Who We Are
As of November 2014 we are the Church of the Open Door: First Christian Church of Ukiah.
With a move into our new location (415-C Talmage Road, Ukiah), and a distinctly non-churchy-looking building, we had to come up with signs to explain our vision and mission. We decided to expand our name to hold both past and future. The Church of the Open Door: First Christian Church of Ukiah is a mouthful, but it says two very important things about us.
First, it says our door is open to anyone who is seeking for something they haven't found in the past. If you have been turned-off or out-right rejected by some example of the institutionalized church and think you want nothing to do with formalized church -- our door is open. Our table is open -- to everyone. If you are looking for a welcoming, learning, growing, family community -- our door is open.
The second thing our new name says about us is that we value our past and the saints who have gone before us, creating a space from which we could learn and grow and emerge into the vision of church we hold today. We hold to and value the open and welcoming ethos of the two denominations that are the historical roots of our present church.
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) was founded in the early 1800's in the United States. Services of the Christian Church were first held in the Ukiah area in 1857 and we have been an active presence in the Ukiah area ever since. Our present church was built in 1953, continuing our mission to “be and share the Good News of Jesus Christ, witnessing, loving and serving from our doorsteps to the ends of the earth.”
In 2003 we declared ourselves a partnership church with the United Church of Christ, since there is no official UCC presence in the Ukiah area. The United Church of Christ—a community of faith that seeks to respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed---was founded in 1957 as the union of several different Christian traditions in response to Jesus’ prayer "that they may all be one." The UCC affirms the ideal that Christians do not always have to agree in all things to live together in communion.
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ, while each maintains their distinct identity, have joined in partnerships around the country, choosing to celebrate the many things we share in common in our service to God, rather than be kept apart by differences.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
With most Christians, we affirm:
1. All people are God’s children.
2. Open Communion. The Lord’s Supper is celebrated weekly, and is open to all.
3. The Ministry of all Believers: Both ordained ministers and lay persons are responsible for leading worship and nurturing spiritual growth.
4. Diversity of Opinion: Each person is free to determine their own belief guided by the Holy Spirit, the Bible, study and prayer.
5. Faith in Service: We believe God’s gifts are never given just for us, but for service in raising up the reign of God among all peoples