WORSHIP AT FCCO blends tradition, critical thought, and heightened experience that can be revisited, rehashed, re-explored throughout the week. For example: We will meet you at the door with a heartfelt, warm welcome, introduce you to others, and sit with you during worship if you wish. We will also feed you with cookies, coffee, and conversation after worship “getting to know you!” Oh, and about what to wear: oxfords, flip-flops, neckties, T-shirts, dresses and slacks. Come as you are, leave as you yearn to be in the love of Christ. Preaching is about how God still speaks through the wisdom and witness of our scriptures, stories, poems, traditions, and own experience and reason. We take wisdom any way we can get it, and we employ our own best wisdom to sort from among the many sources of God’s presence and action to live more responsibly, maturely, faithfully, graciously, and joyfully.
ONE OF THE MOST FREQUENT QUESTIONS I hear from new folks visiting our church is this:“Will I really be welcome?—Really?”
Well, yes, certainly, but oftentimes, folks offer several reasons for asking: “I haven’t been to church in (at least) 500 years…I’ve never been baptized…I was raised Catholic…I’m black, I’m Hispanic…I’m gay/lesbian/etc…I had religion crammed down my throat when I was younger…I was abused by someone in the church I attended…I don’t believe in God the way most people do…I’m only here during the Winter…I did something earlier in life of which I’m ashamed…Do I have to wear a coat and tie?…I’m interested in church but my husband/wife isn’t…I want to keep my membership also in another church…””The list goes on, but to all new-comers I offer two things: read our “Open and Affirming Church Statement” above—and know that yes, we really mean it when we say, “No matter who you are, no matter where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here!” We really mean it!You will find among us a safe place, and you will find us warm and welcoming, willing and able to accompany you along your life’s journey. Start here: come see for yourself.
