Today Magazine • Febr​uary 2022

TODAY Covering the Heart of the Farmington Valley

HOMEGROWN HOPE Habitat for Humanity Makes Dreams Reality

FEBRUARY 2022

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FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESK

CONTENTS

Visions Of Home

COVER STORY

4 — Homespun Hope Habitat for Humanity makes the dream of home a reality for families who find homeownership to be an elusive uphill climb VALLEY INTEL

10 — It Takes A (New) Village Avon’s Village Center project is forging a renewed town identity and redefining the town center SPOTLIGHT ON THE ARTS

12 — Delayed Painting Pilgrimage Farmington artist Kate Emery started a tech firm and a nonprofit before finding her creative niche HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS

14 — Ministry Milestone First Church in Simsbury is celebrating its 325th anniversary in 2022 with a major renovation QUOTE OF THE MONTH

“To see a piece of dirt become a backyard or a blighted property become the prize of a neighborhood is rewarding” — Habitat CEO

BY THE NUMBERS

LETTERS

Valley volunteers annually — 500+

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY is based on a simple yet profound vision of a world where everyone has a suitable and affordable place to live.

Habitat’s Hartford-based affiliate was established in 1989. Since then, countless people in Greater Hartford have partnered with the nonprofit “to build or improve a place they can call home” — fulfilling the mission of helping Habitat homeowners build their own homes alongside volunteers with the economic outcome of a reasonable mortgage.

Thousands of Farmington Valley residents have stepped up in the past three decades to bring Habitat’s vision to fruition. The Habitat model is such a win-win concept — it’s no wonder that so many have benefited from the team effort and given to the cause. By the way, do you know how many houses Habitat has built in the Valley? For the answer, our cover story begins on page 4 — BWD Today Magazine • Covering the Heart of the Farmington Valley Bruce William Deckert — Publisher + Editor-in-Chief 860-988-1910 • Bruce.Deckert@TodayPublishing.net www.TodayPublishing.net > Digital Editions • Award-Winning Today Magazine Online — www.TodayPublishing.net/blog Follow Today Magazine CT on social media: Advertising — Contact the Publisher Editorial Associate — Kayla Tyson Contributing Photographer — Wendy Rosenberg Five Towns, One Aim — Exceptional Community Journalism Farmington • Avon • Canton • Simsbury • Granby – CT, USA • Two other Valley magazines: print circulation — less than 19,000 • Today Magazine: print circulation — 42,000+ • Ad Rates — same ballpark

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COVER STORY KUDOS Today Magazine’s January cover story featured Air Force veteran Bruce Headle, who flew numerous high-risk Arctic missions after his Vietnam tour of duty — CLICK HERE for the story • I LOVED YOUR COVER STORY on Bruce Headle. So many fascinating details! The deterioration of compass accuracy in the Arctic, the “white nights” that made star navigation difficult/ impossible, the jet-assisted takeoffs (!), the multiple takeoff and landing equipment employed in a single run (Teflon-coated skis!). And what a great guy! He goes back to college to become a substitute teacher. As I said, I loved it!

• SOMETHING ELSE that struck me in the latest issue of Today — in your message From the Publisher’s Desk, where you talk about your belief that everyone has an amazing story to tell, I share that belief 100%. I even went out and painted and interviewed fascinating New Yorkers and created a website (and book) about them — www.overlookednewyork.com People can be wonderful. Too often, nowadays, I lose sight of that.

— Zina Saunders • Canton THE DECEMBER COVER STORY on Simsbury ABC was an eye-opener. I have often wondered what that organization does, and your feature story really did a wonderful job of not only telling, but showing what the program does. Well done and thanks!

— Andrea Obston • Avon THANKS FOR SHARING the January edition of Today Magazine. It is yet another complete package with diverse informational and human-interest articles. The two write-ups that greatly appealed to me in particular were: Village Couple Raises $30K for Families, and New Focus Needed for Adults with Autism. Such articles make us pause and think of the responsibility we share as a society for the ones who need greater attention. Looking forward to your next edition.

— Sana Syed • Simsbury SUBSCRIBE to TODAY for FREE — CLICK HERE TODAY MAGAZINE – www.TodayPublishing.net – FEBRUARY 2022

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HOMEGROWN HOPE

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Courtesy Photos

Habitat for Humanity Turns Dreams into Reality

By Bruce Deckert Editor-in-Chief • Today Magazine

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS. This saying is as familiar as a motherdaughter trip to the store, or a father-son chore, or a welcome mat at a family’s front door.

Countless household sayings connect with the concept and reality of home — and they offer clues vis-à-vis how deeply the yearning for a true home resonates in human hearts. Here are five more maxims among the abundant home quotes to be found via a simple Google search: • There’s no place like home.

• Home is where our story begins.

• A house is made of walls and beams — a home is built with love and dreams.

• Home sweet home.

• Who says you can’t go home?

Habitat for Humanity takes these sayings to heart and makes the dream of home a reality for families who otherwise would find homeownership elusive or impossible.

An internationally active nonprofit organization, “Habitat for Humanity partners with people in your community, and all over the world, to help them build or improve a place they can call home,” according to the Habitat.org website.

“Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage.”

Accordingly, Habitat homeowners invest significant sweat equity in their homes and are responsible for a monthly house payment — like every other American with a mortgaged home.

“The biggest misconception [about Habitat] is that our homeowners are given a house,” says Karraine Moody, CEO of the local Habitat affiliate.

“The reality is that they have a 0% interest mortgage held by Habitat for Humanity, and they have to work to keep their home. … Our motto: Habitat is a hand-UP, not a handout.”

Established in 1989, the local Habitat affiliate was known for years as Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity, but has rebranded as Habitat for Humanity of North Central Connecticut because its coverage area now includes Tolland County as well as Greater Hartford. The affiliate is still headquartered in Hartford.

“It is important to correct the misconception because we want to give our homeowners credit,” says Moody, who has been CEO since January 2014.

COVER STORY NOTEWORTHY NONPROFITS

CEO Karraine Moody

—————————————————————————— PAGE 8 — Exclusive Interview with Habitat CEO —————————————————————————— The international Habitat for Humanity operation has hundreds of affiliates — in all 50 U.S. states and about 70 countries, per the Habitat.org website.

Each local affiliate is an independent nonprofit organization that coordinates Habitat building in its area.

Habitat for Humanity International was founded by Millard and Linda Fuller in 1976, yet Habitat’s most visible supporters and volunteers are surely Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, the former President and First Lady.

Habitat’s dual global headquarters are located in Atlanta and Americus, Georgia — Carter’s home state.

“We cannot speak of human rights in other countries unless we are going to do our utmost to protect the rights of our own people here at home,” Jimmy Carter has said, according to the AZquotes.com website.

“Habitat gives us an opportunity which is very difficult to find,” Carter says with his signature homespun simplicity.

“To reach out and work side by side with those who never have had a decent home — but work with them on a completely equal basis. It’s not a big-shot, little-shot relationship. It’s a sense of equality.”

Equality and justice and mercy are intertwined concepts and realities, interwoven with the human desire to find our genuine home. Habitat for Humanity aims to embody these virtues — worthy goals not only worldwide but also here in Greater Hartford.

In recent years, the Hartford-based Habitat affiliate has built an average of 10 homes per year in Greater Hartford, according to the HartfordHabitat.org website. Overall, the affiliate has served 25-30 families annually via a multifaceted program of new home construction, house renovations and repairs.

“The most fulfilling aspect is seeing the impact of homeownership … at the home dedication,” says Moody. “Seeing the parents smiling and children pointing out which room is going to be theirs.”

Habitat has built three homes in the Farmington Valley, she notes — two in Farmington and one in Granby — “and would like to discuss opportunities to build in the area.”

Those two towns plus Avon, Canton and Simsbury comprise the Valley’s five

TODAY MAGAZINE – www.TodayPublishing.net – FEBRUARY 2022

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Former President Jimmy Carter has been a visible and vocal volunteer for Habitat for Humanity core towns, and define Today Magazine’s coverage area.

Volunteers are the lifeblood and ethos of the Habitat model.

Prior to the COVID pandemic, the Hartford affiliate hosted an average of 4500-5000 volunteers annually in recent years, according to Moody — and at least 500-700 have been from the Valley. Over 100 Valley businesses, churches and organizations have partnered with the local nonprofit.

“The Farmington Valley has a big heart,” says Moody, “and

residents are always willing to support a good cause.”

The nonprofit’s 13-member board is an all-volunteer team.

Donald Bates of Simsbury and longtime stalwart Donald Shaw of Granby have represented the Valley.

Shaw has even worked with Jimmy Carter. They volunteered together in Haiti via the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project, per the Hartford Area Habitat’s 2012 annual report.

“Volunteers are the heart and soul of Habitat for Humanity,” according to HartfordHabitat.org — “whether you’re an individual, corporate team, community group, a small group of friends, with skilled experience or not, there are many different ways for you to volunteer.”

The Hartford affiliate has eight full-time employees, per its website, and 23 employees overall.

“I love the mission of Habitat,” says Moody, who previously worked for Hamilton Sundstrand, United Technologies and the Hartford Public Schools. “To see a piece of dirt become a backyard or a blighted property become the prize of a neighborhood is rewarding.”

If home is indeed where the heart is, Habitat for Humanity has delivered a powerful double-duty dose of home-andheart medicine for countless families who were weakened by sometimes-caustic economic ingredients before Habitat offered more sustainable financial sustenance.

Among the home quotes referenced at the beginning of this story, you likely recognized the source of “There’s no place like home” — yes, The Wizard of Oz. The climax of the classic movie portrays the homesick and home-seeking Dorothy mustering all her faith and hope and desire in a desperate effort to return to her Kansas homestead.

“Dorothy’s trancelike repetition of the phrase ‘there’s no place like home’ condenses the meaning of what home means for each of us,” writes England-based artist Sarah Bale in a blog hosted by The Artists Information Company. “Home is a place we associate with familiarity, love, a safe place, a place of origin.”

On the other hand, while home signifies these constructive associations in an ideal world, not every home is ideal — and

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some are as far from perfection as the east is from the west.

“When her Kansas home is uprooted by a violent tornado, Dorothy is terrified,” Bale notes.

For some — likely for more people than we’re aware — a tornado is an apt metaphor for the upheaval and uproar and terror that visit too many homes. What is the antidote when such home-based havoc results in demolition instead of construction?

Celebrated American poet Langston Hughes has likewise queried — What happens to a dream deferred?

Habitat for Humanity seeks to supply both an antidote and an answer to such heartfelt and heartrending questions.

The nonprofit’s stated mission, per the Habitat.org website, is as follows: “Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope.”

By the way — whatever happens when hopes and dreams are deferred, and no matter the cost, Hughes offers this advice: Hold fast to dreams / For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird / That cannot fly.

This notion dovetails with Habitat’s key principles as outlined on Habitat.org, including these bedrock goals: • Demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ.

• Advocate for affordable housing.

• Promote dignity and hope.

At this juncture, some might wonder — as a Christian agency, does Habitat require adherence to certain creeds or beliefs by volunteers and families who apply for homeownership?

The answer is as easy as ABC, according to Habitat.org: “All who desire to be a part of this work are welcome, regardless of religious preference or background. We have a policy of building with people in need regardless of race or religion. We welcome volunteers and supporters from all backgrounds.”

The local affiliate expands on this theme.

“Habitat for Humanity North Central Connecticut has an open-door policy,” per its website. “All who believe that everyone needs a decent, affordable place to live are welcome to help with the work, regardless of race, religion, age, gender, political views or any of the other distinctions that too often divide people. In short, Habitat welcomes volunteers and supporters from all backgrounds, and also serves people in need of decent housing regardless of race or religion.”

Whatever one’s race or religion, it’s safe to say that every human being on the planet shares the common hopes and dreams of the human heart — yet apparently there are differing takes about how to satisfy those hopes and achieve those dreams.

Why do you suppose this is?

As we contemplate this question, let’s return for a moment to the Land of Oz and listen closely (if possible) for a reply.

Can you hear Dorothy’s voice raised in song: Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high There’s a land that I heard of once in a lullaby.

Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue And the dreams that you dare to dream Really do come true.

Perhaps songs and poems can provide further clues in our shared quest to answer the riddle of the heart’s hopes for and dreams of home. Observe the Habitat motifs in this classic Jackson 5 song that has been covered by Mariah Carey: You and I must make a pact, We must bring salvation back, Where there is love — I’ll be there. … I’ll be there to comfort you, Build my world of dreams around you,

Habitat crews will sometimes build a playhouse to complement a family’s life-size home

I’m so glad that I found you — I’ll be there with a love that’s strong, I’ll be your strength — I’ll keep holding on.

Have we mentioned — the Habitat.org website affirms “our vision [is] building strength, stability and self-reliance in partnership with families in need of decent and affordable housing.”

Song-wise, let’s move closer to our Valley home — and hear these lyrics from Farmington-based songwriter Michael Kelly Blanchard and his timeless tune Home to Stay: Down the road there is a day, As simple as it seems, When Love will bring you home to stay — And give you back your dreams.

Home is where the heart is — so they say. For more and more families who might never have a realistic chance of owning a home, Habitat for Humanity hopes to offer a head start toward their dream. + Editor-in-Chief Bruce Deckert is an award-winning journalist CLICK HERE to read our previous cover story on MICHAEL KELLY BLANCHARD and his 50-year musical career TODAY MAGAZINE – www.TodayPublishing.net – FEBRUARY 2022

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NOTEWORTHY NONPROFITS

Habitat Builds Homes, Communities, Hope

Special to Today Magazine

CEO Karraine Moody answered this Q&A on behalf of Habitat for Humanity North Central Connecticut —————————————————————————— Mission — Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope.

Slogan — Building Sustainable Communities With Hope Year established — 1989 Most fulfilling aspect of your work?

I joined the organization in 2006, and the most fulfilling aspect is seeing the impact of homeownership — the initial sense of completion at the home dedication, and seeing the parents smiling and children pointing out which room is going to be theirs.

I’ve had the pleasure of attending graduations, weddings and new business grand openings by our Habitat homeowners.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY North Central Connecticut P.O. Box 1933 • Hartford CEO Karraine Moody 860-541-2209 karraine@hfhncc.org www.hfhncc.org www.hartfordhabitat.org

It is the greatest sense of coming full circle and how the mission impacts the surrounding community at the macro level.

Your biggest obstacle, and how you overcome it?

Our biggest obstacle is meeting the need for affordable homeownership. Every year we turn away 15-20 families that financially qualify for a Habitat mortgage.

If we had more donations of land, funds and material, we could serve more families. It hurts to tell a family that you have everything to qualify but we do not have the resources to build 15 more homes.

Most satisfying accomplishment?

We are on track to celebrate our 35th anniversary, and our biggest accomplishment is definitely the lives the mission has touched — this includes our volunteers, donors, community partners and our more than 300 families.

Goals for the next 1-5 years?

Our primary goal is to serve more families.

We are currently serving about 25 families

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per year between our homeownership programs (repairs, financial literacy and homebuyer) and our goal is to serve 50 families annually by 2025.

Editor’s Note — Habitat for Humanity North Central Connecticut builds on average 10 homes in Greater Hartford every year, serving 25-30 families annually via a multi-tiered program of new home construction, house renovations and repairs • Source: HartfordHabitat.org Volunteer opportunities: On average we host between 4500-5000 volunteers per year. Volunteers are the backbone of our mission, so they are trained in every aspect of our operations.

What’s the biggest misconception about Habitat?

The biggest misconception is that our homeowners are given a house.

How closely do you work with other agencies/nonprofits?

The reality is that they have a 0% interest mortgage held by Habitat for Humanity, and they have to work to keep their home.

I come from a background in community development and I’m constantly looking to partner with other nonprofits and agencies that address housing, economic growth and equity.

The homeowners go through the same checks that a regular mortgage would require.

Our motto: Habitat is a hand-UP, not a handout.

In the past, we have collaborated with Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Connecticut Green Bank, Mutual Housing, YouthBuild, Urban League, Army Strong and many others to serve our communities.

How important is it to correct this misconception?

It is important to correct the misconception because we want to give our homeowners credit.

Many of them are essential workers who work in the service industry. I consider our homeowners to be the working-class families of America.

What is most gratifying to you personally about working with Habitat?

Coming from a corporate environment and moving into the nonprofit world, I love the mission of Habitat.

To see a piece of dirt become a backyard or a blighted property become the prize of a neighborhood is rewarding. It is being a part of something great from the beginning to the end.

We have a small team, but together we do so much good. I truly love what we do together!

We make a difference in families and communities.

We help improve family’s lives, homes, stability, a chance for a better education, better health and tax dollars for the city they reside in.

What do you appreciate most about the Farmington Valley?

How has the COVID pandemic impacted your work?

We have been impacted in the same way that all businesses have. We have families waiting to move into their home so we had to continue to build.

We are grateful for the many volunteers who still came out to build with us, but there was a decrease in the number of volunteers due to our corporate partners working from home.

Besides donations, how is your work funded?

Habitat for Humanity’s mission is based 100% on donations. Donations of money, volunteer labor, in-kind donations and donations made to our ReStores.

We are fortunate in that 93 cents of every dollar goes back into the mission.

We are fiscal conservatives and we invest every donated item to serve more families.

The Farmington Valley has a big heart and residents are always willing to support a good cause.

They are not afraid to take a leap of faith to support others in need.

We have been fortunate to build two homes in the Valley and would like to discuss opportunities to build in the area.

Number of employees — 23 Board Officers Bildade Augustin • Board President BTA Consultants Crystal Floyd • Vice President Fairview Capital Ellen Below • Treasurer Talcott Resolution Anne Hamilton • Secretary Freelance Writer • 13 board members overall + www.hfhncc.org www.hartfordhabitat.org

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VALLEY INTEL

AVON TODAY

Village Center Project Forges New History

By Ethan Guo Special to Today Magazine

THE DEVELOPMENT of New England towns cannot be separated from the centrality of town commons. As Alfred H. Todd of MIT has noted, people of early New England communities gathered in town commons for “political, religious, commercial and educational, as well as purely social purposes.”

The common commonly contained a meetinghouse, schools, libraries, shops, etc. It would not be an overstatement to say that the common played a leading role in defining a town’s identity.

Previously part of Farmington, founded in 1645, Avon was established as a separate parish of Farmington in 1750, according to Avon town historian Nora Howard. Avon became an independent town in 1830.

The first meetinghouse of Avon, erected east of the Farmington River in 1754, failed to establish itself as the town center since over time the majority of the population resided west of the river, Howard notes.

Thus, after the original meetinghouse burned down in 1817, two new

meetinghouses were constructed west of the river — the West Avon Congregational Church on Country Club Road in 1818 and the Avon Congregational Church on West Main Street in 1819.

Since then, Avon has been split between these two town centers

Hiram Peck surrounding the West Avon church and the Avon church, respectively.

The Avon middle and high schools, the library and a number of businesses are near the West Avon church.

The Avon Town Hall, the police department, the historical society and a larger number of shops and restaurants are near the Avon church.

The grand opening of the new Whole Foods in September 2021 kicked off the first phase of the Avon Village Center project intended to create one place that is recognized as the town center, despite the two other central areas.

“The town didn’t really have a center,” says Hiram Peck III, Avon’s director of

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planning and community development.

“The whole idea is to create a much more walkable village center [in] a more concentrated area.”

Started in 2015, the Avon Village Center project ultimately hopes to create an area that includes shops, restaurants, residential sections and even a new 20acre public park.

For economic reasons, the new town center isn’t following the traditional New England town commons template, but developers have “spent a lot of time on architecture,” says Peck. “Every single aspect of the building environment was taken into account.”

Equally important to developers was designing a road system that would facilitate traffic.

“We spent a lot of time with traffic engineers to understand what the traffic impact would be,” Peck notes.

By the end of the project’s first phase, there will be a new unprecedented centralized and concentrated area within the town that Peck says will become “a regional draw” and “enhance how people” view Avon. + An Avon resident, Ethan Guo is a junior at Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor

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FARMINGTON TODAY

After Career Change, Artist Gives Back

SPOTLIGHT ON THE ARTS

By Kate Emery Special to Today Magazine

I CAME TO ART late in the game — it wasn’t even on my radar as a kid. My mom was a social worker and experienced the world through her heart. Her creativity was finding ways to help others that often involved starting community organizations (many of which still exist today). My dad — an engineer, physics teacher and founder of the Farmington Land Trust — devoted his creativity to the solution of more abstract problems.

I inherited a little from each parent. I started a technology firm in my 20s (TheWalkerGroup.com) and later started a nonprofit (reSETco.org) to support businesses that aim to be a force for good rather than simply profit-making machines.

It wasn’t until I met my husband Steve, a professional photographer who sees the world through a compositional lens, that my eyes were opened to exploring the elements of making good pictures. And when we started gardening together, composing with color and texture became a whole new and exciting challenge!

I started painting at that point, over 30 years ago, but only in my spare time. I tried lots of different media, but it was love at first brushstroke with oil. I haven’t, however, been able to narrow my field of interest in subject matter. I love jumping from abstract to figure to portrait to landscape.

Still, regardless of the subject, I let my heart lead. Sometimes it’s obvious what draws me to a scene or a subject: the beauty of a sunrise or the heroism of a person. Other times it may not be clear right away. I let the muse direct me and she has never steered me wrong. Until my retirement three years ago — or, as I call it, my “rewirement” — I wasn’t able to paint full-time.

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The hardest part (aside from developing routines to get me in the studio daily) was feeling like pursuing this thing I love is OK. It must be the Puritan in me — if I’m not struggling, I feel a little guilty. I solved that problem by giving half of my painting proceeds to nonprofit organizations that are doing good things in the world. Now I can paint with a passion not just for creating art, but also for the organizations I support.

The thing I love most about painting is the challenge! There is so much to learn. Every day I’m learning and growing. I also love the way painting makes you focus on the little things — light on leaves, the color of mist. It’s very grounding.

As a lifelong Farmington Valley resident, I have memories and connections that stretch back through several generations.

My mom loved walking and my favorite memories with her are tramping through the woods and fields together talking and sharing the beauty of nature in every season.

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I believe that life brings out the best in us when we can marry the disparate experiences and things that excite us, and in painting I have found my happy place. +

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GRANBY TODAY

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Photo courtesy of Salmon Brook Historical Society

This view of Enders Brook in Granby looks downstream from the dam where the brook bends near the Enders Road entrance to Enders State Forest, crosses underneath Barkhamsted Road, and ultimately feeds the series of waterfalls the brook is famous for.

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HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS

SIMSBURY TODAY

First Church celebrates 325th anniversary Special to Today Magazine

THE FIRST CHURCH of Christ — “the big white church on the hill” — is an iconic Simsbury landmark. Built in 1830, it remained much the same until the entire church was destroyed in a catastrophic fire in 1965.

The steeple and the 1830-era facade, which was propped up by timbers, were scorched but intact. The steeple was cut into three sections and relocated to a parking lot, symbols of the church’s commitment to rebuild.

Since then, First Church added space but hadn’t undertaken anything close to the ambitious overhaul that began in 2019 after a successful capital campaign.

“We needed a large-scale renovation to properly support our many ministries and to ensure we can welcome people for years to come,” says church president Carol Pollack. “First Church’s 325th anniversary is in 2022 and we will joyously celebrate in our fully restored building.”

Renovations were all-encompassing, with efforts focusing on historic elements and 21st-century upgrades.

“It’s safe to say there’s barely a surface we haven’t touched,” says building

committee co-chair Kris Barnett, who oversaw the process with co-chair Kathy Wildman. The remodeling list was extensive — including walls, doors, ceilings, floors, kitchens, HVAC, gutters, siding, sidewalks and the parking lot.

“You name it — we’ve replaced, repaired, renovated, paved and painted,” says Barnett. “We addressed accessibility and maintenance issues, updated our safety and communications systems, and added extras such as a food pantry to support our service projects.”

With input from the church’s sustainability committee and Simsbury’s Pollinator Pathway, work was as environmentallyfriendly as possible. Energy-efficiency was a priority and sustainable materials were used — pew cushions made from recycled plastic bottles, for example. Pollinator gardens were also added.

Respecting the building’s colonial design, historic colors that quietly

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enhance indoor spaces were chosen, even as pews were trimmed for wheelchair accessibility, and monitors were added to enhance the worship experience.

At the first indoor service in almost 18 months, amid a harvest communion table display, was a plain candleholder.

This simple, charred wooden block, however, carried the weight of history. Hewn in the 1820s and secured with forged nails, and then pulled from charred roof timbers in 1965, it has been used ever since for communion services.

On the bright October day when First Church welcomed congregants back to their church home, the candleholder tied past to present, its flame lighting the way to a bright future ministering to the Simsbury community and beyond.

Rev. Kevin Weikel referenced Isaiah that day: “This is God’s house, and in this house, God is doing a new thing.” +

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