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Congregational Church of Chico
United Church of Christ

About Us

Our Story

Since it was organized on July 26, 1955, the Congregational Church of Chico, United Church of Christ, has welcomed people who are seeking an informed, vibrant, growing relationship with God and their neighbors.

We've always been

• a not-too-big church, one where people can get to know one another.
• a church that takes seriously the teachings of Jesus, the one we follow.
• a church that values learning, including new ways of thinking about God, the Bible, and the world we live in.
• a church on the progressive side of Christian theology.
• a church that sees our relationship to God as a journey of faith, not a set of required beliefs.
• a church that respects and tries to live in harmony with those who follow other religions.
• a church interested in current issues and needs in our community, responding creatively to those needs.
• quite comfortable describing ourselves as a liberal church, open to new ideas and appreciative of diverse ways of thinking about God, faith, and life.

A Congregational minister arrived in Chico in the fall of 1954 to begin organizing a new church. The growing university town seemed just right for the kind of Christian faith that Congregationalism represents -- open to ideas, valuing learning and education, welcoming to all people who are seeking to know God. In less than a year, over 50 people had affiliated with the new church and it was officially organized. They signed the Charter Roll for the Community Congregational Church of Chico, which hangs today in the entry area of our building. Over the years, the church has built two buildings, which we still use for worship, education, learning, fellowship, and service. We have had seven pastors.

We became part of the United Church of Christ in 1961 not long after it was formed in 1957. You can learn more about the story of the UCC at www.ucc.org.

United Church of Christ congregations like ours are organized around a covenant, a sacred agreement between the people and God to be God's people in this community. Our covenant commits us "to walk together in all God's ways." We put a high value on walking together, on being companions for each other on our journey to know God and each other. We would like to be companions for you, too, on your journey of faith.