About Us

This statement on UCC’s Covenant of Openness and Affirmation was written in 1993 and is currently (2023) under revision. You can also read John Garrity’s reflections on the process of becoming an Open and Affirming congregation, the road traveled from that point, and our path forward.

Covenant of Openness & Affirmation
With Respect to Sexual Orientation

University Congregational Church-United Church of Christ
Missoula, MT
April 25, 1993

We, the members of University Congregational United Church of Christ, are a diverse group of people. We are persons of varying ages, economic backgrounds, education, abilities, sexual orientations, and theological and political beliefs. As a church community, we strive to celebrate and find strength in that diversity and view it as a way to understand the inclusiveness of God.

We believe that, although we are many members, we are one body in Christ (Romans 12:4). As a part of that body of Christ, we are called to do justice, to bring release to the oppressed, and to walk humbly with our God. Responding to that call, a goal of our ministry is to heal the brokenness we experience in ourselves and in our relationships with each other and with God.

In our faith journey together, we, the members of University Congregational United Church of Christ, discern there are times when we must make declaration and confession as we seek to deepen our covenant together. Therefore, as a community of committed Christian people, we seek to end the continuing injustice of institutional discrimination, instances of violence, and setbacks in civil rights protection of gays, lesbians and bisexuals. We seek to work together in the light of the Gospel to define principles of human relationships and behavior that are based on nurturing each other as whole persons with love, responsibility, accountability and trust.

We confess, as we make our declaration, that individually we differ in our understanding of this issue. We pray that in our diversity, we will continue to respect those with differing views even as we join together in our overall purpose of following Jesus Christ.

As a congregation and as individuals, we lift up the following as evidence for our openness and affirmation:

1. We celebrate the image of God in every person, we celebrate the sacred value in every life, and we affirm all relationships of support that are founded on the principles of love and justice.
2. We affirm that lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons are welcome into the full life and ministry of the church upon making the same affirmation of faith that all other members make. Recognizing that gays, lesbians, bisexuals and their parents and other family members are already loyal and active members of University Congregational United Church of Christ, we encourage them to share their talents, gifts, and energy in the liturgy, life, employment, and leadership of the congregation.
3. We pledge ourselves to support and honor committed partnerships of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people, recognizing the difficulty of maintaining such partnerships in the absence of the social validation, role models, and legal frameworks that support heterosexual unions. We affirm the minster’s right to choose whether or not to consecrate all committed relationships within our congregation, whether lesbian, gay, bisexual or heterosexual.
4. We condemn all acts of discrimination and violence (physical, emotional, economic, or legal) against persons because of their sexual orientation, just as we condemn such acts against people because of race, age, gender, religion, ethnic background, or physical/mental disabilities or limitations. We pledge to support advocacy efforts designed to assure that homosexual persons enjoy the same rights and privileges as heterosexual persons.

Therefore, we, the University Congregational UCC, declare ourselves to be an Open & Affirming Church with respect to sexual orientation, race, age, gender, religion, ethnic background or physical/mental disabilities or limitations.

Our Creation Justice Covenant was voted upon and unanimously adopted by the congregation on September 15, 2019.

Climate crisis is an urgent, all-encompassing, worldwide emergency.

In affirming the divine gifts of creation and in affirming our connection to God, each other, and the world around us, we unconditionally commit ourselves as individuals and as a congregation to the intertwined responsibilities of caring for creation and seeking justice for the oppressed.

With purposeful resolve, we commit ourselves with an awareness of how the abuses of creation inevitably cause human suffering and of how factors such as race, class, and global inequality inevitably cause some to suffer more than others. Furthermore, as humanity confronts the current and future crisis of damage to the climate, the Earth, and all creatures, we commit ourselves with an urgent sense of calling.

We desire that these deeply felt commitments be reflected in all the dimensions of our congregation’s life. We commit to launch ourselves beyond the walls of our church to make good on our promises to God our Creator, to Jesus the Redeemer of Creation, and to the Holy Spirit the Sustainer of Creation.

It is vitally important for us as persons of faith to care for the creation given to all living beings by the first light of existence. The world is of God, from God and within it we are a part of the love of creation. What we do with each moment on Earth impacts us all.

UCC Missoula Creation Justice covenant adopted September 15, 2019

From the Green Team’s “2019 in Review” document:

In March, we began going through the Creation Justice accreditation requirements and began the process. In May, Green Team members met with small groups to conduct interviews and crafted a Creation Justice Covenant. We distributed the Draft Covenant to the Cabinet in May and the Congregation in July. Green Team held after Church Listening Meetings in July, August, and September. The Congregation unanimously voted to adopt the Creation Justice Covenant on September 15. We submitted our application to UCC Environmental Justice Program 11/4/2019. We were officially designated a Creation Justice Church November 20 2019!

https://uccmissoula.org/2023/12/green-team-archives-2019-in-review

University Congregational Church (UCC) is composed of its members, who comprise the decision-making body of the church.  UCC’s leadership organization includes officers in the Cabinet, committees, ministry teams, and other groupings as determined by the agreement of its members.  The officers of the church are the moderator, vice-moderator, clerk, and treasurer.  The officers are elected at the annual congregational meeting and will hold office from July 1 through June 30 until the close of the next annual meeting or until their successor(s) have been elected.  Cabinet members may serve a maximum of six consecutive years.

The Cabinet is composed of the officers plus the pastor(s), a representative of each Area Coordinating Team and Standing Committee, at most three at-large members, the Preschool liaison, and the past moderator.  The main responsibilities of the Cabinet are to provide direction to and coordinate activities of the ministry areas and committees; oversee fiscal management; approve ad hoc committees; appoint delegates; prepare the annual budget for congregational approval; oversee personnel policies for staff in conjunction with the personnel committee; take action to promote the mission of the church.

The Executive Committee is comprised of the moderator, vice-moderator, clerk, treasurer, and pastor.  The past moderator may serve on the Executive Committee as well.  This Committee is responsible for coordinating the Cabinet’s activities, setting the Cabinet agenda, and facilitating communications between the Cabinet, staff, teams, and committees.

More information on the Area Coordinating Teams and Standing Committees is available here and in the UCC Library.

UCC Missoula strives to be accessible to all. Some key information:

The front doors are roll-in accessible by wheelchair (wide enough with no step or ledge) but do not have electric openers.

Restrooms are on the ground floor. There is one wheelchair accessible stall in each of the main (designated men and women) restrooms to the South of the Sanctuary doors. There is also a single-stall all-gender restroom off the Narthex which has a safety rail and room for a care assistant or a family. All restrooms have baby changing stations.

The Fireside Room and Kitchen are on the second floor. There is a wheelchair-accessible lift which is usable by anyone who has difficulty navigating stairs. Our kitchen is not ADA accessible at this time.

The Youth room is located in the basement and is accessible via a lift.

The music rehearsal room, the Bay Window meeting room, and the Sunday School room in the Education wing (South of the Sanctuary) are all accessible via a ramp from the main lobby in addition to the lift.

Sound amplification is used for most services and events. Smaller services and events may not have sound amplification. Words for prayers and lyrics for hymns are displayed on screens at the front of the Sanctuary.

The Narthex has a small play area for children with a window and speaker so that adults can see and hear the service while their children play.

Those unable to travel or be inside the building are welcome to join our services via streaming on Facebook and YouTube.

Read Pastor John’s letter from the Aug 22, 2023 E-Blast

UCC Missoula’s Safe Church guidelines help protect the safety of the children and youth in our care.  Therefore, we do not post or reproduce images of people under the age of 18 on any of our social media platforms, publications, or streamed services or events.