the outstanding music program, adult choir and organ music

Our leaders are committed to the Lord and each one of us.  They show it by their deeds and concern for each of us.  Anyone, no matter who, what, or where we are, is welcome in this church.

Friends who support me in times of joy and distress.

I just like how First Congregational Church is so open to everybody no matter what is going on.  If they are not like us, they are still welcome.

My views are always welcome!  There is not one way to worship our God!

A wonderful place to come to on Sunday morning.

the beauty and peace of the sanctuary

There is a wide range of theological beliefs and somehow we continue to love and care for each other despite the differences.  It is truly a community here.

there is no dogma

The people and the beautiful facility.

All the help in all the ways I needed from the church that I recieved in all my times of trouble.

No matter where you are in your faith journey, you are welcome and supported here.  We are exploring the Christian faith together.  The pastors are able to show us how God's Word is relevant in our lives today.  They always leave us with something to think about.  They do not tell you what or how to believe.  They provide guidance for each of us to use in our discovery of faith.

The thing that most inspires me when walking into the Sanctuary is the beauty of the area and a sense that I am at peace with the world.  It also helps as a musician that the Sanctuary is a wonderful place to sing and perform.  I have been fortunate during the last 15 years to lead the Chancel Choir and also sing with Nova Singers at First Congregational.  Many singing groups seek out First Congregational as the premier place to perform because of it's beauty and exceptional acoustic properties.  It will continue to be a source of inspiration for many generations to come.

Several factors motivated me to join First Congregational Church after visiting various churches when we moved here almost 13 years ago.  We liked Bob Miller’s sermons & are equally inspired and moved by those of Allen & Jackie.  We are very comfortable with a traditional service, like the times offered, and also enjoy the excellent music program this church provides.   It’s always a treat listening to our amazing choir or to the complex pieces from the bell choir.  Also, we especially like the congregation finding them friendly, caring, and sociable, several of whom are good friends of ours. Lastly, we are proud of our beautiful sanctuary.  Although any place can be a church, worshipping in a facility that resembles a gymnasium or one with stark modern architecture would seem cold to us.  We frequently admire the lovely wood, the stain glass windows, and the intricate carvings adorning the pulpits and altar which help inspire us to a quiet, reflective, meditative state.

There are a lot of reasons for being a part of a church family.  I think the most important reason is learning how to live a Christ-like life.  What helps me with that is the sermons given by pastors Allen & Jackie.  They have a way of telling a good story and having stories that are fitting to the passage.  There are also sermons that are very fitting for the trials that I am having with my own life at the time of the service.

I joined the church because I find peace at First Congregational Church.  Inner Peace that you find when you are around people that you love and care about.  I continue to come to find the spiritual strength that helps sustain me through all of the week’s challenges.  I find that the time I spend in church on Sunday morning helps me to clear my mind and find purpose.  I just feel complete when I am at church.  After all of the stressfulness of the week it is nice to sit in the beautiful sanctuary and just enjoy the time to be together in spirit with other Christians.  The people at First Congregational Church are my family.  I look forward to being with them and hearing their accomplishments. I want to be there for them in the good times and the bad.  I genuinely care about them and I know thy care about me.  I look forward to coming to church for many reasons.  When I first started coming to church I really enjoyed the music.  That has changed some and I have had to think that music is not the only reason I am here.  Although I like the familiar hymns and definitely get excited about the hymn sings.  I also enjoy the readings, the beginning word with Miss Annette, and the sermons.  I LOVE THE SERMONS.  I realize that not only do I benefit from being at church and learning the word, but I also discover opportunities to apply what is taught to me in living the life that God has given me.  So, when I say I find comfort in this beautiful place, it is what I truly mean.  In the last two years I have buried both of my parents and without the strength of this congregation and the friends I have here I don’t know what my life would be like.  Church gives me strength.  Church is where we celebrate all of what lifegives us from the birth of a baby to the end of life’s celebration.  “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty”
 
I thank God for this church and my church family.

When my little grandson was going through cancer treatments, I could feel the prayers uplifting him all the way to Iowa City.

The sermons challenge us to think about our life and faith.  We are a thinking person's church.

Because of confirmation I now am closer to God.  I now understand what the Holy Trinity is.  I believe that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit makes up the Holy Trinity.  I understand what Jesus was trying to teach mankind and how he died to forgive our sins.  Now that I know more I can say my faith has grown during this year.  I have liked doing Confirmation because I learned, had fun, and got free food.  Another thing I liked was doing the leave clean up.  I now know I will help with things like that again.  I also liked learning about the churches history and going to the German night at a different church.  I still have a couple of questions still unanswered.  One of them is what happens when you die (but I am willing to wait to find out).  Also where do animals go when they die?  Finally what does God look like?  I expect me to be a better person by doing things to help others and doing what is right.  This is my statement of faith.

What a surprise confirmation class was this year.  Before I started I thought it was going to be boring and a waste of time.  But I had a great time with all of the kids, and I learned a lot.  Before confirmation I believed in Jesus, but now I feel that I am a lot closer to him.  One thing that helps me believe that, is just thinking what Jesus went through just for us.  He went through a lot of pain, even though he was doing nothing wrong.  People were scared of him because he had some powerful powers, and people didn’t want him to have power over them.  Now I know without Jesus in my life, I would be nothing.  He helps me through hard times and forgives me when I do something wrong.  I expect God to help me through hard times, and try to keep everyone as safe as possible.  But I expect even more out of myself.  I expect myself to pray to God, and thank him for everything he has done.  I also expect to go to church every time I can.  Community service is another thing I expect out of myself.  During confirmation, we raked leafs, helped with a breakfast, and helped at a school carnival.  Coming to church as much as possible has helped me meet a lot more people.  Being in confirmation, has answered a lot of my questions, but I still wonder how Jesus was able to heal all of those people, and help so many more.

The progress taken place this year, through Confirmation class, has changed my life tremendously.  It has opened up a whole new beginning for my life in the church.  Confirmation not only built the strength of my faith, but also strengthened me as a person and my relationship and understanding with God.  What started out as a struggle with my understanding of God and my faith is what quickly grew into a whole new meaning.  My understanding if God has grown from, what I will admit was not listening or trying to understand he meaning of God, into understanding the whole relationship between God, Jesus and the holy spirit.  My relationship with God has prospered and grown throughout the church.  While being a part of a church as a young child, I honestly had no interest in participating.  After going through the many struggles as a church, we finally came together and were successful in finding a pastor, Rev. Allen Mothershed.  Allen expressed, through his scripture readings and stories, the meaning of God and Jesus Christ to me.  I have grown into loving and caring for the church and its meanings.  I try to carry out the message, each week, with me for the rememberance of God.  Through Confirmation, I have connected with the other confirmands, discussing faith and meanings of Jesus Christ.  I feel like there is a bond between the church and I, expressing my faith.  Coming to church has become a need in life.  Church cleanses me and brightens up the day.  I feel that I can pray, whenever something has not gone correctly.  This helps me relieve my senses and connect with God.  The connection I have with God and my faith changed my life.  Confirmation strengthened my relationship between my confirmands, church members, and I.  I’m glad I got to know each and every person individually.  I’ve learned how much some of us have in common, understanding and discussing God and our faith.  This really helped me get to understanding more about myself and God.  I also got more involved in the church and I enjoy helping out.  I hope to see everyone around church, enjoying the messages in the sermon as much as I do.  I hope they take in the meanings and stay involved through church, keeping their faith and relationships strong!

Over the last couple of months, I have gained knowledge about God and our church.  Confirmation has been a journey on knowing my relationship with God.  I have learned that God is a big part of my life.  He’s helping me realize that my church family is always there in whatever happens.
 
As the months passed when I was in confirmation was a learning experience on my part as well as my leaders.  My relationship with God has strengthened as confirmation taught me about Him.  Many of the stories in the Bible really made me think about the reasons and how willing God was to give his life up for us.  The concepts we talked about were the ones that made me think at night and just wonder about.
 
Confirmation has allowed me to think and know about the things that are important to me and others in church.  The past few months many changes between God and I have occurred now I know more about Him.  I understand the reasons he does things the way he does for me and everybody else.