Posts by First Congregational Church Of Westminster, MA (Page 3)
Christian Ed
Recommended Resources for Families These resources were written by Rev. Sarah Griffith Lund the Senior Pastor at First Congregational United Church of Christ (Indianapolis, Indiana) and Minister for Disabilities and Mental Health Justice for the National United Church of Christ. Through vivid and powerful storytelling, Blessed Youth:  Breaking the Silence about Mental Illness with Children and Teens will remove the barriers of stigma and shame associated with mental illness in children and teens. Readers will know they are not alone and be…
Worship Live Streaming
The Deacons and Pastor Stacey have been discussing the merits of returning to providing our worship services online through YouTube and/or Facebook. We are hoping there are a couple of volunteers in the church willing to learn about how to do this and help us make it happen on Sunday mornings. We have learned that live-streaming reduces the necessary work after worship, though adds a bit of coordination for our staff before. Pastor Stacey is able to teach anyone who…
From The Pastor’s Pen
Friends, As we are stepping into the Transitional work of this Interim time, I will be sharing a series of articles on the directions, trends, and concerns facing churches today. The following is one such article. Blessings on your exploration and thank you for having me beside you in your journey of becoming. 7-Things to do When a Church is in Decline… by Ron Edmondson ON February 12, 2020 1. Evaluate What is going wrong? Why are fewer people attending and…
Thank You From Christian Outreach
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 some children who can use a little extra joy this holiday season. The Christian Outreach Committee again partnered with the Community Healthlink residential recovery homes where children are going through the reunification process with their mothers.  We had 12 children from 3…
From The Pastor’s Pen
I’ve been thinking about house blessings as Epiphany approaches and at the same time also imagining the coming year as a house—a space in time that is opening itself to all of us. How will we inhabit the coming year? How will we enter it with mindfulness and with intention? How will we move through the rooms of the coming months in a way that brings blessing to this world? I also have been pondering what it is to carry…
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…
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…
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…