Our Faith is 2000 years old, but our thinking is not.
About Us
Welcome to the website of the Congregational Church of Algonquin, United Church of Christ. We are a family. Like your family, we have roots. Our grandparents and great-grandparents go back to 1850. In our church pictorial directory, we say that as a family, we gather together to eat, have fun, and share news, both good and bad. As a family, we support and comfort each other. We are a family with a purpose. Our calling is to be part of a larger story – the story of God’s transformative love in the world through Jesus Christ. It is to “be the church”, the body of Christ by living His gospel of grace, mercy, justice and peace. As a family, we gather together to find God’s Word and Holy Spirit as it is revealed through our relationships. We teach each other about God as we learn about God from each other. We have open hearts and open minds; we offer the gifts that God gives us and gratefully receive blessings as a family. Like our brothers and sisters in of the United Church of Christ, we are listening for the still speaking voice of God’s revelation. We hope you will join us.
History
The Congregational Church of Algonquin has a history of 170 years in downtown Algonquin. The building, when first built, was used not only as a worship center, but as a community center, hosting basketball games, concerts and silent movies. We come from the Congregationalists and have a strong history of serving God in this community. The first meeting was held on February 9, 1850 in the home of Ambrose Dodd on N. Main Street. The Church building was dedicated on January 17, 1867.
About the United Church of Christ
The Congregational Church of Algonquin is a member of the United Church of Christ—a community of faith that seeks to respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed. The UCC was founded in 1957 as the union of several different Christian traditions: from the beginning of our history, we were a church that affirmed the ideal that Christians did not always have to agree to live together in communion. Our motto—”that they may all be one”—is Jesus’ prayer for the unity of the church. The UCC is one of the most diverse Christian denominations in the United States. On our denominational website, listed below, you can find stories about the history and future of our UCC community. Intelligent dialogue and a strong independent streak sometimes cause the United Church of Christ (UCC) and its 1.2 million members to be called a “heady and exasperating mix.” The UCC tends to be a mostly progressive denomination that unabashedly engages heart and mind. And yet, the UCC somehow manages to balance congregational autonomy with a strong commitment to unity among its nearly 5,600 congregations—despite wide differences among many local congregations on a variety of issues.
Click on the following link for more information about the United Church of Christ: http://www.ucc.org/
Click on the following link for more information on the Illinois Conference of the UCC: http://www.ilucc.org/
Click on the following link for more information on the Fox Valley Association http://www.foxvalleyus.org/
Testimonies, not tests of the faith: The United Church of Christ embraces a theological heritage that affirms the Bible as the authoritative witness to the Word of God, the creeds of the ecumenical councils, and the confessions of the Reformation. The UCC has roots in the “covenantal” tradition—meaning there is no centralized authority or hierarchy that can impose any doctrine or form of worship on its members. Christ alone is Head of the Church. We seek a balance between freedom of conscience and accountability to the apostolic faith. The UCC therefore receives the historic creeds and confessions of our ancestors as testimonies, but not tests of the faith.
Testimony of faith–Jesus Christ is Head of the Church: Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in Christ all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities— all things were created through Christ and for Christ. Christ is before all things, and in Christ all things hold together. Christ is the head of the body, the Church; Christ is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything Christ might be preeminent. For in Christ all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Christ all things are reconciled to God, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of Christ’s cross.
About this testimony This testimony of faith, adapted from Colossians 1:15-20, is from the Book of Worship, United Church of Christ. In the words of Holy Scripture, it affirms our belief that Jesus Christ is the center of creation, the head of the church, and both the human and divine One “in whom the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.” For information on how to order the Book of Worship, please call United Church Resources at 1-800-325-7061.
United Church of Christ Statement of Faith in the form of a doxology:
We believe in you, O God, Eternal Spirit, God of our Savior Jesus Christ and our God, and to your deeds we testify:
You call the worlds into being, create persons in your own image, and set before each one the ways of life and death.
You seek in holy love to save all people from aimlessness and sin.
You judge people and nations by your righteous will declared through prophets and apostles.
In Jesus Christ, the man of Nazareth, our crucified and risen Savior, 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 others, 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 realm which has no end.
Blessing and honor, glory and power be unto you. Amen.
