United Church of Christ

First Congregational Church of Long Beach is a member of the United Church of Christ (UCC). The United Church of Christ made national news in 2004 with its award-winning “bouncer” commercial, which was banned by both CBC and NBC as being “too controversial.” In July of 2005, the General Synod of the United Church of Christ was first mainline denomination in the United States to affirm equal marriage rights for all couples regardless of gender. First Congregational Church of Long Beach was instrumental in the development of that ground-breaking resolution.

The United Church of Christ’s history is full of important “firsts”: our forebears were the first to ordain a woman, we founded the first university on American soil (Harvard), and we played vital roles in the abolitionist movement and the civil rights movement. In 1972, the UCC was the first mainline denomination to ordain an openly gay man.

For more information about our denomination, please see the United Church of Christ website and the Southern California / Nevada Conference website.

To see the commercial that was banned, as well as the others aired at that time, please follow this link: God is Still Speaking.

Click here to learn about Pilgrim Pines Camp and Conference Center.