About
Who We Are
Glenview Community Church is a Christian community of acceptance and welcome for all God’s people. GCC is a free and independent church that holds denominational membership in the United Church of Christ. We seek fellowship with all churches that seek to promote the reign of God demonstrated by the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.
What we believe
We believe that there is one God, whose nature is love, revealed in one Lord Jesus Christ, by one Holy Spirit of grace. We believe that the Bible contains a revelation of the character of God, and of the duty and destiny of humankind. We believe that Jesus Christ is Son of God and Savior, and sole Head of the Church. We acknowledge as kindred in Christ all who share in this confession. We value the ecumenical creeds and historic confessions of the Christian Church as testimonies, but not as tests, of faith.
We believe our church’s mission is to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to all people, exalting in the worship of the triune God. We work for the progress of knowledge, the promotion of justice, the reign of peace, and the realization of human fellowship. We strive for conflict resolution in our church, in our community, and in our world. We work and pray for the transformation of our world into the realm of God. We believe that each person has the freedom to interpret their beliefs according to the dictates of their conscience.
mission statement
Inspired by Christ, Enriched by Faith, Committed to Inclusivity. We serve God as Advocates for Justice, Compassion, and Peace.
inclusivity satement
Glenview Community Church is an Open and Affirming Congregation of the United Church of Christ, accepting all without regard to race, color, age, marital status, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or physical ability. It is also a W.I.S.E church of the United Church of Christ- welcoming, inclusive, supportive, and engaged with respect to persons facing mental health challenges, their families, and their caregivers.
GCC open and affirming statement
Glenview Community Church, United Church of Christ, embraces diversity in our congregation and community, and affirms that every person has worth as a unique creation made in the image of God. As we seek to live out our mission to live Christ’s compassion and promote justice, healing and wholeness of life, we welcome into our community persons of every gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, mental and physical ability, age, race, nationality, economic and social status and faith background. We welcome all people to participate and share their time, talents and energy in worship, sacraments, leadership positions, fellowship, mission and the blessings and joys of our congregation.
GCC W.I.S.E Covenant
We the people of Glenview Community Church, open and affirming to all, grace each other by the gifts, stories, and experiences of all our members. This includes those of us living with mental health challenges, such as mental illness, addictions, and reactions to trauma of various kinds. We know these challenges can profoundly disturb our feelings, thoughts, and behavior. We affirm the deep and constant presence of God’s Holy Spirit, seeking to bring us to the fullness of life and imparted to all in our community.
We all experience mental health issues and at times may feel cut off from God and community. At Glenview Community Church it is our calling to communicate to all individuals that God loves all of us equally and to share Christ’s welcome of all into the community.
Glenview Community Church aspires to be a welcoming, inclusive, supportive, and engaged (W.I.S.E.) congregation for mental health.
statement of faith of the united church of christ
We believe in God, the Eternal Spirit, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and our Father, and to his deeds we testify:
God calls the worlds into being, creates humankind in the divine image, and sets before us the ways of life and death.
God seeks in holy love to save all people from aimlessness and sin.
God judges all humanity and all nations by that will of righteousness declared through prophets and apostles.
In Jesus Christ, the man of Nazareth, our crucified and risen Lord, God has come to us and shared our common lot, conquering sin and death and reconciling the whole creation to its Creator.
God bestows upon us the Holy Spirit, creating and renewing the church of Jesus Christ, binding in covenant faithful people of all ages, tongues, and races.
God calls us into the church to accept the cost and joy of discipleship, to be servants in the service of the whole human family, to proclaim the gospel to all the world and resist the powers of evil, to share in Christ’s baptism and eat at his table, to join him in his passion and victory.
God promises to all who trust in the gospel forgiveness of sins and fullness of grace, courage in the struggle for justice and peace, the presence of the Holy Spirit in trial and rejoicing, and eternal life in that kingdom which has no end.
Blessing and honor, glory and power be unto God.
History of Glenview Community Church
Glenview Community Church began as the Congregational Church of Glenview in 1897. In 1941, the church called the Rev. Robert Edgar from Red Oak, Iowa. Rev. Edgar encouraged the church to consider reforming itself as an interdenominational community church. The church voted to disband and then immediately formed a new congregation, Glenview Community Church, on September 29, 1941. The population of the Village of Glenview and the membership of the church both grew rapidly during the years of World War II. Having outgrown its small building but due to the scarcity of building materials because of the war effort, the congregation met at different times in a tailor shop, bowling alley, civic building, and field house. During these years, funds were collected, so that in 1946, when building materials again became available, the new church building at the corner of Glenview Road and Elm Street was built. Eventually, a gymnasium was added for the high school youth, a church school and office wing were constructed, and finally, the sanctuary was enlarged to its present size.
In 1953, the church launched an experiment in ministry with the addition of a four-person pastoral team to minister to its diverse congregation, including the founding minister, Rev. Robert Edgar (1941-1960). The Senior Ministers who followed were: the Rev. Dr. Kenneth Nye (1961-1972), the Rev. Dr. Robert Alward (1972-1989), the Rev. Dr. Douglas Runnels (1990-2001), the Rev. Dr. Howard Roberts (2002-2011), and the Rev. Dr. Charles E. Mize (2013-2021). The Rev. Dr. James M. Matarazzo, Jr. was installed as the seventh Senior Minister in October 2022.
ABOUT THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
The United Church of Christ came into being in 1957 with the union of two Protestant denominations: the Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches, both of which were the result of two earlier unions. Glenview Community Church joined the denomination in 1961, recognizing that a national and international impact could only come from a strong denominational alliance. Members of local UCC congregations hold covenantal relationships with each other as well as with the regional and national bodies of the denomination.
Find out more about the United Church of Christ by visiting www.ucc.org.
