Who we are

Our “church on the hill” dates back to 1852 and is a member of The United Church of Christ (UCC). Because we are congregational, we are democratic in structure, and independent from a hierarchy.

The Purpose and Covenant of our church provides a sense of vision and mission for all of the ministry that takes place both inside and outside the walls of our building.

In summary, we believe that we are called to:
help people grow in their faith as followers of Jesus through things like worship, study and prayer;
foster and develop a sense of fellowship and unity;
and serve others by working for justice and peace.

To learn more about the UCC, please click below.

Open and Affirming

“No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.”

“Open and Affirming” (O&A) is a movement of more than 1800 churches in the United Church of Christ, that welcomes LGBTQ+ members. The following statement was adopted by the First Congregational Church of Essex in November 2010…

“The First Congregational Church in Essex believes that God calls us to welcome and affirm all people. We rejoice that all persons, people of every race, age,
gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, physical and mental ability, marital standing, economic status, and family configuration, are welcome in God’s church as members and to serve as leaders.”
November 21, 2010

Mission Statement

Both our Purpose Statement and Church Covenant encourage us to live out Jesus’  commandment to love God and neighbor.  They state, in part,  that “The purpose and mission of this church shall be to worship God and offer loving service to all people…laboring together for the progress of knowledge, the promotion of justice, the reign of peace, and the realization of unity.”

Online Giving

We use VANCO for electronic giving. The link below will take you to their secure site where you can give a one time or recurring gift, support a specific ministry, or contribute to your Stewardship pledge.

Photo by micheile dot com on Unsplash