcome table, we recall God’s loving acts in Jesus, experience oneness in God, hope for a time when all will be fed, and anticipate the fullness of God’s love and justice throughout creation. Communion at Webster UCC is open to all, regardless of age or any other prerequisite.
We Are A People Of Covenant, A United And Uniting Church.
God invites us into a special relationship called ‘covenant.’ The Bible speaks of God’s holy covenants with people, communities of faith, nations, and all of creation.
As God covenants with us, we covenant with one another. Local churches also covenant-prayerfully acting on their own, but also relating with associations, conferences, the General Synod, and national setting of the UCC. We covenant with many other Christian denominations and pray that all may be one (John 17:21). This prayer extends beyond the unity of all churches to the reconciliation of the whole world.
All are welcome into a special relationship with God, especially you.
We Listen For The Stillspeaking God.
Founded in 1957, the UCC is grounded in the ancient church of the New Testament and in historic streams of Christianity in this country, dating back to the Pilgrims and German immigrants in colonial Pennsylvania. We affirm the words of our Pilgrim forbear, John Robinson that God has “more light and truth to break forth…” (1621).
In our generation, we seek and serve God in innovative ways. God continues to form us through new people among us, offering a multicultural mosaic that reflects all of creation. We celebrate our common ground, while honoring our differences: “In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, diversity; in all things, charity.”
Through prayer, sacraments, and worship; through the arts and sciences; through compassionate and political acts; and particularly in the voices of those who suffer, God is at work in our hearts and minds, in faith communities, and the wider world.
Look listen all around. God’s trying to tell us something.
We Thank God By Working For A Just And Loving World.
Jesus taught about the realm of God. This realm is one of love and justice, hope and peace. We see it in the past, particularly in the life of Christ. But we also glimpse it in the present and look for the fulfillment of it in the future. God’s promise extends even beyond death to life eternal.
In gratitude to God, we seek to root out injustice; to stand in solidarity with those who are poor and oppressed; to give with inspiring generosity; to care for the earth; and even to sometimes go against the grain of conventional norms.
You are invited to both the joy and the responsibility of discipleship.
We Belong To Christ.
Jesus Christ is central to who we are. We know God especially in Jesus, who lived, loved, died, rose from the dead, and is present today. Because we belong to Christ, we welcome, love, pray, and serve.
The God we know in Jesus is also known by many names. We share a tradition among Christians speaking of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We also speak of God in ways that enrich our faith-God as mother, rock, liberator, savior, friend.
We affirm historic creeds and statements of faith, not as tests for belief, but as inspired works of faithful women and men who came before us. We discover God through the Bible, through prayer, and through engaging the world.
No single statement fully expresses who God is; but where there is justice, peace, and compassion, we see the living God at work in history. We belong to such a God.
How do you know God?
Tell us your story.
Let’s grow together.
Come, share your journey with us.
For more information about the United Church of Christ and our faith, visit the denomination website:
https://www.ucc.org/about-us_what-we-believe
https://www.ucc.org/god-is-still-speaking
In the Congregational tradition, Webster UCC independently runs its own affairs. This self-governance model ensures that the church is truly directed by the congregation. The Leadership Council, comprised of elected congregation members, provides oversight to the operations of the church. Our leadership is approachable and engaged. While we have formal rules that we operate under, the organization is not idolized. In fact, Article 1 of our Guidance Document states “In our church, people matter most.”
Guidance document
