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First Congregational Church in Southwest active in serving community
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Anonymous user Tue Nov 30, 1999 00:00:00 PST
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0 responses 0 comments First Congregational Church of Bakersfield, founded in 1892, is a part of the United Church of Christ, a denomination that traces its roots back to a group of Separatists who were fighting for independence from the Church of England; people we know more commonly as the Pilgrims. 

Those hardy souls came to this country with a firm belief in the responsibility of each individual to develop their own relationship with God –– no church hierarchy had the right to tell members what to believe or that they couldn't read the Bible for themselves. 

This emphasis upon individual responsibility for spiritual growth, joined with a church polity that is built on the autonomy and independence of each congregation, means that there is a wide diversity of opinion and theology within the denomination –– some congregations are very conservative while others are very liberal. 

When the Pilgrims set out from England for the New World, they left their pastor, Rev. John Robinson, behind, and the church has continued to emphasize the role of the lay members as partners with the clergy. 

Rev. Robinson's parting words to the group as they set sail in 1620 also give insight into the Congregational tradition of Biblical studies: “There is yet more light and truth to break forth from God's Holy Word.” 

This belief in the on-going revelation of God's Word is also expressed through our recent national identity/publicity campaign, which features the slogan, “God is still speaking…” The choice of a comma rather than a period to end that slogan is intentional, and expresses our denomination's openness to change and welcome of all people. 

Since its founding, First Congregational Church has been active in serving the community. From the establishment of a Chinese mission during the early years of the 20th century to last week's work trip to New Orleans, members and friends of the church have been dedicated to putting their faith into action. 

Bethany Services (which began as the Bakersfield Homeless Center) and Heifer Project International have long been recipients of mission giving and members' labor. The Alzheimers Association of Kern County was originally begun as an Adult Day Care program by members of the church, and the church's members were charter members of the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity. Friendship House in Southeast Bakersfield was also founded by members of the congregation working with the Southern California Conference of the United Church of Christ. 

In recent months, many of our members have been engaged in two exciting projects –– “Get on the Bus,” which unites children with their incarcerated mothers for a Mother's Day visit, and a week-long work trip to New Orleans. 

This year, our GOTB team was able to provide a bus and all necessary support services to give 19 children a chance to reconnect with their mothers in prison. For many children, this is the only time they will see their mother all year. For some, it is the first time they have seen her for many years. Maintaining the mother/child relationship is important because without this connection such children are at a high risk for behavioral, emotional and educational problems. Additionally, the prisons find that mothers who want to stay in touch with their children have much better behavior and a much lower recidivism rate upon release. 

Our work team was profoundly moved by their experiences in New Orleans the week of June 12 to 18. We found the city still marked by vast areas of total destruction, with no signs of recovery or reconstruction in places like the 9th Ward.

There are small beginnings being made in other areas of the city, and this was where we were assigned –– to “deconstruct” one woman's home in preparation for rebuilding. While the kitchen was under only about 2 feet of water, the downstairs den had nearly 5 feet of water. Both areas had to be completely stripped down to the studs, removing 70 years of “improvements.” In the kitchen that meant removing a layer of sheetrock, two layers of linoleum, and all the original plaster and lath. While taking out the stove, the team found there was still water from the flood in the lower broiler drawer; cabinets too were warped and still damp. 

The second project the team undertook was removing the damaged insulation from a church in the 7th Ward, and then doing the “sanitizing” of all of the studs throughout the very large church structure, spraying each stud on all four sides with a bleach solution and then brushing each down with a scrub brush to break up the mold spores.  
 
We are currently beginning to gather the GOTB and New Orleans work teams for next year, so if you'd like to be a part of either of these efforts, give the church a call at 327-1609 and ask for Rev. Jenell Mahoney,  senior pastor. Or contact us via e-mail at: firstcong@postoffice.igalaxy.net. You may also want to access the following Web sites: www.ucc.org, www.Stillspeaking.com, or http://1stcong.weblogger.co...

First Congregataional Chruch
5 Real Road
327-1609

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