Come, share your journey with us.
No matter who you are,
no matter where you are in life's journey,
you're welcome here!
"Jesus didn't turn people away, neither do we." When you're gutsy enough to make such a claim, it's not always easy to make good on it. Following Jesus' lead, the United Church of Christ strives to keep doors open to all. By God's grace—in the past and today—we do what needs to be done to be bold people of God's welcome.
Jesus lived and breathed gracious hospitality. Even though there were powerful people who opposed Jesus' extravagant welcome, he still embraced those who were often shunned. In the reign of God that Jesus spoke of, he declared there is room for all—children (Luke 18:15-17) and those who are hungry, thirsty, homeless, ill, poor, grieving, persecuted, and in prison (Matthew 25: 31-46 and Luke 6:20-26).
Jesus put faith and hospitality together: "Whoever receives one whom I send receives me" and those who received Jesus, embraced God (John 13:20).
This kind of hospitality is characteristic of both God's faithfulness and, at our best, our faithfulness. God welcomes, and also feeds the hungry, forgives sins, stands with those who are poor and oppressed, comforts the suffering, and becomes home for those who wander. In gratitude, faithful people welcome strangers. A surprise in the Bible is the way you welcome a stranger expresses how you embrace the very presence of God (Genesis 18:1-8 and Luke 23:28-35).
The church, since its beginning, continues to "extend hospitality to strangers (Roman 12:13)." The church, after all, is a blessed company of strangers held together by the grace of God.
UCC churches express God's extravagant welcome in a variety of ways. Our welcome embraces both those we invite to participate in our congregations, as well as those outside the church, with whom we work for God's justice and compassion. That is our prayer, our hope.
Who is welcome? Our churches are among those whose doors are open to God's children of different cultures, races, genders, ages, sexual orientations, abilities, economic situations, and theological traditions.
It isn't always easy to be so open. Each UCC congregation prayerfully discerns and expresses how wide their doors and arms are open. Some state it this way, "We are a multicultural and multiracial, open and affirming, accessible to all, and just peace church." Wow, that's a mouthful, but check out the links to those words to discover the meaning, heart, and history behind the terms.
Once one enters the door, it's not a matter of "sit back, be quiet, speak only as we do." You, your heart's questions and your gifts, are vital to the congregation. Both we and you grow together in faith and witness. Your distinct story of faith joins with centuries of stories that make up the Church, and specifically the United Church of Christ. In God's grace, you change: we change. We make a holy difference in each other's lives, and, together, in the world.
In gratitude, because God welcomes us, we are called to make bold stands. In behalf of and along with those who remain oppressed, suffering, alienated, and poor in God's world, we speak and act . "It's not an extravagant welcome to an ‘anything-goes' religion, a comfortable form of Christianity, but to a costly form of discipleship," says John Thomas, the UCC's current General Minister and President. Thomas calls this kind of discipleship "evangelical courage." It's the other side of the "extravagant welcome" coin. You see this risky faith expressed throughout our history that at times has been hidden. Inspired by God's gift of hospitality, we work for God's welcoming world of love and justice.
What matters to you?
When was a time that you felt especially welcomed?
What did people do to make you feel welcome?
Have you known a time when it was tough to be hospitable to another? When?
When did your church especially demonstrate an extravagant welcome?
Who do you pray might walk through your church's door?
If they entered, what difference might it make to your church, to you, to them?