UCCers from across Minnesota offer “Why the UCC” in this unscripted video, June 2014.


www.ucc.org (National UCC web site)
www.uccmn.org (Minnesota Conference UCC web site)

Given in the Form of a Doxology, revised and adopted in 1981

We believe in you, O God, Eternal Spirit,
God of our Savior Jesus Christ and our God,
   and to your deeds we testify:

You call the worlds into being,
   create persons in your own image,
   and set before each one the ways of life and death.

You seek in holy love to save all people from aimlessness and sin.

You judge people and nations by your righteous will
   declared through the prophets and apostles.

In Jesus Christ, the man of Nazareth, our crucified and risen Savior,
   you have come to us and shared our common lot,
   conquering sin and death
   and reconciling the world to yourself.

You bestow upon us your Holy Spirit,
   creating and renewing the church of Jesus Christ,
   binding in covenant faithful people of all ages, tongues, and races.

You call us into your church
   to accept the cost and joy of discipleship,
   to be your servants in the service of others,
   to proclaim the gospel to all the world
   and resist the powers of evil,
   to share in Christ’s baptism and eat at his table,
   to join him in his passion and victory.

You promise to all who trust you
   forgiveness of sins and fullness of grace,
   courage in the struggle for justice and peace,
   your presence in trial and rejoicing,
   and eternal life in your realm which has no end.

Blessing and honor, glory and power be unto you. Amen.

The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a community of faith that seeks to respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed. The UCC was founded in 1957 as the union of several different Christian traditions: Christian, Congregational, Evangelical, and Reformed.

From the beginning of our history, we were a church that affirmed the ideal that Christians did not always have to agree to live together in communion. Our motto—"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 with nearly 1.2 million members.

Intelligent dialogue and a strong independent streak sometimes cause the United Church of Christ to be called a "heady and exasperating mix." The UCC tends to be a mostly progressive denomination that unabashedly engages heart and mind. And yet, the UCC somehow manages to balance congregational autonomy with a strong commitment to unity among its nearly 5,400 congregations in the United States —despite wide differences among many local congregations on a variety of issues.

While preserving relevant portions of heritage and history dating back to the 16th century, the UCC and its forebears have proven themselves capable of moving forward, tying faith to social justice and shaping cutting edge theology and service in an ever-changing world.

The UCC recognizes two sacraments: Baptism and Holy Communion.

Affirming that Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, the UCC claims as its own the faith of the historic church expressed in the ancient creeds and reclaimed in the basic insights of the Protestant reformers. Yet the UCC also affirms the responsibility of the church in each generation and community to make faith its own in reality of worship, in honesty of thought and expression, and in purity of heart before God. It looks to the Word of God in the Scriptures, and to the presence and power of the Holy Spirit to prosper its creative and redemptive work in the world.

One of the UCC’s distinguishing characteristics is its penchant to believe that ... God is still speaking, ... even when it puts us out there alone. History has shown that, most often, we’re only alone for a while. Besides, we receive so many gifts from our ecumenical partners, being "early" seems to be one of ours.

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