Grace Congregational UCC

Grace Congregational Church was organized in June of 1851 under the pastoral leadership of the Rev. William Herrit. We began with nine members who covenanted together to form a community of faith that would witness to Jesus Christ and serve the Lakeshore area.

Our first building was located on the site which is now First National Bank. This plain, white building cost $1000 to construct. As our congregation grew, we modified the original church building, adding a tower and classroom space. This wooden structure served us well, but eventually was in need of major repair. In 1906, our congregation determined that it would be wise to construct a new building on the north end of town, on the corner of 25^th and Washington Streets.

Our congregation broke ground for this new building in June of 1908. In July of the same year, we voted to change our name from First Congregational Church to Grace Congregational Church. "Grace" was the daughter of J. E. Hamilton, a major benefactor of this building project.

For more than seventy-five years, this building served as a place where our congregation gathered together as the Body of Christ. Throughout our early history, we were ‘Congregational’, a denomination that emphasized local church autonomy, service to the community, and free expression of thought. As Congregationalists, our history goes back to the Pilgrims and Puritans who were some of the earliest European settlers in these United States. We always confessed the name of Jesus Christ. In 1957, the Congregational Church merged with the Evangelical and Reformed church, forming the United Church of Christ. As a member of this denomination, Grace Congregational Church is a covenanted partner with approximately 6,000 congregations serving about 1.3 million members.

In 2003, our congregation broke ground for its third and present church building. This was an important and necessary decision. Our church’s educational ministry had been divided between two buildings, the Grace Congregational Church building and the Parish House. The Parish House, a gift to us in 1957, was in need of significant repair. Also, our building at 2500 Washington Street was multi-leveled, making it difficult for elderly and physically challenged persons to navigate throughout the building. We also wanted more space for our membership to gather prior to and after worship.

On Mother’s Day in 2004, our congregation worshiped at 2801 Garfield Street for the very first time. The Good Shepherd Window from the old church was one of the few items that came with us. We now enjoy a building that is barrier free, and providing us with an abundant amount of space for Sunday School, adult education, nursery care, offices, and fellowship. When we look out the windows in the east side of our sanctuary, we enjoy the natural beauty of God’s world on Picnic Hill. And when we look out the opposite windows, we overlook the city of Two Rivers, our mission. The open windows above the chancel allow us to ‘behold the glory of God.’ In the spirit of our Evangelical past, we continue to proclaim, "in essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity."