You are invited…
If you are looking for a church home, we invite you to “come and see” our church and share our 10 AM Sunday worship. Our worship service is both traditional and contemporary, emphasizing the love of God and encouraging each person to grow on his or her journey of faith and discern Christ’s call to ministry.
We are the United Church of Christ of Honeoye. This church was established in 1854 as the Honeoye Congregational Church. Presently, we include about 300 members and friends from a variety of religious backgrounds. We welcome all people as children of God and believe each person is uniquely created and loved by God as we travel on our own journey of faith and are called to our own unique ministry. We seek to embrace diversity, to listen and learn from one another, and to discover God speaking through our life together as a community of faith. We encourage people to think for themselves and to continue to explore their personal relationship with God. We are a congregational church where each member has a voice and vote in the ministry of the congregation as it governs its own affairs. We also belong to the denomination called the United Church of Christ (www.ucc.org).
Mission Statement:
The mission of the United Church of Christ of Honeoye is to worship the living God, to make disciples for Jesus Christ, and to be led by God’s Spirit in caring ministry.
We will do this through:
- lively worship,
- practicing open hospitality,
- living in intentional Christian community,
- growing disciples and
- discerning and using our gifts for ministry
As a congregation, we value and are committed to:
- Loving one another.
- Diversity of expression in worship.
- Welcoming and affirming all people as loved children of God.
- Helping one another discern our gifts for ministry.
- Growing in our spiritual life.
- Being a praying congregation.
- Being open to the creativity of God at work among us.
- Giving permission to encourage new ministry.
- An excellent music program.
- Small group opportunities that enable people to grow.
- Making disciples for Jesus.
- Reaching out to others.
- Making the Bible alive and relevant in our daily living.
We Believe God is still speaking…
- as Creator of our wondrous world for which we are called to care
- in Jesus Christ, our savior, who invites us to walk with him and discover the fullness of life found in God’s love.
- through the Holy Spirit who is ever seeking to transform us into the unique persons God intends each one of us to be.
- because we are always growing in our faith, there is always more to learn about God, Jesus, one another and ourselves.
- because no one person holds the whole truth about God exclusively but that each person is open to a glimpse of that Truth.
- through the Bible that is central to our faith and understanding of God, yet open to interpretation in many ways.
- though our worship, prayer, the Bible, conversation, Christian community, shared ministry and in the world around us.
- through each of us, as we are called daily to live out our faith, discern our personal ministry and to help one another discover God at work in our world
We are an Open and Affirming Congregation
Because each congregation in the United Church of Christ is independent, and therefore free to make its own decisions, there is a broad diversity of theology and practice in our tradition. In the UCC, there is no hierarchy that can impose uniformity on our churches. Each ONA congregation has independently adopted an Open and Affirming covenant after a journey of dialogue, study and prayer. There are differences between congregations, but as an ONA church, we strive to:
- to be a safe space for open and honest conversation about human sexuality and gender identity.
- encourage LGBT members to serve in lay and ordained leadership.
- celebrate, perform and recognize same-sex weddings.
- celebrate the anniversaries of LGBT married and partnered couples.
- advocate for marriage equality and LGBT civil rights.
- offer a safe place to host meetings of support groups like PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays).
- advertise that our church is a safe space for LGBT and questioning youth.
- participate as a group in the local LGBT Pride Parade.
- celebrate ONA Sunday once a year and annually renew our ONA covenant.
Our Staff
Our Minister is the Rev. Kenneth R. McIntosh, a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, who has served in ministerial positions throughout the contiguous United States for over 25 years. His most recent assignment was as Senior Pastor at First Congregational Church of Flagstaff UCC in Arizona, and we are so happy that God has brought him here with us!
Ken has also taught Comparative Religion at Community College and has written a number of Young Adult titles for library publishers. Ken’s most recent publication, “Water from an Ancient Well-Celtic Spirituality for Modern Life” focuses on ways to weave mindfulness with Spirituality to broaden and enhance our day to day experiences, no matter how busy we become. It is a Celtic Spirituality Bestseller and the focus for a learning experience that bears the same name.
Pastor Ken is caring, compassionate and dedicated to furthering the works of Christ in his role as a Spiritual advisor. He’s an enthusiastic teacher, leading the Tuesday morning Bible Study group as well as other learning experiences as Spiritual formation is a priority to his ministry. Pastor Ken keeps regular office hours and schedules home visits by request. To schedule a meeting, please call the office at 585-371-8880 or email honeoyeucc@gmail.com.
Our music director since 1976 is Nancy Pease, a graduate of the Eastman School of Music. She is an outstanding pianist and flutist and is gifted on a number of instruments. She also brings a wide range of music traditions and styles to worship and the music program. In addition, she is a music teacher who gives private lessons.
Our choir director since 2003 is Brian Wilkins, a graduate of Nazareth College. Brian directs the church choir of over 20 members. He brings with him his many skills, knowledge of music and teaching, and the enthusiasm of youth. In addition, he is an excellent trumpet player and a music teacher at Honeoye Central School.
