Our Congregations' Story

The Congregational Church of Birmingham, United Church of Christ has experienced a history of dynamic events and changes.  Our church was founded in 1953, worshiping in homes of the 41 signers of the original covenant. In less than a year, members purchased a former Presbyterian church in downtown Birmingham that became the congregation's home for the next 13 years.  In the interim, the United Church of Christ was formed in 1958, and CCB-UCC was among the first to join this new denomination in 1960.  By the mid-1960s, the decision was made to move from Birmingham north to Bloomfield Hills, constructing a new church building to support a growing congregation.  The first service in our new and current facility was held in 1966. 

In 2006, CCB-UCC became the first church in our area to become an Open & Affirming (ONA) UCC congregation.  This inclusive social action was not without dissension.  Some members chose to leave the congregation over the outcome, others “agreed to disagree” choosing to stay, and new members joined the church due to our ONA status.  We don’t shy away from challenges and don’t always take the easy path while traversing the arc of justice.

Aligning with our commitment to environmental justice, CCB-UCC embarked on a program to install roof mounted solar panels.  Preparing for the 15.6-kilowatt solar panel array involved years of planning not only for the physical installation, but for managing the initial system costs.  To oversee this process, a solar planning team was commissioned at the request of our leadership structure.  Team membership was composed of church members and leaders with varied skill sets and interests tied to solar energy and energy efficiency in general.  Several approaches were considered to raise the capital necessary to finance the solar array.  Options included third party loans, power purchase agreements, tapping into existing equity, and a campaign to raise the funds from membership donations.  Ultimately, starting with a very generous member gift, funds were raised through membership contributions through a “Buy a Panel” challenge.  The results were outstanding as sufficient funds were quickly raised to pay in full for the installation by the time the system was commissioned in August 2018.  

Since that time the congregation continues to focus our values. We are a regional, not local, congregation. We bring in people from a wide area because of who we are, not where we are. We are committed to being welcoming, open and affirming yet are challenged in reaching out to broaden our congregation. One of our strengths is raising young people with a strong interest in helping to save the environment and fight for social justice issues.  We also attract adults with these interests. That is why our church focuses strongly on social justice and green ministries. Our strong educational background and group of current or retired teachers has led to programs such as the Pontiac Tutoring program. Additionally, our church has multiple support groups meeting onsite throughout the day and the week. We support them by affording a safe space for them to meet. In this way we strive to provide “A JUST WORLD FOR ALL”.