Welcoming All, Seeking Justice, Finding God

Become a Member

No Matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you can find companions on your way. The members of First Congregational Church are a microcosm of the greater Burlington community. Third and fourth generation Vermont families comingle with ‘flatlanders’ who have come from other parts of the country and world to make their home in Vermont. We embrace and celebrate diversity in our church family. Our members reflect the world around them. Young and older, gay and straight, families and singles from all walks of life call the church home. Members are as active as their interests and abilities allow them. From choir members to church school teachers to community volunteers, the vitality of First Church is directly related to the vitality of our members. Visitors each Sunday are greeted by some of those volunteers, served coffee by others and invited to sign up for a dinner or a hunger walk by yet others. Within and beyond the doors of the church, members are making a difference in the lives of others.

Becoming a member is not a difficult process. Virtually everyone can find a level of comfort with the following Questions of Intent that are asked as a part of the ritual of membership, and with our Church Covenant, unique to this community of faith, that members say together. Please speak to a minister if you are interested in membership or in learning more about First Congregational Church.

Questions of Intent

  • Do you promise now to consider seriously the fact o f God, to explore and remain open to God’s ways both now and in the days to come, not in blind faith but with honesty and integrity?
  • Do you promise to try to see life as Jesus saw it; to identify with Jesus by being true to your reality in life as he was true to his own; by being useful, honest and healing; and to grow in your knowledge of the way of Christ in scripture and in life?
  • Do your promise to keep yourself open to the workings of God’s Spirit, being alert to the needs of persons around you; sensing the work of God in the world; remaining aware of God’s Spirit within you?
  • Will you be loyal to the Church Universal as it is the life and work of Christ in the world, supporting it with your money, your time, and your imagination, as you are able?

Church Covenant

We covenant with the Lord and with one another to respond to God’s call to be God’s people in the name of Jesus Christ. We take this to be our Church, promising to walk with our fellow members in faithfulness and Christian love. We accept as our responsibility the worship of God, the fellowship of the community, and the witness of our church. We claim as our mission the promotion of justice, human dignity and peace; and participation in meeting the unfolding needs of God’s people. We bind ourselves to follow the leading of God’s Spirit as God is pleased to reveal God’s will to us.

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