About Us

Who We Are

We are a congregation of The United Church of Christ, which became a denomination in 1957. The UCC was a uniting of 4 different Christian movements: 


4) As our European ancestors began to colonize North America, many different churches began to form. The four major groups in our history were the Congregational Churches, the Christian Churches, the German Reformed Church of America, and the Evangelical Synod (Lutheran) in North America. The Congregationalists came first. These were the Pilgrims and Puritans of the 1600s who fled England for religious freedom. The German Reformed came shortly after, followed by the ‘Christian Churches,’ which were largely stand alone congregations. Then came the Evangelical Synod in North America as German Lutheran immigrants migrated to the Midwest.

2) These 4 entities became 2 in 1931 when the Congregationalists and the Christian Churches joined together to form the Congregational Christian Churches. They stressed congregational freedom and a continual reformation. In 1934 the German Reformed and Evangelical Synod joined together to form the Evangelical and Reformed Church. They stressed freedom of conscience, authority of the scriptures, and their common liberal German Protestant heritage.

1) The 2 then became 1 in 1957 to create our current denomination the United Church of Christ.

Our congregation was born with the merger of Muscatine's First Congregational Christian Church and St. John’s Evangelical & Reformed Church in 1957. Faith United Church of Christ became one of the earliest congregations in the new denomination. Our first home was in the First Congregational Christian Church building at the corner of Third and Chestnut Streets. During the annual congregational meeting January 21, 1960 it was voted to take an option on the land of our present church home at 3307 Mulberry Avenue. Groundbreaking services for the new church home were held August 9, 1970. During Sunday worship on April 18, 1971 the congregation moved from the church building at 200 West Third Street to the new church home on Mulberry Avenue.


The history of The United Church of Christ is rich, colorful, and filled with stories of faith and tenacity. The local history of Muscatine’s Evangelical and Reformed and Congregational Churches was faithfully researched and written by June Kleffmann in the early 1970’s. It is currently being reviewed and updated to the present day. The church office has a copy of the original text. An audio/slide presentation accompanies the text. Both are available on request.

In her written history of Muscatine’s Faith UCC, Mrs. Kleffmann recalled the words of Reverand Riggs of St. John’s Evangelical and Reformed Church to describe Faith. He described the congregation in January 1955 as: “The church with the old faith and the new outlook."  Years later, it's a description that still fits!

We are a congregation with diverse beliefs and traditions, who are nonetheless committed to being united in the love of God. We practice a radical, extravagant welcome, not only to those who walk through our doors, but also in our outreach of love to the wider community, nation, and world. Here you will find a group of imperfect people exploring and experiencing who God is, who God calls us to be, and how to do our best to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Here you may not find hard and fast answers, but you will be invited to learn and grow in the presence of a community filled with grace. At Faith, you will not be told what to believe or given a to-do-list on how to be a Christian, but you will be invited to share your beliefs and experiences, as well as listen to others, so that we might learn from one another and journey together the mysterious road of faith.

"O God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

~ Evangelical Lutheran Book of Worship

Interested in becoming a member? 

Fill out this form and talk with Pastor Paris to learn more!

We are Open and Affirming 

We the members of Faith United Church of Christ declare ourselves to be an open and affirming church. 

unconditional love for ALL, including but not limited to people of all ages, races, ethnicities, cultures, genders, gender Identities, sexual orientations, socio-economic conditions, physical, mental and emotional abilities, faith backgrounds, nationalities, marital status, languages, and education levels. 

“No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, YOU ARE WELCOME HERE.”  

- adopted April 7, 2019

We are proud to be a part of the UCC's Open and Affirming legacy. In 1972, the UCC was the first denomination to ordain an openly gay minister. The UCC's predecessors [the Christian Church] were also the first to ordain a woman in the early 1800s, as well as the first to ordain a black minister in 1852. You can learn more about the UCC Open and Affirming Coalition here: 

Land Acknowledgement 

Here at Faith United Church of Christ, we acknowledge that the land on which we prayerfully gather was once under the care of the Kickapoo, as well as, the Sac & Fox tribes – whom we know as the Meskwaki (‘People of the Red Earth). With Algonquian origins, the Meskwaki once inhabited the land from the border of Canada, down through Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri. Located near Tama, Iowa, they now reside on merely 8,624 acres of land. Their presence in this region is remembered and woven into the history of our community. Faithfully we partner in repairing past harm, to move forward with awareness and respect, celebrating and embracing the contributions of First Americans, and opening our hearts to the abundant wisdom they have to share.





Office Hours: 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Monday - Friday

3307 Mulberry Ave, Muscatine Iowa 52761

Phone: (563) 263-5979

Email: Secretary@faithuccmuscatine.com

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