The Congregational Church of Huntington, United Church of Chirst, was founded in 1955 by a group of Congregationalists who saw a need for a progressive Protestant Church in the township of Huntington. The charter members envisioned a church that would serve the burgeoning population of Huntington as a place where God’s love and justice would be shown through worship and service to the community

Our Building:

The congregation wished to express their vision if the Christian faith when they built the sanctuary in 1965. By using the best of contemporary church architecture they were able to make real their belief in the priesthood of all believers and the incarnation of the Spirit of God in our world. The sanctuary is designed so that everyone, Pastors and laity, sit at the same level and are close to each other . In addition , all the furnishings are moveable so that it may be used for many purposes

Governance:

One may join the church and gain the right to vote on church matters by making a statement of faith, or by transferring from another church. Those wishing to join should speak to the Pastor and participate in an introductory class that is offered several times a year.

The Church is run by its members. A s a congregational church the congregation holds the authority and responsibility for the programs of the church. The congregation owns the building, calls their own pastor, and raises all the funds necessary to run the church.

Money Matters:

Active participants contribute, or pledge, around 84% of the moneys needed to run the church. A pledge is a personal commitment to give the church x-amount of money during the course of the year; some members pay pledge installments weekly; some monthly; some quarterly; some all at once. We conduct a pledge campaign in the Fall of each year at the same time we develop the coming year’s budget. The final budget adopted in January is dependent on the outcome of the pledge drive.

We also receive income from the rental of the church space to appropriate outside organizations, and from the use of our space by our Noah’s Ark nursery school.

One-Minute History:

The original congregation met in the Huntington YMCA but they soon needed a larger permanent home. They selected a quiet wooded site in Centerport in a section of Huntington that wasn’t adequately served by Protestant churches. The Reverend Malcolm Moors became Pastor in 1959. Under his leadership the church grew to become a place where children and families were nurtured and where God’s Love was shown to all. The first was epitomized by the annual family outdoor breakfast and worship service. The latter by hosting discussions of the civil rights struggle as well as contemporary art exhibits and dance performance.

Affiliation:

The Congregational Church is a part of the United Church of Christ (UCC) formed in 1957 in a merger of the Congregational Christian Church and the German Evangelical and Reformed Church the motto of the UCC is “"that they may all be one.".” The Congregationalist began in the English reformation and first came to the new world on the Mayflower as the Pilgrims who established Plymouth Colony. The UCC is committed to ecumenical work and making God’s love real by the service provided to others. They Are All Our Children

The Congregational Church treasures its children and young people. The Rev. Dr. Lois Kirkwood, out part time Associate Minister for Educational and Outreach, coordinates a comprehensive church school program of classes, services and worship. We Begin our Worship at 10 A.M. each Sunday and, after a story designed for them, our children go to their Church School classes while the adults stay in worship.

The youth of the church meet for Sunday morning discussion groups, Pilgrim Fellowship on Sunday evenings and special service and educational trips.

Musically Speaking:

We are a creative congregation that values music and arts. Through our adult choir, and children’s choir we have a varied and high-quailty music progam. We find inspiration in a variety of musical styles from the wonderful legacy of traditional church music as well as contemporary popular songs. In addition, we use our sanctuary for art shows, performances and other community music and dance groups.