The Hamilton United Church of Chirst...

An emerging ministry in the Bitterrroot Valley, this church is a satellite congregation of the University Congregational Church of MIssoula in Partnership with 1st Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Hamilton.  We worship each 1st and 3rd Sunday evening at 5:00pm at First Christian Church across from Hamilton High School.  

Contact Us at

(406) 543-6952

Website:  www.ucchamilton.org

Western Association Meeting - A week From Today

We are a part of the Western Association of the Montana-Northern Wyoming of the United Church of Christ. 

Of particular interest for this group will be the workshop on New Church Planting given by Revs. Peter Shober and Daryl Kistler who attended the Church Planting conference this Summer in Atlanta, Georgia.

This is an important opportunity for all of us who are involved in this new church in Hamilton. 

We will be gathering on Friday October 10 at 4 pm at Lubrecht Experimental Foresst along Highway 200.  If you are interested and able to attend, please let Amy or Peter know.

 Given all the fears and anxieties concerning our financial economy I thought these words from Douglas Oldenberg, former President of Columbia Seminary serve as a great reminder of what God's economy is all about! 
"Let me paint the contrast between the Culture Story and the Gospel Story this way: If the story of money seduces us to be self-centered, the story of the Gospel calls us to be God-centered. If the story of money is to get more and more, the story of the gospel is to give more and more. If the story of the culture values things, the story of the Gospel values people. If the story of the culture is to love things and use people, the story of the Gospel is to love people and use things. If the story of money promotes a radical individualism, the story of the Gospel reminds us that God calls us to live in community and that we must share responsibility for one another. If the story of the culture centers around material things, the story of the Gospel centers around spiritual values. If the story of the culture, the story of money, is more is better, the story of the Gospel is enough is best. If the Culture story tempts us to make a fetish of our material possessions, the Gospel story encourages us to enjoy them as gifts of God, but not to worship them, not to center our lives around them. If the Culture story gives us the credit for what we have achieved in life, the Gospel story recognizes that all that we have is a gift of God's grace. If the story of money is to give in to that insatiable desire to buy more and more, immediate gratification and consumption, the story of the Gospel is to exercise self-discipline and restraint in material desires. "love of money is the root of all kinds of evil,"(I Timothy 5:10) and that "those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction." (I Timothy 5:9) Indeed throughout the witness of Scripture, there is an emphasis on restraint and moderation in economic affairs. The Biblical standard seems to be one of sufficiency. It deplores poverty on the one side, but over and over again warns against the dangers of wealth on the other. This note of sufficiency, of moderation, is picked up by the author or proverbs when he or she wrote: "Give me neither poverty nor wealth, . . . but only enough. . .Feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full, and deny Thee, and say, "who is the Lord?" or lest I be poor, and steal, and profane the name of my God." (Proverbs 30:8-9)
It is underlined by the Christ when he warns us how difficult it is for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God, and when he called the man who always wanted more, "You fool!" It is confirmed by Paul when he writes to Timothy about how the "love of money is the root of all kinds of evil,"(I Timothy 5:10) and that "those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction." (I Timothy 5:9) He adds: "If we have food and clothing, that should be enough for us." (I Timothy 5:8). Throughout the scripture, the rule of thumb for material consumption seems to be rather consistently, "enough is best" which, of course, stands in sharp contrast to the cultural motto that "more is always better." Indeed, all the great religions of the world have taught that the truly abundant life is one of self-discipline and a restraint on the desire for more material things. All of them have contended that a truly joyful life is often frustrated by unrestrained material indulgence that deadens the spirit rather than liberates or enlivens it. Moderation, restraint, self-discipline, enough is best - those are the keynotes of the story of the Gospel."