Who We Are
As followers of Jesus, we are called
to speak to and into the culture,
institutions and laws of our own times,
seeking justice and liberation for all.
First Congregational Church of Haworth is a congregation of the United Church of Christ, a denomination deeply rooted in the Protestant Reformation - with a deep commitment to social justice and the liberty of individual conscience and experience.
“No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here” is not merely a slogan, but a reflection of our sincerely held belief.
We understand God as expressed in the world and in our lives as Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer (in the traditional language, “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”).
We acknowledge the Bible as holding the sacred stories of our faith, but we take them too seriously to take them literally. We recognize the Bible as a human account of our shared quest for God. Faith and reason are both gifts from God that accompany us on our journey.
We understand Jesus’ ministry on earth as profoundly counter-cultural, as it challenged the dominant powers and voices of his day. He preached a gospel of peace, reconciliation and renewal, and overtly crossed accepted boundaries to welcome all to the table of God. As one who came to “bring good news to the poor” he lived a gospel of liberation and love, emptying himself so that he might be one with the Spirit of God and a source of reconciliation for all people.
As followers of Jesus, we are called to speak to and into the culture, institutions and laws of our own times, seeking justice and liberation for all.
We do not require any test of orthodoxy for membership. We focus more on orthopraxis: the way we show up, act, and participate in the world. We celebrate a statement of faith that is not a test of belief, nor a requirement for church membership, but a way that we joyfully express our experiences of God’s love.
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Open and Affirming (ONA)
As a gathering of people that are devoted to sharing God’s unconditional, unlimited love and radical welcome, we became certified as an Open & Affirming (ONA) Congregation of the United Church of Christ. We wanted to make sure that everyone who encounters or engages us knows that we are inclusive, tolerant, loving, LGBTQIA-friendly, and that we practice the radical hospitality of Jesus.Our theology is open, liberal, and progressive – we believe that God is still speaking, and each individual has their own, personal, unique relationship with God, and that no person or human organization has the right to dictate your belief. Come and worship with us – we can’t wait to meet you, right where you are!Our ONA Proclamation
As faithful followers of the All Loving and Inclusive God, the First Congregational Church of Haworth, UCC declares itself to be Open and Affirming. We covenant with one another to affirm and welcome into full participation members and staff of every sexual orientation (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and heterosexual) just as we extend the same loving affirmation and welcome to people of every age, race, gender, ethnicity, physical and mental ability, and marital and economic status.
We affirm the gifts for ministry of all God’s children and will not be silent when the rights and dignity of any are denied. We seek to be an inclusive community of faith that will nurture, strengthen and hold each other in prayer, embrace our differences, support one another during difficult times, and together celebrate our joys. We will encourage respect, justice and compassion for all as we strive for unity in our communities and throughout the world.
The United Church of Christ / UCC
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, ordaining the first African American pastor in 1805, ordaining the first woman pastor in 1853 and ordaining the first openly gay pastor in 1972. We are a church of extravagant welcome, and a church where "…they may all be one". (John 17:21)