Our Campaign to Renew Our Facilities, Enhance Our Worship Experience, and Provide New Opportunities to Serve, Learn and Unite Through Fellowship

HANCOCK United Church of Christ is a vibrant faith community that dates from1868. For over 150 years, our church has been ministering to the needs of our congregation and community. Over the years facilities and faces have changed, but one thing remains the same … our commitment to Christ, to one another and to the betterment of our community.

As a result, our church today is an active community comprised of over 200 households. Led by dedicated pastors and a strong corps of lay leaders and volunteers, there is an increasing number of ways that people of all ages can participate in the spiritual, educational, social and service ministries of our church. Hancock’s services have never been more accessible, with members and friends joining worship remotely from wherever they may be on any given Sunday.

In 2015, we completed a very successful capital campaign that raised $3.7 million, which enabled us to fund various building needs. This ultimately provided a firm foundation for our success today and for our future in many ways. In 2018, we worked together to update our mission and vision statements. This has allowed us to be an agile and strong church during the challenging times of the pandemic. To build on our accomplishments and strong heritage of activity, and help propel Hancock into the future, we need to address some significant challenges.

In order to be able to live out our call to Worship God with All Our Hearts and Minds, and to Walk Our Spiritual Paths Together in a way that is meaningful and impactful to all, we need to look closely at our worship spaces and see how we can improve them — to serve in the best way possible all of our members and friends, and to show a welcoming face to those whom we’ve not yet met. It is crucial that our programming be fresh and, at the same time, familiar to everyone in our congregation. It is also important to remember our pledge to Protect the Earth and to improve our worship spaces in an environmentally conscious and sustainable manner. This is an extraordinary opportunity to extend our efforts in making our building more environmentally friendly.

Our mission to Work for the Common Good is an essential part of who we are as well. This campaign provides a new opportunity for us to reach beyond our own walls and work with our greater community. As we further develop our campaign plans we will discern together how we can best work alongside a mission partner as part of this project. With these factors in mind, and as we work to live out our Mission, Vision, and Values at Hancock, we look at the challenges our church home presents.