First Congregational United Church of Christ

A Statement Passed at the Annual Meeting of First Congregational United Church of Christ on January 26, 2003

We, the community of First Congregational United Church of Christ, have long been committed to social justice, and to racial and cultural diversity. We celebrate the diversity of our membership, of the many who use the hospitality of our building, and of our city.

We were founded in 1865 at the conclusion of the Civil War by Abolitionists committed to racial equality. The founding of Howard University in 1867 was a major early achievement of our church. A dispute over welcoming African-Americans at the same communion table divided the new church, culminating in 1869 when the segregationists, led by the pastor, withdrew. Howard University purchased the note on the new building, saving us for this day.

Our denomination, the United Church of Christ, was formed in 1957 from four distinct denominations, inspired by the prayer of Jesus Christ that they may all be one. The new denomination was dedicated to being a united and uniting church. This tradition of inclusion is a prophetic call to our ministry.

In 1973 and again in 1986, we responded to the exclusion of gays and lesbians from full participation in many churches. In 1973 we entered into a covenant with the Metropolitan Community Church of Washington to share space and ministry. In 1986 we declared ourselves an Open and Affirming church.

We declared ourselves a Just Peace church in 1985, dedicating ourselves to work for a peace based upon social justice. We strive to be an accessible church for people with disabilities, overcoming both physical and attitudinal barriers.

In 1993 the 19th General Synod of the United Church of Christ in St. Louis, Missouri adopted A Pronouncement and Proposal for Action on Becoming a Multiracial and Multicultural Church calling on us to be racially and culturally inclusive throughout the life of the church. We are responding to that call.

Despite varied and recurrent efforts, racism and cultural biases have not been extinguished from our midst. When we read the Apostle Paul declaring that there is no such thing as Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus, we recognize the call to claim an identity which is deeper than race and culture, one which affirms our unity and calls us to be a beloved community, a community where each and every one is the beloved of God.

We therefore declare ourselves a Multiracial and Multicultural church. In a Multiracial and Multicultural church all have a place at the table of Christ within the household of God: one body, one family, no insiders, no outsiders, each person’s gifts recognized and affirmed. Further, we pledge that the fruit of the Multiracial and Multicultural church will be manifest in our staffing, our music and worship, our programs, our relationships, and our outreach.

By affirming ourselves as a Multiracial and Multicultural church, we are expanding our response to God’s call to be the beloved community. Our purpose is not simply to welcome the stranger, but to know ourselves as one with the stranger; not simply to make our community more diverse, but to become one with the whole community of God. By claiming our identity as a Multiracial and Multicultural church, we commit ourselves to a path of discernment and action which will lead us toward the fulfillment of Christ’s prayer that we may all be one. We acknowledge that our essential identity is grounded in that oneness. We commit ourselves to proclaiming this message beyond our walls and to supporting others who likewise seek to be the beloved community.

We, the community of First Congregational United Church of Christ, are a diverse group of people; we are persons of different ages, races, and sexual orientations who have come from varying social, economic, political, and religious back- grounds. We celebrate our diversity even as we acknowledge and affirm our unity in the presence of God. The differences among us are to be understood in the context of a tradition of inclusiveness. The Apostle Paul declared this truth when he spoke of the Christian response to significant categorizations of society in his time:
There is no such thing as Jew and Greek, slave and free person, male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. - Galatians 3:28

We come to this church community with all the complexities of our individual situations. Among the goals of our ministry to each other is the desire to heal the brokenness we experience in ourselves and our relationships with each other and with God. Our congregation’s history shows our desire to heal such brokenness; the church’s decisions to be a racially integrated community (1865), to stay in the inner city (1956), and to enter into covenant with the Metropolitan Community Church (1973) exemplify our desire to be open and inclusive. We realize our intentions to be inclusive cannot be fulfilled by pointing to our history. Rather, we must act, and continue to act, if healing is to occur.

Within this context, recognizing that sexual orientation can be a barrier in our society but should not be a part of the brokenness among us, we therefore confirm our church as an Open and Affirming church with respect to sexual orientation.

With faith in and the help of God, we lift up the following as evidence of our openness and affirmation:

We are open to all sexual orientations in our church’s celebrations and sacraments.

1. We encourage involvement by persons of all sexual orientations in the ministry and teaching of the church.
2. We are open to all sexual orientations in our employment.
3. We support education for all ages about sexual orientation as part of the broad spectrum of human sexuality.
4. We commit ourselves as advocates for persons of all sexual orientations, so that our openness may be affirmed externally as well as internally.

First Congregational United Church of Christ affirms itself to be a Just Peace Local Church. By this affirmation we understand that we commit ourselves both as a church and as individuals to a process by which we seek to discern and act upon the links between justice and peace. Our affirmation of the United Church of Christ as a Just Peace Church, together with the study document A Just Peace, have been and will continue to be useful resources in pursuing this course.

Our Covenant

To be a member of First Congregational Church, a person needs to have been baptized, agree that our by-laws are a reasonable way to govern ourselves, accept the Prayer of Faith as one reasonable testimony to our shared faith, and, most importantly, join with other members in this covenant:

In grateful response to the call of Jesus Christ, we covenant with God and with each other to be a Church of Christ. We bind ourselves, in God’s redeeming presence, to walk together in ways revealed to us by the Holy Spirit in sacrament and Word, study and prayer, fellowship and mission.

Prayer of Faith

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

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

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

You judge us by your righteous will declared through prophets and apostles.

In Jesus Christ, the man of Nazareth, our crucified and risen Lord, 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 humanity, 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 kingdom which has no end.

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

 The stained glass windows were a beloved and important part of our building at 945 G Street. This page will be updated to include links to larger-resolution images of these windows.

Chapel Window: 

This page is under construction. It will contain information about the pastoral staff and various First Church commissions.

>> Read the Church Bylaws (in PDF).

Welcome, Friends and Visitors!

Welcome to the website for First Congregational United Church of Christ in Washington, DC! We are a Just Peace, Open and Affirming (ONA), Multiracial and Multicultural Church that has been serving downtown Washington DC since 1865! First Congregational Church has been located on the corner of 10th and G Streets, NW, but we are sojourning while the site is redeveloped. (The Church is to be rebuilt on the same site.)

During construction, the congregation, including its social programs, will continue at First Trinity Lutheran Church at the corner of 4th and E Streets (near the Judiciary Square Metro). Parking is available in the court lot across the street.

Sunday Worship Service
Bible Workbench: 12 pm
Choir and child care: 12:30 pm
Sunday school worship: 12:30 pm
Worship service: 1 pm
Fellowship hour: 2 pm
Adult nurture: 2:30 pm

Finding Community: A Spiritual Home

At First Church, we are a close community in the heart of the city, drawing people from the wider metropolitan area and coming together for the common good. We are people who need a spiritual home, a place of acceptance and love and respect, where we can be ourselves and become more. Together we have come to know the presence of God. We have come to count on each other. And we work with many others for a better world.

Joined in Covenant: Communion for All

All members have been baptized and willingly join in this covenant which makes us a church:

In grateful response to the call of Jesus Christ, we covenant with God and with each other to be a Church of Christ. We bind ourselves, in God’s redeeming presence, to walk together in ways revealed to us by the Holy Spirit in sacrament and Word, study and prayer, fellowship and mission.

Communion at First church is open to everyone. Our invitation to communion says something about who we are as a people and a church:

We come to this table not because we must, but because we may; not because we are strong, but because we are weak. Not because we have any claim on God’s blessing, but because we stand in constant need of God’s mercy. We come not to express an opinion but to seek a presence and pray for a Spirit.

Each church in the United Church of Christ is autonomous, linked together by covenant. All authority is vested in the congregation. We are Christian, and yet jealously guard freedom of conscience. We believe in testimonies, not tests of faith.

First Congregational United Church of Christ was founded in 1865 by abolitionists as the first racially integrated church in Washington, DC. In 1867 the mission committee of the church played a prominent role in the founding of Howard University. In 1868, after worshiping for several years in Congress, the church moved into its newly constructed building at the corner of 10^th and G Streets, NW. When the church divided over integration in 1869 and the segregationists left, Howard University saved the church by buying the note.

In 1953, when the original structure was condemned, the Trustees recommended that the building be sold and the church relocated. The congregation rejected this recommendation and voted to rebuild in the present location, continuing our downtown ministry in the Nation’s capital and affirming the church’s presence in an urban area. During the 1960’s First Church was active in the civil rights movement, and this activism has continued throughout the church’s history: in 1975 we became an Open and Affirming (ONA) Church, in 1985 we became a Just Peace Church, and in 2003 we affirmed our vision as a Multiracial/Multicultural Church.

In the new millennium, with a deteriorating building and a resurgent downtown, First Church has decided to redevelop its site into a mixed use complex, with a new church, state-of-the-art facilities for our meal and service programs, and eight stories of office space. In January 2007, we relocated to nearby First Trinity Lutheran Church, along with the Dinner Program with its twice daily meals and social services.

In this period of transition, we are building for the future and seeking new pastoral leadership following the retirement of our ministers. We continue as a warm and welcoming community ministering to the wider community. During construction, the congregation, including its social programs, will continue at First Trinity Lutheran at 4th & E Streets, NW. Sunday worship is at 1 p.m.

We hope you will join us in our journey continues! Belonging and loving require the sharing of ourselves, our abilities, and resources. We welcome you to become part of this beloved community!

• Read more about our worship and activity schedule on our Welcome page
• Visit our Beliefs page to learn about our covenantal tradition and our Open and Affirming (ONA), Just Peace, and Multiracial/Multicultural Church statements)
• Read more about the details of our transition and visiting us in our Home Away from Home guide.
• Learn more about the decision to redevelop in “Building Dreams,” in the May 1, 2007 issue of United Church News.
• Learn about the stained glass windows of our old building.
• Read the Centennial History (1865-1965) of First Congregational UCC (coming soon).

• Church office (mailing address): 309 E Street, NW, Washington DC 20001
• Church office (walk-in): 504 3rd Street NW, Washington, DC 20001
• Telephone: (202) 628-4317
• Fax: (202) 347-4911
• Office email: fcc @ fccuccdc.org
• Webmaster: webmaster @ fccuccdc.org

We have Covenants, not Doctrines at First Congregational Church!

The United Church of Christ receives the historic creeds and confessions of our forebears as testimonies, not tests of faith. We cherish freedom of conscience among our members. The United Church of Christ is rooted in the covenantal tradition, beginning with God’s Biblical covenants with Noah, Abraham, Moses and the new covenant in Jesus Christ. In our covenantal polity there is no central authority or hierarchy. Christ alone is Head of the church. Each congregation is autonomous and each church is governed democratically by its members. As each congregation is organized by covenant, so the churches within the denomination are held together by voluntary covenant. We are always seeking to balance autonomy or freedom with covenantal responsibility or steadfast love.

>> Read Our Covenant and Prayer of Faith.
>> Visit the Beliefs pages on the United Church of Christ website to learn about our covenantal tradition.

Open and Affirming

First Congregational Church had done an extensive study and become, for all practical purposes, an Open and Affirming Church in 1973. Responding to the request of General Synod XV encouraging local churches to declare themselves Open and Affirming with respect to sexual orientation, another study was done which resulted in a statement declaring ourselves an Open and Affirming (ONA) church.

>> Read our Open and Affirming Statement

Just Peace

In response to a call from General Synod, First Church voted in 1985 to be a Just Peace Church. The Social Action Commission helped the church focus on the way justice and peace are related on a range of issues, such as political struggles in Latin America and South Africa, race relations in the U.S., struggles for economic justice, and arms control.

>> Read our Statement on Being a Just Peace Church

Multicultural and Multiracial

Responding to the Pronouncement of General Synod in 1993 that the United Church of Christ become a multiracial and multicultural church, First Congregational began a prolonged study with resulted in a statement passed at the Annual Meeting of 2003.

>> Read our Multiracial and Multicultural Vision