 FIRST
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
OF SAN FRANCISCO |
| FIRST
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
OF SAN FRANCISCO |
Who are we?
Our congregation reflects the diversity of San Francisco; we are
bound by our Christian love.
 Welcome |
 Who
are we? |
| Where
are we? |
| When
do we gather? |
| What's
happening? |
| Who
are our contacts and links? |
| What
is our history? |
| What
is our future? |
Let us tell your about our purpose, staff, volunteer opportunities, members, community service and organization!
We are a community of Christian Faith responsive
to the Holy Spirit.
We are joyful, compassionate, inclusive, trusting
and inviting.
The First Congregational Church of San Francisco is a member congregation
of the United Church of Christ,
a denomination that has always valued education and embraced diversity.
It was responsible for the founding of the Yale, University of California,
the Pacific School of Religion and many other colleges and universities.
It also ordained the first woman in the United State to the Christian Ministry,
the Rev. Anoinette Brown, in 1853. Our American Missionary Association
was one of the earliest proponents of freedom and civil rights for African-Americans
in the 1860s. In 1972, the United Church of Christ ordained the Rev.
Bill Johnson, the first openly gay man to be made a Christian minister
by a mainline church, here in Northern California. The United Church
of Christ is considered a "mainline Protestant" church, sharing theological
and liturgical belief and practice with the Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist
and Episcopalian denominations. We not only respect but welcome diversity
in race, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, physical ability,
income and profession. We believe that all are equal before God,
and that all people are entitled to God's grace and abundance.
Our church is a member of the Northern California/Nevada Conference of the United Church of Christ as well as the Golden Gate Association. You will find us participating at events such as the Annual Conference at Asilomar.
First
Congregational is an
Open and
Affirming Church. Our church was one of the first churches
to declare ourselves open and affirming (18th among over 300 churches across
the United States). An open and affirming church accepts all people,
regardless of age, sex, race, gender identity or sexual orientation.
In particular, our church affirms gay/lesbian/bisexual people as an active
part of ministry and leadership. Church members usually attend the
National Gathering of The Coalition,
a group for gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered people and their friends
in the UCC.
|
No
Condemnation! All are free! Statement |
|
|
The Rev. Dr. Wilfried
Glabach
is minister of First Congregational Church of San Francisco. On
April 1st, 2001 he began serving our church as a term-limited pastor;
on February 22nd, 2004 he became installed as our permanent pastor and
teacher.
Wilfried is a member of the Evangelical Church of the
Rhineland . This regional church is part of the Union of Evangelical
Churches (UEK) that is in “Kirchengemeinschaft” (relationship of full communion) with the United Church
of Christ
since 1980. Wilfried served a congregation near Aachen, Germany for
more than 16 years. He felt that his Green Card that he won in a
lottery was a sign of God, and he decided to move to the United States
in August 2000. In 2001 Dual Standing was granted to Wilfried in both
the UEK in Germany and the United Church of Christ.
Wilfried’s theology is ecumenical and progressive, biblical grounded
and open; his spirituality encourages everyone to experience the
vitality of Christianity; his faith is inclusive and committed to the
teachings of the United Church of Christ. He is proud of being a pastor
of the United Church of Christ, for him "the most prophetic Christian
denomination in the United States of America."
He received his Doctor of Ministry in May, 2006 from San Francisco Theological Seminary.
His dissertation was on preaching and teaching the Book of Revelation
in the context of a progressive congregation. He developed his
suggestions of new readings with his advisor, Dr. Luise Schottroff, the
world known German Feminist New Testament scholar.
Wilfried’s pastoral duties are conduction worship services, performing
weddings, unions, funerals, and baptisms. He is also responsible for
religious education, pastoral care, and outreach into the neighborhood
of Polk Street and the wider community. He is working together with the
San Francisco Night ministry, LGBT organizations, and other social
agencies in the city. Weddings, unions and other pastoral duties can be
performed by him in English, German, Dutch, or French. Bilingual
services are also available.
Wilfried is very excited about building a new church at Polk and Bush
Streets. He sees in the new church building a statement of faith of the
second oldest congregation in San Francisco, he believes that our new
church is an “Embassy of God’s Love.”
|
|
We also hear from other UCC ministers, including Reverends Nancy McKay, Dora Ford, Don Fox and Conference Minister Mary Susan Gast. We also hear from other ministers from other denominations from time to time. A "rotating pulpit" concept allows our congregation to understand the Bible and its lessons from a number of perspectives.
Our music staff contributes greatly to our worship services:
|
|
We believe that all relationships of loving, intentional commitments
of one person to another are blessed by God. This blessing is inherent
in the relationship itself as a part of creation. First Congregational
Church, as an “Open and Affirming Church” believes that God’s blessing
is given not only to heterosexual unions, but also to unions of two
women or two men who pledge their love and commitment to each other.
Even though California law concerning marriage does not apply to
same-sex unions, we honor them just as we honor the marriage of a man
and a woman. We consider the commitment of same-sex couples to be as
serious and permanent a commitment as marriage. It is our conviction
that the laws of the state and the customs of other churches will some
day be changed.
We do not require that you be a member of First Congregational Church
of San Francisco for your ceremony to be here. We are part of the
United Church of Christ and therefore part of the free-church
tradition. There is no particular form for a wedding, union, or
commitment ceremony that we are obliged to use. The UCC Book of Worship
has forms for weddings with traditional or contemporary options. Pastor
Wilfried Glabach welcomes a couple participating creatively in the
developing and shaping of the ceremony.
Our minister, Rev. Dr. Wilfried Glabach is available to conduct the
ceremony and to prepare it with a couple. He is also skilled to do
premarital counseling with a couple. All services could be held in
English, German, or French or bi- or trilingual. Please Rev Dr. Glabach
at the church office at (415) 441-8901 or via e-mail.
|
|
Our church is blessed with a membership which represents the diversity
of San Francisco. With approximately 50 unique persons classified
as active members and another 20 to 30 friends, we boast a range of men and women who are young and elderly, married and single, straight and lesbian/gay/bisexual, multi-cultural and multi-racial, including Mayflower descendants and foriegn-born immigrants. Together, we share a love for following Christ's path, and expressing love for each other.
|
|
Located in the heart of the city, church members routinely volunteer for worship, fellowship and mission:
First
Congregational supports the San Francisco Night Ministry, which provides telephone crisis
counseling during nighttime hours, as well as on-street ministry in San Francisco.
Members and visitors of First Congregational Church collect cancelled stamps that we send on a regular basis to Bethel, a church-sponsored program in Germany where they generate income by being prepared for stamp collectors.
We also collect clothing for Cornell House -- a half-way house for prisoners re-entering society. In addition Rev Wilfried offers Bible Studies in this institution.
We also collect clothing for Cornell House -- a half-way house
for prisoners re-entering society.
Our mission volunteers also participate in or support the AIDS Walk, the Welcome Ministry, the Hunger Walk, and the Breast Cancer Walk.
|
|
We are Christians who deeply believe that our church must be self-governing. We church members are the church government, and collectively we determine how our church shall be organized, always conscious of our covenant with Christ. Our participation in councils or associations is always voluntary. The word "congregational" refers to the type of self-government within the church.
As Congregationalists, we believe that our relationship with God is one that is deeply personal and private. We come from a myriad of ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds. We are free to pray and commune with God as we each see fit. No one authority tells us how to pray, or how to worship; our belief system is deeply rooted and built upon Biblical tradition and the teachings of Jesus Christ.
As spiritual descendants from the Pilgrims and Puritans, we operate our church with a spirit of teamwork. No larger body dictates our decisions, and no one person in the church has final authority. Instead, our steering committee (seven positions) and the Pastor meets monthly to regularly discuss and decide our church life. Our church has at least three congregational meetings each year to decide items of major importance, and all members are welcome to participate. We routinely sponsor hands-on workshops, discussion groups and seminars which are designed for input and participation by all. This teamwork management model is poised to carry us forth into the 21st Century.
First
Congregational Church of San Francisco
Last update: March 19, 2008