The Raymond Village Community Church is a part of the United Church of Christ (UCC) – a protestant, Christian denomination established in 1957 but whose ancestors include the pilgrims who first came to this country in 1620. The UCC was the first denomination to ordain women and has a history of active involvement in issues of social justice – from the 19th century anti-slavery movement to the civil rights movement of the 1960s to gay rights today.
The UCC and its 880,000 members in more than 5100 congregations have been called a “heady and exasperating mix.” The denomination is a progressive and prophetic one that engages both heart and mind, speaking out on issues of social and economic justice, oppression, and peace.
The Raymond Village Community Church is also 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. 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 and 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. 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 are a people of possibility. We don’t have all the answers in an easy pre-packaged plan, but we believe that no one should put a period where God has placed a comma. We believe that God is still speaking…