Our Mission:

To be an emphatically inclusive, progressive community on the Path of Christ, seeking justice and peace for all Creation through creative ceremony and celebration, soulful questioning, and acts of compassion and service.

We take the Bible seriously, not literally

As with any Christian church, the Bible is a core reference point. Its stories, myths, poetry, and prose are a constant source of engagement and reflection. It is a source of truth that speaks truth in many forms. We don't believe that the Creation stories of Genesis are a scientific description, but we do hold them as valuable in teaching about what people of faith thought life was about, its meaning and purpose.  We, too, can engage these stories to discuss and discover meaning and purpose.

God is still speaking.

As Pilgrim pastor John Robinson told his flock just prior to departure for North America, we understand that God "has yet more light and truth to break forth out of his holy Word."  That means we have the same Bible, but as our historical perspective changes and study of the text deepens, we can see new implications and aspects in the same stories.  At one time many Christians believed that the Bible supported slavery.  We know of no Christians who still believe such a thing and yet at one time it was a respected interpretation.  We think God's favorite punctuation is the comma. There's always more to come, a new hope, a new understanding, a new life.

We don't pretend to have all of the answers, but we help each other with the questions.

Just like Job, we are affirmed by God for asking questions, even the difficult ones.  Yet, like Job, our experience may not be that they will be answered and tied up in a bow.  Just as the Scripture is a journey of unfolding understandings of God and our response to the Divine, we see ourselves on the continuing journey of understanding.  Asking questions is a key mode of travel on the journey of faith, even if they cannot be answered immediately or simply.  As a community of faith, we value the humility that admits we do not know all of God or Truth and we value the individual to take up the task of learning and deciding for themselves on matters of faith.

Our History and the UCC

St. Paul’s UCC was originally formed as a German Lutheran congregation in 1886 and evolved over its more than 120 years in Laramie through the German Evangelical and Evangelical & Reformed traditions which later formed the UCC.  The current church building was originally built in 1890 and we are pleased that it is on the National Historic Register, but the building is not the church. Likewise, we are proud of our history, but are focused on creatively drawing from our past to vision anew where Spirit is calling us in our present and future.  

We invite you to learn more about St. Paul’s UCC by contacting our Interim Minister, Rev. Todd Smiedendorf, at 303-882-9631 or by email at jtsmied@yahoo.com. We also invite you to learn more about the national United Church of Christ at www.ucc.org. 

While in the UCC there is diversity since each congregation and individual is free to make up their own mind on all issues and matters of faith, the national UCC calls us to be a thinking and evolving church where God is Still Speaking. The UCC has a rich history of social action including a list of firsts regarding the abolition of slavery, the ordination of women, the support of civil rights for all, and, most recently, support of marriage equality for all.