We, the members of the First Congregational Church in Williamstown, Massachusetts, strive to be a body of Christ in which all people may worship God and relate to one another with a secure feeling that they are welcome and appreciated.
We seek to create a safe, accessible haven where a person’s faith may be nurtured and developed in the sharing of diverse cultural and spiritual experiences of God.

We will try, with the help of God, to lead a life of Christian love and service to God, humanity and all creation.
In offering ourselves to this sacred mission, we attempt to show the way of Christ so that the community and world in which we live may learn, “To do justice, love mercy, and to walk humbly with God.” (Micah 6:8)

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We desire and by the Aids of Divine Grace do promise to walk in all the Statutes and Ordinances of the Lord, to assemble for God’s worship, to keep Holy the Sabbath Day, to maintain Family Religion and Secret Prayer, and to honor our High and Holy Vocations by Lives of Piety toward God and Benevolence toward all people, and so do now join ourselves into this Church and covenant to walk with it in Christian Love and Faithfulness according to the Rules given us in God’s Holy Word. This we do in humble Dependence on God, praying that God will enable us to be Faithful and steadfast in this Covenant. Amen.
(Approved by the Founders of our church in 1765)

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We, the First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, of Williamstown, recognize that God calls us to bring about justice and to make peace in our world, community, and life together.
Confessing that this call challenges our individual and corporate lives, we covenant together and with God to seek the ways of justice and peace so as to make a difference in our lives and the lives of all who experience injustice and violence.
We will strive for a new world and renewed church built on the love we see in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Specifically, we covenant ourselves as a Just Peace congregation to journey in the following five areas: Spiritual Renewal; Education and Theology; Stewardship and Resources; Community Witness; and Campaign Organizing and Advocacy.
Knowing that there are no easy answers to the creating of a Just Peace, we seek a climate where all points of view can be respected, all honest feelings and opinions shared, in the search for new answers and directions.
In order to fulfill this covenant, the Moderator shall appoint a Justice and Peace Coordinator in our congregation to monitor and encourage follow-through and reaffirmation in the above areas throughout our church life.
This we covenant to do in our effort to be faithful to God’s call in Jesus Christ to seek the ways of justice and peace as a congregation.

(By vote of the congregation on May 17, 1987)

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We, the members of First Congregational Church in Williamstown, Massachusetts, recognizing our need and desire to be a household of God where people may enter, be welcomed and grow in the body of Christ, covenant with God and one another to receive and accept persons as members, employees and friends without fear, prejudice or discrimination due to race, gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith tradition, nationality, marital status, physical condition, or financial situation.
Jesus calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mk.12:31); to do for others as we would have them do for us (Matt.7:12); and to not be judgmental or contemptuous of others (Matt.7:1, Lk.18:9-14). As we seek to embody this character of love and accceptance, we further realize in our lives the proclamation of Christ we claim whenever we celebrate the Sacrament of Communion: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for God has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind; to set at liberty those who are oppressed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” (Lk.4:18-19)
(By vote of the congregation on October 4, 1992)

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The United Church of Christ is a community of faith that seeks to respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed. The UCC was founded in 1957 as the union of several different Christian traditions. We  are a church that affirms the ideal that Christians do not always have to agree with one another, to be able to live together in communion. Our motto—”that they may all be one”—is Jesus’ prayer for the unity of the church. The UCC is one of the most diverse Christian churches in the United States. 

What is the UCC?
What We Believe
Our Core Identity
10 Reasons to Check Out the UCC
16 Reasons Why UCC Members Love Their Church
Short Course in UCC History

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