The First Congregational Church of Etna (FCCE) emphasizes Faith, Freedom, and Fellowship.  Congregationalism is a way of being a church that believes deeply in the guiding spirit and power of God, in Jesus Christ, and the value of worshipping together.

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Each Congregational Church includes members who regularly worship together and are bound together by a covenant – a promise to walk together in seeking to learn and do the will of Christ.

Congregationalism came to America on the Mayflower with the Pilgrims who were searching for freedom of worship.  As a church we affirm our faith by joining together in the covenant created by the early Pilgrims in Salem, Massachusetts in 1629.

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We covenant with the Lord and one another and do bind ourselves in the presence of God, to walk together in His Ways, according as He is please to reveal Himself to us in His blessed word of truth.

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As we grow in faith together we also have the freedom and responsibility to explore our own relationship with the Lord.  The Sunday worship service is the center of our church life.  The messages from inspiring sermons, words from the Bible, the strengthening of common prayer – these are the paths for growth in our faith journey.

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The fellowship of our church community is one of our important components.  As we gather together each Sunday and during the week for church-related activities, our members work as a close family.  Members give freely to help others, both within our church and surrounding community.

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Education of our members is ongoing.  It begins with baptism of a child and continues in Sunday school as children are taught values and ideas that will last a lifetime.  Education continues for youth and in adult education classes.

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In Congregationalism, there are no bishops or popes with any authority to dictate policies, programs, finances, forms of worship, or other affairs of the individual church.  As a congregation, we make these decisions as led by Christ’s teachings.

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We believe that the sincerity of each person’s faith requires the opportunity for intellectual freedom.  Thus, every member has full liberty to interpret the Gospel as his or her conscience directs and in accordance with the will of Christ.