The Congregational Church has strong roots in New England, and was Mary Baker Eddy's church home for nearly four decades. She left the Congregational Church shortly before the publication of her book, Science and Health in 1875. This month, as part of the Journal's continuing exploration of faith communities, we take a look at the Congregational churches and their relationship to the United Church of Christ (UCC).
Long committed to peace and social justice, the UCC was founded in 1957 as the union of most of the churches in the Congregational tradition along with the Evangelical and Reformed Church. Other churches in the Congregational tradition belong to the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches and the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference.
Devotion to freedom is at the very roots of the Congregational Church, which originated with the people we now call Pilgrims. Their journey aboard the Mayflower and settlement in the New World in 1620 offer inspiring examples of perseverance and courage. The Pilgrims established a theocracy, where church and state worked together for the benefit of the people. They were soon followed by the Puritans, a like-minded community of spiritual refugees from England.
