You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.  This is the first and the great commandment and the second is like unto it.  You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  On these two commandments rest the law and the prophets

(Caring Ministries, Board of Deacons, Funerals, Memorial Garden, Accessibility, Temporal Ministries, Board of Trustees, Stewardship)

In our Church Bulletin, we list as Ministers “All the Members of First Church.”  With that statement, we join many other congregations throughout the world who realize that ministry is the work done in the name of Jesus Christ by the people who covenant together as the body of Christ in a particular time and place.  Many of our ministries are already listed on our web site (Christian Education, Music, and Outreach) however; we thought a section devoted to a simple description of the involvement of our members in ministry would help the potential visitor understand the faith and the commitment of our congregation.

Caring Ministries

Our Church is a vigorous community of faith rooted in an atmosphere that is a unique combination of  spirit, warmth, tradition and respect for diversity and individuality. If you look around the Meetinghouse on a Sunday morning, you will notice a caring congregation in action as individuals and groups share information about what is going on in their lives and in the life of our community.  Sometimes the prayer intercessions in the worship service lift up the name of someone who is sick or has experienced a death in their family and the people respond. 

The Board of Deacons, responsible for the worship and spiritual life of our congregation, also works with the pastors to organize caring ministries, including the visiting and the delivery of flowers to the homebound and those in hospitals and nursing homes.  Caring is also extended through the work of the Christian Outreach Committee, fellowship groups, as well as other Boards and Committees of the Church

Funerals

The Service of Remembrance and Thanksgiving is our response to the death of a family member.  This service can take place in the Church, in a funeral home, in a home, or at graveside. The pastors and the sanctuaries of First Church are available to families in the community as well as members and friends of the Church. When a funeral service takes place in our sanctuary, we have volunteers who will help to organize a reception in our Fellowship Hall so that friends and family can gather for comfort and support.

            Accessibility

All the ministers of First Church have also worked to make our historical buildings accessible to the handicapped.  As part of our New Century Campaign, we have changed elevations and added stone to make the front entrance of our sanctuary wheelchair accessible.  As part of our final phase of the New Century Campaign, we are planning on installing an elevator that will make all levels of the Meetinghouse building accessible.  Also, our new parking lot has several handicapped spaces and seventy new spaces that bring the church a little bit closer to all those who gather for worship.

The Memorial Garden

           The Memorial Garden of the First United Church of Christ, Congregational is a place of devotion and beauty set aside for memorial services, the scattering of ashes, meditation, communion services, Bible study, and other worship services. Set in the shadow of our Woodruff Chapel, it is above all a place to honor the memory of loved ones.

        The Memorial Garden is governed and maintained by the Memorials Committee of First Church and it is available to all members and past members of the Church and their families.

Temporal Ministries

In our congregational Church, the members are responsible for the financial health and well being of the Church and the care of Church property.  An Annual Meeting of Church Members approves the Budget of the Church and the work of financial oversight is the responsibility of the Board of Trustees.  This Board oversees the maintenance and repair of the church property and governs the financial activities of the Church, although their work includes the skills and talents of numerous volunteers.

            The Stewardship Committee organizes the pledge drive that is the primary source of funding for the missions and programs of the church.  Members and friends are encouraged to give to God’s work out of thankfulness and from the heart and we trust in God to provide for our needs.

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