The United Church of Christ
In 1957, the United Church of Christ became a union of four separate churches: Evangelical, Reformed, Christian and Congregational. United Church of Christ is a non-hierarchical, progressive
denomination committed to the unity of the church.
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. One of the UCC's distinguishing characteristics is its penchant to believe that ... God is still speaking, ... even when it puts us out there alone. History has shown that, most often, we're only alone for a while. Besides, we receive so many gifts from our ecumenical partners, being "early" seems to be one of ours.
While preserving relevant portions of heritage and history dating back to the 16th century, the UCC and its forebears have proven themselves capable of moving forward, tying faith to social justice and shaping cutting edge theology and service in an ever-changing world. Affirming that Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, the UCC claims as its own the faith of the historic church expressed in the ancient creeds and reclaimed in the basic insights of the Protestant reformers. Yet the UCC also affirms the responsibility of the church in each generation and community to make faith its own in reality of worship, in honesty of thought and expression, and in purity of heart before God.
As the original "act up" people, the United Church of Christ can list many firsts....
- Seeking spiritual freedom, forbearers of the UCC left Europe for the New World in the early 1600's. Later generations know these pioneers as the Pilgrims.
- The early church took a stand against slavery in the year 1700 but that wasn't the only prophetic act in its history. Forbearers built public schools and libraries and were the first to ordain women and African Americans.
- The UCC was the first to ordain an openly gay person in 1972 and call upon congregations to openly welcome gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender members.
- In 1973, members of the UCC made a public witness in support of the farm workers led by Cesar Chavez.
Shadow Rock is part of the United Church of Christ Southwest Conference. The conference provides leadership, resources, and coordinates many events including summer camp for children and youth.