Worship – We are the First Congregational Church in Winchester

Join Us This Week in Worship at 10 am in the Sanctuary (September, 20, 2026)

Sarah Marino — Thu, 17 Sep 2026 15:17:19 +0000

“Laborers in the Vineyard” from stained glass window in the back of our sanctuary

This Sunday in worship Jonah experiences the generosity of God and is none too pleased with it. And Jesus reveals something of the nature of God’s generosity in his parable of the laborers in the vineyard. Both stories speak to human hardheartedness in the face of divine grace. Join us on Sunday at 10am on-site in the sanctuary or on-line (we really do hope to have our livestream up and running this week!) for song, prayer, praise and worship.

Welcome Back Sunday: Jazz Band & Picnic

Sarah Marino — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 17:00:30 +0000

Join us on Sunday for the start of the program year at First Congregational Church! We return to the sanctuary after a summer of being in Ripley Chapel and we’ll do so with a festive worship service with our resident Jazz Band and the kids returning to Stepping Stones and a picnic afterwards to celebrate our coming back together after the summer. We will be livestreaming the service as well so join us in person or on-line at 10am.

Download the Bulletin Here: OOW 09-13-26.docx

Read Our Newsletter Here: 9/10/26

Sign up to Help with the Church Picnic

Sarah Marino — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 13:55:22 +0000

Come together with friends and church family for the annual fall church picnic, Sunday, September 13th! Enjoy laughter, connection, and a bouncy house for the kiddos! The church will provide sandwiches, salads, and water but we are asking folks to bring chips, watermelon, dessert or drinks to share. Not a cook? Consider signing up to help with setup, serving or cleanup instead! Sign Up to Help Here!

Calling All Ringers and Singers: Join the Choir (middle schoolers and up!!).

Sarah Marino — Thu, 03 Sep 2026 15:00:08 +0000

The choir is a place of belonging – a safe “small group” where we share our lives, our prayers, our challenges, and our joys, while working to create music that supports our faith. We also have tons of fun! It is my great privilege to walk the journey with so many of you. We have no attendance rules. No auditions. Just know that you are welcome.

Thursday evening rehearsals, 7:30 pm, Chancel. Sunday mornings, 9:15 am, Chancel.

Our first rehearsal? Thursday evening, September 10, 2026, 7:30 pm.

AND THIS FALL, we are offering a unique opportunity: an invitation to sing with the choir in an Open Choir rehearsal/worship service. Sunday, September 27 – 9:00 am on the chancel. ANYONE IS INVITED TO JOIN US, just for the morning or to try us out. We will rehearse, laugh, pray, and sing in worship that morning. If you have ever thought of joining the choir, this is the moment to give us a try. No commitment, no pressure. Just a fun and (hopefully) meaningful morning.

AND, if singing is not your thing, maybe ringing is! The Carilloneers are a wonderful group of dedicated folks, who love to bring the shimmer and sparkle of handbells to our worship services. Contact Jeffrey Mead (meadjeffreyc@gmail.com) if you are interested in participating.

Blessings,

Jane Ring Frank, Minister of Worship and the Arts

jane@fcc-winchester.org

Bibles4Kenya Collection Drive: Deadline, 9/13

Sarah Marino — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 14:16:44 +0000

Deadline, 9/13

If you haven’t already, please drop off Bibles you are no longer using in the clear donation bin in the church lobby. All of the donated Bibles will go towards Bibles4Kenya, a project that ships gently-used Bibles to congregations in Kenya that do not have access to new copies. We will close donations on Sunday, 9/13.

Join us on Sunday in for Worship

Sarah Marino — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 17:30:39 +0000

This Week in Worship

This Sunday, we will hear from one of our stellar high schoolers, Michaela Sansom! Michaela is a sophomore at Winchester High School, and she joined other FCCW volunteers on the service-learning trip to Pine Ridge Reservation. She also enjoys going to summer camp as well as playing the bass and cello.

Michaela will deliver a message called “Curiosity, the Environment, and Faith” on Exodus 3:1-4 and Matthew 18:1-5. In Michaela’s own words, “the general theme of the sermon in my planning has been about the value of curiosity, the urge to learn about things that are hard to understand, rather than responding with fear. My general plan is to reference Moses and the burning bush and how his curiosity surrounding the bush led him to God.”

We hope you can join us in grateful worship of our Creator this Sunday, in Ripley Chapel or via the YouTube recording following the service.

Join Us in Ripley for Worship at 10 am this Sunday (August 2, 2026)

Sarah Marino — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 17:52:02 +0000

This Sunday, our guest preacher is Betsy Goodell. Betsy and her husband, Jonathan, joined FCCW in 2017. She currently serves on the Diaconate, and she just wrapped up her nine-year leadership on the Outreach Ministry! Betsy is originally from Michigan but has been in the Northeast since college. She had a 36 year career at IBM, mostly in consulting and sales, and then retired to a much loved ‘encore career’ of ten years at a national nonprofit that prepares urban young adults for entry-level, career building corporate jobs. She is now into year 2 of retirement. Betsy has been married to Jonathan for 39 years and they joined FCCW when Jonathan retired as a UCC pastor. Jonathan and Betsy have three grown kids, 2 grandchildren with a third arriving next month, and a very active dog Bode.

Betsy will deliver a message on this theme: “God is everything for me – and that comes real only through encountering God honestly and frequently.” Genesis 32:22-31 will shape our worship service. We hope to see you in Ripley Chapel for a time of fellowship, music, prayers, and gratitude to our Creator God. We will start our hymn sing at 9:55 AM, and we will upload the recording of the worship service to our YouTube channel after Hospitality Hour.

Join Us in Ripley Chapel This Week for Worship (July 26, 2026)

Sarah Marino — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 14:59:57 +0000

Join us on Sunday for our summer worship series in Ripley Chapel at 10am. This week we have the pleasure of hearing Julianne Zimmerman preach on Matthew 25:31-35 – “what you do to others, you do unto me.” Within her reflection, she will share some of what she gained from her participation in the Service Learning Trip to Pine Ridge Reservation. Also, Carol Weir will provide special music and we’ll begin early (9:55 am or so), like we’ve done for the last two Sundays, with a hymn sing. We’re not livestreaming our summer service but we’ll record the service for later viewing.

Download the Worship Bulletin Here: Worship Outline 7-26-26.docx

Join Us for Worship This Sunday (July 19, 2026)

Sarah Marino — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 18:01:24 +0000

Join us on Sunday for summer worship in Ripley chapel at 10am. Sarah Gallop will be preaching on the story from Genesis 28 of Jacob’s Ladder and considering, through famous art depictions of the story, what our own ladders to God look like. We’ll begin again with a hymn-sing like last week so come with some hymns in mind you’d like to sing. This week we do hope to live stream the service and record it so we hope you’ll join us on-site or on-line. See you Sunday!

Download the Bulletin Here: Worship Outline 7-19-26.docx

This Week in Worship: Sunday, July 12, 2026

Sarah Marino — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 17:32:36 +0000

Martha and Mary – Luke 10:38-42 Mary, Martha, and Jesus JESUS MAFA. Martha and Mary, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN.

Join us on Sunday in Ripley Chapel for worship as Rev. Christiane Dutton leads us in reflecting on the Mary and Martha story. Martha offers the gift of hospitality. Mary offers the gift of her presence. Which gift is better? We’ll begin worship a little before 10am and have a “hymn sing” – you call out any of your favorite hymns and we’ll sing a couple of verses. We’ll either livestream the service or record it for viewing afterward. Keep your eye on your email for links.

We have one remaining spot for August 9 and we’d love for you to preach, Sign up here!!!