Welcome to Clackamas United Church of Christ!
We have a few sayings in the UCC. The first is, “No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.”
I’m so glad you found our website! I’d like to tell you about CUCC. We are a progressive church on the outskirts of Portland. Here’s what we mean by “progressive.”
We Are Open and Affirming
We are an open and affirming congregation. That means we fully accept all people, including folks who identify as LGBTQI. For too long religious law has been used to marginalize the LGBTQI community. We think that marginalization needs to end. After all, Jesus is the fulfillment of the law, which is the law of love, not the law to exclude. So, with the boldness of Jesus, we invite everyone to come and joyfully share in the spiritual journey we are on here at CUCC!
We Are a Just Peace Church
We are also a “Just Peace” church. There is a lot of injustice in the world, but the Bible is witness to the fact that God is doing something about it! And God invites us to do something about it, too. We see this in the ancient prophets. The prophets said that God’s desire was to create a world where the poor and the outcast were cared for and loved. And so we believe that true peace can only come when we work for a more just world.
But justice is a tricky word, isn’t it? So often “justice” is associated with retribution. There’s a fine line between justice and revenge. Jesus worked for justice and peace, but he gives us an alternative to achieve a just and peaceful world. Jesus worked for peace and justice through nonviolent and peaceful means. How we work for peace and justice matters and so we do our best to follow Jesus in the nonviolent ways of love as we work for justice and peace in the Milwaukie area and in the world.
God is love
Another saying in the UCC is, “Never place a period where God has placed a comma.” The idea is that God uses commas, not periods. This is similar to another saying we have, “God is still speaking.” I really like these sayings. But there’s one place where I think we should put a period. That’s in a letter called 1 John, where it says, “God is love.” Period. God is love. God loves you. God loves your neighbor. And so God calls us to love our neighbors, and as Jesus teaches, even those we call our enemies.
You Are Welcome Here
We know that finding a church can be difficult and is often intimidating, but if CUCC sounds like it might be a good fit for you, we’d love for you to join us on the journey as we walk the path of Jesus. There’s a place for you at Jesus’ Table, and there’s a place for you at CUCC. I’m fully convinced that the world needs more followers of Jesus now more than ever. And so we invite you to join us here on the journey at CUCC!
Grace and peace,
Pastor Adam