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 April Message

Easter, New Life, and New Directions

As we move through the final weeks of Lent, we are approaching the heart of our faith story: Holy Week and Easter. These sacred days invite us to walk with Jesus through love, loss, and ultimately into the promise of resurrection and new life.

We will gather for worship throughout the week:

Palm Sunday – March 29
Maundy Thursday – April 2 at 5:30 pm
(Soup supper, communion, and foot washing)
Good Friday – April 3 at 5:30 pm
(Tenebrae service)
Easter Sunday – April 5

Each of these services tells part of the story. And taken together, they remind us that even in the face of uncertainty, God is always bringing forth something new.

That message of new life isn’t just something we celebrate on Easter morning; it’s also something we are beginning to live into as a congregation.

Earlier this month, we took an important first step in our strategic planning process through a retreat led by Rev. Drew Terry. While this is just the beginning of the journey, the retreat helped us start to name where we feel called to grow and focus our energy.

Four key mission priorities began to emerge:

Strengthening our worship and church programs
Building deeper relationships within the congregation and the wider community
Expanding our service and partnerships beyond the church walls
Increasing our visibility and presence in Watertown

These are not final answers, but they are meaningful starting points — signs of where new life may be taking root among us. And just like the resurrection itself, new life doesn’t appear out of nowhere. It grows as we pay attention, listen deeply, and remain open to where God is leading.

That’s exactly what our next step will focus on.

Module 3 of our strategic planning process will take place on Saturday, May 2 at 1:00 pm at the church. This session will help us better understand our neighbors and the changing demographics of Watertown, so that we can more faithfully align our ministry with the needs of our community.

Because resurrection isn’t just about what happens in the tomb. It’s about what happens next. It’s about stepping into a future we cannot fully see yet, trusting that God is already at work within it.

As we move toward Easter, may we not only celebrate new life. May we be open to it as well.

Blessings,

Pastor Dustin