WHAT WE BELIEVE

We belong to Christ. “We belong to Christ” is a loaded phrase. It’s loaded because it means different things to different people. It comforts some, and challenges others. Simply put, “we” means that you are not alone, you are part of a larger body that is both broken and blessed. “Belong” is more than belief, it’s a vital relationship. “To Christ” means that we understand and encounter God’s deep mystery and liberating salvation in Jesus Christ. We call ourselves part of the “United Church of Christ” because we seek to embrace the world as widely as Jesus’ own arms.

We are a people of extravagant welcome. Jesus lived and breathed gracious hospitality. Although the political and religious authorities of his day opposed Jesus’ extravagant welcome, he embraced those living on the edges of society. In gratitude, because God welcomes us, we are called to boldly stand in solidarity with those who suffer and remain alienated in our world.

That they may all be one. We are a covenant people – held together even in our differences through the bond of unity. Jesus prayed, “that they may be one,” and we walk as companions along a sacred path. We believe that when we come together with all of our particularities and gifts, we more fully express the body of Christ in the world.

Testimonies of faith rather than tests of faith. The unity that we seek does not require an uncritical acceptance of any point of view. Because faith can be expressed in many different ways, we have no formula that is a test of faith. Instead, we call forth stories, testimonies, songs, and artistic expressions that point to where we see God in the world, in our community, and in our lives.

Responsible freedom. As individual members, we are free to believe and act in accordance with our understanding of God’s will for our lives. But we are called to live in a loving covenantal relationship with each other-gathering in communities of faith that nurture spiritual growth.

The priesthood of all believers. All members of the church are called to discern their gifts and listen for God’s calling. We participate as equals in the common worship of God, each with direct access to the mercies of God through personal prayer. While our pastor has received special training in pastoral functions, they seek to serve, guide, facilitate, and empower all Christians to do the work of ministry rather than do the work of ministry for us.

There is yet more light and truth to break forth from God’s Word. As a foundational source for understanding God’s good news, we honor the Bible’s persistent wisdom. Though written in a particular time and place, we believe the Bible still speaks to us because God is a Still-Speaking God. The study of Scripture is not limited by past interpretations but is to be pursued with expectancy for new insights and help for living today.

OPEN AND AFFIRMING: Land of the Sky United Church of Christ has extravagant welcome at its core. We affirm people from all walks of life into the full life and leadership of the church. While this claim is for each and every beloved child of God, it is particular in its celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. The wider United Church of Christ calls its bodies to claim the designation of Open and Affirming in the local congregation, as they so desire. Having been founded out of the ethos of extravagant welcome and living as an Open and Affirming congregation from its beginning in May 2009, the Leadership Team at Land of the Sky UCC voted unanimously on March 20, 2011 to embrace this designation as one of the many ways we live out of our mission to Love Abundantly.

Loving Abundantly. As a community living into the unity for which Jesus prayed, we welcome the beautiful spectrum of God’s people-of every race, nationality, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, age, and ability-into the full life of the church. We desire to love abundantly by covenanting to live lives that are reconciled to God, self, and neighbor. We seek to welcome the stranger as one through whom we might learn a deeper truth about the God who is love. Together, we participate in acts of mercy to witness to God’s love in the world through Jesus Christ.

To learn more about the United Church of Christ and the Opening and Affirming Coalition, click here.

About the United Church of Christ. We are a part of the UCC denomination, a community of faith that seeks to respond in word and deed to the life and ministry of Jesus. The UCC was founded in 1957 when four traditions united to become one: Christians, Congregationalists, Evangelical, and Reformed. The formation of the UCC followed the prayer of Jesus for the church, “that they may all be one.” The UCC is one of the most diverse denominations in the United States and one of the most progressive. We are a denomination that values an open and affirming welcome of all persons, accessibility for all, creating community that is multiracial, multicultural, and commitment to a just peace. Our member churches are independent, with no official denominational hierarchy, yet we are in mutual, willing covenant with one another through regional associations and conferences, believing that we can live together in communion even when we disagree. Our congregation is a part of the Western North Carolina Association of the Southern Conference of the United Church of Christ. For more information about the UCC, please visit www.ucc.org.

BAPTISM & Communion

Our denomination, the United Church of Christ (UCC) affirms two sacraments—baptism and communion. Both sacraments are outer, visible practices that represent the deeper truth of God with us, God for us, God in us.  We invite you to celebrate these sacraments in your own faith journey.

BAPTISM: At Land of the Sky UCC, we proclaim that God’s “Yes!” is upon us even as we are born into this world. To affirm God’s ever-present grace, we present children to the community of faith (signified by some as “infant baptism,” by others as “blessing” or “dedication”). In this act, the community enfolds the young and utters the truth of God’s grace in their lives long before they are able to reciprocate. Then, once an age of accountability is reached, we challenge them to intentionally live out of God’s “Yes!” We invite them to embrace the community of faith and walk in the Way of Jesus (signified by some in the “confirmation” process, by others as “believer’s baptism”).

In our faith tradition, baptism provokes the paradox that we are chosen by God and also have the joy of choosing God. God is the one who initiates grace and reconciliation, and the awareness of being embraced by God is essential for the spiritual journey, particularly walking in the Way of Jesus.

Those desiring to signify the initiation of the faith journey may, after discussion with the pastoral staff, choose the form of baptism for themselves and/or their child. We urge the parents (or legal guardians) of all children to allow the congregation to baptize, or to bless, their young ones as an indicator of covenant responsibility for the community’s role in the forming of faith. And yet we trust that baptized or not, dedicated or not, God’s grace is already upon us.

As a community of faith that celebrates the spiritual truth that we don’t all have to believe uniformly to be in relationship with one another as the body of Christ, there is no “test of faith” for joining our community. Instead, we invite testimonies of what God is doing in your life. Because we know that people come to the path of the spiritual walk from many different directions and for a variety of purposes, we do not require baptism to join our community. Instead, we talk about it, help with discernment around it, and celebrate when people freely choose to baptize their children or to be baptized themselves. God’s grace is wide, it is a privilege to wade into the water with you!

COMMUNION: We gather around the table of Jesus Christ to remember how he gathered with friends on the night of betrayal and desertion, on the eve of his death. We gather as the body of Christ, trusting that as we break bread with friends and strangers, our eyes will open anew to the risen Christ in our midst. We come not to express an opinion or to make a statement, but because each of us stand in need of God’s mercy and long to be filled with the love made known in Jesus Christ.

At Land of the Sky UCC, we celebrate an open table. At an open table, all are welcome to break bread together—confessed or not, baptized or not, the young and elders alike. If Judas was welcomed by Jesus to God’s table, then all of us are welcome. We come hungry, trusting that God will do the rest. As an open and affirming congregation (ONA), we reflect the extravagant welcome of Jesus by especially welcoming at our table all of our lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) sisters and brothers, many of whom have been excluded from the table simply for being themselves. At the table, we also intentionally remember the disinherited, the poor, the sick, and those living on life’s margins—all those whom Jesus loved, but who the world counts as last and least. We affirm that in God’s kingdom, the first will be last and the last will be first.

At the table, we reaffirm our baptism, God’s “Yes!” upon our lives, and practice living out of God’s extravagant grace. We also give voice to our common hope that one day all will feast together at God’s abundant banquet table—reconciled and made whole. And so we break bread together to make manifest the alternate reality of God’s realm.

Historically, we have celebrated communion on the first Sunday of every month by the ancient practice of intinction—coming forward to tear a piece of bread from the common loaf and dip it in the cup. Gluten-free bread is available, as well as juice for our children and those in recovery. Individual elements are available that contain juice and a gluten free cracker, if you prefer a non-contact version. Healing prayer is often offered for those who would like to receive it. On communion Sundays, we share the feast and expand the table of Jesus Christ into the world by collecting non-perishable food items for MANNA Foodbank. While we hope that you will join us as we gather at Christ’s table to taste and see that God is good, none need feel compelled to participate.

Beginnings of Land of the Sky UCC

Click here to learn about our history.