Our Mission

As a progressive Christian community, we strive to actively reflect God’s love as we care for one another and engage in worship, education, inclusive hospitality, and compassionate action for social justice.

Our Principles

  • In the Image of God:

    A Congregational Covenant on Justice

    First Congregational United Church of Christ – Boise, Idaho

    May 10th, 2015

    Preamble

    We, the congregation of Boise First Congregational United Church of Christ, enter into this covenant. This is a living document, representing an ongoing process of Christian discernment.

    We humbly and gratefully proclaim that we are created in the image of God.

    We believe, in accordance with the Bible and our own consciences, that the image of God incorporates each of us and therefore, all people of all kinds and conditions.

    Article One: Economic Justice

    The image of God incorporates people of all economic conditions. We see people around us without enough food, warm clothes, adequate medical and mental care, the comfort of home, or adequate livable income. We confess that we are participants in materialism and are affected by society's staggering unequal distribution of wealth.

    The grace of God, the example of Jesus, and our love for one another require us to become more conscious of the economic inequities in our community and the world.

    Our faith calls us to action. As Jesus' disciples, we covenant to stand in solidarity with those who are poor, homeless, vulnerable, and powerless.

    • We will work, speak out and act politically to assure their voices are heard.

    • We will engage in ongoing education about economic injustice and the impact of materialism to our spiritual well-being.

    • We will strive to live more simply so that others can simply live.

    • We will strive to be generous with our love, time and money.

    All people are valued and welcome in this congregation.

    Article Two: Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation Justice

    The image of God embraces all People. Being faithful to our Creator, we hear the voices of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-gender, queer and questioning persons, their families, friends and allies. We recognize the pain of rejection, fear of discrimination and violence, and offer

    our love and support. The grace of God, the example of Jesus and our love for one another inspire us to speak and act bravely.

    • We will advocate for legal justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-gender, queer, and questioning persons.

    All people are welcome and valued in this congregation.

    Article Three: Racial, Cultural and Ethnic Justice

    The image of God incorporates people of all ethnicities , cultures and races . We confess our prejudice and racism toward those whom we perceive as different. We proclaim and confess the need for ongoing discussion, education, and identification of our congregation's role in expressing God's inclusive love of all persons. This includes breaking down racial, ethnic and cultural walls which divide us. We acknowledge the danger and sinfulness of being silent, standing aside and taking no action, and of the privileges assumed by the majority white population.

    • Following Jesus' example we commit ourselves to take deliberate steps to establish affirming relationships with people of different races and cultures.

    • We seek to break through our fear and discomfort created by geographies and generations of separation and discrimination.

    All people are welcome and valued in this congregation.

    Article Four: Environmental Justice

    Because we are created in the image of God we have a special responsibility to care for all Creatures and Creation. God's creation with finite resources is intended not just for us in our time, but for all living things present and future. Our demands for convenience, material wealth, mobility and power are damaging our environment through pollution and consumption of limited resources. In particular, our excessive use of fossil fuels so pollutes the atmosphere that many areas on the Earth are inhospitable for the residents because of climate change. As God's stewards and followers of Jesus Christ we must change our lifestyles to uphold the common good.

    • We will reduce our carbon footprints in our daily and church lives.

    • We will learn better ways to live sustainably, advocate for public policies that reduce pollution and reliance on fossil fuels.

    • We will share our concerns with others in order to influence them to join us in making these changes.

    All Creation is valued in this congregation.

    Article Five: Religious Justice

    God's embrace includes religious and spiritual expression, which compassionately upholds the dignity, equality and respect of all persons. Faith and freedom flourish when each one can believe and worship freely or not worship at all. We are all threatened when bigotry, religious and political extremism attacks even one of us.

    • We oppose bigotry and hatred arising from religious and political extremism.

    All expressions of faith are valued in this congregation.

    We pray that the God of Jesus, who calls us together, will help us faithfully discern and live fully this covenant in the days to come. May God grant us courage to endure the costs and celebrate the joys of our Christian discipleship.

  • Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation Justice

    The image of God embraces all People. Being faithful to our Creator, we hear the voices of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-gender, queer and questioning persons, their families, friends and allies. We recognize the pain of rejection, fear of discrimination and violence, and offer

    our love and support. The grace of God, the example of Jesus and our love for one another inspire us to speak and act bravely.

    • We will advocate for legal justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-gender, queer, and questioning persons.

    All people are welcome and valued in this congregation.

  • The Just Peace Church vision is a hallmark of United Church of Christ theological identity. For over two decades, the Just Peace Church pronouncement has inspired a grassroots movement of UCC congregations committed to corporately naming and boldly proclaiming a public identity as a justice-doing, peace-seeking church. The Just Peace pronouncement articulated the UCC position on war and peace distinct from other approaches such as crusade, pacifism, or “just war.” Grounded in UCC polity and covenantal theology, the position focuses attention on alleviating systemic injustice of all types using non-violence and calls us to offer the message, grounded in the hope of reconciliation in Jesus, that “Peace is possible.”

    You can read more here: http://www.ucc.org/justice/just-peace/

    First Congregational United Church of Christ became a Just Peace church in 2013. The goals we live toward as a Just Peace Church:

    • Creating Just Peace in our relationships within our church community.

    • Creating Just Peace in the relationships we create in the community around us.

    • Creating Just Peace with our resources and our wealth.

    • Creating Just Peace in our political worlds.

    • Creating educational Just Peace learning opportunities.

    • Creating Just Peace with the earth and our environment.

    As a Just Peace congregation, we will rely on our faith in God, on our discipleship as followers of Jesus, and with our congregation of caring and committed people.

Our Values

    • We believe that each person is on a spiritual journey and that each of us is at a different stage of that journey.

    • We believe that the persistent search for God produces an authentic relationship with God, engendering love, strengthening faith, dissolving guilt, and giving life purpose and direction.

    • We believe that each person is unique and valuable. It is the will of God that every person belong to a family of faith where they have a strong sense of being valued and loved.

    • We believe that no matter who – no matter what – no matter where we are on life's journey – notwithstanding race, gender, sexual orientation, class or creed – we all belong to God and to one worldwide community of faith.

    • We believe that all people of faith are invited to join Christ at Christ's table for the sacrament of Communion. Just as many grains of wheat are gathered to make one loaf of bread and many grapes are gathered to make one cup of wine, we, the many people of God, are made one in the body of Christ, the church. In the breaking of bread, we remember and celebrate Christ's presence among us along with a 'cloud of witnesses' – our ancestors, family and friends who have gone before us. It is a great mystery; we claim it by faith.

    • We believe the UCC is called to be a united and uniting church. "That they may all be one." (John 17:21) "In essentials–unity, in nonessentials–diversity, in all things–charity," These UCC mottos survive because they touch core values deep within us. The UCC has no rigid formulation of doctrine or attachment to creeds or structures. Its overarching creed is love. UCC pastors and teachers are known for their commitment to excellence in theological preparation, interpretation of the scripture and justice advocacy. Even so, love and unity in the midst of our diversity are our greatest assets.

    • We believe that God calls us to be servants in the service of others and to be good stewards of the earth's resources. 'To believe is to care; to care is to do.'

    • We believe in the power of peace, and work for nonviolent solutions to local, national, and international problems.Item description

    • We believe that the UCC is called to be a prophetic church. As in the tradition of the prophets and apostles, God calls the church to speak truth to power, liberate the oppressed, care for the poor and comfort the afflicted.

    • We are a people of possibility. In the UCC, members, congregations and structures have the breathing room to explore and to hear ... for after all, God is still speaking...

Our Denomination

  • Boise First United Church of Christ is a vibrant congregation with over 134 years of history, and like the broader United Church of Christ (UCC), we are committed to evolving and meeting the needs of today’s world. Rooted in a 2,000-year-old faith, we believe that God is still speaking, and we strive to speak in ways that are relevant and accessible, embracing the same inclusivity that Jesus demonstrated in his life and ministry.

    The UCC's history dates back to the Pilgrims, who, seeking religious freedom, established the Plymouth Colony in 1620 after their journey on the Mayflower. These early settlers were Congregationalists, believing in the autonomy of local churches and governance by the congregation, rather than a central authority or bishops.

    As the centuries passed, the Congregational churches established by the Pilgrims and their descendants merged with other Protestant traditions. The most significant merger occurred in 1957, when the Congregational Christian Churches united with the Evangelical and Reformed Church to form the United Church of Christ.

    The UCC holds a proud legacy of being the first denomination to ordain a woman, a gay man, and the first predominantly white denomination to ordain a Black man. However, we also recognize the contradictions in our history, as the same Pilgrims who fled religious persecution in Europe imposed their beliefs upon the Native tribes of this land. This complex past is something we acknowledge as we continue to strive to embody Christ's love and justice in the present day.

    Boise First is an affiliate of The Center for Progressive Christianity. Learn more about progressive Christianity here and the UCC denomination here.

Progressive Christian?

  • By calling ourselves progressive, we mean that many of us at Boise First UCC are Christians who:

    Have found an approach to God through the life and teachings of Jesus.

    Recognize the faithfulness of other people who have other names for the way to God’s realm, and acknowledge that their ways are true for them, as our ways are true for us.

    Understand the sharing of bread and wine in Jesus’ name to be a representation of an ancient vision of God’s feast for all peoples.

    Invite all people to participate in our community and worship life without insisting that they become like us in order to be acceptable (including but not limited to): believers and agnostics, conventional Christians and questioning skeptics, women and men, those of all sexual orientations and gender identities, those of all races and cultures, those of all classes and abilities, those who hope for a better world and those who have lost hope.

    Know that the way we behave toward one another and toward other people is the fullest expression of what we believe.

    Find more grace in the search for understanding than we do in dogmatic certainty – more value in questioning than in absolutes.

    Form ourselves into communities dedicated to equipping one another for the work we feel called to do: striving for peace and justice among all people, protecting and restoring the integrity of all of God’s creation, and bringing hope to those Jesus called the least of his sisters and brothers.

    Recognize that being followers of Jesus is costly, and entails selfless love, conscientious resistance to evil, and renunciation of privilege.

Behavioral Covenant

  • Because of the love of the church and with the help of God, 

    we affirm our commitment to the following attitudes and behaviors:


    • To create a safe environment, I will uphold the dignity of each person in our congregation, including our church leaders. I will consider the impact of my words and actions on others as I seek to make our church a safe place for all.

    • My communication with others will be timely, direct, honest, open and sensitive, even as I may disagree with another’s assumptions, opinions, and decisions.

    • I will accept differences. While I may have strong opinions, I acknowledge that others do also. I will embrace the diversity in our spiritual family, imagine other perspectives and be enriched by these differences.

    • I understand that conflict is a part of life, including life in the church. I will accept disagreement and conflict as inevitable and an opportunity for personal and church growth. I will concentrate on issues and problems, rather than personalities. I will avoid gossip. 

    • I understand that our church stays strong as each person is heard and as we seek the consensus of all our congregants. I will exercise personal patience and encourage healthful processes to work.

    • I will engage in self-reflection and prayer, seeking ways that my presence will serve as a blessing on our church and its people. I will seek God’s guidance and grace to listen attentively and to remain open to visions that God hold for us. I will encourage prayer at the beginnings of church meetings and when decisions of the church and its various bodies are made.

    • As I serve on a board or committee, I will refrain from making decisions that benefit only myself. I will seek decisions that will benefit the entire congregation. 

Bylaws & Structure