God
is Still
Speaking...
Welcome to First Congregational Church
We are dedicated to the health and safety of our community, especially those most vulnerable to Covid-19. We are abiding by the best medical guidance, and the directives of county and state officials. Our leadership in the Pacific Northwest United Church of Christ Conference wisely advises to err on the side of caution.
All in-person activities at the church are suspended, with virtual options.
Contact our office for information about recovery groups.
Any changes to this policy for small groups will not be considered until the county is safely in Phase 3 reopening.
PLEASE JOIN US FOR OUR WORSHIP AND FELLOWSHIP
View this week's sermon and pre-recorded worship service at our YouTube Channel here.
Receive a blessing at our "Drive-By Blessings" in the Church Parking lot off Park Street
Sundays 10-10:50am
Please wear masks and drive only with family.
And you are welcome to a Virtual Coffee Hour and Prayer time on Zoom
11 am Sunday!
Please call the church office for prayer service access.
View some of our latest Sermons and Worship Videos below. And more are available here.
Contact the office or Pastor Nathaniel for info on how to join our
Sunday morning prayer group at 11:00am.
Our Vision & Mission
We are a congregation of diverse Christian believers empowered by love and guided by the Holy Spirit.
It is our mission to enable personal spiritual growth, collective outreach to the community, and stewardship of God's creation. We are an open and affirming church. Because of who you are and where you are on life's journey, YOU are welcome here!
Church Statement Committing to Antiracism, Nonviolence, and Police Reform
As people of faith and disciples of Jesus, our community at First Congregational Church of Walla Walla stands with those struggling for racial justice who are speaking out about racism and White supremacy in our culture and institutions. We declare that Black lives matter.
We share the grief over the violent death of George Floyd, and of many other unarmed Black, Brown, and Indigenous people who have died at the hands of those we entrust to provide fair and equal protection under the law. Our faith compels us to confront racism as a false idol and a force that crucifies.
We know that God’s grace, as a gift, is free, but it is not cheap. It calls us to a change of heart and of actions, seeing clearly the role of sin in ourselves and our society. We are humbled to acknowledge the sin of racism and White supremacy in ourselves, in our institutions, and in our country’s living history. We seek, with God’s help, and with the confidence that nothing truly separates any of us from the love of God, to do our part to overcome racism and heal the injustices in our society.
To that end:
We are committed to better understanding our own White privilege and racism, for those of us who are White, and to address its subtle and overt manifestations in our church culture. To aid us, we will use small group curricula developed by our national leadership in the United Church of Christ, such as “White Privilege - Let’s Talk: A Resource for Transformational Dialogue.” We invite others in our community to this work, and gladly will share these resources.
We are committed to supporting and responding to the leadership of Black and Brown people in our city and state who are developing policy measures that can reduce the risk of police violence and increase democratic oversight and accountability.
We are committed to finding appropriate ways as a church to help bring our local police and political leaders into conversation with the Walla Walla Black Lives Matter movement, as well as the Walla Walla Immigrant Rights Coalition, as they request, to discuss meaningful reforms and reconciliation.
We are committed to peace and nonviolence, knowing all people are fellow children of God. We will do our part to reduce the level of violence in our society overall. This requires attending to larger injustices in our nation, largely impacting People of Color. This also requires attending to the seeds of violence in ourselves. A less violent society will reduce the level of risk and stress for all, including police officers who often respond to violent situations.
We are above all committed to following the Way of Jesus with integrity, confronting the forces of violence and racism with love in our hearts and with our trust centered on the God of resurrection at work through history and beyond.
Rev. Nathaniel Mahlberg, Pastor
J.R. VanSlyke, Moderator
Jen Rickard, Vice-Moderator
Dana Taggart, Chair, Board of Trustees
Judy Chacon, Chair, Board of Deacons
Heidi McFarley, Chair, Mission & Social Concerns Committee
Dot Willis, Chair, Christian Education Committee
We are celebrating the 20th Anniversary of our voting to become Open & Affirming of the diverse sexual orientations and gender identities God has seen fit to imbue humanity.
This bold stance on behalf of the belovedness and blessedness of each and all of God's children has been a rich source of blessing and challenge for this congregation.
For the 20th Anniversary, we're exploring ways of honoring this year by lifting up the stories of LGBTQ people of faith and allies in town, and to further explore what an affirming faith means.
If you want to be a part of dreaming up how we can make this a special year please let us know!