Our ministers play a central role in shaping the spiritual life, care, and community that make our church such a special place. We are deeply grateful for their dedication and service, and we also believe that thoughtful feedback helps all of us continue to grow and serve more effectively.

The survey is designed to help us better understand:

• what our ministers are doing especially well,
• where their gifts are having the greatest impact, and
• whether there are areas where we can support continued growth and improvement.

Your honest and constructive feedback is incredibly valuable. We encourage everyone to take a few minutes to complete the survey. Responses will help us strengthen our ministry and ensure that our church continues to be a welcoming, vibrant, and spiritually enriching community for all.

Thank you in advance for your participation and for the care you show for our church and its leadership.

The survey can be accessed using the link here: https://forms.gle/vGbBLHRNYtMqeHDaA

or by using the QR code provided here:

-Christian Ehrbar

Personnel Ministry Chair

Our speaker, Lizzie Linn, is returning to FCCW after her well-attended talk last spring, Mindfulness: Practice Being Present. We hope you can join us after the service on Sunday, April 19, to hear her thoughts and guidance on this timely topic.

Then for our traditional Lenten series, Tuesdays with Jesus, we’ll have soup and bread together and do a deeper dive into the given reading for that day with round table conversations and consideration of the themes that the devotional highlights. We hope you’ll engage the daily devotionals and will join us on Tuesday nights starting, Tuesday, February 24th, 2026 from 6:30 to 8pm.

Calling all who have a delicious soup to share – please consider making soup for one of the Tuesday evenings during Lent and sign up here!

Join us from the comfort of your own home and computer for an hour of meaningful engagement with the scripture focused on the coming Sunday’s scripture text. This week we’ll consider the Transfiguration passages from Matthew 4 and Luke 9 which is always the preparatory text for the Sunday before Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent. We hope you can join with us.

7-9 pm on Zoom

This month’s book is “Time of the Child” – by Niall Williams.  Contact this year’s co-coordinators, Lynne Rahmeier or Susan Sawyer with questions.

The second Wednesday of January invites us into another 2nd Wednesday Bible Study on Zoom at 7pm. We’ll consider the scriptures that will be read during the following Sunday’s worship service. This week all the scriptures are focused on God’s calling. God calls the nation of Israel (Isaiah 49:1-7). God calls the writer of the Psalms (40:1-11). God calls the Apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 1:1-9) and God calls the disciples of Jesus (John 1:29-42). How does God call each of us in our lives? Let’s talk about it and allow the Bible to talk to us!

5 pm in the Tucker Room

Our annual Epiphany Celebration will take place on Sunday, January 4 at 5 PM. We invite you to bring your friends, family, and neighbors, plus a potluck plate or dish to share. All ages are welcome for the dinner and the candlelit walk through the church.

We collect gifts for Youth Villages, grocery store gift cards for the food pantry through Woburn Council for Social Concern, and warm winter socks for the Lowell Transitional Living Center shelter. Please sign up!

We are especially excited to together sponsor 25 children in partnership with Youth Villages. Youth Villages works with children at risk with programming support to the child and family with the mission of hoping to keep children safe and flourishing at home and out of the foster care system. Each of our 25 children has identified the gifts they most hope for this Christmas. Those who chose a child to sponsor select from these gifts to make Christmas happy and exciting for that child.

How do I particpate?  Glad you asked!!!  Here’s the link to sign up…and thank you thank you for sharing love this Christmas season.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084BA8AD29A57-60331280-2025#/

Tucker Room

“Death Café” is an international movement based around open and honest conversations on death and dying. This upcoming Wednesday, we will divide into groups and share our personal experiences and responses to death and dying. Speaking openly and honestly about our fears, sorrows, concerns, and hopes is an important practice in preparing to “die well” when our time comes, and as we accompany others in their process as well.

Coming Home to Yourself: A Series on Storytelling, Theology, & Identity

Calendar info: October 7, 14, 21, 2025 | 7 PM – 8:30 PM | Palmer/Tucker Rooms 

Description: What does it mean to come home to yourself? What does Scripture say about knowing ourselves? Whose stories do we listen to, whose do we ignore, and whose are we called to get to know better? Coming Home to Yourself: A Series on Storytelling, Theology, & Identity explores these questions and more. Inspired by the work of the Southern New England Conference’s Becoming a Trans-Affirming Church Affinity Group, Coming Home to Yourself invites speakers from SpeakOUT Boston and First Congregational Church to vulnerably share their stories–and allow you to ask all the questions you didn’t know you wanted to ask. Listen to the stories of LGBTQIA+ folks, people of faith, and allies. Learn about sharing your life and spiritual stories authentically. Workshop your ideas with peers in a brave space. No registration needed. All are welcome. Financially sponsored by FCCW’s Justice Ministry. For more information, contact Rev. Maeve Hammond  or Kaye Nash. 

Session #1 (October 7): SpeakOUT Boston / Modeling Authentic Storytelling

Learn from the storytellers of SpeakOUT Boston as they model how to authentically tell your story and share the complexity of identity–gender, sexuality, and more. 

Session #2 (October 14): Rev. Maeve Hammond / God, Gender, & Sharing Your Spiritual Autobiography 

What does Scripture say about gender? Why do we gender God? Who started that, anyways? Where do we see examples of people telling their stories in the Bible? What is a spiritual autobiography? With all of this in mind, what is Maeve’s story, as a queer Christian? 

Session #3 (October 21): Kaye Nash / Journey to Becoming an Ally

When Kaye was faced with a difficult decision – to stick with the status quo or to step out – what did she do? How did one decision to choose Love lead her to a life of activism and allyship? How can you do the same?