First UCC DC

How were you welcomed in at First Church? We would love to hear your story and encourage you to share it with the wider United Church of Christ.

🫶🏾 What’s your UCC Welcome Story?

In the United Church of Christ, we believe in extravagant welcome—a place where every person is seen, loved, and accepted just as they are. Somewhere, someone is searching for a sign that they belong. Often, that sign is a story—your story.

Maybe it was the moment someone remembered your name after just one visit. Maybe it was the feeling of being embraced without expectation or judgment. Maybe it was realizing that UCC is more than a church—it’s a community, a family, a home.

As we approach our 70th anniversary, we invite you to share your story of welcome. Your experience could be the sign someone else needs to know they belong.

👉🏾 We’re ready to listen. Click below to begin sharing your story:
http://NMUCC.memfox.io/yourwelcomestory

We lift up and honor the life of Bishop Kwabena "Rainey" Cheeks, founder of Inner Light Ministries, who passed away this week. Bishop Cheeks was a native Washingtonian and lead coordinator of the famous DC "ClubHouse" to which DC's LGBTQ+ community flocked for community enrichment, spiritual support, and celebration. Inner Light Ministries was founded on July 4, 1993, holding their first service of worship in our building at the corner of 10th & G. Inner Light Ministries joined the UCC in 2017, with Bishop Cheeks faithfully guiding the congregation until 2022. The congregation is now led by the Rev. Dr. Wallace R. Henry III (also pictured below). Bishop Cheeks has preached and taught around the world. His life and ministry will be celebrated and lifted up as his legacy of love and light continues to ripple out.

One year (and counting) into the take-over of DC streets by the National Guard and other federal forces, check out what partner organization Free DC reports about DC's resistance and what we have learned. Thanks to Rev. Barbara Gerlach and Sandy Sorensen for showing up and speaking out on the first anniversary of the occupation.

One Year of DC’s Occupation — Free DC On August 11, 2026, the District of Columbia will have been under hostile military occupation for one year. For a year now, DC communities have had armed soldiers patrolling our streets, surges of federal police, multiple attacks on our local laws, and threats from this president against our elected

From the Archives, with Judith:
While times have certainly changed and there is no longer a Deaconesses Cookbook published at First Church, we had a good laugh over the KJV version of this Scripture Cake recipe. What won't Judith find in our archives?

We mourn with those who mourn and weep with those who weep at this tremendous loss for the UCC family. Prayers of mercy and grace for all who loved the Rev. Derek Terry.

The Southern New England Conference mourns the passing of Rev. Derek Terry, who served as the Executive Director of the Open and Affirming Coalition UCC.

We give thanks to God for the life, ministry, and faithful witness of Rev. Terry, whose presence and proclamation reminded the Church of the expansive and unconditional love of God.

The words displayed so powerfully in this image, “God Loves Me & So Do I,” reflect a truth at the heart of the Gospel and of Derek’s witness: every person is created in the image of God and is worthy of love, dignity, belonging, and a place within the beloved community.

We hold in prayer Derek’s family, friends, congregation, colleagues in ministry, and all those whose lives were touched by his presence and ministry. We especially surround all who are grieving this tremendous loss with the love and care of our wider Church.

Even in our grief, we hold fast to the promise of our faith, that neither death nor life, nor anything else in all creation, can separate us from the love of God.

May Rev. Derek A. Terry rest in the eternal embrace of the God he loved and served.

Well done, good and faithful servant.
Rest in power. Rest in peace. Rest in God’s love.

Rev. Darrell Goodwin
Executive Conference Minister

Beloved Community of the United Church of Christ, please join us in wishing Sandy Sorensen a very Happy Birthday!

We're Hiring! Please share widely.

SUNDAY WORSHIP A/V ENGINEER
Progressive, downtown DC church seeks an A/V engineer to run audio and video for a weekly Sunday morning programming. The A/V Tech is expected to be onsite from 9:00am – 1:30pm, which includes setup, worship, educational programming, and teardown.

Worship tech includes:
Audio microphones for speakers and musicians
Video switching between two hi-def cameras and connecting feed to Zoom
Monitoring connection to Zoom
Troubleshooting audio during the service

A one-hour adult education program follows at noon two or three Sundays per month with a simple setup of one camera on tripod, a hand-held microphone, and a laptop connected to Zoom.

Gig rate is $660 per month and includes four Sundays off in a 12-month period. Additional opportunities for evening services and church programming paid separately. Located at 10th & G Streets NW, convenient to Metro Center and Gallery Place. Free parking available onsite on Sunday mornings. Email your expression of interest and a resume to Byron Adams at [email protected].

"Defending the right to vote is a non-partisan action. The right to vote is not determined by political interests or participation in a political party. Rescinding the right to vote and violating the voting rights of eligible voters continues to be a strategy for culling voters, and influencing elections.

The SAVE Act, if passed, will disenfranchise millions by hindering their ability to vote. Upholding the right to vote is a justice issue. Justice places values on the rights of all, not on the rights of some.

Communities of faith continue to call for justice on multiple issues, including the call to protect the civil rights of voters. Voting is not only a civil right, but also a human right to be protected and guaranteed with dignity and respect."

-Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson
UCC General Minister & President

👉🏾 Read her full reflection about the SAVE Act and the faithful call for justice and the right to vote for all, in her latest "On My Mind Today: Voting Rights are a Justice Issue" https://ow.ly/mLWF50Zu20g

Standing with our congregationalist siblings of American Samoa to call out this harmful practice:

www.ucc.org