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CHURCH ON THE GREEN

CULTIVATING COMMON GROUND SINCE 1723

FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, SHREWSBURY, MA

OUR MISSION

First Congregational Church of Shrewsbury (FCCS) is a vibrant, inclusive and compassionate community of worship and mission. We want our faith to transcend the things that separate us, to be tangible to endure tests of life and time and to be environmentally responsible, protecting God’s creation. Led by the Holy Spirit, we look to Jesus Christ to guide us toward companionship, justice, and the inspiration to serve God and our community.

WELCOME TO CHURCH ON THE GREEN

Welcome to the new look of Church on the Green!

For over 300 years First Congregational Church has been making a difference in people’s lives. Our church continues to serve God and neighbor in new and creative ways. Within the pages of this magazine you will find ways both big and small where FCC is making a positive impact. Check out the stories about our leadership goals for 2024, our thriving music ministry, the activities of the historian’s, Earth Stewardship Ministries and so much more.

Throughout this edition of Church on the Green there are stories and images of God’s presence as we strive to live more deeply into our church’s core values of Spiritual Discovery, Inclusive Community and Compassionate Service.

FCC is an amazing place to be- looking forward to seeing you here!

PastorHolly

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE CHURCH LEADERSHIP NOTEBOOK

We began 2024 with a couple of brainstorming sessions. The first session focused on developing goals for 2024 which resulted in this list aligned with our Core Values:

• Spiritual Discovery

• Revitalize Middle School Sunday School

• Inclusive Community

• Outreach to the Community

• Social Justice

• Earth Justice

• Compassionate Service

• Increased Volunteer Engagement

• Next Gen Leadership

• Financial Sustainability

• Building Use Improvements

• Building Needs

Then we moved on Financial Sustainability by answering the question: “How do we know when we have arrived at Financial Sustainability?”

This exercise generated markers of Financial Sustainability summarized into 5 themes:

• Income

• Operating Finances

• Managing our Resources

• Institutional Sustainability

• Aspirational

We closed the first half of the year by working through an unique “Out of the Box” proposal to create additional pastoral support. This work led to an unanimous Council vote to hire Rev. Karen Dorshimer-Chaplin as our part time Acting Associate Minister. -JaySalsgiver,Moderator

COMMON GROUND

WORSHIPING on the common

First Congregational Church has been worshiping on the Common for generations.

Jennifer Shaw found a photograph of FCC worshiping outdoors during WWII. We are part of a long tradition of people of faith gathering in chairs, singing hymns, and offering prayers to God. Our faith binds us to our Creator and to one another across generations. Handed down to us from earlier generations and gifted as a beloved inheritance to those who will follow, the love of God and neighbor permeates our existence as First Congregational Church.

DEACONS

As Deacons, whose concern is the spiritual development and welfare of our members and the wider community, we are always highly pleased as the church becomes increasingly active.

Some of this information will be covered in other articles in this issue, but we are grateful that our congregation has grown with 7 new adult members in the last few months. We have also grown the Christian education program with several additional children from these and other families. Yes, we have had a bounty of baptisms as well, with 5 completed and 5 more scheduled for the fall.

These increases mean that we have more people to equip and expand our mission. One of the effects we have particularly appreciated is that many of our new members have embraced a variety of ministries or committees and become active as close-knit members of the community. The Spirit is moving among us.

Speaking of activity, one part of our new church mission statement is a commitment to compas -

sionate service. In response, an addition we have made to our worship experience is a monthly mission moment featuring one of the community organizations we support. We have had excellent speakers and positive response to each of these.

We were particularly excited about an event in September. Each year the Deacons participate in a mini-retreat with the minister to expand our understanding and skills. This year we included the Care Team in a program on practices for effective and supportive visitation. While we want to reach out to others in times of need, it is common to have questions and hesitations.

Pastor Holly and Pastor Karen Dorshimer-Chaplin, both of whom have extensive experience in these skills, led our retreat. This opportunity gave us useful information that will help us to interact meaningfully with the people we are striving to serve.

Growth seems to be the theme of our focus, and we look forward to doing our part in making it a focus of our congregation.

growth seems to be the theme of our focus

We look forward to doing our part in making it a focus of our congregation.

COMMUNION.TasteandseethatGodisgood.

WELCOMING MINISTRY

WHAT IS IN THOSE GIFT BAGS?

If you have been at church on a Joining Sunday you have seen the bestowing of gifts on the new members and their children. Did you ever wonder what is in those gift bags?

The preschool- and elementary schoolaged children are given plush happy-faced potted tulips! This soft, non-gendered toy wears a gift tag that reads, “Welcome!

Come grow in God with us!” It is a message to the child that we learn about God together, and that they will be nurtured along the way.

As a symbol of love and friendship, the adults receive a freshly-baked mini-loaf of quick bread, either pumpkin or banana! That tag reads “Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love. The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above.”

HANDS FOR HOPE

The Hands for Hope Ministry at the First Congregational Church consists of artisans who create home-made items – sewn, knitted, crocheted, crafted – which are sold for fundraising or are donated to many different charities. A great way to enjoy your hobby while helping others! Some of the charities supported in the last year are: La Romana Mission in the Dominican Republic, St Anne’s Human Services, Abby’s House, Project Linus, CityReach, Kits for Kids, and Compassus Hospice.

Last November members of Hands for Hope decided to support our church by holding The November Sale. All proceeds from this sale, held before and after church services, were donated to the General Fund to help with the Church’s financial success.

We sold: Hats and Scarfs, Dollies, Bags and Purses, Baby Sweaters and much more!

On October 6, 2024, Hands for Hope is going to sponsor The October Sale: A Preview of our Upcoming Church Fair featuring Items for Babies and Children. Again, all profits will go to the General Fund. Please stop by our table and see if we have the perfect thing for you!

BUDGET & FINANCE

The world of the Budget and Finance Board moves quietly behind the scenes and most members of the congregation are not aware of what we have been doing. So, we are pulling back the curtain and giving you some insight.

We have increased transparency into the annual financial position of the church in recent years and this year are assisting with the “Dollars and Sense” monthly financial disclosure.

We have supported adding the ability to accept credit cards in anticipation of our upcoming church fair in November. This will enable the committees to benefit from increased sales, as many people don’t carry cash with them on a regular basis. Accepting credit cards will become available for all cash collecting activities that would like to use it.

We are watching the funds kept in operating accounts (non-interest bearing) and we are trans -

ferring excess funds to the Money Market (where we earn interest) whenever we can. We still have immediate access if we need it, but we appreciate having the ability to earn some interest.

FCC Shrewsbury has been focusing on our mission and we are looking at how to support and fund the mission we have agreed on.

Therefore, the largest project we are working on is approaching the church operating budget differently. Instead of from the “top down” which has historically been our approach, we are working from the “bottom up”. We have started working on the budget very early this year, and have an early first draft in August. We will be working with church leadership focusing on financial support of our mission.

In addition, members of Budget and Finance have made themselves available for any questions the congregation has about our financial situation.

SOCIAL CIRCLES

Social Circle has been busy this past year hosting a number of fun-filled fellowship opportunities. The Coffee House was held in Gifford Hall on February 10th, which showcased an array of talent from our gifted congregation. On July 12th, fifteen members met on a beautiful summer evening at Broken Creek Winery in Shrewsbury.

BROKEN CREEK VINEYARD.July

COFFEE HOUSE.February

CHURCH PICNIC.September

MUSIC MINISTRY

training choir and youth singers

These choirs are made up of grades 2-4 and grades 5-high school. Rehearsing weekly, they have been singing on a schedule of approximately every other Sunday service and have at times joined with the adult choir for a combined anthem – in particular, this past Palm Sunday turned out to be a favorite for them.

It has been a long period of rebuilding since COVID, and we have finally seen promising (and exciting!) growth in the choirs, starting with 9 singers in the fall of 2023 and ending the spring 2024 season with 14. We look forward to welcoming more members in our next season, having fun, and working on a whole new list of song offerings for the congregation.

NEGRO SPIRITUALS PROJECT

The world looked very different when First Congregational Church was founded over 300 years ago, especially if you were an enslaved person. The title above might be a little jarring and that’s the point. Today we use the term African-American, but It’s important to remember that enslaved people were not considered citizens and they didn’t have rights. This is a difficult subject to discuss and the discomfort you may feel with the term Negro Spiritual is the tip of the iceberg. We can avoid the subject, or we can muster up the courage to face history.

The work songs that slaves sang in the fields or used as coded escape songs were not written down, they were passed down aurally. Because of this, no composers are mentioned, and no royalties are paid on Negro Spirituals. These songs are now staples in the church music repertoire and have influenced composers of church music for many years.

In May of 2024, the Music Ministry announced our new Negro Spirituals Project. As a belated acknowledgment of the contributions of Black communities to church music, we pay for the use of African American Spirituals in our worship services and performances by supporting community programs geared toward people of color. Starting in 2024, the Music Ministry began donating to help support the Black Excellence Academy in Worcester. While more indirect than the official copyright licenses that we pay, we are excited for this Social Justice opportunity. The Black Excellence Academy is an after-school program based at All Saints Episcopal Church in Worcester. They partner with Pakachoag Music School to offer music programing.

Another facet of this project is to ensure that we are honoring the original intention of the songs.

CONCERT.ThankyouOlgaRogach,piano,&Ron Williams,baritone,forabeautifulconcertofAfrican AmericanSpiritualsandStorytelling.Theaudience wascaptivatedandmesmerizedthroughoutthis incrediblemusicaljourney,aswelearnedabout escapingslaveryandtheinjusticethatfollowed nextgenerationsoffreeAmericans.Thisprogram wassupportedbyFirstCongregationalChurchof Shrewsbury,ArtsontheGreen,ShrewsburyCultural Council,andMassCulturalCouncil.

When performing Bach or Mozart, we strive to use historically accurate performance practices and avoid the heavily romanticized and edited versions that were common in the early twentieth century. As we learn more about the coded messages in Negro Spirituals, we strive to honor their original intent. These were soulful songs with deep meaning, not jolly tunes intended to make us feel good. It’s tempting to perform only upbeat happy tunes all the time. But grief, sadness and shame are a part of life. They remind us to experience the joys even more fully and stop taking them for granted.

EARTH STEWARDSHIP

Becoming a Creation Justice Church

You may remember that our Congregation was recognized by the UCC Environmental Ministries as a Level 3 Green Congregation on Earth Sunday, 2023, and we celebrated by planting a Christmas tree on the Common. Although the weather was dreary and rainy, many families gathered with their umbrellas and rain coats to lend a hand in carefully planting a small pine tree, protecting the roots with nourishing earth and spreading mulch around the base to

ensure that the tree could prosper in the coming years. Perhaps one day it will be adorned by holiday lights as a symbol of Christmas. Take a look at the tree the next time you go by the Common and witness the new growth, because like our congregation, it has certainly grown substantially in the past year and half. This is part of what had come to be known as Creation Justice, taking care of God’s Creation, protecting its abundance and diversity of life, for future

generations as well as our own.

The Earth Stewardship Ministry (EMS) had now embarked on a journey toward helping us become a Creation Justice Church, a step in becoming a UCC Level 4 Green Congregation. The glee of the children as they shoveled soil around the roots of the Christmas tree and the willingness of so many to stand out in the rain in celebration, points toward us already being a Creation Justice Church so why not codify that as a formal proclamation for all to hear and see?

There are several steps to becoming a Creation Justice Church, the first and foremost being to discern where we’ve been and to discern where we can go. The second and perhaps most important part is to draft a Creation Justice Covenant. In the UCC, the most solemn and sacred commitment one can make is that of a covenant. It marks a serious promise to God on the part of a congregation. A covenant also entails a promise among congregants to each other as they seek “to walk together in all God’s ways”. After a prayerful process of discernment, the ESM and other volunteers will draft a Creation Justice Covenant to be presented to the congregation for a vote. The Church Council has approved this process and the vote is proposed to take place at the next annual meeting in January 2025. More detail will be provided during the Fall.

To begin the process, let’s consider more fully what Creation Justice means, since it may seem somewhat vague on the surface. Perhaps the simplest explanation is that we are all part of the created order, and being inspired by our Creator, must work to redeem and sustain it, all of it. Creation is not something external, separate from humanity, but the very ground of our existence.

EARTH STEWARDSHIP.Treeplantingonthe Common

We are in it, and it is in us. If we are to embody Creation Justice, we must not only work to heal and restore Creation, but also to protect the planet and it’s people from exploitation, recognizing the interactions between all living things and the importance of those interactions.

Please join us in the coming months as we seek to articulate what Creation Justice means for our congregation and how we can work together to achieve the goals we decide upon.

LEAH CIRCLE

Leah Circle is open to all women of the church and we would love to welcome YOU to join us. We meet the third Monday of the month from Sept.June, at 7:00 PM in the Youth Room, and have a variety of activities that are planned at our meeting each June.

At our meetings we could be listening to a speaker about Preservation in Shrewsbury, learning about the practice of Mindfulness from members of the Shrewsbury school community, learning about the art of decorating Ukranian eggs, sharing great book recommendations, gathering for our special holiday celebration, filling bags with birthday treats for children in the community or watching a movie on a cold winter night. We also support needs within our church and the community with activities such as filling the freezer to help the Care Team, donating needed items to Abby’s House, organizing the annual 90th birthday celebration for church members, donating pans for Mustard Seed meals, and collecting pennies in the Blanche’s Penny bowl in Gifford Hall.

This November we will take part in our church’s bi-annual fair. You can find information about upcoming meetings in the church’s Looking Ahead weekly news.

BLANCHE’SPENNIES. Pleasebringinloosechange tosupporttheworkofLeah›sCircle.

We invite you to be a part of our group whenever you can make it, and would love to welcome you to the Leah Circle.

thecrafttrain.com

MARTHA’S CIRCLE

During the Easter Season Easter lilies are delivered to certain church members. In March, Martha Circle crafted washcloth bunnies and decorated wooden crosses to accompany the lilies. Some chocolate treats were included. It was a fun project and there were lots of laughs. As one member commented “we look and sound like a group of kindergartners.”

Martha’s Circle meets on the third Wednesday of the month at 11:30 a.m. in the Adkins Room. You are welcome to join us!

GOLF LEAGUE

We began our 2024 season on April 13 and have played 9 holes each Saturday morning at 1 of 6 local courses. Three to 10 people have played each week with an average of 6 and most of us have stopped for coffee after. It has been an excellent year so far, a great way to spend time with friends as well as to get some exercise!

To join us on our next outing contact Don Alger.

KEEPERS OF THE HOUSE

Keepers of the House were very busy at the beginning of this year as can be seen by the upgrades made to the church office and the Building Superintendent’s office. The Keepers found an additional box pew panel from 1766, like the one that has been installed in the History Staircase. This panel was added to the north wall of the Building Superintendent’s Office and nicely completes the decor.

HISTORIANS

english language learners tour

Coordinated by church member, Christina Manos, in May we welcomed over 60 English Language students from the Shrewsbury High School.

Hailing from over a dozen countries, speaking multiple native dialects, these High School students represented the diversity of our town and came to learn about its history. Carol Baker, Sherry & Scottie Robertson, Nancy Burnett and Elaine Shaw, dressed in period clothes, led the students through the building sharing important historical details along the way. Here’s one: did you know that the original gazebo, a gift from the King’s Daughters, was located directly on the corner of 140 and Main?

It is a joy that for over 300 years our building has been a meeting place for both the church and the town. Later that month we also invited students from Paton Elementary for a similar tour.

300 years of history. 2 years in the making. 256 pages. 544 images. Honoring Our Past, Cherishing Our Present, Looking To Our Future is a comprehensive look at the history of FCC and the celebration of our faithful journey over three centuries. Books will be published later this year.

the 300 th book

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

Our Christian Education Ministry offers something for everyone.

This summer the High School Youth Group went to Dexter Maine to help community members with various projects. We also offer youth group for Teens and Middle School throughout the school year.

Kids’ Zone, for preschool through Middle School age children, is active and growing. We regularly have over 20 students in our classes that run

concurrently with worship on Sunday mornings. Throughout the summer our youngest Christians were invited to explore their faith with activities on the Common.

Our Nursery program welcomes infants and toddlers to a safe and inviting environment coordinated by Katie Salsgiver each week.

Thank you to all of the volunteers who make our faith formation program possible.

COMMUNITY

a place for all ages and stages

First Congregational Church is a place of Inclusive Welcome — no matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey you are welcome here! Members of our congregation range from birth to 101 and everything in between. Together we baptize infants, celebrate milestones, and support one another throughout the process of aging. Together we can and do make a difference in people’s lives.