Each week during our "Share the Message, Share our Message" campaign, a member of our congregation will share their message about why First Congregational is such a special place. Some of these messages will be archived on the menu to the right.
Phillip Hewitt and Paul Brown:
Paul & I became members of FCC in March of this year, 2009.
Before discovering the United Church of Christ, I studied Christian Science as a child and as an adult attended the Episcopal Church for many years. Paul is a recovering Southern Baptist. We both struggled for a long time with the expectation of conformity as dictated by our previous churches. Scripture tells us that “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life”. We never saw the word “except” in the scripture, but somehow we were taught that it was implied.
Prior to becoming members at FCC, we attended Agape Metropolitan Community Church in Fort Worth. Agape is almost exclusively comprised of gay and lesbian congregants. Paul & I needed a church home with more diversity than Agape could offer. We were looking for a church that was diverse and offered true acceptance of non-traditional families. We found FCC on the internet and were impressed by the “Open & Affirming” statement. We visited over the course of several weeks and discovered that FCC really meant what was contained within the text of the “Open & Affirming” statement. We were hooked!
At FCC we have found our “forever” church home. We find ourselves surrounded by compassionate and loving people of faith who accept us as we are and provide support as we continue on our individual spiritual paths.
We are thankful for the way FCC congregants have embraced us and our ministry of providing foster care to children in need. We are reminded daily of just how God is present in our lives. Each time we look in to the eyes of an infant, or hold the hands of a toddler just learning to walk, we see God’s majesty at work.
Our hope for the future is that FCC continues to grow. We know from our own experience that there are many that would benefit from being a part of our faith community. God has truly blessed us with this church and we are grateful. |
