First Congregational Church of Riverside

This week we celebrate God's presence in and through our lives in several ways. We participate in Pride Month with our own celebration of Pride. FCC Riverside has been "Open and Affirming" since 1995. We were the 161st congregation of the United Church of Christ to adopt this stance, and there are nearly 2,000 now. We also celebrate the music ministry of our congregation with Music Appreciation Sunday. Our music staff and volunteers top off their program year with an exciting program. We celebrate our connection to other UCC churches with reports from those who attended the recent Annual Gathering of the Southern California Nevada Conference. Finally, we celebrate our faith in the sharing of Holy Communion. Join us in celebration!

This week at FCC we will celebrate Trinity Sunday. This is the Sunday when we look at the ways in which God is described as a Trinity—God in three parts or three ways. And this church talk about Trinity can seem kind of dry or boring if we are thinking about it from a structural perspective. This week, however, we will explore together how God’s trinitarian way of being God is actually a gift and blessing for us every day. Come and see what new ideas God has for your life and the promise of God’s presence that is always with you.

This week at FCC we will celebrate Pentecost. Pentecost is the biblical story of the first meeting of the church--and what we find in this story is that the first day of the church being the church is most likely quite different from the last day you have ever been in church. This week at FCC we will explore together what scripture has to teach us about being a church and being God's people of enthusiasm and hope. Come and see what good news God might have for you.

As we wander down this road of life, we may find ourselves feeling broken from time to time. And then as the years go by and events come to pass, we may feel as though we have accumulated scars, or brokenness. And there can be a tendency to identify with that brokenness and believe that we will never fully heal from the bumps and bruises that we hold in our hearts. But the Bible kind of says that’s not true. In fact, the promise in scripture is that we can and will be restored—from anything and everything. This week at FCC we will explore the extravagant promise of restoration. Come and discover the good news for you and for life as we gather around the promise of restoration that God puts before us.