Happy Birthday UCC
50 Years Bold

26th General Synod

Hartofrd, Connecticut
June 22-26, 2007

Topics at a glance:
     50 Year Anniversary
     26th General Synod Highlights
     Resolutions and Reports
     Photos from General Synod
     Minutes from General Synod

Related Web Pages:
     Christ Church's General Synod web page
     Christ Church's 27th General Synod web page
     Christ Church's 25th General Synod web page

50 Year Anniversary

     The United Church of Christ (UCC) is celebrating 50 years of combined ministry this year.  The UCC was formed by four major Christian denominations of the reformed tradition of Protestant Reformation coming together in 1957, plus additional denominations and congregations joining along the way.  We are at the same time an old and a young church.

     The joining is inspired by Jesus' prayer in John 17:11, which led to our motto "That they may all be one."  By coming together, we put aside denominational differences in order to more fully work together in ministry in the name of Christ.

     Those four historical churches:
          German Reformed Church of the U.S. - 1725
               Begun by German immigrants settling in Pennsylvania
               (becoming more inclusive by dropping the name "German" in 1867)
               *This is the historical roots of Christ Church UCC in Temple, PA

          Evangelical Synod in North America - 1800s
               Begun by German immigrants settling in the Midwest
               (becoming more inclusive by dropping the name "German" in 1927)

          Congregational Churches - 1620s
               Begun by the Pilgrim and Puritan settlers in Massachusetts
               (Joined by: Congregational Methodists in 1892;
                Evangelical Protestants in 1925; and
                German Congregationalists in 1927)

          The Christian Churches - 1794
               Begun by the Rev. James O'Kelly and his followers in Virginia
               (First Free Christian Church in Vermont was organized in 1801)

     Those four first combined in pairs:
          Evangelical and Reformed Church - 1934
          Congregational Christian Churches - 1931 

     The two pairs came together forming the United Church of Christ - 1957.  Since then other denominations and congregations continue to join in our "united" and "uniting" church. 

     Learn what it means for the UCC to continue to be "Christian", "Congregational", "Reformed", and "Evangelical" on our What We Believe page.

     This link will take you to the page that talks about the History of the United Church of Christ.  To request a booklet about the United Church of Christ, please e-mail us with your request, and we would be more than happy to send you additional information.

     For even more information on the 50th anniversary celebration, this link will take you to UCC 50th Anniversary Celebration web page.

26th General Synod Highlights

     The theme of the 26th General Synod is "Let It Shine."

     There is a ton of information on the UCC's General Synod web-site.

     The United Church News is the official newspaper of the United Church of Christ, which you can read on-line and print from your home computer.  Members of the United Church of Christ can subscribe to the United Church News to have it mailed directly to your home.  You can also read the Daily Synod Digest, which is the daily synod newspaper published by the United Church News.

     You can watch the 26th General Synod Live by streaming video.

     During this General Synod celebration there were a variety of guest speakers and musicians.  If you missed them live, some of their presentations are available on the UCC 26th General Synod video archive.

     Guest Speakers:
          Bill Moyers - press secretary for Pres. Lyndon Johnson and award-winning
               journalist, with more than 30 Emmys and 10 Peabody awards
          Senator Barack Obama - member of Trinity UCC
               community organizer, civil rights attorney, & 2008 presidential hopeful
          Walter Brueggeman - world renowned Old Testament scholar and author
               of more than 58 books, hundreds of articles, and several
               commentaries on books of the Bible
          Peter J. Gomes - author, preacher, and theologian at Harvard University's
               Divinity School (Part 1, Part 2)
          Maria Otero - president and CEO of ACCION International, a leading global 
               microfinance institution that works to open the financial systems in
               developing countries
          Elaine M. Brown - emmy award-winning writer, author, and vice president 
               at HBO
          Dr. Charles Townes - member of the UCC from California
               inventor of the Laser, awarded the Noble Prize and Templeton Prize
               A laser light show was a part of Saturday evening's birthday celebration

     Special Music:
          Rachel Barton Pine - world-renowned violinist
          Beloved Bells Youth Choir
          The Children's Orchestra Society
          Hallmark Jazz Quartet

Resolutions and Reports

     Available online are the Proposed Resolutions and Reports to General Synod.

     Look here in the future for links to any passed resolutions, once they have been voted upon and published.

Photos from General Synod

A View of the Stage and Arena

     After members return from General Synod we hope to publish some of their photos here.  Please return to this page in the future to see those highlights in picture form.

     You can also view General Synod Photos on the UCC web site.

Minutes from General Synod

     Look here in the future to the links to read the Minutes from the 26th General Synod.  We expect the Executive Council of the UCC to have prepared and approved the minutes sometime this fall.

     Links to minutes from previous synods can be found on our Christ Church UCC's General Synod Web Page.

The UCC at 50 Years
Let It Shine