Posts from 2022
The Joy of Giving
The Christian Outreach Committee is beginning to think about the holiday season and the mittens in past years we have hung on The Giving Tree in the Narthex. There will be no tree this year as you enter the church, but that doesn’t take away the feelings we have for giving to others. This year we have decided to again support the Residential reunification homes run by Community Healthlink whom we worked with last year. These three homes, two in…
Advent Devotionals
Advent Devotionals Two Advent Devotionals are available as you enter the Sanctuary and near the office. One for families with conversations laid out to have around the dinner table and activities that help children and youth understand the story of Christ’s birth in expanding ways. The second is tailored to adults with a single devotion for each week of Advent and a variety of questions that can be explored as you progress through Advent. These devotionals connect with the Advent…
From The Pastor’s Pen
When I close my eyes in prayer and allow myself the possibility of looking within, to consider the wonder of God’s magnificent all-encompassing love, the darkness I experience is beautiful and inviting. It is a space of deep healing. In summer months, I volunteer for a program that I loved deeply as a teen and still love today for the power of transformation it serves as a catalyst of in people who dare to say yes to a week on…
November CE Update
Since Devon Murphy’s resignation the Christian Education committee members are assuming some of the director’s day-to-day administrative duties (ie running CORI reports, tracking attendance, reaching out to families to discuss changes, supporting those teaching on Sunday morning). We are working on inviting new volunteers into the program and are excited that Dawn Perron, Emma Barry, and Beth Heckman are jumping into the rotation along with Russell Hertel who continues to be there every Sunday he is available. Carol McGee is…
Thanksgiving Food Collection
Thankfully we have been able to make necessary adjustments to the current new normal, and some things have not changed. Poverty and homelessness still exist. People have lost jobs or had their income reduced resulting in more need for shelters and food pantries. We are fortunate to have the Westminster Community Food Pantry housed in our church. In a recent conversation with Dorcas Hurd, Director of the Westminster Community Food Pantry, she expressed great appreciation for everything our church does…
From The Pastor’s Pen
 Have you ever pruned a tree? Have you had the privilege of raising a fruit tree from a mere “stick with roots in the ground†to fruit bearing on to maturity with a well-coiffed top? If you have, there is emotion you are registering in your body when you read these next words…you know it is not easy. If you haven’t, please believe those who have. It is especially not easy in these years of drought or too much rain paired…
Nursery Help Needed
Have you ever thought about providing Infant & Toddler care in our Church community?  The Christian Education Committee is looking for individuals who would be willing to be a part of a rotation of caregivers in the Nursery during Worship Services on Sunday mornings. 4 or more volunteers would mean committing to once a month, or less. If you are interested in caring for the youngest members of our congregation or have questions, please contact Carol McGee at  [email protected]
October 2022 CE Update
Hi families, Welcome back and Happy Fall! We are off to a great start this year with lots of smiling faces, some old and some new! We will be starting the service together with our church family weekly in the Sanctuary. Children are invited to sit with their families and will experience the beginning of the church service including a special message for all ages before being dismissed to church school. We are asking that parents pick their children up…
Staffing Changes
This Tuesday, the leadership of Christian Education and the church staff received a letter from our beloved Christian Education Director. Devon expressed to the congregation that given the current needs of her family and desire to be near her husband as he faces a difficult health diagnosis, she needs to resign from her position. We have known that this might be necessary for her and have wanted to be as supportive as possible in both her life and her ministry…
From The Pastor’s Pen
Mark Edelson reminds the Christian community in We Aren’t Broke: Uncovering Hidden Resources for Mission and Ministry, that the church has been doing “mission and money†since its inception in the book of Acts. Amid its many successes have come, if not failure, at least staleness.†When the church faces either, it backs itself into survival mode and protects its assets, at all costs, even to closure—a trend we have been seeing clearly across the country and in this Conference for…
Will You Take a Moment to Consider?
Nominating has begun the search to fill our committee slots. Â Please prayerfully consider how you can help support our church by joining one of the committees. Â Contact either Karen Brighenti or Ellen Holmes for more information. DEACONS This group works together to assist the Pastor in the work of the church, including assistance with various aspects of the worship services, and administration of Communion. Deacons perform their tasks along with at least one other person, so there is always support…
Surviving and Thriving
In a season of change As we celebrate survival, and hope, we must also seek ways to thrive in this season of change for our church. I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.†John 16:33 In the past year, this church experienced a huge change; for many, Pastor Ray’s departure in May clicked into focus the church’s need to reexamine who…
Messages for All Ages
Intergenerational Sundays Beginning in October, our Congregation is returning to a tradition of first Sundays, Communion Sundays, encompassing all ages (with a new name). These services will be celebratory of our church family and embracing of our neighbors. Messages for All Ages will be a little longer with the Reflection being a little shorter with the messages from each being connected and anchored in scripture. Children and teens will be invited to participate in reading, taking the collection, greeting, lighting…
Welcome back to church school!
Hi Families!Welcome back to church school! This year we are excited to start off the year similar to how we were pre-covid! We are going back to the model where children will first be attending the service with their families before being dismissed to church school with the teachers where we will then gather in the lower hall (Covenant Hall) before going to our classes. The first Sunday of the month is going to be Family Sunday.On Family Sunday the…
From The Pastor’s Pen
We are called to bless. “We are called to bless,†from the SALT Project reminds all, who are willing andinspired to click the watch button, what a blessing is. Hammers, backpacks, the cup and bread, waters of Baptism, canned goods, casseroles, pastors, mission trip participants—we ask God to bless all these. We stretch out our hands above our heads and call down the mercy and grace of God. We lift up our voices calling God to bless lands filled with…
June Generous Giving Update
How do our church pledges look? At a recent Generous Giving Ministry meeting, we discussed that it would be helpful to see how church members and pledgers make their pledges to the church. Having transparency in how folks give could help folks see how their pledges are part of this whole pie. So, we are sharing some insights into how the pledges have come in for the 2022 year. Here are some main themes: * This year, we received about…
June CE Update
Hi Families! Happy Summer! I wanted to first start off by thanking everyone who came to support our children in our annual Children’s day pageant. It was the first one we were able to hold in the last few years due to Covid and it felt so good to be back! Fun fact: The animals that the children used were all created by hand by them to use for our Christmas pageant. If you remember, the Christmas pageant had to…
Crop Walk 2022
The 42nd Annual Concord Mass. Area CROP Walk for the Hungry Will be held on Sunday, October 23, 2022, at First Parish in Concord. Registration begins at 1:30, with music by the CCHS Pep Band, and the step-off will be at 2:15 The 42nd Annual Concord Massachusetts Area Crop Walk for the Hungry will be held on Sunday, October 23, 2022, at First Parish in Concord. An in-person walk is planned, as was done in 2021. The money that is raised makes…
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