Why We Worship (aka “go to Service”) 

As a progressive Christian community we are comfortable updating many of the traditional words in our hymns and prayers to make them more inclusive and descriptive of the modern time in which we live.  For  over 200 years, however, we have preserved the traditional term “worship” to formally describe what we are up to on the first day of the week. Our collective wisdom discerns in “worship” a nugget of truth for our modern-day community, a call to beyond ourselves. Every Sunday morning we gather to move past our individual selves and into an experience of reverence and ever-present love that many of us call God. Traditionalists may imagine God as a loving parent while others identify God as inner light, divine consciousness, Jesus, Holy Spirit, or the love found between people, all of which are welcome and indeed celebrated.  With that said, most of our members prefer to use the phrase “going to service” to describe what they are up to on the first day of the week.  In the broadest sense, the most common reason why we, as an inter-generational community, attend worship is that a love within and beyond this community calls us to this place and we long to understand and live out that love more fully.   If you plan to attend our Sunday morning service, we suggest coming more than once to best capture the movement of the liturgy, the diverse content and tone of the pastor’s meditations and to get to know our community.  We look forward to seeing you! Click here to view an example of our order of service.  

Questions for New Members based on the 8 Points of Progressive Christianity:

This is a church of passion and humor. We are a church of Christ in solidarity with people of all faiths who are striving to create a world of peace and justice, mercy and love. To give you a glimpse of what it means to be a member, here are some of the questions asked of those seeking membership after having attended new member classes. Honoring that the First Congregational Church in Thetford, Vermont finds unity in our shared quest for truth rather than in one common creed.

Will you strive to find tolerance in all situations in which this diversity of truth lives and seek compassion toward yourself and others as we walk together on this sacred quest?

Respecting divine mystery beyond our human knowing, revealed but not restricted to the stories of our faith; 

Will you strive to remain open to the infinite ways in which this divine mystery continues to reveal itself in the universe?

Trusting that following the sacramental path and teachings of Jesus can lead to an awareness and experience of the sacred and the oneness and unity of all life;

Will you follow in his way, speaking the truth in love, welcoming the un-welcome, offering hope and seeking compassion, especially when hope and compassion seem unattainable?

Understanding our role as peacemakers and justice seekers, our community expects there to be a cost and joy to our faithful discipleship;

Are you willing to offer your time, talent, selfless love, service and personal risk for this endeavor as best as you are able?

Respecting that our church mission is to care for our youth, for the struggling people of our world and society, and for the health of all God’s creation;

Will you strive to promote healing and comfort for all children, adults and creation who may be suffering?