Welcome to Plymouth Church of Shaker Heights Plymouth Church of Shaker Heights. Christian Churches in the Cleveland, Ohio area
A United Church of Christ church in Shaker Heights, Ohio. UCC churches in the Cleveland area Plymouth Church-United Church of Christ
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What We Believe:
Plymouth is committed to the same principles around which all UCC churches are organized.
  • "That they may all be one" -- John 17:21
    This motto of the UCC reflects the spirit of unity on which it is based and points toward future efforts to heal the divisions in the body of Christ. We are a uniting church as well as a united church.

  • In essentials unity, in non-essentials diversity, in all things charity.
    The unity that we seek requires neither an uncritical acceptance of any point of view, nor rigid formulation of doctrine. It does require mutual understanding and agreement as to which aspects of the Christian faith and life are essential. The common thread that runs through all is love.

  • "Testimonies" of faith rather than "tests" of faith. Because faith can be expressed in many different ways, the UCC has no formula that is a test of faith. Down through the centuries, however, Christians have shared their faith with one another through creeds, confessions, catechisms and other statements such as the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Augsburg Confession, etc., all of which we value as authentic testimonies of faith.

  • "There is yet more light and truth to break forth from God's holy word."
    This prophetic word from John Robinson as he bade the Pilgrims godspeed in 1619 endures to this day. It recognizes that the Bible, though written in specific historical times and places, still speaks to us in our present condition. It declares that the study of the scriptures is not limited by past interpretations, but is pursued with expectancy for new insights and help for living today.
Governance of Plymouth
Ours is a congregational church - governed by the will of the congregation through an elected governing Church Council which establishes and supervises our congregation's policies and programs. This form of governance, or polity, is set forth in the Plymouth Church Constitution which is available to every member. Each year the congregation votes at our Annual Meeting to elect these representatives. A roster listing the names and phone numbers of the elected leadership of the church is available in Annual Report. This democratic process ensures that Plymouth Church, its ministry and programs remain vital and relevant to the congregation and the community we serve.

The active involvement of every member is vital:
  • Elect the members of the Church Council and Departments at the Annual Meeting in November.
  • Participate in Congregational Meetings.
  • Serve on a Department or committee by allowing yourself to be nominated or by nominating yourself.
  • Make your wishes and concerns known to our church leaders and seek answers to your questions.
Plymouth's History
Plymouth Church of Shaker Heights (founded 1916) is a successor-congregation of Plymouth Church (founded 1852 and located in downtown Cleveland). Our origins are in the anti-slavery movement. After occupying 4 downtown
buildings successively, Plymouth disbanded, and then reorganized in our current setting.

Read more about Plymouths's history and our building. Go

How to Join Plymouth Church
Plymouth Church stands within a covenantal tradition - a covenant that binds us to God and to each other. You can attend and participate in the activities and ministries without becoming a member. However, becoming a member is a public acknowledgment that this is your household of faith, this is the community that you covenant to love, to uphold, to serve, to shape, and by whom you are willing to be shaped, challenged, and sent forth to serve.

If you are interested in uniting with Plymouth Church, please speak with one of our ministers and attend one of the Inquirers Classes periodically throughout the year.

Everyone who joins our church does so by responding to the same set of questions. These are the same questions that are used for a baptism. A separate folder provides you with the entire service for new members.

Since people come to the church from a variety of experiences, there are a variety of paths which the church provides for joining. Please read the information in the next column and see which situation applies to you.
Origins of The United Church of Christ
The United Church of Christ (UCC), the denomination to which Plymouth Church belongs, has roots as deep and as old as Protestantism - particularly congregationally-based Protestantism. Yet, it is a relatively "new" denomination - the result of a union of four different church groups in 1957:
  • The Congregational Church, organized when the Pilgrims of Plymouth Plantation (1620) and the Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (1629) acknowledged their essential unity in the Cambridge Platform of 1648.


  • The Reformed Church traced its beginnings to congregations of German settlers in Pennsylvania from 1725 on. Its ranks later swelled by Reformed folk from Switzerland and other countries.


  • The Christian Church sprang up in the late 1700s and early 1800s in reaction to the theological and organizational rigidity of the Methodist, Presbyterian, and Baptist churches of the time.


  • The Evangelical Synod of North America traced its beginnings to an association of German Evangelical pastors in Missouri founded in 1841, reflecting the 1817 union of Lutheran and Reformed churches in Germany.
The UCC's commitment to "unity in diversity" has continued more recently as it entered into an "ecumenical partnership" with the Disciples of Christ and into a relationship of "full communion" with the Evangelical Church of the Union of Germany. There are now about 6,000 UCC congregations with over 1,600,000 members in the United States and abroad.
Our Congregation's Support for the UCC
Every congregation of the UCC makes a contribution for the work and ministry of the denomination as a whole. This contribution provides for the ministry of our national, conference and association staff. It supports the development of resources and services that our denomination makes available for local churches.
Plymouth's pledge to the denomination is a line item in the Dept. of Partnership and Service's budget.
Plymouth's Covenant

Nurtured by God's grace,

Challenged by Christ's witness,

Emboldened by the Holy Spirit

We are creating a true community,

Each of us a diverse expression of One God.

 

Acknowledging our role in God's mission,

Through our faith and amidst our doubts,

We explore our call to live the Gospel.

 

Opening our hearts to God's ongoing revelation,

We steward our gifts in faithful discipleship.

 

Leading lives of compassion, sharing and celebration,

We join with God in building a world of peace, justice and liberation.
Who Uses our Building
Plymouth's spacious and attractive facility is a major instrument of mission. Not only does it house all kinds of activities for church members and friends, it serves as a home for the following groups and organizations:
 
 

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