The First Church
Resiliency Project
Through our fiscal agent,
Billings Community Foundation.
A Resilient Home for Generations to Come
Throughout our long history, Billings First Congregational Church has been a central and compassionate presence in the life of downtown Billings — sheltering the sick during the 1918 flu pandemic, and the unhoused through our Shelter First program in 2022–2023; hosting Billings’ first Meals on Wheels program in 1970; standing against hate during the “Not In Our Town” movement in 1992, which became a national model for community solidarity; and through many other projects and missions over nearly 150 years.
Our historic church stands as a piece of architectural heritage and a living vessel of community life — one that has evolved to meet the moral and spiritual needs of our time. Today, church programming benefits underserved, vulnerable, and diverse populations. Our facility is home to unhoused neighbors, to justice-seeking organizations, and to community partners with transformational missions, including Family Promise, the 406 Pride Resource Center, Food for the Soul, Warrior Women for Justice, and the Unspoken Words Podcast.
Despite this array of activity, several areas of the church remain underutilized or vacant, and critical systems need renewal. The call to do more — for equity, dignity, and hope — is clear. We have launched the Resiliency Project to restore and reimagine these spaces; to upgrade our mechanical, accessibility, and safety systems; and to expand capacity for community life and justice work. The Resiliency Project will ensure that First Church remains a safe, inclusive, and resilient home for generations to come.
Why the Resiliency Project Matters
The First Church Resiliency Project is both a preservation effort and a justice initiative. It will make vital improvements to sustain the building and the life-saving ministries it houses.
Though the church building has “good bones” and remarkable architecture, aging mechanical systems have strained church finances and limited our ability to meet current codes and occupancy needs. The Resiliency Project, with an estimated cost of $7 million, will fund the following critical improvements:
- Fire Safety & Sprinkler Installation — To meet code and protect those who shelter and serve within our walls.
- Energy-Efficient HVAC System — To replace an unreliable and inefficient system, ensuring comfort through air conditioning and sustainability for worshipers, guests, and partner organizations.
- ADA Accessibility Lift — To provide full access to all levels of the building, embodying our commitment to inclusive welcome.
- Reconfiguring/Upgrading Underutilized Spaces — To create more opportunities for healing, teaching, connection, and social justice.
We are partnering with High Plains Architects, historic preservation experts, for design and engineering.
A Hub for Justice & Healing
Our church is not just a place of worship — it is home to unhoused neighbors, to justice-seeking organizations, and to community partners who work for equity, dignity, and hope. Current and ongoing collaborations include:
- Native American Development Corporation (NADC): Partnering on projects, trainings, and events that empower American Indian communities toward economic and social stability.
- 406 Pride: Eastern Montana's only LGBTQ+ resource center, and the organizer of the annual Billings Pride f
- 7th Generation Intertribal Center: Formerly housed in our building and still hosted here for meetings and events. Together, we’ve co-hosted Let’s Talk and Let’s Paint — creative programs fostering connection and cultural healing. Rev. Lisa Harmon serves on the Board of Directors.
- Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders (RMTL): Longstanding partnership focused on food justice, sovereignty, addiction recovery, and homelessness.
- Billings City Council: Collaboration on ShelterFirst initiatives, Global Refuge programs, and community conversations around policing.
- Riverstone Health & Yellowstone City-County Public Health: Joint pandemic response for the houseless community, vaccine clinics, and the St. Mary V’s HIV/AIDS Pantry.
- White Eagle Talking Circle: A Wellbriety group offering culturally based healing and recovery, meeting four times per week and hosting monthly community gatherings.
- UnSpoken Words Podcast: A weekly global podcast hosted by Apsáalooke and Nakoda peoples, featuring episodes recorded and produced in our space.
- Dragonfly Recovery: Providing support for substance use and mental health recovery.
- Scout Troop 2: Chartered by First Church since 1916 — Montana’s oldest active troop.
- Montana Conservation Voters, Forward Montana, and Big Sky 55+: Advocacy partners advancing environmental protection, civic engagement, and intergenerational equity.
- Montana Meal Prep: Supplies healthy, affordable meals weekly for our Free Fridge, open to all.
- Yoga with Lisa and Get Limber with Lita: Free, accessible wellness classes hosted weekly in our chapel.
- My Backyard Shelter Program: Providing low-barrier, on-call winter shelter when the Community Crisis Center reaches capacity.
Our spaces also serve as gathering sites for naming ceremonies, weddings, showers, art markets, conferences, round dances, meditation sessions, Indigenous parenting classes, Gamblers Anonymous, and Alcoholics Anonymous. Our courtyard playground is used daily by downtown daycares.
Help Build a Resilient Future
To fund the Resiliency Project, we are launching a capital campaign to raise $2 million over five years. A portion of these funds will match against a $250,000 grant from the National Fund for Sacred Places. We are actively working to secure further funding from grants, tax credits, and other financing.
We invite you to support the campaign with the most generous gift you can afford. Your investment will help preserve one of Billings’ most historic and active community landmarks — a place where history, faith, and action meet. Together, we will honor the legacy entrusted to us and build a resilient future for all who seek shelter, peace, and belonging within these walls.
Join Us
Your investment in this project helps preserve one of Billings’ most historic and active community landmarks — a place where history, faith, and action meet. Together, we can honor the legacy entrusted to us and build a resilient future for all who seek shelter, peace, and belonging within these walls.
First Congregational United Church of Christ, Billings
406.245.6477 | info@billingsfirstchurch.org
310 North 27th Street, Billings, MT, 59101
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