The Congregational Church of Needham is:

A Faith Community where All are Welcome!

Our Church Covenant says what we believe:

• We strive to be a joyful, welcoming Christian community.
• We seek to be faithful in a world torn by suffering, injustice, oppression, and war.
• We are inspired by God, Christ's ministry, and the examples of other faithful people. We join together in worship and song, fellowship, study, and mission, to embrace the risks and challenges of continuing Christ's ministry.
• We struggle to live out our faith in the world by furthering justice and peace, witnessing to the truth, and proclaiming God's love and mercy for all people.

In 2000, the church adopted this Open and Affirming Statement as an extension of the Covenant:

• As a covenant community we are committed to the belief that all people are created equal before God.
• In affirmation of the inclusive love of Christ Jesus, we welcome persons of any race, gender, age, sexual orientation, ability and economic circumstance to full participation in our community life and ministry.
• We strive to reflect these beliefs in the language and content of our worship and in our lives together.

Where you will find a Warm and Caring Environment…

From the promises we make as a congregation at a baptism to the visits to the elderly or sick by the pastors and deacons,the members of this church "walk the walk" as well as "talk the talk!"

Our church school serves area families by providing childcare and Christian education for children from infants through high-school age. There are many opportunities for children to stretch their creative and spiritual wings as they discover how the stories in the Bible and from the life of Jesus can be part of their life story too. Older youth participate in Confirmation, retreats and fun and fearless Youth Ministry programs and mission trips.

Adults find fellowship during their personal faith journeys through participation in Men's and Women's Groups, Adult Education events, various church committees or through outreach activities in the local community, Boston and the wider world.

…that is Supportive and Challenging!

" Strong churches are places where we encourage each other to risk failure and to try new things. Many folks assume that a congregation’s biggest responsibility is to teach children about faith. Like baptism, faith is really for adults… I want to start a church-wide discussion about our church’s vision for the future. I hope to outline my vision as a basis for debate and every Sunday. I want to preach about this vision and get your ideas and feedback.

I hope we can work with you to build a church where adult education is as big a priority as Sunday School is for children. I want to build a church where we provide spiritual retreats for adults who want to learn to pray. I want to continue to find outreach programs that stretch our compassion and broaden our horizons. I want to start more Bible study groups where we talk about how to apply these ancient stories in scripture to our modern lives today. I want us to provide our congregation with study groups that explore the inherent connection between spirituality and activism. I want to lead a church where we recognize our need to grow in faith at every age." --See Rev. Cartmell's "Vision" Sermons here.