About Us

Learn more about our conference, mission and team.

What We Believe

At First Congregational UCC, we believe that:

Asking good questions is more important than “knowing the answers”
We find the Holy in the midst of our relationships
We are all on a journey—our beliefs change over the course of our lives
Goodness, Truth, and Beauty matter
God is Still Speaking!

Our Mission

We are called together:

To celebrate God’s presence
To help each person to grow in his or her relationship with God
To create a welcoming and supportive community of all God’s people, affirming the diversity of race, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender expression and identity, social and economic status, and the differently abled
To observe and share life’s passages and our faith traditions
To reach out in love seeking justice and peace
And to tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love.

Welcome Message from Our Pastor

You are welcome here.

When I first began serving here in September of 2016, I asked more than 70 members to tell me what they love about this church. The two most common responses were: “This is a welcoming, friendly, non-judgmental community,” and “We love the unique blend of traditional worship and progressive theology.”

At First Congregational, we’re not afraid to ask questions. And we’re okay with not having all the answers. We believe that our faith calls us to the work of love and justice—even when we don’t necessarily agree on what that means. We lend each other a hand as we seek to walk in the Way of Jesus.

We take our faith seriously, but we take ourselves pretty lightly. Folks express a sense of humor and play and a willingness to try new things. There are lots of actors and musicians in the congregation, so we sing with gusto and don’t mind making fools out of ourselves once in a while. The many gardeners and visual and textile artists in our midst help to surround us in beauty, which draws us close to the heart of God.

This is a congregation of people who are willing to show up in life—whether that means showing up to shovel snow early on a Sunday morning or bring bars to Coffee Hour or help plan an event, or whether it involves more public activities like running for City Council or attending School Board meetings or volunteering at a local food shelf.

First Congregational UCC is a place for prayer and a school for love. We embrace the call to love God and one another, understanding that call as a life-long journey towards healing, wholeness and right relationship. And we recognize that we’re all in it together.

Come for a visit; you may want to stay for a lifetime.

With blessings and gratitude,

Pastor Kathleen

Our History

Learn about our church’s story.

First Congregational United Church of Christ of Menomonie was established in 1861. The congregation has been a vital body of the Menomonie community throughout its history. Members of the church have, as expressions of their faith, served as dedicated leaders and faithful followers across the civic, educational, services, arts and health dimensions of Menomonie, the Chippewa Valley, and the wider world.