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 May Message

Siblings in Christ,
As we step into the season of Ordinary Time, the pace of church
life may seem to slow down. Sunday School takes a well-earned
summer break. Families travel. Some of our ministries take a
breather. But even in this quieter season, God is still
moving—and so are we!
June brings with it the joyful celebration of Pentecost on June 8th,
when we remember the birth of the Church and the gift of the Holy
Spirit. We're still delivering Meals on Wheels on select weeks,
offering compassion in the form of warm food and friendly faces.
Several of our young people will attend Placerville Camp this
summer, where they’ll deepen friendships and grow in faith
surrounded by the beauty of the Black Hills. And our Bible study
continues strong on Sunday afternoons, as we dig into a topic
that’s both timely and timeless: The Politics of Jesus.
We recently wrapped up Session 1 of our study, where we
explored how Jesus’ message about the Kingdom of God
was—and still is—a direct challenge to the powers of empire. It
was a rich and thought-provoking conversation, and I’m grateful
for the engagement of everyone who participated.
There are six sessions still to come, and it's never too late to join
us! Here’s what we’ll be covering in the weeks ahead:
1. Nonviolence and the Way of the Cross – exploring Jesus’
radical call to resist violence with love.
2. The Great Reversal – looking at how Jesus lifts the lowly
and casts down the mighty.
3. Healing as Resistance – focusing on Jesus’ physical touch
and healing as a challenge to social stigma.
4. Welcoming the Outsider – examining how Jesus embraced
those marginalized by race, gender, and religion.
5. Disrupting the Temple – studying Jesus’ confrontation with
religious and economic corruption.
6. Why They Killed Him – tracing how Jesus’ political actions
led to his crucifixion by the state.
Each session invites us to reflect not only on what Jesus said but
what Jesus did, and how his actions still speak powerfully into our
world today.
Finally, on a more personal note: thank you. Amber and I are
deeply grateful for everyone who attended our wedding or sent a
card or gift. Your love and support mean so much to us as we
begin this new chapter in our life together. Thank you for being
part of our extended family of faith.

In grace and peace,
Pastor Dustin