Most Gainesville folks could probably direct you to a number of Baptist, Methodist, Catholic or Episcopal churches. But a United Church of Christ (UCC) church? Gainesville people do not refer to UCG as the UCC church in town. Indeed, probably many are unaware of the denominational connection. Maybe some of you were, too?

 

In New England there are many Congregational Churches that are now UCC affiliated. This means that there may be two UCC congregations in one town, another eight miles away and several more within a 10-mile radius. Often these churches join together for special services or outreach programs. Many of these churches are not locally identified as “The UCC Church” in town. When joining the UCC (it was optional for each congregation) they sought to remain known as the community center they had been for a few hundred years when the church actually was the center of community life. Some of these churches retained the name Congregational, simply adding the UCC designation, while others changed their name. Our little country church in Deering, NH, is the Deering Community Church, while our original UCC church in Sayville, NY, is the Sayville Congregational United Church of Christ.

 

Well, times have changed. Quite obviously, the church is no longer the center of community life. The United Church of Gainesville, and the Sayville and Deering churches, are not homogeneous clusters of people who are all the same. They are patchworks of folks with a variety of beliefs, from different backgrounds, searching for a spiritual home. Our UCG has many effective outreach programs such as Food for Kids, the Christmas Angel tree and the monthly Food First Sunday, all generously supported by the congregation. And don’t forget the Chili lunch and Basket Raffle, and the Art Show/auction. Our question now may be how to invite our community in to experience our inclusive welcome – and perhaps join our support of these programs. What do we, or can we, provide that invites local neighbors to come to our campus, use our facilities, and maybe even stay awhile? Could UCG really become a “community center” – even a little ?

 

What do you think? What do UCC (and other) churches do to invite the community in? Does it work?

Stay tuned… and ask questions.

Suzanne Huggard, Council Member-at-Large