Irvine United Congregational Church Irvine CA

We are a Proudly Progressive and Thriving Congregation of the United Church of Christ.

 

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https://iucc.org/  

 

 

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Our parent denomination, the United Church of Christ (UCC), was formed in 1957 from four predecessor denominations: Congregational, Christian, Evangelical, and Reformed. The UCC consists of over 6,000 diverse and unique congregations across America. Though it is a relatively young denomination, it carries on the rich heritage of justice and compassion found in its ancestral denominations. The Irvine United Congregational Church (IUCC) is proud to be part of a denomination known for its commitment to extravagant welcome, social justice, interfaith partnerships, and the full embrace of all persons in the radical hospitality of God.

IUCC began as a new church start-up sponsored by the Church Development Commission of the Southern California Conference of the UCC in 1979. The Reverends Bill and Jane Moore were the co-founding pastors who guided our early growth and facilitated our Sunday worship services at the Culverdale Middle School. With a congregation numbering in the mid-20’s, Bill and Jane set the course for who we are as a congregation today.

The Reverend Fred Plumer was called as our pastor in 1984, and under his leadership IUCC constructed our first building (a geodesic dome) in October 1986. In that same year, a generous donor gifted us with a used bank building that we turned into the Early Childcare Center (ECC). Pastor Fred taught us that our congregation had a unique voice, and we should use it to promote justice. He was not afraid to take a stand on LGBTQ+ rights, and he led us to considerable heights of activism. Our notoriety drew many LGBTQ+ folks to our doors, and together we established an island of warm welcome in the middle of conservative Orange County. He was a huge proponent of progressive theology and helped develop “The 8 Points of Progressive Christianity,” which helps guide our religious views today. We continue to be a proudly progressive and fiercely non-creedal congregation that welcomes all people who want to follow Jesus but do not hold conventional Christian beliefs.

As membership continued to grow, we soon outgrew the original building which later became known as Plumer Hall. It became necessary to build a larger sanctuary (another geodesic dome) in September 1996. Rev. Plumer continued to serve our congregation until 2004. From 2004–2006, we were guided by Interim Pastor Steve Swope.

In February of 2006, IUCC called the Reverend Paul Tellström as our new pastor. Pastor Paul continued the strong progressive leadership and visionary thinking of his predecessor, helping us grow into a much larger, program-sized church. He was a wonderful teacher, delegator, and strategic thinker with a loving, calm, and generous spirit. He encouraged us to be strong and dynamic lay leaders who could make thoughtful, well-considered decisions in a cooperative manner. During his tenure, IUCC undertook a major building project to add a suite of additional staff/office space plus three large meeting rooms. That project was completed in August 2018. Pastor Paul retired in May 2019, and a Pastoral Search Committee was formed to find a new leader to replace him.

With the advent of COVID-19 in March 2020, IUCC had to to shutter our preschool and switch from in-person to online-only worship services. We learned how to be very flexible and figure out how to “do church” in the midst of a pandemic. We were blessed to have Interim Pastor David Pattee and Administrative Pastor Steve Swope guide us through these difficult times as we embraced the technology that allowed us to conduct the business of the church electronically. Through sheer determination, the Pastoral Search Committee continued their work.

We conducted our first virtual Congregational Meeting on June 28, 2020, and called the Rev. Dr. Sarah Halverson-Cano as our new settled pastor. She started work with us on September 24, 2020.

Pastor Sarah has proven to be a vibrant and enthusiastic spiritual leader who came home to the church that helped raise her. She first arrived at IUCC with her family over 34 years ago as a nine-year old and eventually served the congregation as a very capable staff member with our youth program. She was ordained in 2005 and served many of the intervening years as pastor of our sister congregation, Fairview Community Church in Costa Mesa.

Pastor Sarah is one of our own: a Progressive Christian, a believer in the causes we hold dear, an impassioned speaker, a biblical scholar, an activist, a wife, and a mother. She accepted the challenge of pastoring us during a pandemic and providing a strong online ministry. She has brought a new spirit of activism into our midst and opened us to new possibilities.

On May 23, 2021, IUCC members celebrated Pentecost Sunday inside our sanctuary for the first time in over a year. Our talented staff and volunteers were able to live-stream it on Facebook while also recording it to play again at 11 a.m. and all week long on demand. That quickly blossomed into hybrid services – part live, part taped – and eventually a return to two in-person services on September 12, 2021. We continue to provide our services online as well.

Relying on God’s grace and the support of our members, IUCC continues its commitment to being open and affirming, welcoming everyone. We encourage a personal spiritual pilgrimage built on a foundation of an affirmative and supportive Christian family. Concerned and progressive, we are committed to improving the human condition both locally and throughout the world.