First Congregational Church of Tulare, United Church of Christ

First Congregational Church of Tulare, United Church of Christ This year we celebrate our 150th anniversary. Here you will find people of all ages, all walks of life, sharing God's love in Christ. No admission charge.

Worship & Children’s Sunday School: 10:30 a.m. (childcare can be arranged)

Come as you are. No dress code. No judging. Bring your doubts, questions, and noisy kids. God doesn’t reject people. Neither do we. Whoever you are, wherever you are on life’s journey, you’re welcome here! Our church is over 135 years old, but we have a contemporary and progressive outlook. In this congregation, you will find people of all ages, in all sorts of life-situations, sharing God’s love in Christ with each other, our community and our wider world. Join us for worship on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. On October 4, 2009, First Congregational UCC Tulare voted to become an Open & Affirming Congregation of the United Church of Christ. We adopted this statement about including all people:

“We, as the First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ in Tulare, California proclaim that we are an Open and Affirming congregation. That we welcome all who seek to follow Christ, irrespective of gender, race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, cultural background, political persuasion, and/or life experiences. And we boldly proclaim a Christ-like love for all of God’s children, no matter where they are in life’s journey.”

Our church and the wider UCC believe that we do not have to agree on everything to be in communion and community with one another. We don’t have to have all the answers - in fact, we value our questions and doubts, trusting that they help us to find a more authentic faith.

“Never place a period where God has placed a comma.” Gracie Allen, 20th century American comedian

“There is more truth and light yet to break forth from God’s holy word.” – John Robinson, 17th century pastor to the Pilgrims

We believe that God is still speaking to us today, and asks us to offer God’s extravagant welcome to all, especially those who have felt like they had no place in the church: the excluded, the spiritually homeless and the questioning.

09/06/2026

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

08/30/2026

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

🐾 **Blessing of the Animals — Sunday, October 4 at 10:30 AM**Bring the dogs. Bring the cats. Bring the rabbits, birds, t...
08/26/2026

🐾 **Blessing of the Animals — Sunday, October 4 at 10:30 AM**

Bring the dogs. Bring the cats. Bring the rabbits, birds, turtles, guinea pigs, and whatever other creatures have somehow become part of the family.

On **Sunday, October 4 at 10:30 AM**, Tulare First Congregational Church will celebrate the **Feast of St. Francis** with a special **Blessing of the Animals**.

St. Francis of Assisi is remembered for his deep love of God’s creation, and this is one of our favorite ways to celebrate that spirit: giving thanks for the animals who bring joy, companionship, chaos, fur, muddy paw prints, and a whole lot of love into our lives.

All are welcome.

And yes, we fully expect barking during the prayers. We’re counting it as participation.

📍 **Tulare First Congregational Church**
🕥 **10:30 AM**
📅 **Sunday, October 4**

Come worship with us and bring your favorite furry, feathered, or scaly friend along for a blessing.

Today we join millions of people around the world in mourning the passing of **Dolly Parton**.It would be easy to rememb...
08/26/2026

Today we join millions of people around the world in mourning the passing of **Dolly Parton**.

It would be easy to remember Dolly for the music—the unmistakable voice, the rhinestones, the enormous hair, the laughter, and songs that somehow became part of the American soundtrack.

But there was something else about Dolly worth remembering.

She was a woman of deep faith who seemed to understand that faith is worth very little if it never becomes love.

She grew up poor in the mountains of Tennessee and never forgot where she came from. She gave generously to families after disasters, supported medical research and children's hospitals, and through her **Imagination Library**, put hundreds of millions of books into the hands of children around the world.

She also spent a lifetime making the circle wider. Dolly spoke openly about welcoming and loving LGBTQ+ people and became, perhaps unexpectedly for a country singer from rural Tennessee, an icon of inclusion.

And through it all, she never seemed terribly interested in convincing us that she was important.

She was interested in doing some good.

A few years ago, when asked how she hoped to be remembered, Dolly said she hoped people would remember that she had **“tried to do some good in the world.”**

That sounds an awful lot like a life of faith to us.

Jesus tells us that we know a tree by its fruit.

Dolly Parton leaves behind quite an orchard.

Books in children's bedrooms. Help for families who had lost everything. Songs people will still be singing long after we're gone. And generations of people who heard, in one way or another, that there was room for them too.

May she rest in peace and rise in glory.

And may all of us leave this world having made it just a little kinder than we found it.

**Well done, Dolly.**

08/23/2026

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

08/09/2026

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

08/02/2026

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

07/26/2026

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

07/12/2026

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

07/06/2026

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

Address

220 W Tulare Avenue
Tulare, CA
93274

Opening Hours

Tuesday 8:30am - 12pm
Thursday 8:30am - 12pm

Telephone

+15596865528

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when First Congregational Church of Tulare, United Church of Christ posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Place Of Worship

Send a message to First Congregational Church of Tulare, United Church of Christ:

Shortcuts

Share

Category