MISSION statement
- We are a congregation committed to living out the Gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed.
- We are led by the Spirit into ministries of justice and peace, into spirited worship, and into religious education for all ages.
- We are known as a church-in-mission engaging all generations in hands-on mission projects. Our mission partnerships in Glastonbury, Hartford, South Dakota, and Africa are life-giving and transformational. As a Global Mission church, we seek to be a light in God’s world. As a WISE church, we seek to welcome, include, support, and engage with those living with mental health challenges.
- We are an Open and Affirming church, open to the rich diversity of God’s creation and affirming of all the spiritual gifts people bring. As Jesus sought to welcome those historically excluded, we labor to ensure that everyone has a seat at the table.
- We are a Christian church committed to inter-faith engagement, to loving our neighbors, and to servant leadership.
OPEN AND AFFIRMING
Because we are all one, unified in Jesus Christ, we are called to be a caring community, made up of, and open to all people without qualification including persons of any race, sex, age, nationality, marital status, physical ability, mental condition, economic status, or sexual orientation. We believe we are all unique, special and loved by God and created in God’s image. We will work to affirm the worth and dignity of all as gifts of God’s creation. Therefore, in keeping with the Covenant of our church, we, the members of The Congregational Church in South Glastonbury, declare ourselves to be an open and affirming church and join our brothers and sisters in the United Church of Christ who are striving to welcome all people who wish to follow Christ.
This Open and Affirming (ONA) statement was adopted by South Church on January 27, 1991. We have spent the last 20+ years humbly and faithfully living into it. It is our hope that no matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you will be welcome in this church.
Click here to learn more about the Open and Affirming ministry of the United Church of Christ.
SOUTH CHURCH & THE UCC
CCSG and the United Church of Christ (UCC) are autonomous and in covenant.
Visit the UCC site for more info.
South Church is an independent church but also a member of the national Christian denomination known as the United Church of Christ (UCC). The UCC is organized into 36 regional Conferences that are, in turn, organized into local Associations. South Church is a covenantal member of the Hartford East Association within the Southern New England Conference.
The UCC is decidedly non-hierarchical. It has no pope, no bishops, no executive headquarters. Instead, the UCC has a national ministry team based in Cleveland, Ohio. That team was intentionally designed to serve, support, engage, and empower the thousands of congregations that freely choose to be in mutual covenant through the UCC.
In fulfillment of its role, the UCC’s national ministry team regularly crafts statements about topics that pertain to the practice of our faith. UCC Conferences will often do the same. Additionally, every two years all churches belonging to the UCC are invited to a national meeting, called a Synod, to worship, conduct UCC business, and to discuss and vote on various statements to be made on behalf of our broader denomination. South Church routinely has delegates representing us at the local, regional and national levels.
These statements are born of deep thought, concern, and prayer. They are passionate, but not prescriptive. Their goal is to inform and inspire further reflection, conversation, and, when so inspired, action. Their goal is not to dictate what any person or congregation should think, say, or do. Examples of recent UCC statements have addressed the humane treatment of immigrants, the imminent end of the START Nuclear Arms Treaty, and Venezuela.
Should you be interested in reading any of these statements, you may do so at: https://www.ucc.org. The first item that will appear is the most recent, with other items scrolling across in date order. Each item has a “Read More” button. To find a particular topic, you can also enter it in the search box.