Brookside Community Church is a member of the United Church of Christ, a progressive Protestant denomination with its roots in colonial American Congregational churches founded by the Pilgrims, as well as Evangelical and Reformed churches founded by later German immigrants. Formed in 1957, the United Church of Christ, (don’t miss United…), celebrates progressive heritage with many firsts:

• The first predominantly white Protestant denomination to ordain an African American, Lemuel Haynes in 1785.

• The first to ordain a woman, Antoinette Brown in 1853.

• A leader in accepting scientific insights from the likes of Darwin and the Social Gospel movement created to respond to the terrible economic disparities at the turn of the 20th century.

• A champion of the ecumenical movement beginning in the 1930’s, culminating in the founding of the United Church in 1957 through the successful mergers of four denominations, and continuing today.

• An active part of the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s, and successive movements for social justice and equality.

• The first mainline Protestant denomination to ordain an openly gay person, Bill Johnson in 1972.

With its progressive heritage, the United Church of Christ links faith to action and social conscience. With our roots in Congregationalism, we believe in the autonomy of the local church and individual members. Thus, not every member or every church agrees with every decision made by the denomination. However, we long to be “united” across our differences, finding that what binds us together is far more important than our differences.