“All young people, regardless of sexual orientation or identity, deserve a safe and supportive environment in which to achieve their full potential.” - Harvey Milk
We embrace the way of justice, peace, compassion and love of Jesus as revealed in the stories of the life and teachings of Jesus. We are lgbtq+ affirming, anti-racist, pro-science, feminist, and peace-centered. We do not read the Bible literally but we do take it seriously. We believe that love, not judgement, is at the heart of the sacred presence we call God.I have a question.
Will I be welcomed?
Will I be singled out as a visitor?
What do you offer children?
Where love is first.
How many people will be there?
Who are the Disciples of Christ?
Is your building accessible?
What is worship like?
Does it cost to attend?
Do I have to be Christian to participate?
What about parking?
Church Steps
Will I be welcome at your church?
In a word, yes.
We truly welcome all to come as you are. We take that invitation very seriously. Our congregation is diverse in age, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, biblical interpretation, culture, ethnic background, economic circumstance, family configuration, political inclination and physical ability. We celebrate and honor this diversity and welcome the struggle necessary to sustain it.
Don’t take our word for it. Hear it from some of our members.
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I hear you are an “open and affirming” church. What does that mean?
Open and affirming is a term used by our denomination, The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), to denote congregations who have made an intentional commitment to not only welcome but affirm all people, including those who are gay/straight/bisexual/transgender/questioning, as created in the image of God just as they are. We welcome lgbtq+ person into full membership, celebrate same-gender weddings and unions, and include lgbtq+ person in our leadership roles, including as pastors.
You can learn more about the process a church goes through to become Open and Affirming.
Church Steps
What is worship like?
Our worship service is fairly traditional, but also casual.
We begin our worship together on Sunday mornings at 10:45 a.m., and each week includes music, prayer, a time for children, and offering. Each Sunday we share in communion, in which all are welcome to partake. Communion is our way of reenacting and remembering Jesus’ practice of welcoming all people to God’s table. In addition, our pastors offer a message each week that is positive, informal, conversational and thought-provoking. The service usually ends before noon
Here is a musical moment from one of our services.
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How should I dress?
Most everyone at our church dresses informally, including the pastors. Some might be in sports coat or dress, others in jeans or shorts. Please feel free to dress as you choose.
Church Steps
How many people will be there?
Our typical Sunday worship attendance is between 70-100.
Here are a few of the people you might see at church.
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Church Step
How should I dress?
Most everyone at our church dresses informally, including the pastors. Some might be in sports coat or dress, others in jeans or shorts. Please feel free to dress as you choose.
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Does it cost to attend?
No. Each Sunday we invite those present to contribute to an offering which helps to support the ministries of the church, but this is optional and not expected of visitors and guests.
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Curabitur arcu erat, accumsan id imperdiet et, porttitor at sem.
Church Step
Will I be singled out as a visitor?
While we will be excited to have you join us, and you will be greeted by some members of our congregation, we will not single you out or ask you to stand or say anything. We want you to be comfortable so that you are free to have a meaningful spiritual experience while you are worshiping with us.
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Who are the Disciples of Christ?
We are a mainline Protestant denomination much like Presbyterians or Methodists, with our origins going back to the American frontier. Throughout our history we have valued the autonomy of the local church (congregations choose their own pastors and make their own decisions.)
We value study of scripture but do not believe any one person or group has a corner on the “right” way to interpret the Bible. We come to our understanding of scripture by studying, questioning, and exploring the text together.
We value the centrality of communion and welcome all people to the table.
We recognize and honor baptisms from other Christian traditions. We see ourselves as a movement for wholeness and unity in a fragmented world. To that end, we celebrate opportunities to work alongside other denominations and other faiths, and we are committed to reaching out to those in need, both locally and globally.
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Curabitur arcu erat, accumsan id imperdiet et, porttitor at sem.
Church Step
Do I have to be Christian to participate?
Our church community is enriched by people with many different thoughts and experiences of faith.
Some of us have been Christians all our lives. Others of us come to this church by way of other faith traditions or perhaps no faith experience at all. We welcome diversity and believe that we can only grow by sharing and learning from those who have different thoughts, questions and ideas about faith.
Church Steps
What do you offer for children?
We love having children as part of our church community.
During worship, our children may serve as acolytes (lighting the candles), are invited forward for a special children’s moment, are welcome to use the children’s corner in the sanctuary where there are books, crayons, and other items for them to use during worship, and they are invited to a special children’s church during a portion of the service where they will enjoy hearing a story and making a craft.
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Curabitur arcu erat, accumsan id imperdiet et, porttitor at sem.
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Is your building accessible?
Yes. The entrance on Faraon Street leads to an elevator that provides access to all levels of the building including the sanctuary. The gender-inclusive bathroom on our main floor is accessible. Our sanctuary also has seating spaces reserved for wheelchairs.
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What about parking?
There is parking lot on the upper north side of the building, or you are welcome to park in the lot directly across from the main entrance along 10th Street.
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