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 November Message

A Season of Thanks

As November rolls around, pumpkin spice starts showing up in
everything, and most of us start thinking about Thanksgiving
plans. It’s the season when gratitude takes center stage — when
we pause, even just for a moment, to say thank you for what we’ve
been given.
But for many, Thanksgiving can also stir up a complicated mix of
emotions. Some tables feel emptier than they used to. The first
holiday after losing someone you love can feel especially tender
— the empty chair, the recipe no one can quite make the same way,
the stories you wish you could tell one more time. Gratitude can
feel like a tall order when grief is still sitting at the table with you.
That’s why I think gratitude has to be more than a feeling. It’s a
practice. Feelings come and go, but a practice is something we
return to, even when our hearts aren’t quite ready. When we
choose to practice gratitude — not to force ourselves to feel
happy, but to open our eyes to what is still good and holy in our

lives — it changes how we move through the world.
The Bible reminds us to “give thanks in all things,” which can sound
impossible some days. But I don’t think it means we have to be
thankful for all things. It means we can learn to find gratitude
within all things — even in the hard parts. Gratitude helps us
notice the small mercies that carry us: a call from a friend, a
shared laugh, a warm meal, a memory that brings both tears and
comfort.

This year, whether your table is crowded or quiet, may you find
moments of grace worth naming. May gratitude draw you
closer to God’s presence, even in your pain. And may we, as a
church family, keep helping one another remember that love —
and the One who gives it — is still here, still good, and still enough.

With love and gratitude,
Rev. Dustin Bartlett