What We Believe at the Raymond Village Community Church

The Raymond Village Community Church is a congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC) - a mainline, protestant, Christian denomination whose ancestors include the pilgrims who first came to this country in 1620. The UCC was the first denomination to ordain women and has often been actively involved in issues of social justice - from the 19th century anti-slavery movement to the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

The UCC and its 1.4 million members in 6000 congregations have been called a "heady and exasperating mix.” The denomination tends to be a progressive and prophetic one that engages both heart and mind, speaking out on issues of social and economic justice, oppression, and peace.

However, the Raymond Village Community Church is at its heart a community church that draws its members from a variety of spiritual backgrounds and a wide spectrum of theological perspectives. We strive to actively engage one another, so that all our voices are not only heard but are listened to and respected. Love and unity in the midst of our diversity are our greatest assets.

We embrace our United Church of Christ heritage and so:

We believe in the triune God: Creator, Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

We believe that God calls us to be servants in the service of others and to be good stewards of the earth’s resources. One of our mottos is: ‘To believe is to care; to care is to do.’

We believe in Jesus’ prophetic message of reconciliation and love. We are passionate about caring for the poor, comforting the afflicted, working for nonviolent solutions to local, national, and international problems, and doing what we can to heal a broken world.

We believe that all people of faith are invited to join in the sacraments of baptism and communion. Just as many grains of wheat are gathered to make one loaf of bread and many grapes are gathered to make one cup of wine, we, the many people of God, are made one in the body of Christ, the church.

We believe that each person is unique and valuable. We believe that God wants men, women, and children to belong to a family of faith where they are valued and loved.

We believe that each person is on a spiritual journey - and that each of us is at a different stage of that journey. However, no matter who – no matter what – no matter where we are on that journey, we all belong to God and to the Body of Christ.

We believe that this journey is a persistent search for God. We believe that on this journey we will develop an authentic relationship with the Holy One that will bring love, strengthen faith, dissolve guilt, and give our life purpose and direction.

We are a people of possibility. We don't have all the answers in an easy pre-packaged plan, but we believe that that no one should put a period where God has placed a comma. We believe that God is still speaking...

For more information on our beliefs at the Raymond Village Community Church please e-mail us at Pastor@rvccme.org