History
Our congregation began worshiping together in 1832. On July 13, 1833, the Rev. Jeremiah Porter served communion under the branches of a large oak tree on the banks of the DuPage River, which inspired the logo you see on this site. Our church is the oldest organized church in DuPage county, the second Congregational church in Illinois and has been on its present site since 1846. The church became part of the United Church of Christ (UCC) in 1961. We celebrated our 175th Anniversary in 2008. Our congregation has a history of social justice activism.
Social Justice History
First Congregational Church has a history of being on the leading edge of social justice both in words and deeds beginning with the abolitionist movement and the underground railroad. Examples include: sponsoring a Vietnamese refugee family, supporting a grass roots recycling program, welcoming gay and lesbian people, opening our doors every Wednesday evening for homeless people to find shelter (PADS), being intentional with the language we use to be inclusive of all people, and letter writing to various officials on a variety of social issues. In addition, our church passed a Justice and Peace Covenant in 1989 and sponsored a resolution at the UCC General Synod XXIV on "An Alternative Voice to Christian Zionism."
I love the spirit and heart of this church. In fact, I love the place!
