No matter where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here! What is perhaps most appealing and exciting about our beloved Millburn Congregational United Church of Christ is that it brings together a rich history and untold promise for the future. Millburn Church recently completed a major building project to provide more space for our vibrant Christian education programs. But we did not build
something entirely new; instead, we built on Great Traditions. Preparing for the dedication of our new structure, we uncovered our church’s charter document, which dates back to 1840! So, Millburn Church has its roots in the earliest history of Lake County, and it has proclaimed Jesus’ liberating message throughout most of the history of the United States. Now, the same church that once offered God’s protective care to runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad reaches out in new ways, offering spiritual home and community to the residents of bustling northern Lake County – natives and newcomers alike. Millburn Church is a congregation of the United Church of Christ. Intelligent dialogue and a strong independent streak sometimes cause the UCC and its 1.4 million members to be called a “heady and exasperating mix.” The UCC tends to be a progressive denomination that unabashedly engages heart and mind. Yet the UCC somehow manages to balance congregational autonomy with a strong commitment to unity among its nearly 6,000 congregations – despite wide differences among many local congregations on a variety of issues.While preserving a heritage and history that dates back to the 16th century, the UCC and its forebears have proven themselves capable of moving forward, tying faith to social justice and shaping cutting edge theology and service in an ever-changing world. Affirming that Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, the UCC claims as its own the faith of the historic church expressed in the ancient creeds and reclaimed in the insights of the Protestant reformers. Yet the UCC also affirms the responsibility of the church in each generation and community to make faith its own in reality of worship, in honesty of thought and expression, and in purity of heart before God. It looks to the Word of God in the Scriptures, and to the presence and power of the Holy Spirit to prosper its creative and redemptive work in the world. One of the UCC’s distinguishing characteristics is its penchant to believe that God is Still Speaking, even when it puts us out there alone. History has shown that, most often, we’re only alone for a while. Besides, we receive so many gifts from our ecumenical partners, being “early” seems to be one of ours. We invite you to be among God’s blessings in the life of our church. We look forward to welcoming you for worship and fellowship!
