Unite. Worship. Serve. Thrive.
Cultivating Faith, Community, and Diversity Together.
Unite. Worship. Serve. Thrive.
Cultivating Faith, Community, and Diversity Together.
Join Our Team as Director of Music! 🎶
First Congregational United Church of Christ is seeking a passionate and dynamic Director of Music to lead our diverse and vibrant music program. The ideal candidate will be an inspiring organist and choir conductor who collaborates closely with the Senior Minister to create engaging and meaningful worship experiences. If you have a heart for ministry and a talent for music, we invite you to apply!
Looking to Grow Your Faith?
Do you have a spiritual longing for a deeper connection, meaning, and purpose in life?
Our congregation offers a variety of opportunities to deepen your faith and strengthen your spiritual journey. From Sunday worship to Bible studies to fellowship events, we provide a space for you to connect with others and with God.
WE HOPE YOU JOIN US ON YOUR JOURNEY
Looking to Join a Community?
Do you feel a need for belonging, support, and shared values?
We are a faithful, diverse, inclusive and relevant congregation that honors and celebrates each individual. We believe that diversity strengthens our community, and we are committed to creating a space that welcomes people from all walks of life. Our congregation is made up of people with different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences.
Whether you identify as LGBTQIA+, a person with disabilities, someone who has experienced racial injustice, or simply feel like you don’t fit in elsewhere, we welcome you with open arms.
YOU ARE ALWAYS WELCOME HERE
Worship This Week
Worship This Week
September 22 ~ TWO Services at 8:45 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.
We welcome Stephen Fancher, guest musican
8:45 a.m. ~We gather in the chapel for morning prayer and praise. We will center on Luke 12:22-34, considering the lilies in the field. Please join us!
11:00 a.m. ~ We continue to pay attention to how Creation plays a central role in Scripture, this week we will listen to Luke 12:22-34. We welcome Stephen Fancher as our guest organist and conductor. Our choir will sing, “Christ Hath a Garden”. Everyone is welcome.
Please join us for the SURE house meeting following the 11 a.m. worship.
Click here to read Pastor Wes’ blog.
Special Programs for the Fall
Reading the Gospel in 50-ish Days
Embark on a Spiritual Journey
Reading the Gospel in 50-ish Days
Join us this fall as we delve into the Gospels together, exploring the life and teachings of Jesus Christ over 50 days.
About the Program
Beginning in September, Pastor Wes invites you to participate in ‘Reading the Gospel in 50-ish Days,’ a program designed to deepen your faith and understanding of the Gospels. Starting with the Gospel of Mark, we will immerse ourselves in the stories of God’s love incarnate in Jesus. Through daily readings and reflections, this journey offers a wonderful opportunity to grow spiritually and connect with our community.
Each day, a Morning Meditation will be shared here on the website, our Facebook page, and Pastor Wes’s blog to guide and inspire you. On Tuesday nights at 6:30 p.m., we will gather on Zoom for conversations to explore and share our thoughts, questions, and discoveries. Whether you are new to the Gospels or revisiting them, this journey is open to all. Join us in centering your soul, deepening your faith, and discovering the Good News anew!
Empowering Conversations: Addressing Gun Violence and Challenging Cultural Bias
Join us at our church for two special events featuring distinguished guests: Po Murray, Cofounder & Chairwoman of the Newtown Action Alliance, and Byron Hurt, acclaimed filmmaker of “Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes.” Don’t miss these insightful discussions!
October Event
November Event
Newtown Action Alliance is an all-volunteer grassroots organization formed after the tragic shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 12, 2014. Newtown Action Alliance works to bring about legislative and cultural changes that will reduce gun violence, a public health crisis in our country. We are working to keep our children and families safe. Newtown Action Alliance Foundation (formally knows as the Newtown Foundation) is the 501c3 tax exempt organization formed to help our community heal and be remembered as the place where positive cultural changes began. Led by the same people who lead the Newtown Action Alliance, Newtown Action Alliance Foundation is focused on educational, healing and cultural programs; helping teens to channel their fears and frustrations into positive activities and to provide opportunities for them to network with other teens in cities and other communities; and victim and community outreach, near and far.
Po is the mother of 4 children and was a neighbor of the Sandy Hook School shooter in Newtown, Connecticut. She will tell us about all of the work this amazing organization has been doing the last 10 years and their plans for the next 10 years to try to keep our communities safe.
Celebrating 70 Years
Word cloud by Carol Fields made from the words we collected from our congregants expressing how they feel about our church.
Celebrate with us as we mark a significant milestone in our journey of faith and reflect on 70 years of ministry, growth, and community at First Congregational United Church of Christ Sarasota. Watch our special video, ‘Celebrating 70 Years of Ministry,’ and witness the cherished memories, impactful moments, and inspiring stories that have shaped our church’s legacy. Let’s honor the past, embrace the present, and look forward to the future together.
Video by Carol McCloud
Discover Our Culture
First Congregational United Church of Christ, rooted in Sarasota with a passion for God, all God’s people, and God’s planet, prayerfully seeks to be a light to the world. We covenant with God and each other to honor racial justice and people of color in all we do. We are open, affirming and allies of LBGTQ+ people. We seek creation justice, learning to actively care for our planet. We commit to study, learn and live these values.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit.” John 15:5
Our Covenants
Creation Justice
It is our duty to conserve natural resources, protect the existing natural environment and repair damage.
Open and Affirming
We work faithfully and prayerfully to end discrimination against our LGBTQIA+ siblings.
Racial Justice
We are intent to discuss America’s original sin of racism and that everyone is made in God’s image.
Meet Our Pastor
“Maybe you’re new to our church, new to Sarasota, or new to church altogether. Whatever brings you here, I’d love the chance to get to know you better. Please know I am available to talk with you and help you connect in meaningful ways with our community of faith.
“During times such as these, we are aware that many in our community are facing challenges. If you are in need of prayer or care, please let me know.” 🙏
Latest Sermon
Morning Meditation
One of the threads and themes
in chapters 8-9 is healing, stilling the storms that rage within us physically
and emotionally and spiritually. So, the
natural question here is, where are you hurting? Maybe you are praying for family and friends
following a surgery or divorce or loss of job.
Remember, Matthew is concerned about the metaphorical mountains of life,
when our souls are strained or stressed, when we are exhausted or depleted or
defeated. That might be the weather
pattern in your...
Latest Sermon
Morning Meditation
One of the threads and themes
in chapters 8-9 is healing, stilling the storms that rage within us physically
and emotionally and spiritually. So, the
natural question here is, where are you hurting? Maybe you are praying for family and friends
following a surgery or divorce or loss of job.
Remember, Matthew is concerned about the metaphorical mountains of life,
when our souls are strained or stressed, when we are exhausted or depleted or
defeated. That might be the weather
pattern in your...
Upcoming Events
17
September
3:00 pm
17
September
6:30 pm
18
September
11:00 am
18
September
2:00 pm
Open and Affirming Covenant
March, 2021
We of the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Sarasota, Florida, by vote of our Church Council and ratification by our congregation became an Open and Affirming Congregation in 2001, as documented in our church bylaws. We now re-commit to God and one another our covenant with our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning sisters and brothers.
As we celebrate the diversity of the people of God, we commit to remain an Open and Affirming congregation that welcomes all our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters with love and support. We will be a place in which they can be fully themselves, where their full selves are embraced and where their God-given talents are utilized in the life and work of the Church.
We honor the vision of those in our congregation who, more than 20 years ago, founded COLLAGE (Coalition of Laity for Lesbian and Gay Equality) to provide support for LGBTQ+ persons in the congregation and community. In league with COLLAGE, we will continue to reach out to and welcome LGBTQ+ persons into our church family. We will serve as a refuge from hurtful words and harmful actions and work toward eliminating social injustices too often directed against them.
This covenant statement is hereby adopted this 16th day of March, 2021, by unanimous vote of our Church Council.
Creation Justice Covenant
January, 2021
We of the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Sarasota, Florida, by vote of our Church Council and ratification by our Congregation, do solemnly commit to God, one another, and all creatures, to walk in God’s ways by cherishing the earth and all living beings who dwell upon it. This is the divine creation and we commit to promoting its health and sustainability.
We acknowledge at the outset that we are inseparably part of the web of life; our well-being dependent on the welfare of fellow creatures. We recognize the utmost value in creation – inherent value independent of creation’s usefulness for us. In this covenant, we understand that our creation is in crisis, in large part because of human activity. As a consequence, we promise to educate ourselves and others about the causes of and solutions to environmental degradation.
We commit to finding ways to respect and conserve our natural resources for the benefit of future generations and for the future of the planet. Because of our covenant with God and the earth, we will seek divine guidance and strive to follow God’s will. We will pursue justice for the earth, protect vulnerable living things from exploitation, and seek remediation of the environmental damage humans have caused.
This Covenant Statement is Hereby ADOPTED this 19th day of May, 2020, by unanimous vote of the Church Council of the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Sarasota, Florida.
RATIFIED this 24th day of January, 2021, by a Congregational vote of the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Sarasota, Florida.
Racial Justice Covenant
January, 2022
We of the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Sarasota, Florida, by vote of our Church Council and congregation, commit to God and one another our covenant with our sisters and brothers of color.
As we celebrate the diversity of the people of God, we commit to remain a congregation that welcomes all our brothers and sisters with love and support. We will be a place in which we all can be fully ourselves and where our full selves are embraced. We will serve as a refuge from hurtful words and harmful actions too often directed against others.
First Congregational United Church of Christ of Sarasota has a history of embracing diversity and racial equity. We have sought and still seek to confront racism and the oppression of people of color. We strive to model the love and grace of Jesus as he reached out to all, especially those on the margins.
We reaffirm our Christian call to understanding and unity through discussion, research and the sharing of personal witness to identify systemic racism in all its forms.
We lament current racial injustice conditions, and commit to actionable steps of hard listening and anti-racist engagement by our ministers, church officers, church community and as individual participants in our local and greater community. These steps will build on our current practices of intentionally selecting diverse lay leadership, and promoting programs and community activities that reflect our stance on diversity and inclusion.
We reaffirm our commitment to policies of equity and steps to dismantle harmful myths, actions, rules and laws. We also commit to celebrating different cultures and voices, both in worship and in our community.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere…. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Micah 6:8
This covenant statement is hereby adopted this 30th day of January, 2022, by unanimous vote of our Church Council and the vote of our congregation.
Please click here for a list of resources put together by the SCOR group (Sacred Conversations on Race). The group meets Wednesdays at 3 on Zoom. All are welcome. See the events page for more information.