Congregationalism

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#006633" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="063d6c00ddvuru.jpg"> <div> <B><IMG SRC="084a1320.jpg" border=0 width="161" height="50" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Home"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About our Church"><U><B>About Our Church</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Prayer Request"><U><B>Prayer Request</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Congregationalism"><U><B>Congregationalism</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Worship"><U><B>Worship</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Plymouth People"><U><B>Plymouth People</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Youth"><U><B>Youth</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Membership/Baptism"><U><B>Membership/Baptism</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Weddings"><U><B>Weddings</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Funerals/other Rites"><U><B>Funerals/Other Rites</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Our Ministers"><U><B>Our Ministers</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermons"><U><B>Sermons</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Solid Rock"><U><B>Solid Rock</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <div> <B>Congregationalism </B></div> <div> <B>Freedom of Thought and Expression</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The Church of pilgrims and America's historic faith                 </B></div> <div> “Congregationalism came to America on the Mayflower. The Pilgrim voyage to a new land was made necessary in order to re-establish a Church on the New Testament pattern - a fellowship of those who had chosen to be followers of Christ, spiritually competent to direct their own life and work.<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Century Schoolbook" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Bookman Old Style" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>Convictions Rather than Creeds. </B></div> <div> “A Congregational Christian Church of today is a Church of the Pilgrims, with convictions that emphasize faith, freedom, and fellowship.”   <I><B>by Henry David Gray</B></I><I> </I></div> <bR> <div> Although many Congregationalists embrace the beliefs or spirituality of the Apostles or Nicene creeds, the congregational commitment to freedom prevents us from holding out any creed as a requirement. Every<I><B> </B></I>Congregational church has its own covenant which is the freely made, God-inspired commitment made between each member with each other, and with God, in Christ.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B> </B></I></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Covenant of </B></div> <div> <B>Plymouth Congregational Church </B></div> <div> <B>Kenosha, Wisconsin</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>As the Lord's free people,</B></I></div> <div> <B>We enter into a covenant with one another promising to worship and work together </B><I><B>in Christian fellowship, and to promote the cause of Christ through our daily conduct and conversation, God being our helper</B></I><B>. </B></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>What We Believe…</B></I></div> <div> --The right of every individual to have immediate access to God.</div> <div> --Jesus Christ alone is the head of His Church; </div> <div> -That God's Holy Spirit can speak directly to and can act through each member and each congregation.</div> <bR> <div> <I><B>A Congregational Christian believes in God as revealed in the life and teachings of Jesus</B></I>. </div> <div> A Congregational Christian believes in God as revealed in the life and teachings of Jesus. God is one whose unity is often expressed in the Trinitarian formula of the early Church - God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. The unity of Christendom is not established, but rather recognized, and the unity to be sought is a oneness with Christ.</div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Congregationalism provides a free and simple way to salvation but it has never been known to be easy  or cheap. </B></I></div> <div> The freedom offered is not to be construed as freedom to do or to believe whatever one wishes, but rather as the opportunity to be the kind of person God intended one to be.</div> <div> Congregational Christians believe that the human soul is eternal and that our human destiny lies in the choices we make and in our participation in the building of the kingdom of God.</div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Sacraments and Rites:</B></I></div> <div> Plymouth Church, like most Congregational Churches observe two sacraments - Baptism and Communion (the Lord's Supper). </div> <div> Plymouth Church also practices what is called “open communion” which means that all who love and seek God are welcome to the Lord's table.</div> <div> Like many other Christian bodies, Congregational Christian Churches practice at least three traditional rites - funerals and memorial services, marriages, and Confirmation. </div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B>The above text is an adaptation of </B></I></div> <div> <I><B>The Congregational Christian Way of Life </B></I></div> <div> <I><B>by Phil R. Jackson, M.Div.</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Denominational Affiliations</div> <div> Congregationalism is a church of the pilgrims, the historic faith of America and a church of the Reformation. In 1957, the majority of Congregational churches merged with the Evangelical and Reformed Church to form the United Church of Christ. Most of the Congregational churches that were not part of that merger formed the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches. Plymouth Congregational Church of Kenosha was founded in 1964 as a <I>continuing Congregational </I>church and is a member of the National Association of Congregational Christian Church. </div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>