Who We Are
Who is Quentin United Church of Christ?
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Quentin United Church of Christ is an inclusive community of faith. Our congregation is a diverse tapestry of people who come from all parts of Lebanon County and beyond to worship and grow in faith. We exist in order to share the gospel and to live our lives with Jesus Christ, to love our community unconditionally, and to grow together with Grace. Our church fully believes that No Matter Who You are, or Where You are on Life’s Journey, You are always welcome Here!
The motto of our denomination the United Church of Christ, comes from Jesus prayer to his disciples “That they may all be one” (John 17:21). This reflects the spirit of unity on which it is based and points toward future efforts to heal the divisions in the body of Christ. We are a uniting church as well as a united church. We believe in essentials- unity, in non-essentials- diversity, in all things-charity. The unity that we seek requires neither an uncritical acceptance of any point of view, nor rigid formulation of doctrine. It does require mutual understanding and agreement as to which aspects of the Christian faith and life are essential.
We profess a faith based on God's inclusive love for all people. Our beliefs are based on the Apostles and Nicene Creed, the UCC Statement of Faith and the Heidelberg Catechism. We believe in these testimonies of faith rather than tests of faith and because faith can be expressed in many different ways, as the United Church of Christ we have no formula that is a test of faith. We see the bible as the inspired word of God, but we do not take it literally, rather it is to be interpreted by the Holy Spirit in its current culture and context. We also understand that the unity of the church is not of its own making. It is a gift of God. But expressions of that unity are as diverse as there are individuals. The common thread that runs through all is love. To learn more about our core beliefs and our denomination click here. |
Come Visit Us! |
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What to Expect |
In some settings, a church can seem to be an intimidating place — especially if you don’t know what to expect. Our expectation is that you experience what the gospel means in bot an intellectual and relational way every time you step through the doors of the church. You can engage with others as much as you want, or remain as quiet as you want.
Worship is the heart of how we connect with our faith community and is our common time together as the people of God. At our Sunday morning worship service, you’ll see a range of ages …..from families gathered together, to single moms and single dads and just plain single folks, to little ones at times and retirees and to working folks. You will find folks who have been here all their lives and many new folks who have just joined. While most folks try and come every Sunday, others are working every other, some folks travel, and we are ok with that. We don’t care how you dress we ask that you come in what you are comfortable in, as you will see a range of folks in jeans, some in suits or ties and dresses, some in shorts or neon colors and on Holy Humor Sunday you will even see some crazy, wild, and hilarious Easter bonnets! We like the sound of babies and don’t care if they cry in the sanctuary, but if it makes you more comfortable there is a nursery and/or quiet space for you to go with your child and still hear the service during that time. We have a safe church policy in our church so that all adults in our church who are caring for our youth are background checked. There is a separate youthful worship service for our youth and they are always welcomed up to the front of the church for a time of blessing with the pastor before they go back to the service that is designed to help them fully engage their senses in the gospel, but this is not mandatory so if youth want to stay with their parents they can choose to do that. If your cell phone goes off we might chuckle, but we won’t give you the stink-eye cause that has happened to many of us, and if your late for the service our usher will tell you… “you are never too late for God” and hand you a bulletin that has everything written down in it for you to know where you are in the service. There are no assigned seats and there is always room up front but you will never be singled out. Whether you get to know us or visit us either through worship or at many of our other events our only expectation is that you will experience the hope, love and joy that comes from a community of people who love Jesus and who strive together to carry one another's burdens, share one another's joys, and to testify to the presence of God in our lives. |