First Congregational on Ninth Avenue
For more than 150 years, the building at 1500 9th Avenue in Longmont has been home to a congregation now known as First Congregational, United Church of Christ, Longmont. Most people in the community simply call it UCC Longmont. The church sits in a quiet residential stretch of the city's older east side, and its sanctuary, fellowship hall, and grounds host a busy weekly rhythm of worship, small groups, choirs, and mission work. The congregation adopted two formal designations that shape much of its identity: an Open and Affirming covenant that welcomes LGBTQ+ people, and a Creation Justice covenant that commits it to environmental stewardship.
A Church That Has Been Gathering Since 1872
FCC Longmont was organized in 1872 as First Congregational Church, Longmont, in the early years of the town itself. In 1952, when the Evangelical and Reformed Churches and the Congregational Christian Churches merged to form the United Church of Christ, the congregation became First Congregational, UCC, Longmont, a name still used formally. Over the decades, members stopped using the longer name in everyday speech and settled on UCC Longmont. A Community Covenant was adopted by the congregation in 2021 as the foundation document for the life of the church, joined by a Child Protection Policy and a Sexual Abuse and Harassment Policy.
Sunday Morning at 10:15
Worship begins at 10:15 on Sunday mornings in the sanctuary, both in person and live on YouTube. A typical service includes songs, spoken prayers, and a sermon (locally called a reflection), along with contemplative practices like times of stillness, centering prayer, and guided meditations. On some Sundays the service includes a prayer station, a journaling prompt, a walk of the labyrinth, or a coloring and drawing exercise, because, as the congregation says, the Spirit of God meets people in many different ways. Hymns and prayers drawn from the broader Christian tradition are blended with newer expressions.
Children and adults lead the service together. Each Sunday, young people "Bring in the Light" by carrying candles to the communion table during the opening hymn. On many Sundays children or teens serve as liturgists, communion servers, scripture readers, or ushers. On the first Sunday of each month, when communion is shared, children stay in the sanctuary for the entire service. Communion is open to everyone who wishes to receive.
The dress code is equally open: members arrive in everything from shorts and t-shirts to "Colorado Sunday best," and the invitation extends to doubts, questions, nerves, and celebrations. Ushers greet visitors, and a staffed nursery at the back of the sanctuary is available for any family that prefers it, with toys, a crib, and comfortable seating.
Accessibility on Sunday Morning
Closed captioning and language translation are available for every service through a program called Captional. Worshipers can log in from a personal device or use a tablet at the "Accessibility Cart" at the back of the sanctuary. The setup is intended for anyone with hearing challenges or for whom English is a second language, and ushers are ready to help.
A Worship Room Just for Children
The children's ministry is led by Rev. Whitney Janzen-Pankratz, the Minister of Community Faith Formation. Her team hosts a dedicated "Worship Room" down the hall during most of the school year. After the welcome and "Bringing in the Light," elementary-age children are invited to leave the sanctuary and take part in a structured flow that includes an Altar Setting, Holy Listening Stones, a Bible Story, an "I Wonder" Round, Prayer Stations, a Reflection Circle, and Sending Blessings with anointing oil. The room is treated as a sacred space in its own right, with the same care given to ritual that the sanctuary receives.
Children who would rather stay in the sanctuary are welcome to do so. There is always a coloring table, often a prayer station, and on every Sunday kids are invited to remain, work their wiggles, and watch from wherever they are most comfortable.
Youth Ministry for Grades 6 to 12
UCC LoCo, the youth ministry for grades 6 through 12, is directed by Rob Cronin. The group meets on most Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., mixing games, hang time, and discussion. A Friday Night Youth Hangout runs from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. on the first Friday of each month, alongside monthly service activities. Members of the youth group also join in serving with the wider congregation through annual projects like food drives and bean repackaging.
Adult Groups, Classes, and Prayer
Adults at UCC Longmont can connect through a range of standing groups. The Women's Group gathers roughly twice a month during the fall and spring for fellowship, book discussions, and workshops, occasionally meeting in the evenings. The Men's Group meets on the fourth Monday of each month for donuts and conversation, followed by a work project around the building. A Senior Adult group gets together periodically for hikes, coffee, plays, and movies. Opportunivores, the church's whimsically named fellowship, meets at restaurants around town whenever the appetite strikes.
The Contemplative Prayer Group meets on Tuesday mornings at 8:00 a.m. in the Fireside room, with beginners warmly welcomed. Families with Kids share a monthly dinner at the church for an informal time of connection. Across all of these gatherings, the church notes that its gender-identified groups are inclusive of trans men and women as well as gender-fluid and non-binary members.
Music in the Sanctuary
The Music Ministry is led by Music Director Lauren Black, with pianist Abby Jones. Both a Handbell Choir and a Voice Choir rehearse on Wednesday evenings from September through May and offer their gifts in worship throughout the program year. Black, who holds a degree in vocal performance from the University of Denver, has sung with the Colorado Ballet and Ars Nova and now also teaches voice at the Denver Music Institute.
Service and Mission in Longmont
Service is woven into the life of the church at every age. Children's Church and youth group both carry their own service projects, and several adult teams extend the church's reach into the wider Longmont community.
The PB&J Crew meets once a month in the church kitchen to make sandwiches for HOPE, a partnership with Longmont Unitarian Universalist Presence. Born to Read supports early childhood literacy by filling book bags for the families of newborns, meeting once a month to pack and welcome volunteers. Seasonal food drives inside the congregation stock the shelves of local food banks, and each fall the congregation purchases a ton of wholesale beans that are repackaged into one-pound bags and donated to the OUR Center. The Gun Violence Reduction Ministry organizes one or two gun safe giveaways each year in partnership with other local churches and community groups.
Creation Justice and the Environmental Justice Ministry
The Environmental Justice Ministry Team, formed in 2019, organizes educational events within the church, shares resources for local, state, and national advocacy, and helps the congregation live into its Creation Justice Covenant. The church formally became a Creation Justice Church in 2023, an official designation of the United Church of Christ, after writing and approving its covenant. The covenant names four commitments that shape congregational life: listening and learning, discerning direction, making decisions, and applying the covenant across the council, committees, and individuals.
Among the team's visible work is a Community Garden on the church grounds. Beds are rented each spring to local gardeners for the length of the growing season, and accessible beds are part of the layout. The team has published a brochure for faith communities thinking about starting their own gardens and produces regular articles on everything from pollinator planting and dark skies to reducing single-use plastics.
The Building, the Labyrinth, and the Memorial Garden
UCC Longmont's sanctuary and large fellowship hall are used for concerts, community forums, and a wide range of other events. Smaller chapel and classroom space hosts several local organizations and faith communities. The church notes that it is not currently renting space for parties or receptions. A labyrinth set on the grounds offers a contemplative walking practice; the box at the labyrinth provides helpful notes for those new to the tradition.
Set apart from the labyrinth is a consecrated Memorial Garden for meditation, reflection, and the interment of cremated remains of members and friends of the church. With the senior minister's approval, the remains of others may be scattered or buried in an Ash Bed. Recent obituaries posted on the church's Memorial Garden page honor members of the community whose lives are remembered in the space.
Pastors and Governance
Senior Pastor Rev. Amelia Richardson Dress previously served UCC Longmont as Minister for Community Faith Formation. She is the author of "The Hopeful Family" and a children's picture book, "This Is the Mystery of Easter," based on a sermon given at the church. Rev. Whitney Janzen-Pankratz serves as Minister of Community Faith Formation, focusing on intergenerational ministry and faith formation across the life span.
The congregation is governed by a Church Council whose members are elected each year. The council functions much like a board of directors and is responsible for discerning the way forward in keeping with the church's bylaws and governance documents. Funding for projects beyond the regular budget is available through the Dream Offer Grant Program, with applications accepted three times a year.
How to Connect and Give
The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to noon, and the building phone rings through at 303-776-4940. "Happenings," the congregation's weekly newsletter, goes out on Thursday mornings. Worship services can be joined live online, listened to as a podcast on Mondays, and captioned or translated in real time using Captional. Donations can be made through the Vanco Online Giving page or by mail, and supporters who shop at King Soopers can register their loyalty card online to direct community rewards to the church.