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History

The Community Church of Poway is an Open and Affirming Congregation of the United Church of Christ. (UCC) The UCC is a Mainline Protestant denomination, founded in 1957, a merger of the Christian Congregational/Evangelical and Reformed movements. We are what most would call progressive in our attempts to bring the Gospel to life in this generation. The UCC motto: “No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.”

Our Congregation was founded in 1898, when we used our historic chapel for worship. The Chapel was built in 1887 and was the first church in North County San Diego to ever be used as a “church meeting house.”

We strive to abide by these Ten Core Principles:

  1. Offer an invitation to experience a relationship with God. We explore this process in worship, in prayer, in study and in action.
  2. Proclaim God's unconditional love to all people. We profess and embrace Jesus as a primary path to God.
  3. Extend a hearty welcome to people of all ages seeking a spiritual place. We do this without judgment and without exception.
  4. Practice a policy of "safe ministry" and we encourage an environment where all are comfortable and free to share opinions.
  5. We affirm that the Word of God can be found in the Holy Bible, not limiting its meaning and significance for this age. We take the Bible too seriously to take it literally.
  6. Seek to be inclusive in our language and worship recognizing that we cannot limit the nature of God to our understanding.
  7. Endeavor to integrate our spiritual growth with scientific and human knowledge. We strive to be open with willingness to question.
  8. We embrace the diversity evident in creation including race, culture, sexual orientation, gender expression, physical abilities, economic status and age.
  9. Support ministries of justice and peace around the world. We are committed to be a "Global Mission" church in response to God's call.
  10. Promote sincere respect for other faiths. We recognize that God is at work in other faith traditions and we participate and extol unity.