South Congregational Church, a community that nourishes intergenerational relationships through care and fellowship, is an open and affirming, immigrant welcoming, green congregation of the United Church of Christ.
We are inspired by the power of God’s grace. Rooted in faith and sustained by hope, we invite all — believers, questioners, and wanderers alike — to join us in sowing the seeds of justic, peace, and love.
Wherever you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here!
Trinitarian
We believe in God who has created all that is, God who has come into human life and taken on its joys and sorrows in the form of Jesus the Christ, and God who continues to intercede in history in the form of the Holy Spirit.
Open & Affirming
We recognize and love each individual as a child of God. We welcome, respect, support, and lovingly encourage people of every race, ethnicity, creed, class, gender, sexual orientation, age, and physical and mental ability to join us on our journey of faith.
Seriously, Not Literally
At South Church Amherst, we take the Bible seriously, not literally. In the human words of scripture we listen for God’s voice speaking to us in our current circumstances.
Sacramental
We celebrate two: Baptism and Communion. It is through baptism that persons are joined in faith with Jesus and accepted into the fellowship of the church. The breaking of bread and pouring of wine are done in remembrance of Christ’s death and his resurrection.
Faith-Seeking
Faith isn’t about not asking questions. It’s asking questions, doubting, believing, and trusting. It’s messy, it’s hard, it’s worth it.
Service-Oriented
The mission of the Church is to work for justice and to establish God’s Realm in the world.
Our Denomination: About the United Church of Christ
The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a distinct and diverse community of Christians that come together as one church to join faith and action. With over 5,000 churches and nearly one million members across the U.S., the UCC serves God in the co-creation of a just and sustainable world. The UCC is a church of firsts, a church of extravagant welcome, and a church where “…they may all be one” (John 17:21).
The Church of Firsts
Since 1957, the United Church of Christ has been the church of firsts, weaving God’s message of hope and extravagant welcome with action for justice and peace. Together, we live out our faith in ways that effect change in our communities. The UCC’s many “firsts” mean that we have inherited a tradition of acting upon the demands of our faith. When we read in Galatians: “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus”—a demand is made upon us. And so we were the first historically white denomination to ordain an African-American, the first to ordain a woman, the first to ordain an openly gay man, and the first Christian church to affirm the right of same-gender couples to marry. We were in the forefront of the anti-slavery movement and the Civil Rights movement. Our response to the demands of our faith is woven into the history of our country.
A Church of Extravagant Welcome
Today, we continue to change lives throughout the world. We work alongside more than 200 mission partners. We labor ceaselessly to fight injustice, in the United States and abroad. We instill our vision into our youth and young adults, forging leaders who will imagine new dreams. And we sustain and develop church leaders, pastors, and our local churches to live their faith in exciting new ways. We believe in a God that is still speaking, a God that is all-loving and inclusive. We are a church that welcomes and accepts everyone as they are, where your mind is nourished as much as your soul.
We are a church where Jesus the healer meets Jesus the revolutionary, and where together, we grow a just and peaceful world.