A Northfield Congregation Since 1856
First United Church of Christ sits at 300 Union Street in Northfield, Minnesota, near the heart of a college town. The congregation traces its beginnings to 1856, when settlers organized a church on land that was being taken from the Wahpekute Band and other bands of the Dakota Nation. That history is part of the church's present witness: in January 2022 the congregation adopted a formal Land Acknowledgement Statement and committed itself to the ongoing work of right relationship with Indigenous people.
First UCC is part of the United Church of Christ, a denomination the church describes as a dynamic Protestant body that has often been a leader in extending the good news of the gospel to all people. Members live out a covenant with God and one another centered on three verbs: seek, share, and serve. The congregation is known locally for its progressive commitments, its 1876 Johnson Organ, and steady involvement in Northfield through service, advocacy, and partnership.
Sunday Morning at 10:30
Worship takes place at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays, in person and online through a Zoom video call and a YouTube livestream. Each service follows a familiar shape: music, scripture readings, a children's message, a sermon, and a blessing. Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month. From September through May, ASL interpretation is offered on the second and fourth Sundays.
Music ranges from classical to gospel, with the Senior Choir and Spirit Voices singing most weeks during the program year. The 1876 Johnson Organ anchors the sanctuary's musical life and gives the space much of its character. Worship is offered under a covenant rather than a creed; people are not asked to agree on every doctrine to belong.
Sunday Evenings at Six
In addition to the Sunday morning service, the congregation gathers for a contemplative worship experience at 6:00 p.m. each Sunday evening. Led by a group of lay leaders from First UCC and other local congregations, the evening service features music, silence, candlelighting, and communion. It is shaped for those seeking a quieter, reflective complement to the morning's fuller liturgy.
Music and the Arts
Music is a hallmark of life at First UCC. The Senior Choir, a classical chancel choir open to adults and older youth, rehearses weekly and sings most Sundays from September through May. Spirit Voices sings a wider repertoire of classical and contemporary pieces, both as a choir and in smaller ensembles, and rehearses once a month. Children's music is part of the Faith Formation hour on Sunday mornings during the school year.
The arts reach beyond the choir loft. Drama, visual art, special music, and sanctuary beauty are woven into worship. Catherine Rodland, the church's organist since March 2023, is an Artist in Residence at St. Olaf College and brings deep experience with choirs, congregations, and traditional hymnody as well as a willingness to explore other traditions. Director of Music Chris Brunelle has served the congregation since 2003.
Children, Youth, and Faith Formation
Children are welcome in worship and are invited forward each week for a children's message with one of the ministers. From September through April, Children's Faith Formation meets at 9:15 a.m. for preschool through fifth grade, with gathering time, singing, Bible stories, a snack, and classroom choices.
Middle School Youth Group for sixth through eighth graders meets at 9:15 a.m. on Sunday mornings in the youth lounge on the lower level. High School activities happen on an ad hoc schedule as opportunities arise. Confirmation is offered in alternating years, and 2026-27 is a Confirmation year, with classes beginning in September 2026 and Confirmation Sunday in May 2027. The Our Whole Lives curriculum, a sixteen-week Wednesday night program developed by the United Church of Christ, is offered in the off years and is open to all seventh through eighth and tenth through twelfth graders in the wider community.
Adults, Small Groups, and Learning
Adults connect through several rhythms. Coffee Hour follows worship each Sunday at 11:30 a.m., with treats and conversation in the Assembly Room. CONNECT Groups are small groups that meet for six to eight weeks at a time to explore scripture, contemplative and spiritual practices, and shared life. Nine to Dine groups rotate through different homes for connection over a meal.
Book studies, educational forums, and other learning opportunities take place throughout the year and are announced in the weekly e-newsletter, on social media, and on the church calendar. Volunteer opportunities for Coffee Hour, Memorial Garden care, the Prayer Shawl group, and other community life ministries are open to anyone looking to help shape the rhythms of the congregation.
Justice as Practice
First UCC is openly identified as an Open and Affirming, Just Peace, Immigrant Welcoming, and Creation Justice congregation. The church became Open and Affirming in 1994 and updated that covenant in 2022 to read that First UCC works to make the church open to and affirming of all regardless of gender, gender identity or expression, age, economic or marital status, race, physical or mental ability, cultural heritage, or sexual orientation. On June 19, 2022, the congregation also adopted a Racial Justice Covenant committing itself to anti-racist work in the church and the wider community.
The Beyond Land Acknowledgement team continues the work begun in 2022, sponsoring field trips, presentations from Dakota Wičohaŋ, and an evening with the Indian Land Tenure Foundation. The Immigrant Welcoming designation was achieved in November 2021, and the task force offers learning, advocacy, and volunteer opportunities with immigrant neighbors locally and beyond. The Creation Justice team has installed rain gardens, solar panels, and LED lighting, and is moving the church toward zero-waste, carbon-neutral operations. First UCC is also a member of ISAIAH, a faith-based coalition working for racial and economic justice in Minnesota.
A Justice in Palestine and Israel group organizes the congregation's engagement around the 2021 UCC General Synod Resolution, which describes the oppression of the Palestinian people as a matter of theological urgency. The Covenant, a monthly social justice newsletter, carries news and updates from all of these ministries.
Partnerships in Northfield
The congregation supports several Northfield organizations with money, volunteers, and material donations. The Community Action Center of Northfield meets needs ranging from housing to food; First UCC also collects food for its food shelf and supports the CAC's Hillcrest Village affordable housing project. Ruth's House provides transitional and permanent housing for women and children in crisis, and Sarah's House offers a sober living space in town. Members volunteer with Rice County Habitat for Humanity and provide meals for work crews, and the church takes responsibility for four weeks of Meals on Wheels deliveries each year.
The church also points neighbors to the Salvation Army, Three Rivers Community Action, and The Key: Northfield Union of Youth. Members are encouraged to volunteer, donate, and partner in ways that fit their gifts.
Weddings, Baptisms, and the Memorial Garden
Weddings at First UCC are open to all couples who wish to make their vows in the context of Christian worship. Members and non-members, divorced persons, and people of different religious backgrounds are welcome. Baptisms of both children and adults are usually celebrated during Sunday worship, with water placed on the forehead and sponsors or Godparents invited to come forward.
The church conducts funerals and memorial services in cooperation with families and funeral directors, and maintains a Memorial Garden in the central courtyard for the burial of cremated remains. Names of those buried there are recorded on a plaque in the hallway near the courtyard door.
What a Visitor Should Know
The church stands at 300 Union Street, with entrances and parking on Union Street between Third and Fourth Street. There is an accessible entrance and handicapped parking at the far end of the lot near the South entrance, and an elevator reaches the lower levels. Worshippers are welcome as they are, with no dress code.
A nursery is available on the building's mid-level for those who need a quiet space, though there is no staffed nursery. Children are welcome in worship and are invited forward each week for a children's message. An offering is received during services to support the church's ministries; visitors are never expected to give. The Sunday service is livestreamed on YouTube and Zoom (passcode 1stUCC); those attending in person who prefer not to be on camera can ask an usher for a seat outside the camera's view.
The Pastoral and Music Team
Rev. Cindy Maddox serves as Senior Minister. A graduate of Emory University's Candler School of Theology, she previously served churches in North Carolina, Connecticut, and Maine. She is joined by Rev. Lauren Baske Davis, Associate Minister, whose work spans congregational care, faith formation for all ages, Our Whole Lives, worship leadership, and preaching.
Chris Brunelle has served as Director of Music since 2003 and conducts the Senior Choir. Bob Gregory-Bjorklund directs Spirit Voices and coordinates worship arts. Adam Cerling serves part-time as Children, Youth, and Family Faith Formation Coordinator and is a seminarian at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities.
Giving and Getting Involved
Gifts to First UCC support the church's ministries, building, and justice work. Online giving is available through Breeze, and recurring gifts can be set up through a Breeze account. Checks can be mailed to the church or placed in the offering plate, and memorial gifts can be designated online or by check.
There are many ways to serve. Members and friends volunteer as worship leaders, choir members, scripture readers, ushers, children's and youth Faith Formation teachers, coffee hour hosts, Meals on Wheels drivers, Habitat build days, and on justice teams. Wednesday Nights for Food, Friends, and Faith brings the congregation together over a shared meal from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays during the school year, with small groups and faith formation often meeting afterwards.
The church office is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., at 300 Union Street, Northfield, MN 55057, and can be reached at 507-645-7532 or church@firstucc.org. The Chronicle, a weekly e-newsletter, and The Covenant, a monthly social-justice newsletter, carry announcements, opportunities, and stories from the life of the congregation.