Welcome to the First Congregational Church of Westminster, MA
No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you’re welcome here.
OUR MISSION
The purpose of this church shall be to worship God, preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, and to celebrate the sacraments;
to realize Christian fellowship and unity within this church and the Church universal;
to render loving service towards this community and to the world;
and to strive for righteousness, justice, and peace.
Holy Week Services
Blue Christmas Service: Monday December 22nd at 6:00 pm
Our Blue Christmas Service is for those who find the holiday season a challenge and are looking for comfort and assurance.
Christmas Eve Worship Service: Wednesday Dec. 24th at 4:00 pm
Christmas Eve Worship Service: Wednesday Dec. 24th at 10:00 pm
Sunday Dec. 28th Worship Service
Pastor Russ Goliger’s final worship service with us. Rev. Carol Steinbrecher will join us for the Completion of Call Service.
SERVICES
WORSHIP SERVICE
Our worship services happen each Sunday morning and include a time of singing, congregational prayer, and preaching.
We strive to create a respectful atmosphere that allows God and His Word to be the focus. We also desire to be welcoming of those who may visit.
COMMUNION
In addition to our normal worship services, we take time each month to observe the Lord's Table as Christ commanded. This observance occurs during worship service on the first Sunday of each month.
TIMES
Sunday Morning Worship | 9:30 am
A nursery, preschool, and grades 1-7 classes are provided during service.
The wheelchair ramp and elevator are through the door at the back of the church. Extra handicap parking is accessible near the side door for individuals who are more mobile.
We also offer audio amplification and a large print bulletin.
From The Pastor's Pen
Realm is a powerful three-module online software that helps our church stay connected, organized, and efficient. Each module is designed to make life easier for both staff and congregation:
- Church Database Management – Our office uses Realm to securely maintain membership records, contact details, and vital church information, keeping everything accurate and accessible.
- Accounting – Realm simplifies church finances by keeping us current with labor laws, making bill payments easy, and giving the treasurer real-time access to financial reports and updates.
- Website Integration – Events and calendar updates are published to our church website the moment they are created in Realm, ensuring everyone always has the latest information at their fingertips.
With Realm, administration, finances, and communication flow seamlessly together—creating one simple, reliable system that strengthens our church community.
The Realm system is designed with security and accountability in mind. Access permissions are assigned based on each person’s role and responsibilities within the church. For example, the church secretary may have access to membership records, while the counters have access only to contribution entry. The webmaster has permissions related to website integration, and the treasurer has secure access to financial information. Each role is carefully defined so that individuals can only view or manage the areas necessary for their responsibilities, protecting both privacy and data integrity.
Join us for Bible Study as we come together to grow in faith and understanding of God's Word. It's a welcoming space to ask questions, share insights, and build meaningful connections.
All are welcome—whether you're new to the Bible or have studied it for years!
New Church Members
We will celebrate new members joining our congregation during our worship service on Sunday November 16th. Please join us to celebrate their membership at a special coffee hour.
Body Parts
by Vicki Kemper | published on Nov
9, 2025
Your body has many parts—limbs, organs, cells—but no matter how many parts you can name, you’re still one body. It’s exactly the same with Christ. … I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. – 1 Corinthians 12:12 & 14 (MSG)
Your body, your church, your community, has many parts. And I want you to think about how all this makes you less significant, not more.
Yes, the standard interpretation of the body-of-Christ-with-many-parts metaphor is that all people are needed and all gifts are valued. We need every gift and each person to make this church thing work.
This is all true. But it has led some of us to conclude that we’re indispensable. If we’re a foot, for example, a beautiful head of hair will get us nowhere. If we’re a collective, each of us has a critical part to play.
Yes, but perhaps not all the time.
When our eyes can’t see, our ears increase their sensitivity. When an ankle is sprained, we devise workarounds. A toothache rarely incapacitates; the body manages to carry on.
And so it is with the body of Christ. If you, in your role, have a scheduling conflict or need a break, trust that the other parts of the body (read: people) will step up and fill in. Someone may discover a gift they didn’t know they had. Other body parts will get stronger.
I recently skipped a major church event so I could do something else very important to me. The event succeeded without me, the world went on, and I returned refreshed and even more grateful for the amazing people I do church with.
Prayer
Body-building God, thank you for every person and the part they play, and for each person who works harder when another rests.
About the Author
Vicki Kemper is the Pastor of First Congregational, UCC, in Amherst, Massachusetts, and a spiritual director.
Pastoral Letter to the Faithful Lay Leaders
8/7/2025-by:Darrell L. Goodwin
A Pastoral Letter to the Faithful Lay Leaders of the Southern New England Conference from Executive Conference Minister the Rev. Darrell Goodwin:
Grace and peace to you, beloved ones,
Across our congregations, I see signs of resurrection breaking through, moments of deep connection, renewed imagination, and faithful action. I see churches building gardens where food insecurity once had the final word. I see worship teams blending tradition and innovation. I see leaders daring to try something new, to radically welcome, and to lead with love.
These glimpses of renewal are not accidental, they are a direct result of your labor, your vision, and your unwavering commitment to God’s church. You are the hands and feet of transformation, and it is because of your faithfulness that we can say, even in uncertain times, that hope is alive and well in the Southern New England Conference.
This letter is also a reflection born of relationship. Since beginning my ministry among you, I have had the profound gift of being in fellowship with nearly 100 of our churches, worshiping together, celebrating church anniversaries, witnessing baptisms and funerals, laughter and longing, fear and fierce faith. What I’ve seen in these sacred encounters is a church that is very much alive.
Oscar Romero, a witness to both deep suffering and divine possibility, once said:
“We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise…
We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.We are prophets of a future not our own.”
This is the sacred work you are doing every time you chair a meeting, pray over a budget, welcome someone new, or ask your church, “What’s next?” You are planting seeds in faith, even if the harvest comes after you. You are helping to birth a church that is more just, more generous, more Spirit-led than we’ve known before.
I know the work can be heavy at times. But don’t let the weight of what still needs to be done overshadow the glory of what is already becoming. You are not alone in this labor. God is with you. Your Conference and Associations are with you. And the cloud of witnesses, past, present, and future is cheering you on. Together we are one Church In many locations.
So I urge you: keep going. Keep dreaming. Keep leading. You are helping to shape a church worthy of our deepest hopes and holiest callings.
A Prayer for the Journey:
God of seeds and seasons,
Thank you for the faithful ones who lead with love and live with courage.
When our energy wanes, renew us.
When our vision dims, remind us we are prophets of a future not our own.
Let the work of our hands be rooted in you,
and let the fruit of our labor bless generations to come.
Amen.
Rev. Darrell Goodwin
Executive Conference Minister and President
Southern New England Conference, United Church of Christ
WE ARE LOCATED IN THE CENTER OF WESTMINSTER ON MAIN STREET (RT 2A) ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE WESTMINSTER CRACKER FACTORY.
IF YOU ARE USING GPS, PLEASE BE SURE TO USE OUR STREET ADDRESS: 138 MAIN STREET, WESTMINSTER, MA 01473.
Traveling from the West via Rt. 2
Take the Rt. 140 South/Rt. 2A West exit #92, toward Westminster and Princeton. Merge right onto State Rd East/ Rt. 2A/ Rt. 140. In 0.1 mile, turn right onto Rt 2A West toward Westminster. The church is 0.7 miles ahead on the right, just across from South Street.
Traveling from the East via Rt. 2 WEST:
Take the West Main Street exit #90 toward Westminster. At the end of the exit ramp, turn right onto West Main Street. At the stop sign turn left onto Main Street/Rt. 2A. The church is 0.5 miles ahead on the left, just before South Street.
Traveling from the South via Rt. 190 NORTH:
Take MA 140 North, Exit #5 toward Princeton. Turn left onto Rt. 140/ Redemption Rock Trail and continue to follow Rt. 140 for about 11 miles. Turn left at the traffic light onto Rt. 2A West toward Westminster. The church is 0.7 miles ahead on the right, just across from South Street.