Our denomination
The United Church of Christ is a result of a few mergers of American Protestant denominations in the 20th century. Congregationalists thought Christians should believe with sincerity, not follow the whims of the King. The Christian churches believed you should have no creed but Christ. Evangelical and Reformed churches brought an appreciation of worship and service, as well as the importance of God’s work in our lives over time. These values are all still present in the UCC.
We believe in the freedom of individual conscience in interpretation of doctrine and scripture, but that we are bound together in covenant, to walk together in community. Each congregation in the UCC therefore has its own flavor, but we are committed to each other for mutual support.
Members of our founding congregations were among the first to take a stand against slavery and the first to ordain an African American, a woman, and a member of the LGBTQIA+ community. We were the first denomination to call for marriage equality in 2005. We are socially conscious and theologically progressive, open and affirming, and extravagantly welcoming. We believe that God is still speaking in the world and that we should not put a period where God has placed a comma.
First Congregational Church UCC Naperville is a member of the United Church of Christ, a progressive Protestant denomination.
Church history
We are an active faith community grounded in 186 years of 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.