As of July 1, 2022, the NACCC comprises 312 congregations and 28,715 church members. Our Executive Director, Ashley Cleere, kicked off an Executive Director Listening Tour and will visit every NACCC church in three years. Watch your email for a letter from her requesting time with your congregation.

Follow along and learn more about NACCC churches: who they are, where they are, and how they live out the Congregational Way.

Listening Tour Statistics and Fun Facts

Churches visited: 49
States visited: 15 –  Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin

November 2023

I spent the first weekend of November in La Mesa, California, just outside San Diego. On Saturday, November 4, the Cal West Association host minister and moderator, Rev. Scott Archer, completed his term with a day made extra delightful by a youth rally, delicious Tijuana tacos, and music from the First Samoan Congregational Church of San Diego. The next morning, I worshipped at Central Congregational Church of La Mesa (#48) and admired the elegant blend of traditional organ and contemporary music. Like many NACCC churches, the congregation shares the sacrament of communion on the first Sunday of the month. The fellowship hour following the service included a baby shower for a child whose due date was a couple days earlier. Before worship, Pastor Scott gave me a tour of the building, which has served the congregation and local community for over a century. 

First Congregational Church of Royal Oak, Michigan (#49) welcomed me with open arms on Sunday, November 12. As it was Veterans Day weekend, a video slideshow of veterans associated with the congregation across the decades was playing in the narthex. Tributes to those who have served our nation were incorporated into the service musically, homiletically, and with a letter from a longtime member. That afternoon, the congregation and guests gathered for the installation of the Rev. J. Christopher Kurtz. I was honored to provide the sermon for a beautifully planned service that included memorable music and a signing by Jamie Kurtz. Michigan colleagues, the Rev. Charles Packer and the Rev. Joel Boyd, offered the charge to the congregation and extended the right hand of fellowship. 

Photos and Notes from Previous Months

July 2022   The Listening Tour kicked off in Maine, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin.
August 2022  Visits in New York, New Jersey, and Wisconsin
October 2022 Iowa, Michigan, and Wisconsin
November & December 2022 Minnesota, Connecticut, New York, Georgia
January, February & March 2023 Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Alaska
April 2023 Back to Michigan
September 2023 California
October 2023 East Coast and back to Wisconsin