Our Pastor
Rev. Jane Sorenson
I was ordained in the UCC in 2003. I have served multiple churches in multiple roles, and have
been here at Monroe since 2012.
All through my ministry, I have perceived God’s welcome to us as an invitation to deeper and deeper relationship.
The United Church of Christ expresses it one way, as “No matter who you
are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.” I think that is the beginning step.
God invites us in. God invites us to come closer. To explore what is meant by welcome, by
hospitality, by inclusion, by stewardship, by covenant, by service, by the holy.
God loves each and every one of us on this planet, and God seeks us. I think nothing delights God’s heart more
than when we seek God in turn: when we ask questions; when we struggle with doubt; when we
find new/old answers; and when our answers no longer satisfy us and we go deeper into our
heritage, our faith, our experience and our world. For when we look, God is there – in it all with
us.
One of the hallmarks of relationship is that it is not one-sided. God loves us, and in our thanks
and praise for that, we seek to serve God by sharing our gifts: treasure, talent, time and care.
Every person is blessed by the Spirit. Each of us needs to discover their gifts, hone them, and
use them to better the world. Life in community can inspire and encourage that work. I hope
that you might find such inspiration and encouragement here.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Jane Sorenson
Accessibility
Our buildings are accessible to wheelchairs through the breezeway located off of McDougal Street. The two bathrooms are accessible and are for general use (not labeled for a specific gender.) They are equipped with hand rails.
Printed large-type sermons are available upon request, as is information about remote service attendance via Zoom.
Our Mission and Values
We believe God is a God of immeasurable love.
We strive to be an extravagantly welcoming community believing that every person, without exception, is an expression of the word of God. We honor God's commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves and welcome all people regardless of race, nationality, ability, age, gender, sexual orientation, or appearance.
We endeavor to be a vital and vibrant part of our larger community, expressing our deep faith and joy as we interact with others and are of service to those who are in need.
We support and comfort each other in times of sorrow and concern as well as rejoicing with each other in times of joy and success.
We believe that each of us has a valuable talent to contribute to our Christian endeavors thereby strengthening the whole body of Christ. Therefore, we seek to provide equal opportunity for all to express those gifts.
Being non judgmental, we respect the integrity of each person's individual journey. We work to support each other on our spiritual journeys by exploring the Biblical stories of our Christian tradition with openness to their power to surprise, disturb, renew and influence the well-being of our daily lives. We honor the faithfulness of our tradition and encourage discovery of the meaning and ongoing revelation of God's word.
We commit ourselves to being a voice of truth, promoting justice wherever God's vision of a liberated people and world is threatened or denied.
We honor the gift of God's creation by walking upon the earth gently and encouraging others to respect the sacredness of all creation and all creatures.
Our Community
