Dear friends,
195 years! Wow!
For 195 years people have gathered on this hill to worship God. We have sung and prayed, preached and pondered, shared Holy Communion and celebrated baptisms. We have studied the Bible, puzzled at Jesus’ teachings, and inspired our young people to grow in faith.
For 195 years we have cared for one another—making visits and phone calls, baking casseroles and cookies, crocheting prayer shawls and baby blankets, rejoicing in weddings and baptisms, listening and sharing, holding each other up in times of grief.
For 195 years we have sought to be a source of healing and hope in the wider community. We have made soup and collected food pantry items, volunteered at shelters and walked for hunger, welcomed immigrants, stood beside neighbors who had been targeted and stood up against injustice. We have committed ourselves to be Open and Affirming and antiracist. We have opened our campus to community groups and founded a multi-faith center.
For 195 years we have given of our time, talent, and treasure to strengthen this church. We have raked leaves and cleaned kitchens, conducted capital campaigns, constructed buildings, attended meetings, sought consensus and repaired toilets.
Through it all, we have tried to follow in Christ’s way. We have listened for the guidance of the Holy Spirit—through scripture and prayer, by listening deeply to one another. We have sought to be a place where God’s love overflows.
195 years! That is cause for celebration! Let’s throw ourselves a party and give ourselves a present!
The celebration begins on Sunday, September 11. After our worship service (itself a celebration and Blessing of the Animals), we will have a birthday party! Cake, music, lots of laughter, and maybe even some dancing. We’ll unveil our progress toward our birthday present—a brand new audio-visual system for our sanctuary!
This is a gift to ourselves, for the new system will enable us to worship in our sanctuary and on Zoom with high-quality sound and video, with the ability to use photos and videos to enhance our worship and help us feel connected. It is also a gift to people we don’t yet know. The system will enable us to reach out far beyond our immediate community, to welcome people who don’t live near an Open and Affirming Church, people who are homebound for any reason, and people just dipping their toes into worship. We are giving ourselves a gift that is an expression of our deepest values, our yearning to be a place of welcome and true connection.
Our September 11 birthday party is just the beginning of our celebrations. We will continue to raise money for our new media system through the fall; once it is installed and we’ve learned how to use it, we will have another party! In the meantime, our worship services on September 18, 25, and October 2 will reflect on our history and the promise of our future. On October 2, we welcome Rev. Darrell Goodwin, executive minister of the Southern New England Conference, UCC, to preach and share in World Communion Sunday.
195 is an interesting age. It points us toward the next very big milestone. What will our church be like when we turn 200? Our world is changing so rapidly, and we are changing along with it. By the grace of God, what will remain constant is our love for one another, our desire to follow Jesus, and our passion to be a source of healing and justice in our world. May it be so.
Happy birthday! Peace, Debbie