Our Building
Our Gardens
Our Art
The Sanctuary
The Sanctuary is the centerpiece of our church building, located to the south of the Narthex. We hold worship in the Sanctuary every Sunday morning at 9:30am, as well as at various times on holidays and special occasions. The Sanctuary features the Orb, Cross, and Crown, a symbol of the United Church of Christ, in the chancel area alongside the altar, pulpit, and lectern. It also features the Heritage Windows, designed by church member Carol Beck.
The Sanctuary has an excellent sound system, projection system, and video recording capabilities; and can seat about 200 people.
The Nursery
The Nursery is locates just off of Fellowship Hall. While not regularly staffed, it is available to parents and children on request. The Nursery provides a wonderful place for our younger visitors to enjoy supervised play. During worship, the service is played over speakers in the Nursery, so children can absorb the gospel as they play.
Smaller Rooms
Down the hall, past the church offices and the bathrooms, are eight smaller rooms—including two double-sized rooms—configured in different ways. Some are set up in permanent or semi-permanent configurations. These include a conference room and bridal room. Others are more fluid, and can be rearranged for any purpose.
Fellowship Hall
Our Fellowship Hall is located to the north of the Narthex. We use it every Sunday after worship for coffee, juice, and snacks. It’s also a wonderful place to host wedding receptions, graduation parties, funeral luncheons, and other events.
Fellowship Hall includes a projector and access to our sound system.
The Kitchen
Our kitchen is located immediately off of Fellowship Hall. It features several refrigeration and freezing units, a floor mixer, two six-ring Wolf ranges and ovens, overhead vents, and a commercial dishwasher. Whether making a meal from scratch, or simply storing some food to enjoy later, our kitchen is full of excellent tools for any event.
The Patio
The Patio is located immediately outside the north door of the Narthex or the west door of Fellowship Hall. With tables and chairs during the spring, summer, and fall, it is a beautiful place to enjoy the outdoors. The birdbath is located in a group of bushes to the south of the patio.
The Memorial Garden
The Memorial Garden is located to the west of the church building. This patio and its benches memorializes the members of First Congregational United Church of Christ who have gone before us. Like the Patio, it is a wonderful place to enjoy the outdoors.
The Butterfly Garden
Our Butterfly Garden is located to the east of our garage. While it is a Monarch Waystation, with plants specifically chosen to attract those butterflies, it hosts a variety of butterflies and other insect species each year. A bench in the center of the garden provides a beautiful place to sit and watch our insect visitors.
Stations of the Cross
These banners depicting the stations of the cross were made by member Joyce Ehrling and former pastor Ginny Taylor. They hang in our sanctuary during Lent.
Two by Two
Two by Two is a mural designed and painted by Steve Anderson. This mural depicts animals heading toward Noah’s Ark (Genesis 6-10) in pairs (Genesis 6:19). It can be found in the second-to-last classroom on the right.
The Coat of Many Colors
The Coat of Many Colors is a mural designed and painted by Brandon Hunt. This mural depicts several images from the story of Joseph (Genesis 37-50). It can be found in the last classroom on the left.
The Memorial Window
The Memorial Window was originally installed at our previous church location at 5th Avenue and 8th Street in DeWitt. It became part of our current church building in 1994. Composed of mosaic glass bonded together by cement, the window includes many Christian symbols, including the hand of God, the Lamb of God sitting on the book of the seven seals, the Dove, the Chi-Rho, and a Bible.
The Memorial Window can be found in our main lobby area. There are guides to the window next to it.
The Heritage Windows
The stained glass windows in our Sanctuary were designed by church member Carol Beck and produced by Designer Glass and Mirror in Davenport, Iowa. The windows depict a variety of Christian images, including Noah’s Ark, the burning bush, the nativity, and crucifixion, baptism, and prayer.
Guides are available next to the audio-visual desk.
Hands of Love
Hands of Love is a collection of photos taken by church member Angie Hofer. Many of the hands in the photos belong to members of her family. The hands show the many ways that we connect to each other and to God at First Congregational United Church of Christ, from prayer to passing the peace to communion. And, across from the photos, we are reminded of the way that God’s hands hold us through a paraphrase from Isaiah: “See, I will never forget you… I have written your name on the palms of my hands.” (Isaiah 49:15-16)
Hands of Love can be found in the entry way to the church building.
Rentals
Learn About Wedding RatesWhether its a lavish affair or an intimate gathering our space is a wonderful place to gather.
We keep our pricing simple. All fees are payable to First Congregational United Church of Christ and are due before the event begins.
If you are an active member and this is a private event, your fee is $100 per day (eight hours).
If you are not an active member and this is a private event, your fee is $250 per day (eight hours).
If your event is open to the public, regardless of whether you are an active member, your fee is $100 per day (eight hours).
Your fee gives you access to the narthex, fellowship hall, and our kitchen for the duration of your event.