About Us

First Congregational Church has been part of the life of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for 175 years: a church that has always stood for faith in a living Christ, lived out responsibly and in freedom, both as individuals and as a community of people committed to God and one another.

A member of the national body of the United Church of Christ, First Congregational Church encourages its 400+ members and friends to explore their faith in and through the Scriptures, by the leading of the Spirit, in the light of reason, and in the context of a loving community. Our goal is to embody the life of Christ in all that we do as we learn and fellowship together, and especially as we serve our community and world. As Jesus taught us to love one another, to trust God in all our ways, and to be peacemakers, bringing justice to the world, so we try to be his disciples today.

Above all, and supporting all that we do, is the grace of God: the steadfast, unconditional love of God in Christ that is the source of all that is good and beautiful and just.

At First Congregational we are bound together not by the mere profession of any creed formulated by humans, but by a common belief in a gracious God and the "covenant" by which we commit ourselves to one another. Our perception of God and the ways of God are always flawed. But by our relationships with each other, we seek to more perfectly understand and live out our faith when we worship together, talk together and work together for God's reign of truth and justice and love in the world.

Our church family represents all ages - from newborns to folks well into their 90s - and all denominations - with members from Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, other Protestant, and a variety of other backgrounds. There are over one hundred children and youth involved in the Church School. Over half of the congregation was born after World War II. Vocationally, the congregation includes many people in educational fields (public school teachers and administrators, university faculty and staff), social workers, owners of small businesses, health care workers, homemakers, engineers, assemblers, and other skilled workers, from farmers to musicians. Many people serve as volunteers in various area organizations.

We are a theologically diverse people. Former Pastor Ralph DiBiasio-Snyder perhaps best summed up this diversity by writing: "In our history we have been conservative and liberal, revivalistic and staid, orthodox and heretical, traditional and progressive. Sometimes we have been all those things at once! Today we continue to be a place where people with differing theologies can worship side by side, each knowing that his or her understanding of God and faith could be - probably is, most surely is - at least a little wrong. We learn from one another as we tolerate our differences and agree that none of us has all the answers." (Independent of Mind, Open of Heart, The Story of 150 Years of Ministry 1849-1999, © 1999)

Holy Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month and ALL are invited and welcome to partake - regardless of membership in First Congregational Church or other church or denomination. The body of Jesus Christ is celebrated with gluten-free bread and his blood is represented by juice, as opposed to wine.

First Congregational Church invites you to be part of our faith community! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call the office at (920) 231-7520, or email the church at office@fccoshkosh.org.