Welcome Statement

First Congregational United Church of Christ, Watertown, SD Welcoming Statement

Based on welcoming statement from Prince of Peace Lutheran, Philadelphia, PA

Who is welcome here?

If you are Asian, Hispanic, Native American, Black, White, or multi-racial . . .

If you are three days old, 30 years old, or 103 years old . . .

If you are male or female or transgender . . .

If you are a Republican, Democrat, Independent, or not registered to vote . . .

If you are single, married, divorced, separated, or partnered . . .

If you are straight, gay, lesbian, or bisexual . . .

If you are Catholic, Lutheran, Baptist, Methodist, Jewish, Buddhist, atheist, agnostic, or a life-long Congregationalist . . .

If you have never set foot in a church, attend only on Easter and Christmas, or attend every Sunday . . .

If you are fully-abled, living with a disability, or a person of differing abilities . . .

If you have or had addictions, phobias, mental illness, or physical illness . . .

If you own your own home, rent, live with your parents, or are homeless . . .

YOU ARE WELCOME HERE!

This congregation is committed to being a loving and welcoming community.

In faithfulness to God, and to the best of our ability, we work to provide programs, ministries, fellowship, and pastoral care to all who seek God in this place.

We dedicate ourselves to living the UCC church’s motto:

“No matter who you are, no matter where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here!”

Pastor's December Message

I always think of Advent as that deep breath we take before
Christmas—the kind you don’t even realize you needed until
you finally stop long enough to breathe. Advent isn’t about rushing
toward the holiday; it’s about slowing down enough to notice
what’s already stirring. It’s a season of longing, watching,
wondering, and remembering that God tends to show up in
places we weren’t looking.

And honestly? That feels like good news this year. Because a lot of
us are tired. A lot of us are carrying things we didn’t expect to
carry. Advent reminds us we don’t have to muster up our own
light. God’s light is already coming into the world. We just
make a little room.

One of the ways we “make room” as a church is literally preparing
the space.
So, on Saturday, November 29th at 1:00 pm, we’ll gather to
decorate the church for Advent and Christmas. Trees, lights,
wreaths, candles—it’s a joyful, low-stress way to ease into the
season together.
Advent is also a season when we pay attention to the new things
God is doing among us: new hope, new relationships, new callings.
This year, that includes potential new members—people who are
ready to take the next step in their journey with our
congregation.

So, I’m excited to share that we’ll hold a New Member Class on
Sunday, December 14th right after worship. If you’ve been
thinking about joining the church, or if you simply want to learn
more about who we are and what we’re about, this is a
wonderful opportunity.

And of course, one of the most joyful parts of Advent at First
Congregational is watching our young people tell the Christmas
story in their own way. This year, our Youth Christmas
Program will be during worship on December 21st. It’s always
a highlight of the season—equal parts adorable, meaningful, and
unexpectedly profound. I promise you won’t want to miss it.
Through all of this—decorating, learning, worshiping, laughing,
and wrangling angel costumes out of storage—Advent keeps
whispering the same message: Our Savior is coming. Not
because we “got ready enough,” but because that’s who
Emmanuel is. Light finds us. Hope catches up to us. Love
pulls up a chair and sits down right in the middle of our messy,
beautiful lives.

So, as we move through December together, I hope you’ll let
yourself slow down. Take a breath. Light a candle. Say a
prayer. Join in where you can. And trust that God is already at
work, preparing something new.
Blessings on this holy season,
Pastor Dustin