Our Partners

Within the UCC, we're an "Open & Affirming" congregation. In 1997, we set out on a deliberate journey to full inclusion for LGBTQ+ friends and their allies. This means that queer members are leaders at Peace, and pastors, and fully involved participants at every level. We share, with other "ONA" churches, a commitment to overcoming bigotry and homophobia in the church, and more broadly, in the culture.

Peace UCC is an active and contributing member of the Association of Faith Communities in Santa Cruz -- a lively and ecumenical coalition serving the very poor and unhoused in a number of important ways. AFC sponsors a shelter community that rotates across several local church buildings of which Peace UCC has been a part of.

As part of the United Church of Christ, we're a boldly progressive church, with deep commitments to peacemaking, justice and diversity.

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Our heritage in the UCC marks us as a 'congregational' church -- governed and shaped not by bishops or hierarchies, but by the discernment and goal setting of the congregation. To belong here is to participate in a lively democratic process!

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Here in California, that means we're in communion with the Northern California Nevada Conference of the UCC. With churches from Fresno to the Oregon border, we bear witness to God's extravagant welcome and passion fro justice. The NCNC also includes a lively outdoor camping program for all ages.

In 2003, we were a founding institution in the creation of COPA: Communities Organized for Relational Power in Action. Now, with 23 other institutions (churches, synagogues, mosques, non-profits, schools and unions), we act together for meaningful justice on the Central Coast. COPA is one important expression of our commitment to a multi-faith, broad-based embodiment of compassion and justice in our time.

We're a Green Church, striving to cherish the earth and make choices that protect our environment. We encourage all who use our facilities to rethink, reduce, reuse, and recycle to limit the amount of waste that we produce. In early 2018, we went solar