We the congregation of Mayflower Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, declare ourselves to be an open and affirming Christian community. With God’s grace, we seek to be a congregation that lovingly includes all persons and actively embraces difference of sexual orientation, gender, marital status, age, mental and physical ability, race, ethnicity, economic condition and opinion. We welcome all to share in the life and leadership of our congregation, in its ministry, fellowship, worship and sacraments, and in all the responsibilities and blessings that come with participation. Adopted June 5, 2005.
Worship
Mayflower worships at 10:00 a.m. every Sunday.
We celebrate communion the first Sunday of every month, and at several other special worship services throughout the year. Nursery and childcare are provided every Sunday. When you arrive, a greeter will provide you with a worship bulletin which outlines our worship service. The greeter will also welcome you and answer any questions that you have. We look forward to worshipping with you!
Both before and after worship, we share coffee, and after worship we share a light snack.
Visitors are invited to fill out a visitor card located in the pews, and return it in the offering plate. We will ask you whether you want to be added to our mailing list and eventually whether you want to become a member. We will also ask you whether you would like to be contacted by one of our pastors.
Ministries
Christian Education
During worship, our infants through young elementary children are invited to the nursery, where a short bible lesson and coloring page are made available (if developmentally-appropriate). Our nursery has a playpen, rocking/nursing chairs, coloring books and crayons, books, and many toys, especially for preschoolers. Older children are provided more in-depth bible lessons. Youth are encouraged to attend the worship service. Our childcare provider has been screened and has a current background check.
Every Spring, our children are offered the opportunity to receive bibles and work toward confirmation.
Every Spring and throughout the year we baptize infants, children, and adults.
Youth
Our youth (middle through high school) meet separately from the adults at least twice a month at 11:00 a.m. During each Lenten season, our youth raise money for their chosen charity. This year they raised money for The Heifer Project. Additionally, in the summer, our youth spend a week at La Foret, a camp dedicated to spiritual formation.
Encore! Educational Opportunities for Adults
Adults and high schoolers are invited to participate in Bible Study, Discussions, and Guest Speakers. Explore a wide range of topics including spirituality, faith and life, contemporary issues and the progressive church. Our Encore topics include accessibility and mental health workshops, mindfulness and meditation, art, community service opportunities including speakers from our outreach partners, visits to museums such as to see the Dead Sea Scrolls, and lectures from authors, professors, and leaders from other spiritual organizations, including the Rocky Mountain Conference of the United Church of Christ.
Among the presenters: David Simmons speaking twice on Immigration and Refugees, Gina speaking on UCC, Bill Nottingham presenting “Escape from Portugal - the great escape that changed Africa’s future”, Dr. Kevin Pettit on Faith For All, Accessibility for All (A2A), Andrew Romanoff on Mental Health Colorado, Diane Melancon on Mindfulness, Candise Woods on “Our Unique UCC” and Rev. Vern Rempel on “The Blues: Music of Suffering and Joy”. Outstanding though, was our visit to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science on March 18th to see the Dead Sea Scrolls, followed the next Sunday by Rev. Eric Smith with slides and a presentation on the scrolls. Of course, every first Sunday is devoted to bowling and socialization at Moe’s on Broadway. We seek to broaden our horizons and at the same time to do good. Occasionally we leave our sanctuary and visit elder homes, nursing homes, or work with our Outreach partners directly.
Choir & Music at Mayflower
Mayflower has a rich choral tradition and is known not only for its attention to the traditional hymns relied upon by the United Church of Christ for decades, but also for incorporating gospel and other spirituals. We are always looking for new choir members. We encourage our youth and children to share their gifts of music. We are often joined by renowned flutists, trumpeters, organists, and vocalists.
Outreach Partners
Mayflower Church is a member of the Progressive Congregation Network, a program of the Interfaith Alliance.
We collect Boxtops for Education and deliver them to Bishop Elementary School.
Mayflower Church actively partners with IFCS. Integrated Family Community Services provides basic human services and enrichment programs to low-income people using community resources. IFCS fosters self-sufficiency and respects the dignity of each client, serving the people of Centennial, Englewood, Glendale, Highlands Ranch, Littleton, Lone Tree, Sheridan, and unincorporated Arapahoe County. We collect food and monetary donations monthly, provide school supplies and clothing for back-to-school, and gifts and clothing for families and seniors at Thanksgiving Christmas time. Mayflower was an integral part in the founding of IFCS (then known as “Inter-Faith”) in 1964. For more information visit: http://www.ifcs.org/.
Mayflower Church actively partners with Warm Hearts Warm Babies. Lead by our Crafters and Lydia’s Circle women’s groups, we gather cloth material, yarn, newborn clothing, and other infant layette donations and provide them to Warm Hearts Warm Babies. The mission of Warm Hearts Warm Babies is to help Colorado’s infants by sewing, knitting, crocheting, and quilting for premature infants and babies in need. The organization provides layette items such as blankets, socks, and onesies as well as a diaper bag for Colorado’s youngest. The donations are given to hospitals. They often help more than 300 families per month. For more information visit: http://warmheartswarmbabies.org/.
Our Monetary Donations
Mayflower is a "5 for 5" congregation supporting the work of the national setting of the United Church of Christ through regular contributions to Our Church’s Wider Mission and four special mission offerings. Those special offerings include Neighbors in Need, Christmas Fund, One Great Hour of Sharing, and Strengthen the Church. For more information visit http://www.ucc.org/ocwm_special-support.