Posts by First Congregational Church Of Westminster, MA (Page 2)
From The Pastor’s Pen
All congregations experience ebbs and flows in those actively attending and participating in church programming and worship. No church enters into a community as a large church, nor do they complete their ministry as such. This shifts in size will be accompanied with anxiety and leadership stress. As well, negative perceptions of the congregation’s abilities to turn things around will increase when these shifts are not openly recognized by seeking adaptations: to the church structure, of the foci of the…
Generous Giving Pledges Needed!
Over the past month, we have had a number of members speak on behalf of their committees. Thank you to those folks who shared such valuable information about how their committees and their volunteers “show up” for the church. We need you. Your presence.We are asking all folks committed to this church to consider making a pledge as a way to bear witness of your presence. And for those who are already pledgers, we ask for you to increase your…
Office Volunteers Needed
…to help with folding bulletins, monthly Epistle, collating annual reports, filing music & occasional office coverage. If interested please email Lisa at [email protected]
Yard & Bake Sale
Hosted By THE WELCOMING COMMITTEE If you missed the town-wide yard sale, or you have anything you’d like to donate, the Welcoming Committee is organizing a yard and bake sale during the Westminster Cracker Festival Saturday, October 21st from 10 AM—5 PM. We also are looking for those who would like to bring baked goods (labeled). Proceeds will benefit The First Congregational Church of Westminster with 10% shared with the Westminster Food Pantry. We need volunteers for set up on…
Opportunities To Help
Here is your opportunity to help the church!! Yes we are in a time of change but that means we need your help all the more. Nominating will begin filling slots soon and we would love for you to think seriously how you can help the church with your time and talents! Maybe you want to try something new and different, maybe you like where you are or maybe you want to join a committee to make new friends…whatever it…
Apple Pies…Apple Pies
On September 21st apples were peeled and sliced and mixed with sugar, crusts were rolled out, ovens were filled and over 40 pies were placed in boxes! While this was happening there was a lot of chatting and laughing! And as in past years the pies were sold at the Westminster Farmers Market. The over $700 that was raised will help to support our church. This would not have been possible without the bakers in the church kitchen that day and the…
From The Pastor’s Pen
Anxiety is high in this congregation. Questions of budget, pastoral leadership, and direction swirl. One source of this anxiety rests on the intersection of Generous Giving, church budget, and the capacity of the congregation to support a full-time minister. This is one level of the anxiety related to this particular aspect of the church’s life. To take it to another level is to name the reality of tension between remaining the same and adapting—making shifts in…
Mums Order
We would like to decorate the church steps with our annual fall display of chrysanthemum plants given in memory or in honor of loved ones. For every $8.00 donation, you may fill out a slip recognizing a friend or loved one. The mums will be displayed on our church front steps for all to enjoy. The annual Westminster Cracker Festival will be on October 21st . Mums can be picked up on Sunday, October 22nd . Use the form below. Additional forms are available at…
Women’s Fellowship Fall Activities
Please join us at one or all of these upcoming activities! A casual lunch at Kros on the Common in Templeton! Plan to meet at the church at 11:30 on September 12th so we can carpool to the restaurant. We will enjoy lunch and talk about future plans. Bring your ideas for activities. A Westminster Firefighter and Police Detective will offer a Be Aware program on Sunday, September 24th at 3:30 pm. Bring a friend to learn about how to…
GGM Annual Awareness
Living Presence, Right Now In September, the Generous Giving Ministry will be increasing our annual awareness of what generous giving is for this church and collecting pledges. This year’s theme is Living Presence, Right Now. We invite EVERYONE to join us at worship in September and early October to hear more about how we show up, be present and attend to the financial and spiritual needs as a congregation. Here we are. In the present. The past can inform us, and we…
Church Yard Sale
If you missed the town-wide yard sale, and you have anything you’d like to donate, the Welcoming Committee will be having a yard sale during the Westminster Cracker Festival on Saturday, October 21st from 10 AM—3 PM. We are looking for anyone in the community that would like to participate. Refreshments will be available!! Proceeds will go to The First Congregational Church of Westminster and 5% of proceeds will go to the Westminster Food Pantry. Please email [email protected] if you would…
From The Pastor’s Pen
While walking with churches facing the uncertainties of the future and asking where God is calling them to be present in the midst of that future, it is increasingly clear to me that it is imperative for us to be a people of Resurrection Faith.… Resurrection Faith is living with the constant awareness that all of this (every aspect of our being as humans walking this planet and as members of the church) was originally God’s project. It is surrendering…
FAITH FORMATION AT HOME
FAITH FORMATION AT HOME The following is written by Traci Smith, an ordained minister, mother of three, and author. Traci’s passion is helping families find times for connection and spiritual nourishment amid the hustle and bustle of daily life. What began as a quest to help her own family has provided valuable insight for thousands of others. Traci believes faith practices should be fun, easy to fit into daily life, and accessible to all. Faith at home is a journey.…
Adopt A Bill
As another way to raise funds for the church, the Trustees are suggesting that some people might want to Adopt a Bill to ease the strain on the church budget. The idea would be that you would select a bill and reimburse the church for that item. Below are a few suggestions.
Summertime!
Summertime! How do you spend it generously? What comes to mind when you think about summer? Here’s a little summer playlist we put together that spans the decades and musical genres! Regardless of the decade of music or genre you enjoy to give you those warm and sunny summer feelings, it can be a time of the year for the church when it’s people may be less connected to the church. Church school is out, people go on vacations or out…
From The Pastor’s Pen
The Oxford dictionary online defines Tradition as “a long-standing custom or belief that has been passed from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way.” The Merriam Webster Dictionary describes “tradition” as a. “an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior;” b. a belief or story or a body of beliefs or stories relating to the past that are commonly accepted as historical though not verifiable;” c. the handing down of information, beliefs,…
Proportional Giving
……SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT! Our church is a member of the United Church of Christ (UCC), which has several geographic divisions or conferences. Our conference is the Southern New England Conference of the UCC (SNEUCC). In 2017 the SNEUCC passed the following: “Proportional Giving (PG) replaces a Local Church’s giving to Conference and National UCC through Membership Dues and OCWM Basic Support. Instead, the church’s PG contributions are based on its historic giving level in relation to its Total…