WHEAT RIDGE CONGREGATION: THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
Welcome to the web site of the Wheat Ridge Congregational Church of the United Church of Christ! We are a loving fellowship committed to following the Word of God through the teachings of Jesus Christ. We are a progressive, compassionate, thoughtful, open-and-affirming congregation. We believe that the core of the Christian gospel is the message of God’s love. As Christians, we profess Jesus as the central revelation of God’s love and understand Jesus as a distinctive prophet and savior who came into the world, ushering in a novel, loving, creative, whole-making dynamic that is as relevant and transformative today as it was then.
As a church we hope to provide a place where programs, people, and compassionate living bring relevance, clarity, and direction in the face of life’s most difficult challenges. As a faith community we offer opportunities for spiritual deepening and healing while also living out Christ’s call to respond to the needs of our world.
At WRCC UCC we attempt to offer a worship experience with depth and quality while also being accessible and welcoming for those who have little or no personal experience with church traditions. Some of our members would say that at our church they are “recovering” from earlier experiences with churches that they found to be strict, moralistic, or implausible. At WRCC UCC we care about people, God’s creation, spiritual development, intellectual curiosity, meaningful living, social justice, fellowship, and simply being kind to one another. We don’t try to be perfect but we do seek to be authentic. We aren’t overly idealistic but we do believe that with God’s grace, God’s inspiration, and our loving action, we can and do make a difference in the world.
If you decide to visit us we want you to know that no matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.
FRED ROLLENHAGEN
Frederick (Fred) Rollenhagen has been a member of Wheat Ridge UCC since 2010. Fred fell victim to the most aggressive recruiter ever to be known to the UCC community; the church’s music director, Ro Rains. Ro was persistent in pulling him into the church, lured by a most excellent music program complete with handbell choir, a stunning mid-century modern architectural church structure, awesome sermons, and some of the most welcoming people anywhere.
It worked. And he has not looked back since.
Fred is a Colorado Springs native who grew up in an ELCA Lutheran church. However, part of his family belonged of the old Evangelical and Reformed (E&R) Church; one of the two denominations that consolidated to become the current United Church of Christ (UCC). Fred is in the church choir and loves to sing and play his trombone. Fred enjoys singing and playing music; gardening and tooling around in his backyard; traveling with his partner, Zach, and family and friends; hanging with his nieces and nephews; and learning about history.
