950 Webster St., Defiance, OH 43512

(419) 782-4176 | Worship with us Sundays at 10:30am

About Us

St. John UCC

A Message from Our Pastor

Welcome to St. John United Church of Christ. No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you’re welcome here! St. John UCC is a place where the Bible is taken seriously but not literally. One story that is common between the three Synoptic Gospels is t story of the Greatest Commandment in which Jesus identifies the greatest commandment as loving God with your entire being and loving your neighbor as yourself. The Gospel of Matthew tells us that Jesus said all of the law and the prophets depend on these two acts. In other words, everything is to be interpreted through the lense of loving God and loving your neighbor. Therefore, St. John UCC is an Open and Affirming congregation where all are welcome to join in worship and enter into the full life and ministry of the church. Join us in our journey to “Be the Church” and live God’s love of all creation by protecting the environment, caring for the poor, embracing diversity, rejecting racism, forgiving often, fighting for the powerless, sharing earthly and spiritual resources and enjoying this life. Be bold! Be you! Be the Church!

History

St. John United Church of Christ is affiliated with the United Church of Christ, a progressive Christian mainline denomination.

  • St. John United Church of Christ traces its roots to St. John’s German Reformed Church (later renamed St. John’s Evangelical and Reformed Church) and the Christian Church of Defiance College (later renamed the Congregational Christian Church of Defiance College).
  • On June 12, 1960, after beginning to hold joint worship services, the members of both churches signed the “Proposed Basis for Union of the Evangelical and Reformed Church and Defiance College Church,” and St. John UCC was formed.
  • After several years, St. John UCC outgrew its facility at 4th and Washington, so Defiance College offered to provide several acres of land on the campus for the church to relocate. On November 5, 1967, the church held its first worship service at its current location on the corner of Webster St. and Grand Ave.
  • On January 18, 2015, St. John UCC voted to become Open and Affirming.
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