Worship & Spiritual Growth

Worship

Each Sunday you may recharge your spirit, encountering God with heart, mind, and voice. When your spirit is in harmony with God’s, the rest of your life will follow that rhythm. We believe in the Spirit-led life that rises up among us, in stories from the Bible and from our own lives. In all that happens, God is with us, and the wisdom and blessing of Jesus guides us.

We believe God calls us into relationship, involving us in works of mercy and justice, loving care and forgiveness. We honor Jesus’ profound truth, that his rising is for all people, not just for some. We work to widen our welcome.

Our services blend tradition and innovation, informality and artful practice. This is a vibrant community, open in mind and heart, at work on many forms of prayer, making music together, knitting prayer shawls for those in distress, caring for one another in times of trial and blessing. In the Way of Jesus we reach out to needs we find around us: we run a Food Pantry, offer hospitality to the homeless, host Farmers’ Markets in our Vestry, have a sister church in Zimbabwe, work with other churches to host public speakers on issues like the death penalty, our public water supply, gay marriage. We have been Open and Affirming since 1996.

This Congregation first gathered to worship in 1638, and hasn’t missed a Sunday since. John Phillips, founder of the Academy, worshipped here. We cherish the pew where once Abraham Lincoln prayed with his son, and we cherish our long tradition of social concern, for abolition, protesting the Vietnam War, marching with Martin Luther King, Jr, in Selma, defending the despised, which is our heritage and our faith.

Spiritual Growth

We offer many Family Life Programs: camping, skiing, movies; an annual Mission Trip to NYC, Tents of Hope for Darfur, Christmas Float, church suppers and coffeehouses. We also provide an active program for Youth: sleep-over lock-ins, films, canoeing and rock climbing, ski trips and more. Our special curriculum, called Godly Play, is for children K-5 and is Montesori-based learning style.

We also ofer many programs for adults: bible study, current events discussion groups, shawl knitting ministry, religion mini-courses. In addition, you may grow your spirit by joining one of our many committees: Lay Visitors, Membership, Petal Pushers, Mission & Action, Stewardship and more.

Our location in the heart of the downtown lends itself to many well-attended publc events (sponsored by various committees) such as: coffeehouses, church suppers, Green & Sustainablity festivals, lectures, films, and more. Planning or attending any of these events helps you to deepen your relationships with tthe spirit of this church church, and those individuals who worship here. You may look at what our most recent offerings are by reading our newsletter, the Tower.