Epiphany UCC is a small but mighty faith community in the Benton Park neighborhood in Saint Louis City.  

We name ways God has blessed us through the ministry of Epiphany:

At every one of our fundraisers at least one person brought someone with no money and seeing the look on their faces when we served them anyway was delightful.

I've been blessed by talking with new people and finding out about their interests.

LGBTQ+ people come and are in disbelief when they realize we are not only open but we are also really affirming.

I appreciate the joy and freedom in worship.

It was a challenge to find a church where I can both go and be at home. The first Sunday I came I noticed, "These people are real!" We had never seen this at church before.

There is a creativity here, and we are part of the 'becoming.' When we come to Epiphany we are not arriving at something already formed, but we join others on a journey to becoming.

I know I'm going to have a good time, even when I grumble all the way there.

We speak about the most exciting things going on now.

Here we have the freedom to do what we are called to do.

Everybody brings a bit of God with them, so we have more God here. They bring many gifts.

I enjoy meeting the seminary students and connecting with current theological education.

People don't have to know your name to be really glad to see you.

I've been impressed with the spiritual depth in the groups I've attended. It has helped me learn and appreciate my own spiritual journey.

I'm excited about new people, new energy, new senses of call, new ministries stretching us, challenging us, changing us already. It is wondrous.

What Epiphany does best:

Caring for people in the community. 

I feel a sense of family.

At Epiphany you can bring both your joy and pain. That makes for healing.

We don't try to change people. We accept who they are their beliefs, etc.

It goes beyond friendliness. It is more authentic and genuine caring.

The tremendous sense of possibility. Things can happen. I don't know what. There are exciting people. People are interested in really living their faith.

We explore - we don't come seeking an answer that is The Answer, but open to answers we haven't arrived at yet.

Epiphany invited us to connect outside of our comfort zones. To expand our understanding of God, community, and justice.

When you try to describe Epiphany to someone outside of the church, what do you say?

It is a place where you can come as you are. It is so loving you can feel it.

It is a community with diversity that believes everyone is a unique expression of God's gift to the world. One of the best things we can do for each other is to discern what God calls us to do.

Epiphany is very welcoming.

We are trying to see God in each other and doing a fair job of it.

I told a friend, "You won't believe this church. At the sign of peace they touch everyone. There is no caste system. No hierarchy. I think it's wonderful."

It is not like any church you have been to before. I can't explain it - it is a feeling.

I say how warm the people are. It is a safe place to worship. There is a feeling of safety, acceptance, peace.

I told a friend it is a welcoming environment. There is Spirit and enthusiasm, warmth, sincerity, and the pastor has a compassionate nature.

I told someone, "Church at Epiphany is happening in ways church is supposed to be happening...Therefore it is very unsettling."

We sing a lot.

It is progressive, justice seeking, and caring for each other.

BENTON PARK

Benton Park is a historic St. Louis city neighborhood located near the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and Arsenal Street. Epiphany's building has been here since 1891, and since the neighborhood has experienced many different incarnations.

We at Epiphany are committed to welcoming all of our neighbors, and strive to create a space for building relationships with longtime residents and new arrivals alike.  

No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here!

In recent years Benton Park has attracted substantial renovation and investment. Anheuser Busch brewery, Gus' Pretzels, and Cherokee Street are all within walking distance, in addition to a number of other unique local eateries and businesses, all of which have spurred development.

Not too long ago, Epiphany participated in a food pantry and other programs to better serve its neighbors; now the neighborhood is evolving yet again, with new neighbors bringing more resources as well as new challenges and opportunities.

Welcome to the United Church of Christ—a community of faith that seeks to respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed.

The UCC was founded in 1957 as the union of several different Christian traditions: from the beginning of our history, we were a church that affirmed the ideal that Christians did not always have to agree to live together in communion. Our motto—"that they may all be one"—is Jesus' prayer for the unity of the church. The UCC is one of the most diverse Christian denominations in the United States. 

About the UCC

Intelligent dialogue and a strong independent streak sometimes cause the United Church of Christ (UCC) and its 1.2 million members to be called a “heady and exasperating mix.” The UCC tends to be a mostly progressive denomination that unabashedly engages heart and mind. And yet, the UCC somehow manages to balance congregational autonomy with a strong commitment to unity among its nearly 5,600 congregations—despite wide differences among many local congregations on a variety of issues.

While preserving relevant portions of heritage and history dating back to the 16th century, the UCC and its forebears have proven themselves capable of moving forward, tying faith to social justice, and shaping cutting edge theology and service in an ever-changing world. Affirming that Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, the UCC claims as its own the faith of the historic church expressed in the ancient creeds and reclaimed in the basic insights of the Protestant reformers. Yet the UCC also affirms the responsibility of the church in each generation and community to make faith its own in reality of worship, in honesty of thought and expression, and in purity of heart before God. It looks to the Word of God in the Scriptures, and to the presence and power of the Holy Spirit to prosper its creative and redemptive work in the world. One of the UCC's distinguishing characteristics is its penchant to believe that ... God is still speaking, ... even when it puts us out there alone. History has shown that, most often, we're only alone for a while. Besides, we receive so many gifts from our ecumenical partners, being "early" seems to be one of ours.

The UCC recognizes two sacraments: Baptism and the Lord's Supper or Holy Communion.

To learn more about the United Church of Christ, click here to go to the extensive UCC website.