Mission & Vision

United Church of Cohoes exists to invite others to know Jesus, develop an authentic faith, and share God's love in our region.

The vision of United Church of Cohoes is to create a community of authentic believers and to witness a region transformed by the life changing reality of the gospel, as people come to know Jesus. 

We know that a building is only as strong as its foundation. Everything that we believe and do is built on the holistic and redemptive narrative found in Scripture. We believe that everyone has the ability to know God and his story in a way that they can understand. And we believe that the gospel has the power to transform lives. 

We are keenly aware that we have received God's grace freely and that we could not earn or lose it by any action of our own. In response, we want to be gracious in the way we speak to and treat all people, believing that we are all made in the image of God. 

Jesus came to earth as a man. While he was here, he called, taught, healed, and wept with people. He didn't just hang out with the powerful, but he chose to do ministry with, and minister to, people regardless of their gender, race, and nationality. People were Jesus' passion. We seek to model his incarnational methods in the way we reach our world. 

The Old Testament tells us that God requires us to seek justice and love mercy. This same mercy was taught and demonstrated by Jesus in his own ministry. We want to show and extend God's grace to all people.  

We do not serve out of obligation or to get praise. We serve because Jesus taught us to be servants of all. We serve because God's heart is for the poor, powerless, and ignored. We serve because we want others to experience the love of God that has changed us!

We believe that the beauty of the Gospel is that it refuses to leave us in our brokenness. God's love and mercy have the power to transform our lives. And we know that transformed lives transform the communities around them.

We want to be a church that practices radical generosity - a generosity that trusts God for all of our needs and gives freely to others.  We want to be generous with our finances, resources, time, and talents. As a community, we want to share what we have freely to accomplish the vision God has set before us!

We gather together regularly to remember and celebrate what God has done in both Scripture and in our lives. We believe that this celebration isn't a result of a feeling, but a choice in the midst of whatever we experience. We celebrate God's goodness together, in community, in order to encourage each other.

God has gifted each of us in different ways to build his church and bring his Kingdom here on earth. We want every person to discover the unique ways that God has gifted them and learn how to use that for his glory!