History of PUCC
Portage United Church of Christ was founded in 1963 by a small group of members of First Congregational Church in Kalamazoo who were eager to plant a UCC church in the growing community of Portage.
Construction of our new church building was begun in October 1966 and the first worship service was held on Easter Sunday, 1967. Since that first service, we’ve made additions to our building in 1977, 1983, and 2001.
More important than our building, however, is the people who join us in ministry and mission. We have been an Open and Affirming congregation since 2012 and are proud to welcome and celebrate families and individuals of every design! We are excited to have so many members and friends join us in worship and in outreach to our community. Here is our Faith and Covenant adopted in our latest By-Laws revision in 2023:
Faith and Covenant
This church is an Open and Affirming church, celebrating all loving and committed relationships. Embracing diversity in our congregation and community, and affirming the dignity and worth of every person as having been created in the image of God, it continues to honor the principle that discrimination is incompatible with Christ’s Gospel of unconditional love. Acknowledging that no list is comprehensive, with God’s grace this church seeks to be a congregation that includes all persons, embracing differences of sexual orientation, gender, marital status, age, mental and physical ability, as well as racial, ethnic, or socio-economic background. It welcomes all to share in the life, leadership, ministry, fellowship, worship, sacraments, responsibilities, and blessings of participation in this congregation.