On a quiet stretch of Foothill Boulevard in Redding, California, a low slung building of stone and angled rooflines seems to grow out of the earth itself. It is Pilgrim Church UCC, a progressive, Open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ whose Sunday morning worship takes place inside one of only thirteen extant Frank Lloyd Wright buildings in the United States. The congregation has gathered in this sanctuary for more than six decades, drawn together by a shared love of music, a deep commitment to creation care, and a willingness to keep asking hard questions about what it means to follow the teacher Jesus in the twenty first century.
A Sanctuary by Frank Lloyd Wright
In 1958, Frank Lloyd Wright accepted the commission to design a new home for Pilgrim Congregational Church. At the time he was working on the Guggenheim Museum in New York and reportedly told the congregation, "Tell the people of the little church that I will help them out. If I like the 'feel' of a job, I take it." Wright himself never came to Redding; his Taliesin West associates John Rattenbury and Tony Puttnam, along with Aaron Green of the San Francisco office, carried the project forward.
Founding minister Ray Welles and church member Clayton Kantz traveled to Taliesin West to meet Wright, who walked them through his design studios before settling on the Redding scheme. With a twinkle in his eye Wright called the design "pole and boulder gothic," explaining that the tentlike form was meant to symbolize the ancient dwellings of Israel and the temporary, migratory quality of human life. The entrance is a gradual descent, suggesting a return to God's creation. The massive rockwork that forms the walls contains ninety one tons of stone gathered from Ono, the Iron Mountain mine, Keswick, and even from Haiti and Tahiti, hauled and set largely by church members rather than a hired contractor.
Only a portion of Wright's larger plan was built. The sanctuary was originally intended as a fellowship hall. The finished structure is about 13,000 square feet and cost $217,000 in 1961. Visitors can still explore the original building drawings, preserved through Columbia University Libraries.
Sunday Morning Worship
Worship begins at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday and runs until about 11:30. The order of service follows a printed bulletin with call and response prayers, written prayers, congregational prayer, scripture readings drawn from a liturgical calendar, and a sermon. Except during summer the choir sings an anthem accompanied by piano. The preacher, Pastor Megan Owens, offers an informal and interactive sermon with a progressive Christian message shaped by seasonal themes and the practical application of faith in everyday life.
First time visitors will find no dress code. On arrival a greeter offers a nametag and a chance to share contact information; nametags are completely optional and the church pledges not to share visitor information. A pew pad travels down each row so members and guests can register attendance, and a collection is taken near the end of the service. Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month, when Sunday school children return to the sanctuary in time to receive the bread and cup. The service closes with the congregation joining hands in a circle to sing "God be with you until we meet again."
Recordings of past services are available on the church YouTube channel for anyone who cannot attend in person.
Progressive Christianity and Open and Affirming
Pilgrim's statement of belief is short and direct. The church teaches that all people are made in the image of God, that all of creation is to be cherished, and that the community is called to "Be the Church" both inside and outside its walls. Faith is described as a pilgrimage to which everyone is invited.
In its bylaws the congregation formally declares itself Open and Affirming, welcoming and accepting all people regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, race, nationality, physical ability, or socio-economic status. The church also identifies as Progressive Christian, holding to eight principles that include the conviction that the teachings of Jesus provide one of many ways to experience the Sacred, an insistence on radical compassion and inclusion, and a commitment to protect and restore the integrity of the Earth.
Its purpose is drawn directly from the Gospel of Matthew: to love God with all heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to love the neighbor as the self. Its vision is "United in Christ's love, a just world for all."
Music, Choir, and the Arts
The Pilgrim Choir meets every Sunday morning from 9:00 to 9:45 in the Choir Room downstairs under the direction of Lizzie Stoxen, with Sheri Curtis at the piano. New members are warmly welcomed; music is shared by email ahead of rehearsal, and the only prerequisite is a musical ear, bone, or kneecap.
Through its Creative Sparks program, Pilgrim hosts a monthly concert series with the Performing Arts Society of Redding, typically held on the second Friday from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. The concerts are free with donations requested and open to the public. The church also hosts a Three Songwriters Benefit Concert Series and occasional fundraising concerts for community organizations. All events appear on the church calendar.
Children and Youth
Children of every age are welcome to remain in the sanctuary for the full length of worship. For the youngest there is a supervised Nursery for children up to age three. After "Children's Time" in the service, students in kindergarten through fifth grade head to a multi-grade Sunday school where they learn to apply the stories of the faith to the world around them, returning in time for the closing circle song and for Communion on the first Sunday.
Middle and high school youth gather for a Youth Group that meets as schedules allow, with bonfire evenings of sharing and questioning, hikes, kayaking, and rafting trips. Older youth often help with Sunday school on Sunday mornings. On the occasional fifth Sunday of the month the entire service is led by the young people of the congregation, with older youth also invited to serve as readers and ushers at any service.
Adult Formation
Two regular offerings shape Pilgrim's adult life together. Readers and Seekers is a long-running book discussion group that meets each Thursday at 3:00 p.m. The group chooses books that engage current theological and spiritual thought. Recent titles have included John Pavlovitz's Hope and Other Superpowers, Marcus Borg's The Heart of Christianity, Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass, the Dalai Lama's Beyond Religion, Richard Rohr's The Universal Christ, John Shelby Spong's Eternal Life, and Anne Lamott's Plan B, with many titles available free through internet libraries.
Pastor Megan also leads a Weekly Guided Prayer and Meditation that meets online via Zoom, with a separate email list for those who wish to receive the link.
Creation Justice and the Community Garden
Care for the Earth is woven through Pilgrim's life. The Creation Justice team maintains a recycling station, uses reusable dishes and cutlery at fellowship hour, switches to reusable name tags, and donates leftover food. The building is fitted throughout with LED and automatic lights. Future plans include a solar array once the roof is repaired, a battery recycling station, an edible community garden, drought tolerant native landscaping, and rainwater reclamation.
The church sponsors an annual Earth Day booth and circulates a "Green Holidays" guide during the winter months. A Creation Justice Library is available, and the church works with the City of Redding's Waste Wizard to help members sort recyclables.
The Community Garden at Pilgrim began with a vision to feed people, honor the land, and share knowledge of sustainable practices. The gardening group coordinates through the Band app and welcomes anyone interested in joining.
Pilgrim Country Market
Each autumn the congregation hosts the Pilgrim Country Market, a free community event drawing local artisans, musicians, bakers, and soup makers. Net proceeds are divided among regional non-profits; recent beneficiaries include Reciproka, Native Roots Network, The Riverland Farm, and the Southeast Asian Christian Ministry. The market also sells fig and plum preserves and offers pre-orders in the weeks before the event. Volunteers and vendors are invited to sign up through the church.
Creating Connections in Redding
Pilgrim's outreach work is organized under Creating Connections. The Hope Van takes donated sandwiches out to people experiencing homelessness in the wider Redding area. Adopt-A-Block gathers volunteers after fellowship to clean a designated stretch of neighborhood. FaithWorks partners the congregation with a local family for a season of practical support as the family works toward stability; the most recent family graduated early. The Called to Care Ministry Team tends to pastoral needs within the congregation, and the church regularly hosts fundraisers for community organizations and partners with the Shasta Equal Justice Committee.
Pastoral Team and Co-Coordinators
The congregation is pastored by Rev. Megan Owens. Lizzie Stoxen directs the choir, Sheri Curtis accompanies on piano, Mike Flanagan manages sound and media, and Gail Pittman-Biehle serves as office manager. Governance is shared by two moderators, Bobbie Simpson and Dean Burns, along with clerk Kate Cammock, treasurer Glenn Hoxie, financial secretary Chris McNeil, and members at large Pam Crowe, Randy Haynes, and Doug Scollon. Day to day ministry is organized through five co-coordinator teams for Connecting (Sue Crandell and Sherry Quaday), Worship (Kit Harvey and Heather Hennessey), Serving (John Egolf), Learning (Lindsey Hood), and Building and Finance (Dan Scollon and Rebekah Oakes).
Practical Information
The church building sits at 2850 Foothill Boulevard in Redding. Office hours run Tuesday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Self-guided tours are available during office hours and after Sunday worship; personal tours can be scheduled online. The Frank Lloyd Wright sanctuary is also available for weddings, funerals, and other events. Giving can be made in person, by mail to the P.O. box, through a Breeze online form, or by texting any amount to the dedicated Text-to-Give number. The church livestreams and archives worship on its YouTube channel and maintains a calendar of upcoming events for visitors and members alike.