Posts by First Congregational Church Of Westminster, MA
Art Museum Trip
On March 7th several members of the church visited the Fitchburg Art Museum to view the exhibit On Her Terms: Feminine Power Embodied.
Help wanted!
UPDATE: There is still time! Volunteers are still needed for serving and cleanup!
From The Pastor’s Pen
Peace be with you. With these words, Jesus greeted His disciples after His resurrection, signaling a profound truth that resonates through the ages: His resurrection brings life, joy, and light, ushering in peace, harmony, and tranquility for all believers. As we reflect on the significance of Easter, we are reminded of the boundless blessings that Jesus’s resurrection bestows upon us. It is a time for contemplation, a time to embrace the transformative power of His love, and a time to seek healing of…
From The Pastor’s Pen
Historically, the church has understood Lent to be a time for spiritual reflection, confession, repentance, and preparation for the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday. Various faith traditions have embraced practices of self-denial, fasting, and honest confession during this period of time as a way of drawing closer to Christ’s experience of traveling through the wilderness and facing the things the worldly aspects of life that pull us away from relationship with God and Christ. N.T. Wright reminds us that…
Tulip Order Form
Tulip Orders are due by Thursday March 14 Printer Form Here
Confirmation Program
Four youth are committed to the Confirmation program this winter and spring and began meeting in late December. This program has all of the core conversation/exploration components accustomed to in this congregation, though it is structured a bit differently, relying on some Conference resources to make the program more robust in response to our, and Pastor Stacey’s, capacity to facilitate the program. Topics will include: understanding membership in the local church, the United Church of Christ and the diversity of…
Giving Tree 2023
A message from the Christian Outreach Committee Thank you all for your response to our annual giving tree toy drive! This year we again used the ease of Amazon to our advantage and easily met the needs of children who could use a little extra joy this holiday season. The Christian Outreach Committee partnered with the Community Healthlink residential recovery homes, where children are going through the re-unification process with their mothers. With your help we were able to fulfill all…
Lent
Lent begins with the starkness of Ash Wednesday. On Ash Wednesday we face our mortality and the limits of our earthborn existence. Ashes are smeared on our forehead as we hear the solemn words spoken: “You are dust and to dust you shall return.” It is not hard to make the connection with the words often said at the burial of the dead: “Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” Ash Wednesday falls at a time when our…
From The Pastors pen
In an article written by Albrecht Powell for “About.com Guide” the following resolutions make the top ten list across the United States: Did you make a new year’s resolution this year? Does it make this list? The best resolutions are those which focus on changing behaviors and are attainable by taking a few short steps and sticking with them. An interesting fact about these resolutions which often goes unnoticed, is that each connects to our lives of faith. Seeking to obtain…
Celebrate the Holidays with Music
Have you ever thought of singing in a church choir, but thought it was too big of a commitment? or Do you play a musical instrument, but prefer doing so in your comfort zone? If you answer yes to questions like these, then we have an opportunity for you. The Music Committee is inviting you to join us in a holiday musical offering, which will be part of the Worship Services on December 24th (both 9:30 & Christmas Eve @…
The Outreach Giving Tree
The Christian Outreach Committee is kicking off our annual Giving Tree project and this year we have decided to support the Residential Reunification Homes run by Community Healthlink whom we worked with last year. These three homes, two in Worcester and one in Leominster, are residential treatment programs that provide a safe, supportive recovery community and promotes a sense of empowerment, family healing, and life skills essential for women and their children to stabilize and reunify their family units. These programs support and…
From The Pastor’s Pen
Sacred PauseWhen the urgeto react to thetactless clowns,anddown looks likeup,and life’s teethare sharper thana steak knife,breathe,and take asacred pauseThomas W Case Liturgically, Advent, is a time of waiting, of slowing down our minds, giving ourselves the time to refocus, re-energize, remember. It is also a time for us in the New England area to face, what can sometimes be a challenge, of recognizing birth and new life as the earth lays dormant and the critters of the forest find their…
SAFE CHURCH CORNER
Who, What, Where, When, Why and How? These questions can apply to many problems that crop up in our lives. They particularly apply to incidents or accidents that affect us, at home, at work, at play and at church. Hence, the INCIDENT REPORT. Let’s examine these criteria as they apply to filling out the report. WHO is anyone who has been involved in an incident or accident relating to a church activity; a child in Sunday School, an adult in…
Thanksgiving Food Collection – 2023
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…