About Parkway UCC
Parkway United Church of Christ strives to be an inclusive community embracing: spiritual nourishment, open-minded inquiry, courageous action, and interfaith partnerships to fulfill God’s calling to create a just world for all.
Purpose Statement
Parkway United Church of Christ strives to be an inclusive community embracing: spiritual nourishment, open-minded inquiry, courageous action, and interfaith partnerships to fulfill God’s calling to create a just world for all.
Congregational Statement
Parkway United Church of Christ, with God’s grace, seeks to be a congregation that includes all persons, regardless of race, ethnic, or socio-economic background while respecting differences of gender, marital status, age, sexual orientation, and mental and physical ability. We aspire to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God. We invite all to share in the life and leadership, ministry, fellowship, worship, sacraments, responsibilities and blessings of participation in our open and affirming congregation.
History
- 1838 – German immigrant farmers led by Reverend Louis Nollau established the German Evangelical Church, Des Peres.
- 1871 – Services began at the brick sanctuary now known as our Historic Sanctuary. The small church served 34 people.
- 1885 – A 687-pound bell was installed, and a tradition began. The bell was rung three times during the Lord’s Prayer so farmers in the field could stop and pray together.
- 1897 – Reverend F. W. Bauer began serving the congregation in what had become the Zion German Evangelical Church. All services were in German.
- 1911 – The first Sunday School was built.
- 1957 – The Evangelical and Reformed churches merged with the Congregational Christian Churches, and the United Church of Christ was formed.
- 1958 - The name of our church was changed to Parkway United Church of Christ.
- 1963 – An educational building was opened across from the sanctuary.
- 1998 – Our current sanctuary was built onto the educational building and opened for services on December 24.
- 2008 – Parkway United Church of Christ joined nine other UCC churches in the area to become Open and Affirming (ONA), which means we welcome persons of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions into the full life and ministry of the church.
Our Partners
What does ONA mean?
Open and Affirming (ONA) is the United Church of Christ's (UCC) designation for congregations, campus ministries, and other bodies in the UCC which make a public covenant of welcome into their full life and ministry to persons of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions.
At PUCC, I'm surrounded by genuine, caring people. My closest friends in St. Louis were found at Parkway. Not once has anyone at Parkway asked me "What high school did you go to?" We believe in people, not labels. We share our sincerity and God's love with the community in real and impactful ways, respecting all people and faiths, celebrating what we have in common and appreciating our differences.
