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Trinity UCC is a congregation in the
Northwest Association of the
Wisconsin Conference of the denomination of
Christian churches known as the United Church of
Christ. The motto of the UCC is "That They May All Be One," a prayer that is
based on Jesus' prayer for his disciples, as recorded in the 17th chapter of
John's Gospel. A newer UCC slogan is "God
Is Still Speaking," a phrase loosely based on Gracie Allen's dictum, "Never
place a period where God has placed a comma." (Click on the links in this
paragraph to access each respective web site.)
Congregations in the UCC are bound to each other and to
the national organization by covenant. In the UCC, this means that each
congregation is free to decide for itself on many of the issues that face the
body of Christ. Our denomination's constitution, adopted in 1961, states clearly
that:
The United Church of Christ acknowledges as
its sole head Jesus Christ, Son of God and Savior. It acknowledges as
kindred in Christ all who share in this confession. It looks to the Word of
God in the Scriptures, and to the presence and power of the Holy Spirit to
prosper its creative and redemptive work in the world. It claims as its own
the faith of the historic church expressed in the ancient creeds and
reclaimed in the basic insights of the Protestant Reformers. It affirms the
responsibility of the church in each generation to make this faith its own
in reality of worship, in honesty of thought and expression, and in purity
of heart before God. In accordance with the teaching of our Lord and the
practice prevailing among evangelical Christians, it recognizes two
sacraments: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion.
In Trinity's constitution, adopted in 1968, we read:
The avowed purpose of this church shall be to
worship God; to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ; to celebrate the
sacraments; to realize Christian community and unity within this church and
the church universal; to render loving service toward humankind; and to
strive for righteousness, justice and peace.
In March 2005, Trinity adopted vision and mission
statements:
Our Mission: Trinity United Church of Christ
extends the hospitality of Christ by faithfully conducting inspiring worship
services, providing Christian education, and reaching out to the community.
Our vision is to encourage spiritual growth and faith in God within
our congregation, while continuing to expand our outreach in the community
and beyond.
The following text provides a brief history of Trinity
UCC, as it appears in the recently-published fourth edition of our church
cookbook:
The Coulee Region that includes the adjoining
corners of Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota is a place of unusual scenic
beauty. Also known as “the driftless region,” this area was not covered by
glaciers during the Ice Age and was, therefore, left with the dramatic
hills, valleys, bluffs and coulees (valleys that are closed at one end) that
give the northern Mississippi River Valley its particular splendor.
Mormon Coulee,
just south of La Crosse, Wisconsin, is so named because of the Mormons who
settled here in 1844. Having experienced persecution in Illinois, they
traveled westward and settled in this area, writing to their fellows in Des
Moines, “We are about eight miles from the Mississippi River, between the
mountains. Here is a great farming country and the best mill site I ever
saw. By building a dam a hundred feet long, you can raise the water forty
feet high, if you choose. The stream is about twelve feet wide, with a rapid
current, and the best water I ever drank, supported by gushing springs.” The
Mormons’ sojourn in the coulee was short, though, as they were driven out
the next spring by settlers who disagreed with their practice of bigamy.
They boarded boats for Texas, burning their homes as they left.
Between the late 1840s
and the mid-1850s, several immigrant families from Canton Bern,
Switzerland, came to the coulee the Mormons had left behind, and settled
here to grow crops in fields plowed by oxen and by hand. The going was
tough, but the Swiss immigrants proved tougher. They thrived, and by 1859 a
Lutheran circuit-preacher was holding services in Mormon Coulee. The
immigrants were members of the Swiss Reformed Church, though, and they
wanted a pastor of their own persuasion to lead them. Having secured
their own pastor by 1865, they chartered Trinity Congregation, a church
of the Reformed denomination.
In 1934, Reformed Church in the United States
merged with the Evangelical Synod of North America, forming the
Evangelical and Reformed (E&R) Church. Then, in 1957, this church joined
with the General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches of
the United States, forming the United Church of Christ. Trinity
Congregation then became Trinity United Church of Christ, a name and
denominational identity the congregation is proud to carry forward as this
lovely coulee continues to attract new “settlers” in this new millennium.
In 2006, we introduced a new ministry by opening Trinity
Center in the old Washington Elementary School next-door to the church. Trinity
Center is a community center approved by the Town of Shelby and the County of La
Crosse that also houses a thrift store, Harvest Lane Treasures, and a counseling
center, One Spirit Life Coaching. We hope to open our exercise area, food pantry
and possibly community garden within the next year.
Remember...
, God Is
Still Speaking ,
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