On September 18, 2011, we changed our name from The First Baptist Church of Granville to The United Church of Granville. Our new name comes from our commitment to each other and to the multiple denominations to which we now belong. Today's congregation is honored to follow in the footsteps of the pioneers who founded this church. Their spirit is our foundation.
We helped establish Denison University. In the years since then, we have followed our call to work for peace, justice and human rights around the world, including movements to abolish slavery, support the ordination of women, and establish civil rights for all people.
The United Church of Granville is a diverse congregation. Some of us were raised Baptist; most were not. The result is an energizing mix of backgrounds, ages, abilities, ethnicities, sexual orientations and beliefs. When we roll all that into a Sermon Talkback or an adult Sunday School class, we get some stimulating discussions.
We have long been an ecumenical, or uniting, congregation. Though our roots are in the American Baptist tradition, we value and appreciate the history and traditions of other denominations. We long for a day when “all can be one” and, in this spirit, we regularly cooperate with a number of churches and service agencies in Licking County and beyond to do God’s work. Our recent affiliation with The United Church of Christ reflects this uniting spirit. We’re also part of the progressive Alliance of Baptists, the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America and the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists.
