We Serve with Purpose and Love

At FCUCC, we believe that working for peace and justice is one of the primary ways we live out our faith. We follow in the way of Jesus, who welcomed the outcast and stood up against oppressive systems. We are a JUST PEACE church (see document link below to read about what this means). ​It is not uncommon for our pastors to address justice issues from the pulpit or for congregation members to be involved in social movements.

Our ministries educate, motivate, and empower us to respond in the spirit of Christ to the needs of our neighbors near and far. 

Our overall financial support goes to seven areas of emphasis: children/youth/elderly, health, environment, housing/shelter, peace and justice, racial reconciliation, and UCC National. 

We often have short-term goal oriented ministry projects.  For example, at the start of last school year, our congregation donated enough money that we were able to provide school supplies for Emma Elementary.  
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We are currently working on supplying food to stock a food pantry located just next to Emma Elementary with healthy food staples so that the entire families of students at Emma Elementary have enough to eat.  Over 90% of the students there face food insecurity everyday.  Manna Foodbank provides backpacks with enough food for each student over the weekend, but they are not designed to be shared with the families.  This project hopes to fill in that gap, providing food for the entire family. 

What Is a JUST PEACE Church?

As a just peace church continuing the work of Jesus, we commit to work towards a world where all persons are treated with dignity and equality, where societies are structured in ways that promote the well being of all people, and where conflicts are resolved through communication and negotiation, without resort to exploitation or violence – and to embody these principles in our life and witness as individuals and as a congregation. Click below to download our full statement.

We Are an Open & Affirming Church

We invite people of every race, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, ability, financial means, ethnic and spiritual background into the full life and ministry of this congregation

Land Acknowledgement Statement

We respectfully acknowledge that the land upon which First Congregational United Church of Christ (FCUCC) sits and on which we stand is the ancestral land of the Ani’yv’wiya, commonly known as Cherokee. This land is at the center of their lives and spirituality.  

We recognize that we use this land at the cost of “violence, oppression, coercion, removal, relocation and broken treaties” perpetrated against the Cherokee people. White European settlers, our governments, and those who profited economically stole the land. We understand that the Doctrine of Discovery imposed a foreign concept of land ownership on the Native Peoples. Across the centuries it has been and continues to be used to justify exploitation of land, air and water.

The Racial Justice Team will guide the congregation in studying the history of the Doctrine of Discovery; becoming informed about how it remains operative; and determine how FCUCC will respond.

Start a Ministry

​Do you feel called to start a ministry? Feeling passionate about something the church might do? Feeling called to start something exciting at this church?  Call the church at (828) 252-8729 and let’s talk about it.  Read our policy on forming new Ministry Teams in the Member Section of this website.