It is important sometimes, as a congregation to remember who we are, who are our partners, and to whom we belong.
In 2017 and 2018, Council, staff, and leadership collected data from the congregation to help us identify the mission and purpose of Pilgrim United Church of Christ. The current mission statement, written and developed in response to this data is as follows:
We are a vibrant community of faith that strives to
*Provide intentional hospitality that is welcoming and sincere
*Embrace the diversity of all people regardless of belief, culture, class or orientation
*Aspire to follow the teaching of Jesus and the loving example set for us
*Celebrate various traditions represented in our congregation through a rich blend of theology, music, worship and programming
*Exhibit an unwavering focus on mission work locally, globally, and environmentally
*As an Open and Affirming congregation we strive to embrace all people regardless of race, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, ethnic background, economic status, family structure, ability or age into the life and full ministry of the church.
We are proud to be an Open and Affirming Congregation, a distinction in the United Church of Christ, that proclaims the goodness, beauty, and worth of all of our members and friends that identify as straight or as members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
We are an Accessible Congregation, a distinction in the United Church of Christ, that proclaims our commitment to ensuring our physical space is accessible for all of our members and friends, which includes accommodations and support for those are physically and intellectually disabled.
These values are mirrored by our denomination, the United Church of Christ, who has been a pioneer in mainline Protestantism since our beginning. Our ancestors in faith were early abolitionists working on behalf of and with enslaved people to ensure their freedom and end slavery. Many of our congregations served as stops on the underground railroad, including congregations here in Wisconsin. Our denomination was the first to ordain a woman, the first mainline denomination to ordain a person of color, we were the first to ordain a member of the LGBTQ community.
Our national denomination has worked alongside partner denominations, such as the United Methodist Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, the Episcopalian Church, with global organizations and the United States Government to bring aid to impoverished areas of the world and assisted with refugee resettlement for generations.
As a member congregation of the Wisconsin Conference of the United Church of Christ, we are members of the Wisconsin Council of Churches, an ecumenical organization composed of 32 different member denominations and 13 ecumenical partners ranging from the African Methodist Episcopalian tradition to the UCC to Coptic Church to Polish Catholic and Presbyterian Churches. The Wisconsin Council of Churches provides educational materials regarding racial justice, immigration, environmental justice, among others. The Wisconsin Council of Churches also provides opportunities to engage in faithful advocacy that mirror the values of our collective Christian faith.
We here at Pilgrim are a small part of the Body of Christ. Called by God to be the hands and feet of Christ in this time and place- offering healing, providing welcome to the stranger, food to the hungry, and water to the thirsty. We are called to this by the waters of Baptism, believing that God is working in and through us. We work on behalf of all of our siblings, in hopes that we make alive the kingdom of God on this earth- that it becomes a more just, more compassionate, and gentler world for us- our neighbors and our children.

We, together, are Pilgrim United Church of Christ.
WE ARE THE LIGHT ON THE HILL

With much love,

Rev. Ashley Nolte, Geoff Nauth, Dave Nestler, Jill Timmerman, Beth Eernisse, Marilyn Linde, Nicholas Sancomb