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The United Church of Christ is a mainline Protestant denomination formed in 1957. This came about as the result of a merger between the Evangelical & Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian tradition. Our rich heritage upholds local church autonomy (i.e. the freedom of faith and practice), places a high emphasis on educated clergy and laity, and strives toward social justice and community outreach. Thus, the UCC is a progressive expression of Christianity in a complex world. For decades, the UCC has developed close partnerships with other denominations in an effort “that they may all be one” (John 17:21). These relationships extend to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the Presbyterian Church (USA), the United Methodist Church, the American Baptist Church USA, as well as brothers and sisters of other faith traditions. The UCC is a non-creedal tradition that seeks to make Christianity a testimony of faith, not a test of faith. Our intent is to be an open and inclusive religious community to all God’s children.

We gather for worship on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am. Our format is rooted in the Reformed tradition of worship (i.e. hymns, liturgy, responses, scripture reading, etc.). There are creative and thematic elements that occasionally transcend the traditional experience.

Baptisms are performed when an agreeable date is reached between the family and the church. Only one baptism is conducted at a worship service. We typically baptize infants, but adults have also received this gracious gift. Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month, except for the months of Christmas and Easter. In addition, we gather for the Lord’s Supper on Ash Wednesday and Maundy Thursday. For communion, we often partake all together while people are seated in the pews, but there are a few times when people come forward to participate by intinction (i.e. take a piece of bread off the common loaf and dip the bread into the cup of grape juice or wine).

We have roughly 575 people who claim membership in the church. Not all people who come are members, nor do all of our members come.

We average about 120 people in worship each Sunday. Some seasons, like summer, are a little lower, while Christmas and Easter times see much higher than the average figure.

For those interested in membership, the pastors are willing to offer small group sessions or individual meetings. This can be at the convenience of both the prospective member(s) and pastor(s). People will learn about St. John (i.e. history, ministries, etc.), and have a chance to ask questions. The hope is that people will gather enough information to make an informed decision about whether or not to join this community of believers. When people are ready to commit to church membership, we will have a special moment in worship to recognize this reception. Should you want to know more, please feel free to contact the church office.

The annual budget of the church is over $400,000. This is supported strictly through voluntary donations on the part of generous contributors. Over 10% of the income is given to mission partners and outreach work.

Our Sunday School hour is at 9:30am; although, we do provide nursery care for our littlest ones during worship service. We have a number young people from birth to age 18 registered in our program. The average attendance on a given Sunday is around 10 children. Read more about the Church School Program on the Ministries page.