An Open and Affirming - Just Peace Congregation
in the Liberal & Progressive Christian Tradition

A week came and went, so Kirstin plodded through the snow back to Skag’s home. She knocked on the door three times with her small little hand. Skags answered the door with a great big, “Hello there, little girl!” He then invited Kirstin inside. As Kirstin drank some hot chocolate Skags made for her, Skags lit the first candle of hope. Then, Skags told her the story of a famous Viking prince named Valgard. Prince Valgard had led the Vikings in many battles that they had won as they conquered other nations, but as the prince grew older, he began to realize all of the destruction and sorrow he had caused by waging war. Finally, Prince Valgard couldn’t take it anymore. He called all his soldiers together, and kneeled to the ground before them. As he did so, he removed the crown he wore as a prince. He then said to his soldiers, “I am no longer a prince. There is only one prince of whom I know who is worthy of our honor and allegiance, and that is the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.” From that day forward, Valgard dedicated himself to following Jesus Christ and every day of his life he worked for peace.

Having told this story, Skags lit the second candle on the Advent wreath as he said, “This is the candle of peace. May it remind you of the prince of peace who is born on Christmas day.” Skags then told Kirstin to return the next week to learn the meaning of the third candle.

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, there lived a little Viking girl named Kirstin. She had two great, big parents named Ola and Olaf. Back then, all the world thought Vikings were mean and cruel, but they didn’t know Kirstin and her two parents Ola and Olaf. They were a jolly, happy family, and they loved each other very much.

Kirstin’s family lived way up north in the little village of Norwich. In the winter, Norwich got very cold and the sun stopped shining. It was nighttime all day. Kirstin struggled not to feel miserable during the winter. To lift up her spirits, her parents laughed and joked around. But one year nothing seemed to work.

Finally, Ola suggested to Kirstin that she go knock on the door of the wise man of the village, an old man named Skags. Whenever children would pass by the house where Skags lived, they would see him through the window hunched over with a magnifying glass reading a great big book full of knowledge and wisdom.

Kirstin followed her mother’s advice and plodded through the snow to Skags’ home. With her small little hand, she knocked on the door three times. Skags answered with a great big, “Hello, there little girl. What can I do for you?” Kirstin told Skags how miserable she felt, and Skags said to her, “Do you see that evergreen tree over there? Will you go get me some of its branches?” Kirstin went to where the tree was, and she brought back some branches. Skags took them and started to bend them around in a circle until they made a wreath like this one. As he did this, he explained that the evergreens were a source of inspiration for the Vikings during the winter because they were hearty and strong and were able to survive the winter when all the other plants died.

Skags then told Kirstin to go to the local candle maker and ask for her finest candles. Kirstin did this, and she came back with five candles: three purple candles, a pink candle, and a white candle. Then, Skags put three purple candles and the pink candle around the outside of the wreath. Last, he put the white candle in the center. Next, Skags lit the first of the candles, and as he did so, he said, “We are in the season of Advent awaiting the birth of Jesus on Christmas day. With each passing week, I want you to light a candle that will shine when it is cold and when it seems the night will never end. This first candle is the candle of hope. It represents the hope that soon Jesus will come and bring joy into our lives. Next week come back to me, and I shall tell you the meaning of the second candle.”

Internationally Renowned Preacher Speaks at First Congregational, UCC

On September 8, 2007, our church was honored to have Rev. Dr. J. Alfred Smith as our preacher for the ordination and installation service of Rev. Brooks Berndt, our new pastor. Smith is an internationally renowned preacher and lecturer who has served as a mentor to Rev. Berndt over the past five years. Smith is the Senior Pastor for Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland, California. With 5,000 members, Allen Temple is the largest and most historic black Baptist Church in Northern California.

Smith was the past president of the Progressive National Baptist Convention, the denomination of Martin Luther King, Jr. He was twice named one of Ebony Magazine’s Most Influential Black Americans. He was also honored by Ebony Magazine as one of the Top 15 Greatest Black Preachers of 1993. In 2004, he was one of the featured guest lecturers at the Oxford University Roundtable Conference in Oxford, England. In 2007, he was one of the keynote speakers at the 2007 International Congress on Preaching in Cambridge, England.

Smith is the author of 16 books, and we had the pleasure of hosting him for a book reading from his recent autobiography On the Jericho Road.

MEET OUR NEW PASTOR-Brooks Berndt

On September 8th, Rev. Brooks Berndt was ordained and installed as our new pastor. Berndt comes to us from Berkeley, California, were he is a PhD student at the Graduate Theological Union. While working on his doctorate, he focused his studies on how preachers can better address issues of economic injustice. Wanting to put what he learned into practice, he worked to establish a living wage policy for employees at nine seminaries.

Before attending the Graduate Theological Union, Berndt earned his Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School where he was actively involved in working on crime and prison issues. Berndt received his BA from Wesleyan University in Connecticut where he majored in Religion and African American Studies.

When asked to share his hopes for First Congregational, UCC, Berndt quoted Dietrich Bonhoeffer who once said that Christians are called to “share in Christ’s large-heartedness.” Berndt said, “In caring for each other and caring for the broader world, First Congregational has shown that it has a large heart. I want to be a part of continuing that tradition.”

First Congregational is a member congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC), currently the 13th largest denomination in the United States. The United Church of Christ was formed as a union of former Congregational Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church in 1957.

The United Church of Christ believes strongly in the local autonomy of its individual congregations. Through worship and fellowship we find joy, self-renewal, and direction for our lives. We seek to be a warm and caring community offering a variety of choices for serving our Lord in many ways. We are open to any and all who wish to join us in our quest to discern and do God's will.

Vancouver's original First Congregational church was founded in 1891 and established at 14th and Main streets in downtown Vancouver. The old gothic stone building has since been demolished. The congregation moved to its present location in 1960.