Fill out this Building Use Request Form
Requests may take up to two weeks to be reviewed by the Ministry Team and after review, you will be contacted by the Building Manager with the decision of the Ministry Team.
The Neighborhood Cooperative Nursery School (NCNS) is an independent preschool program for children ages 3-5. They are a parent-led cooperative preschool dedicated to helping each child develop in his or her unique way. They are located below the sanctuary.
Winchester School of Chinese Culture is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to teach the language and traditional culture of China through classroom instructions, the arts, and cultural events and to promote and engage in cultural exchanges and civic activities to develop and sustain community-school partnerships. They hold a weekly after-school program and an all day summer camp at our church.
Boy Scout Troop 503 has been sponsored by the First Congregational Church since 1903! They meet Tuesday evenings in Chidley Hall.
The Winchester Foundation for Educational Excellence (WFEE) headquarters is located on the 3rd floor. Since 1992 WFEE has provided private financial support to Winchester’s children in order to foster innovation and excellence in teaching and learning.
Family Action Network hosts a toddler playgroup on Fridays, 9:30-11:00 AM, in the Tucker Room. They follow the Winchester Public School’s calendar so they don’t meet during vacations, holidays, the Summer, or snow days.
NAMI: The National Alliance on Mental Illness hosts Family to Family Classes throughout the year. NAMI Family-to-Family is NAMI’s flagship education program for family members of people diagnosed with mental health conditions. This free, 8-week program is facilitated by trained volunteers who are family members, caring for their loved ones themselves. Most importantly, the class offers family members the invaluable opportunity of open conversation and mutual support in a stigma-free environment. Class participants, now more than 400,000 people nationwide, find that the Family-to-Family experience empowers them to understand and pursue paths toward healthy recovery for their loved ones, their families, and themselves.
The North Suburban Child & Family Resource Network (FRN) is a community-based family support and education program. Funding is provided by a Coordinated Family & Community Engagement (CFCE) Grant from the MA Department of Early Education and Care awarded to the Wakefield Public Schools. To participate, you need only be a parent of a child from birth through entering kindergarten, and live in Lynnfield, Malden, Melrose, North Reading, Reading, Stoneham, Wakefield, or Winchester. The FRN currently offers weekly playgroups in the Tucker Room on Tuesday mornings.
The Winchester ABC (A Better Chance) house is our neighbor, and uses our church hall for family dinners and special events.
Sounds of Grace is a hospice choir, started by member Lynne Rahmeier. Their mission is to provide beautiful music to those in hospice or palliative care in group or private homes and to draw singers from all faith traditions, ages, races, and experiences, thereby reaching out to the broader care community and encouraging dialogue about a caring and conscious approach to dying. They rehearse in the Tucker Room on Sundays from 4:00-5:30.
Temple Shir Tikvah is a warm, inclusive Reform Jewish community. We weave meaningful connections through learning, ritual, joyful singing, and social justice. They rent our parking lot for special services and use our Sanctuary for some holidays.
Chess Classes: International Master David Vigorito will be offering classes at the First Congressional Church Thursday afternoons beginning October 3, 2024. Both Beginner and Intermediate classes are available. David teaches at some local schools and would like to offer classes that are open to all students in Winchester and beyond. Classes are for grades 1-5. Space is limited! Full details can be found at https://www.vigoritochess.com/in-person-classes or you can reach David directly at dvigorito@msn.com.
Lotus Pond Painting Studio: Lotus Pond Painting Studio is a place that bring Children together to explore and enjoy the beauty of Art World. By providing different levels of art classes of drawing, painting and sculpting, kids learn diverse techniques and mediums through age appropriate projects. We combine Chinese tradition, culture and history into art classes. Contact Shuchi Zhang for more info. They use our classrooms on the weekends.
Tai Chi: Cecilia Wong, Ph.D. Cecilia has studied Tai Chi under Grandmaster Bow Sim Mark since 1979. She has extensive knowledge and experience in many Tai Chi forms including empty hand forms and weapon forms. She has taught both group and private classes for beginners as well as for advanced students since 1998. Currently, she is teaching Tai Chi at the First Congregational Church in Winchester. She received the Best Demonstration Prize in the 5th World Grand Wushu Festival, 2000 in Shanghai, China for her Tai Chi Sword. Cecilia is a founder and the president of Base-Two Investment System, a financial software company founded in 1984. She is also a founder and the president of yCantonese, a non-profit organization focusing on promoting Cantonese culture, in particular, Chinese classical poetry in Cantonese. Contact info: cwongb2@yahoo.com
Rockabye Beats: Rockabye Beats classes are fun for everyone to enjoy! We offer immersive music classes for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers where we sing, play, and explore instruments, dance, pretend, learn a little Spanish, and show off our goofy side. It’s a chance for children and parents to have fun, make new friends, and come together as a community to jump into the world of music! They hold classes in the Tucker Room on Tuesdays at 3:30.
Jenny Olsen: Jenny Olsen is a visual artist. Her main medium is oil. Jenny received her MFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 2022. She is a recipient of the Saint Botolph Club Foundation Emerging Artist award and grant in 2022, Mass MoCA Residency and Fellowship in 2022, and the “Best in Show” winner of CAA’s National Prize Show in 2015. Jenny has shown her work in many solo and group exhibitions. Studio visits by appointment. Email: jennyolsenart@gmail.com. Website: jennyolsen.com. Instagram: @Jenny.olsen.art