Our Church
The Fox Island United Church of Christ is at its best through the
collaborative effort of its congregation and its ministry. Our best is reflected in our Worship Service
on Sunday, in our Mission and Outreach, and in our various programs and
fellowships. At our foundation, and reflected by virtually every member of the church,
is our dedication to being inclusive to any individual seeking a place of
worship. “Wherever you are in your
spiritual journey, you are welcome here.” We not only welcome all of God’s Children, we encourage each individual to develop their relationship with God in
a way that resonates most meaningfully with them personally.
Many of our parishioners have come to our church looking for a Sanctuary
that rather than being rigid in its doctrine and socially exclusive, is open to
all. We can not practice peace while
simultaneously showing intolerance for beliefs that are different than our own.
Jesus understood that peace follows love. Love is accepting our brothers and sisters as
they are, seeking out their strengths, accepting their differences; respecting
their beliefs, and encouraging them on their path to self-discovery. This “Inclusive Theology” is the fundamental doctrine
at the Fox Island United Church of Christ.
In our Sunday Service, we carry on a tradition, begun in Russia, of
lighting a candle, each week, as a prayer for peace. We later take a moment, after praising God
aloud, to turn to one another to pass the peace of Christ. This moment unites us in our worship and in
our fellowship as followers of Jesus. We
sing hymns and psalms and celebrate God’s gifts with special music often
performed by members of the congregation. Our church choir is vibrant and contributes beautifully to this
celebration. Our pastor shares a moment
each Sunday in front of the congregation with our children, relating the week’s
message to them. We therefore come to
the lesson “With the eyes of a child.” Our
pastor’s message has often drawn from many enlightened individuals over the
course of history, be it Jesus and the prophets, or the Buddha, Martin Luther
King or Mahatma Gandhi. We look for wisdom and peace from all who
practice it.
At the Fox Island UCC “Communion is open to all.” This invitation (given once a
month) not only suggests that anyone might come to the Lord’s table, but just
as importantly, “Open” suggests that this sacred ritual has unique meanings to
different individuals. All are welcome
here, no matter how one views his or her relationship with Jesus.
Each Sunday we take the opportunity to allow any member of the
congregation to share a prayer of thanksgiving or of petition with our church
family in worship. This is an
opportunity for us once again to understand and support each other as
individuals and members of our family, and to share our joys and concerns. Truly we are a body of Love, a community
better prepared to share that love when we leave worship. And we close each Sunday holding hands and
singing aloud our postlude: a wish for each other that the “…Lord bless and
keep you forever.”
Outside of Sunday Service, we have several additional opportunities for
spiritual growth. “Wednesday Night Live”
is a program often led by the pastor or by a member of the congregation to
explore interdisciplinary spirituality, or social issues relevant to our
mission to seek peace and to practice love.
Our Christian Education Program meets weekly to explore the Bible: its
history, its literature and its wisdom.
Women's Fellowship is a small but powerful ministry group which meets once
a month to be together in care and sisterhood. Women's
Fellowship gives back to our own church’s needs and wishes, as well as to local
and worldwide causes through fundraisers and other events. One
ministry of Women's Fellowship is the Prayer Chain, approximately
30 members strong. We faithfully
take requests for prayer from within our congregation and beyond, sharing God’s
Love, and staying connected with His children.
Our Mission and Outreach Program focuses on helping those who struggle
with the most basic of needs: Food,
Shelter and Education. This work
transports our church family, spiritually, and sometimes physically to places
like Nepal, Indonesia and Guatemala, to name a few. Our teens travel to Tacoma several times a
year to places such as homeless shelters, and retirement homes.
We also have a burgeoning theatre group that has been wonderfully
supported by the church council, the congregation, and by the community beyond
our church family. This group has proved
to be a marvelous opportunity for artistic expression for many of us, as well
as an opportunity to explore alternative ideas. In the past two years this new group has produced Arthur Miller’s The
Crucible, as well as Inherit the Wind, a fictionalized account of
the famous Scopes trial. Additionally,
we have performed two different musical comedy productions as Christmas
Pageants, which relied heavily on youth involvement. Our kids also prepare and sing songs for us
in service on special occasions.
Our church family also enjoys a themed retreat each spring. At these weekend retreats, artistic
expression, for example has often been encouraged as a means to connect us to
the gifts that God has given each of us which often lay below our daily
trappings, sometimes undiscovered and often under-utilized. These retreats offer a wonderful opportunity
for both fraternity and self-reflection.
Sunday Schedule
Worship Service: 10:00 am