WISE

In 2015, at our denominational General Synod, the United Church of Christ voted to become a WISE denomination for mental health. This means being Welcoming, Inclusive, Supportive, and Engaged with the mental health of our congregants and our wider community.

The primary purpose of entering into this covenant, of course, is to live as a community of faith in which folks who are neuro-diverse or living with mental illness feel welcome, safe, and fully accepted as participants in the life of the church, recognized as beloved children of God and images of the divine.

Here at FCUCC, we began the process of discernment about covenanting to be a WISE congregation in November 2023. After a lot of discussion, learning, and work, we finally drafted our WISE covenant to present at our spring congregational meeting. With great joy, on May 18, 2025 the congregation voted overwhelmingly in favor of adopting the WISE covenant. It was a good day.

As part of this covenant, we have launched The Struggle Bus, which is a peer support group that meets at the church on the third Sunday of every month. Nobody rides alone!

You can learn more about the WISE covenant by visiting the UCC Mental Health Network.