This church is an Open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ, which means that we welcome all people here. So, no matter your age or shoe size, no matter what mistakes are in your past or in your future, no matter what you look like, no matter what you believe or don’t believe, no matter who you love or who loves you, you are very welcome into the full inclusion of this community of friends.
Are you a vet? Welcome. Never served? Welcome. Gay? Straight? Trans? Searching? Married? Divorced? Single? Widowed? With kids? Grown kids? No kids? YOU, are welcome here. Join us. Experience the warmth of an open and affirming, and faith-full community.
Here’s the latest
- Advent Collections Continue!
Advent collections are underway. This Sunday we are collecting toiletries for the residents of Emmaus. - Blue ChristmasThursday, December 21, at 7pm Join us for an ecumenical service of prayer and meditation for those who find it difficult to find joy in this season. Led by Rev.…
- Menorah Lighting this Sunday
- Sign up to Volunteer on Sundays
There’s all kinds of ways to volunteer to participate in church! If you (or your household or family) want to volunteer sign up below. When you sign up below, please indicate…
From Our Minister
When Jesus began his ministry in Judea 2 millennia ago, he didn’t do a big marketing campaign. He wasn’t interested in being popular or taking on new technology. Instead, he assembled a rag-tag crew of folks who imagined the world could look differently. He focused on relationship and storytelling. He used bread and a cup, and took something everyday and ordinary and made it extraordinary. And he did this with people, too.
In fact, he still does. There are few places in our world today where an 8 year-old and an 80 year-old can be friends. There are few places in our world today where you can sing with a doctor, a salesman, and a psychiatrist. There are few places in our world today where you can turn to someone you might not know very well and ask them “what do you need right now?” Church is the place where we come together to do that meaning-making, that wrestling with the hard stuff, and that sharing of the joy-filled parts of our lives. It’s where Jesus takes the everyday ordinary parts of ourselves and reminds us we can do extraordinary things.
Here at First Congregational Church of Reading, we take the Bible seriously, but not literally. We believe in science, medicine, and the environment, and we pray, too. We know that this life shouldn’t be lived alone, and so we believe in walking this journey together. That’s the best we can be: a rag-tag crew who loves each other deeply, without question, and without hesitation, ready to make the world a better place for us all to live. We hope you’ll join us to do the same!
Rev. Emelia Attridge
