Who We Are

We are a fellowship of believers in Jesus Christ who are working together for the purpose of sharing in the worship of God and in making God's will dominant in our lives. Our church recognizes the Bible as inspired writings, witnessing to God's interaction in human events. We look to the Bible for guidance and inspiration in developing our relationships with God and with each other.

Our church maintains a deep commitment to service reflected in our outreach in mission to support the CUE seminaries, the Rocky Mountain Conference, the mission work of the denomination around the world, and programs within our community.

We are concerned about the issues facing the church and society, and encouraging members to be aware and active in the areas of peace, health, welfare, youth, family life and such issues as may arise.

About Our Church

First Congregational Church of Loveland was organized on November 24, 1901 and the first church building was erected in 1903. The present building was constructed in 1915. Our church became part of the United Church of Christ in 1965. This church also belongs to the Northeast Association and the Rocky Mountain Conference of the United Church of Christ.

We are a caring congregation who welcome visitors of all ages, races and creeds to worship with us. We encourage all members, new or old, to participate regularly in worship, church activities and ministries, and to assume leadership roles in the church.

We support the work of the House of Neighborly Service, and make contributions to other needy organizations in our community, country and the world.

We have pastoral and lay visitation of the hospitalized, those in nursing centers or confined to their homes, and those in time of crisis.

Our Church History

Our First Congregational Church history is like a page out of an American History book. In 1763, Katherine the Great of Russia issued an invitation to people of other nationalities to come to Russia for farming. Many privileges were extended to attract people including religious liberty, exemption from military service, and land grants. Thousands of German colonists went to Russia. Within one hundred years, their liberties began to erode. In 1866 they were forced to have Russian teachers in their schools. Shortly after that young German men were drafted into Russian military service. These actions, coupled with famine, disease epidemics, attacks by the Russian Cossacks, and the loss of religious liberty, forced these people to look to the New World.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, these Volga Germans came to America and settled in the western United States. They were attracted by the lure of fertile homestead land and the sugar beet commerce. They brought with them their language, habits of thrift, industry, and honesty, and also their desire for religious freedom. They were not Congregationalists when they arrived, but chose this denomination because of its freedom, its respect for the equal rights of all believers, and because it did not impose as strict a belief system as the Lutheranism of their churches in Russia.

The earliest German Congregational church in Colorado was started in Denver in 1894. It became one of the largest Congregational churches in Denver. Its first pastor was Rev. A. Traudt. The next church established was Immanuel, also in Denver. It did not last long, however. Dr. M.E. Eversz, moderator of the Congregational conference in Colorado, called a meeting that officially organized the third Colorado German Congregational Church in Loveland. According to the cornerstone (pictured here) of the building erected in 1915, our church was organized November 24, 1901. Later, the name was changed to First German Evangelical Church. Rev. Philip Bechtel was our first pastor.

Churches were founded in Fort Collins, Eaton, Windsor, and Wellington in 1904. Then came St. Paul's of Greeley in 1905, Rocky Ford in 1906, Fort Morgan, Fruita, and Loveland Zion in 1907, Berthoud in 1908, Brush in 1910, Sterling in 1912, Milliken in 1918 and Brighton in 1922. By 1924 there were 31 German Congregational churches in our state with a combined membership of 3,928. Some of these churches did not survive. Others merged with different churches in their communities.

The building erected in 1903, shown above in the About Our Church section, portrayed the architectural style of its day. It had a tall chimney, steep pitched roof, and high narrow windows which are now part of the office complex on the east side of our church. From the church records: "It was decided that every family donate two days labor on the new church or else pay $2.00 per day for two days".

Purchased in 1903 and delivered free of charge by the Colorado and Southern Railroad, the bell continues to ring every Sunday. It is made of steel alloy and was manufactured by the C.S. Bell Company of Hillsboro, Ohio. It is forty inches in diameter and thirty-four inches from the bottom of the bell to its yoke. The wheel's diameter is four feet. Now the bell rings by an electrically operated clapper. The belfry, which houses our bell is fourteen feet square by twenty feet high.

The original building served the 250 members until 1915 when it was demolished. In January of that year the church council appointed nine members to expedite a church building project. Actual construction began in April 1915. A Denver contractor supervised the overall construction. He hired local help and professional people as required. Church members donated much of the hands-on labor.

At that time Loveland's population was about 4,000. Most of the people lived in homes on the east side of the Colorado and Southern Railroad with very few homes on the west side of the tracks. The area north of 14th Street, now Eisenhower Boulevard, was not developed at that time. There were mostly apple and cherry orchards west of Railroad and north of 14th.

Horses were used to dig the basement. A team of two horses pulled a scraper that was controlled by a man who guided the depth of cut and fill. The scraper resembled a large scoop with two handles. In this manner it took three weeks to excavate the basement. Those credited with operating the teams were Henry Trupp with a team of horses, George Pfeiff with team loaned to him by Conrad Zeiler, Jake Zeiler with a team of his father's, and John Uhrich with a team of his own horses. Other names from the early membership who contributed their labor were Pete Traut, Henry Pfeif, John Stroh, Henry Frank, Jr., Jake Lebsack, Jacob Kaiser, Henry Wamboldt, Jake Amen, Jake Bostrom, and Henry Bauer.

After the basement was dug, the concrete footings and basement walls were poured. Carpenters put in the flooring and wooden framework. The light colored brick came from The Denver Brick and Pipe Company, a well-established manufacturer of the era. There were plasters who finished the walls, while carpenters completed the roof, installed the pews, and built the altar. A local plumber installed a coal-fired furnace, iron radiators, and steel piping.

In early November the building was complete. Its overall dimensions were 56 feet wide by 101 feet long. The final cost was $22,000, a large sum for 1915! This figure does not include all the donated labor. It took many years of toil and sacrifice to pay off the enormous debt. It was a glorious occasion when the church was dedicated on November 14, 1915. Rev. John Hoelzer entered the building first followed by the choir and the entire congregation. The service lasted longer than any other ever held at our church.

There was a flat topped, four-legged mahogany organ. It was equipped with a hand pump and operated by a long upright handle. It was the best of its time and was a source of pride and joy for the congregation. Henry Trupp and Jake Amen took turns operating the pump during service. The first organists were Mrs. Henry C. Uhrich and Mrs. Sarah Hoelzer. The organ has been replaced twice, first by an electric Hammond organ (pictured here) and then by the current electronically operated 3 manual Allen organ.

Changes to the 1915 structure include major renovations in 1950, 1965, and 1988. The first of these saw our conversion from the hand-fired coal furnace to gas and remodeling of the kitchen. The 1965 project gave us the glassed-in narthex, new paneling and ceiling lights; a redecorated chancellery with the illuminated spun aluminum cross, (photo at top of page) and the first re-leading of the stained glass windows. Later we installed plexi-glass over the windows to protect the stained glass.

During the 1970's we evaluated our structural needs and determined that we needed to build a new educational wing and new kitchen north of the church where Harmony House stood. However, we learned that the City of Loveland had a ruling that additions to a church required one parking space for every four members. At that time there were no properties for sale in proximity to the church that could be used for parking. The option to expand was ruled out.

While performing this analysis, we realized that the existing building structure required extensive repairs. It then became evident that the cost to repair would be as great as that to relocate. When the Frank family offered us land, at no cost, for a new church building on the southeastern shore of Boyd Lake, the congregation, by a two-thirds majority, decided to relocate. We had two stipulations. The first was that we purchase a church van for transporting older members to the new site. The second stipulation was that we take the historic bell and stained glass windows with us when we moved into our new 12,000 square foot church building.

During this time an economic slump, or mild recession, set in and our national denomination offices were unable to provide financing for the new building. We located another church financing group, but at a high interest rate. The project was difficult for us as a church community. Members felt passionately about moving or staying. It was an emotional and stressful period with many sad hearts. It was evident that to proceed would split the congregation, and to back off might also create havoc. In the end, our financing did not work out, we declined the gift of land, and plans to rebuild were dropped.

We then addressed the needs for serious repair to the existing structure. Falling bricks endangered people on the sidewalks and the stain glass windows were vandalized. We tuck pointed the church building and applied Lexan protective covers over the stained glass windows. We also repaired windows that were sagging or which had been shot out. In addition to making these repairs, we rebounded as a congregation and continue to worship God in our historic building.

The 1988 remodeling project focused on the basement. There was additional excavation beneath the church office and we built a wonderful modern kitchen (pictured here). The kitchen has two new ranges, two convection ovens, stainless steel refrigerator, freezer and dishwasher with new storage for pots, pans, and china. The rest of the basement was divided into five classrooms and resort's. We installed the elevator to provide handicapped access to both the basement and sanctuary. The entire basement was draped and carpeted at that time.

Some other physical modifications to the building over the years involved the original prayer room. At one time, it was separated from the sanctuary by folding wooden doors. A permanent wall later replaced the doors. This area became the Nursery-Kindergarten part of the Sunday school and later became offices for the pastor, church secretary, and music director.

The theological polity at First Church is not as simple as the dictionary's brief definition of polity, a noun that means the form of government of a nation, state, church, or organization.

When our Protestant ancestors first arrived in the New World, they fled religious oppression. As churches were formed in the colonies, they chose between the polities of a hierarchical government, called a presbyter, or a grassroots, autonomous congregation. The Congregational church was self-governing and made its own decisions. Each local church would call, ordain, and install its ministers.

Our local religious heritage includes the Volga Germans who were culturally and spiritually oppressed in Russia. Their search for religious freedom brought them to the homesteads and farms of northern Colorado. Our predecessors here in Loveland, who started this church one hundred years ago, chose the congregational polity in contrast to the strict Lutheranism they had known on the Volga.

Both the early Congregationalists and the immigrant Germans valued autonomy and total control of their local churches. Many of these churches had covenants with others of like faith and custom forming denominations. Several of these denominations merged over the course of the first half of the 20th century.

In 1957, the Evangelical and Reformed Church merged with the Congregational Christian Churches to form the United Church of Christ. The local UCC church practices its own forms of organization, worship, education, and mission. The minister is a member of the congregation. The local church calls its pastors. Churches work together with other congregations through associations that are part of the thirty-nine UCC conferences in the United States. Every two years a general synod meets with at least half the delegates being lay, or non-clergy, people. The UCC recognizes that all Christians share the same basic faith, they are one in the body of Christ. As part of a covenant with the UCC, the conference ordains and installs its ministers. The UCC acknowledges no official hierarchy, recognizing Christ as the leader of the church.

First Church became a United Church of Christ during the 1960's. We have our own covenant demonstrating that we continue to manage our own affairs. Our church provides the widest liberty in the matter of doctrine and policy. Its creeds are not necessarily binding and its platforms are open to change. It is a group of people who believe in Jesus Christ, who join together for worship and fellowship, and who carry on the work of the kingdom of God within Loveland, neighboring communities, the Rocky Mountain Conference, and the United Church of Christ. We are bound together by the following covenant:

This church freely accords to each individual member unrestricted liberty of conscience, depending, as did our forebears, upon the continued guidance of the Holy Spirit to lead us all in truth.

Forming the United Church of Christ was a matter of faith. In fact, we did not have a Statement of Faith at first. Our spiritual leaders had the wisdom to know that one would come if we trusted in God. Within a few years of forming, the UCC had a Statement of Faith that developed as a testimony, rather than a test, of faith.

Our First Congregational Church pastors and their ministries started in 1902 when Philip Bechtel was called.

Records indicate that "the minister is to have the fruit from the fruit trees on the church property, but in return he is to keep the fruit trees in good order".

Statistics from our church's first 100 years, 1902-2001, indicate that we have had 1469 baptisms, 1339 confirmations, 630 weddings, and 916 funerals. As we celebrate our church's centennial year, we look back over 100 years of Christian commitment. In the course of these 5200 weeks, we've had 18 ministers to guide us. Statistics like these can't measure to the success of a church in reaching its spiritual goals.

For instance, we don't have statistics on how many Sunday school teachers and students we've had over the last 100 years, or how many communions have been served. We don't know how many hours of time and how many dollars have been contributed toward worldwide and community missions, or how many visits have been made to those who are ill or unable to join us in the regular events of the church. We simply don't know how many people have come to know Jesus Christ as a result of the efforts of the members of the First Congregational Church of Loveland, Colorado.

Our current membership stands at 286. As we begin the second century of our church's life, we look forward to increasing the "uncounted" statistics.

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Church Phone:  970-667-4884   |   Email:  firstc@frii.com   |   Fax:  970-667-4884
Address:  800 N. Lincoln Ave. Loveland, CO 80537