Faith United Church of Christ stands at 6886 Salem Road in Cincinnati, Ohio. This Open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ is known for 10:00 a.m. Sunday worship that combines traditional and contemporary music with a strong emphasis on children, accessibility and service beyond the church. Founded in 1951, its mission is to share God’s love with the community and the world.
A Church Born at Beech Acres
Faith began as Faith Evangelical and Reformed Church in 1951 to provide religious education to the children of the General Protestant Orphan Home, later known as Beech Acres Orphanage. Its first worship gathering took place in the auditorium of the orphanage administration building. The congregation continued worshiping there until the church building was completed in 1954. The room now used as the sanctuary also served as an educational building and Fellowship Hall. As the congregation grew, a separate Fellowship Hall, kitchen and Sunday school rooms were added.
In 1957, the Evangelical and Reformed Church merged with the Congregational Christian Church to form the United Church of Christ, bringing a new name to Faith’s continuing ministry. Beech Acres is no longer an orphanage, and Faith has no institutional ties there, but its founding commitment to children and missions still shapes the church. The UCC calls itself a community of Christians joining faith and action for a just and sustainable world.
No Matter Who You Are
Faith describes itself as a church for these times and names five aspects of its identity: a welcoming church, a designated Open and Affirming church, an accessible church, a child-friendly church and a missions-oriented church. It follows Jesus’ teaching to welcome all persons, values diversity in leadership and considers all the arts part of its central mission. Its covenant makes no exception for:
- sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race or ethnicity, language or culture;
- physical, mental or emotional health, political views, age, appearance or marital status.
“No strangers here. We love as Jesus did. Everyone. No matter what.” That is the church’s succinct expression of a welcome grounded in the belief that God loves each person and the church will not turn anyone away.
Faith stands in a UCC tradition that includes the first historically white denomination to ordain an African American, the first to ordain a woman and the first to ordain an openly gay man, as well as the first Christian church to affirm the right of same-gender couples to marry. The denomination also traces its involvement in the antislavery and civil rights movements. Faith’s own mission joins that heritage to present-day welcome, inclusion and service. Its worship rests on the conviction that God is still speaking, all-loving and inclusive, and that Jesus the healer meets Jesus the revolutionary as the congregation works toward a just and peaceful world.
Sunday Morning at Ten
Sundays begin at 10:00 a.m., with friendly greeters welcoming people as they enter the sanctuary. Early in the service, children gather at the front for a children’s sermon and are then released to attend Sunday School. Music combines traditional and contemporary, with vocal and handbell choirs taking part in selected services. Hymns, prayers and responses appear on monitors in English and Spanish, while hymnals and Bibles sit in the pews. Joys and Concerns are welcome during the service, and visitors can identify themselves with a card in the pew rack so the church can send a note of thanks for their presence.
An offering is collected at most services, but participation is entirely voluntary. Secure online giving is arranged through Vanco, the church’s giving platform.
Communion and Baptism
Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month and at special occasions. Everyone may receive it, and children may share at their parents’ discretion. Bread represents the whole life and ministry of Jesus given fully in love to all; nonalcoholic grape juice recalls God’s forgiveness announced by Jesus.
Faith baptizes people of all ages, usually by sprinkling. Baptism marks entry into a full and complete life in Christ’s Church for those who wish to become disciples of Jesus. A previous baptism is recognized, and rebaptism is unnecessary.
After worship, the tradition continues with an extended hand of fellowship, coffee and a light luncheon. Members, friends and visitors are invited to share refreshments and get to know one another.
Children Take Their Place in Worship
Children begin worship in the sanctuary with their families. Bible-based coloring pages and crayons are available, and older children have activity sheets during the service. Following the children’s sermon, they may attend Sunday School and are picked up in the Fellowship Hall afterward. Nursery care is available upon request for children age 3 or younger. The church also gives children their own table during fellowship time, along with a craft room stocked with free supplies and an outdoor green space with playground equipment. Parents are responsible for supervising children outdoors.
Children are active members of the worshiping community, not only observers. They may serve as acolytes, join the vocal and handbell choirs, read, assist as liturgists or ushers, take part in missions activities and help run the audiovisual portion of the service. Faith’s free summer Vacation Bible School welcomes children ages 3 to 12 with Bible stories, music, crafts and snacks in a changing annual theme.
A Building with Fewer Barriers
Accessibility is built into Faith’s layout. A no-step entrance runs from the entrance drive to the upper level, where the sanctuary and Fellowship Hall are located. An elevator provides access to the lower level, which contains classrooms and offices, and accessible restrooms are in Fellowship Hall. Worship and fellowship time both take place on the first floor. A parking lot sits behind the building. Visitors are told to wear whatever is casual and comfortable; Faith has no dress code.
Room for Community
Faith rents space for weddings, funerals, community groups, presentations, family events and piano recitals. The Fellowship Hall is shared with the Anderson Hills Women’s Club and Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. The available spaces include the Sanctuary, Fellowship Hall and Memorial Garden. Separate lower-level classrooms are rented by Bella Bee Academy, a half-day morning preschool for children ages 2 through pre-K. Bella Bee uses the green space but is not affiliated with Faith UCC and does not teach a religious curriculum.
The Month’s Rhythms
Faith’s regular activities create a steady rhythm around Sunday worship:
- Missions Team: meets the second Friday of each month at 11:00 a.m.
- Vocal Choir practice: Sundays at 11:30 a.m.
- Free Community Dinner: third Wednesday of each month from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.
- Family Game Night: last Friday of each month at 5:00 p.m., with family-friendly games for children and adults.
Handbell choir and Bible studies also meet regularly. Participation is open in the Missions Team, Bible studies, vocal and handbell choirs, and Sunday worship, where people may serve as liturgists or ushers. Children can participate at an age-appropriate level.
Mission Work Beyond the Doors
Faith’s missions committee is active in reaching beyond the church doors with compassion for people in need. Mission meals during fellowship time, craft sales, greeting-card sales and parking at Anderson Days in Beech Acres Park help raise funds. Adults and children can assist with dinner service, donate goods or money, attend planning meetings and take part in mission events, most of which suit children age 5 and older.
Faith’s support for families follows the church year. It provides Kroger gift cards in spring and food in summer, collects school backpacks and supplies, assembles groceries for a Thanksgiving meal, and gathers food, clothing and toys at Christmas. The church also donates money to local organizations throughout the year.
A Care Team stays in contact with home-bound members, and Faith coordinates meal assistance when illness, injury or another special need affects someone in the church community.
Partners in the Fight Against Need
Faith supports three organizations with distinct forms of service:
- Interparish Ministries focuses on fighting food insecurity through its pantry work. It grew from a grassroots effort begun by Armstrong Chapel, St. Timothy’s, St. Thomas and Indian Hill Church into a nonprofit with a 12,000-square-foot facility in Mt. Carmel.
- Washington UCC partners with Camp Washington to pursue a safe, clean community with enough food, decent housing, opportunities for education and work, and an environment that nurtures families.
- Matthew 25: Ministries provides basic necessities, nutritional supplements, educational materials and disaster relief locally, regionally, nationally and internationally, regardless of race, creed or political persuasion. It rescues and reuses products from major corporations and manufacturers to provide necessities and emergency assistance.
Faith also promotes five UCC special offerings. Blanket Sunday provides blankets, tents, food and tools for disaster victims. Neighbors in Need funds justice and compassion ministries in the United States. One Great Hour of Sharing supports international clean water, education, health care, small-business assistance, emergency relief, advocacy and refugee resettlement. Strengthen the Church supports new church starts, existing ministries and youth and young adult development. The Christmas Fund supplements pension and health premiums for retired UCC pastors and personnel.
Worship Leadership and the Arts
Elizabeth Fiene serves as Faith’s licensed lay minister and worship leader. She has been a member since 1988 and holds a history degree from Gordon College and a master’s degree in library science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Faith’s vocal and handbell choirs, children’s music roles and audiovisual participation reflect its conviction that the arts belong at the center of ministry.
A Continuing Ministry of Welcome
Faith UCC began by teaching children at Beech Acres and grew into a congregation that still places children, accessibility, arts and active service at the center of its life. The 10:00 a.m. Sunday gathering, shared tables, choirs, Bible studies and mission work all belong to one church whose welcome extends “no matter what.” At Faith UCC, welcome, shared tables and active service remain joined to the belief that God is still speaking and that people of every identity belong in the life of the church.