Watch the Service
Letter from the Pastor
Dear Friends,
You won't want to miss this Sunday at First Church! Join us for one service at 10:00 a.m. as we celebrate 15 years of ordained ministry for our Senior Pastor, Kate VanDerzee-Glidden!
Kate is a dedicated, compassionate pastor and a community-oriented leader who lives out her Christian faith as an example each day. It has been quite a journey from Director of Christian Education fresh out of college in 2003 to ordination in 2009 and now being the first female Senior Pastor in our congregation's 330-year history! Along the way, Kate has served faithfully and walked alongside us with passion, humility and wisdom. It hasn't always been easy, but God equips each of us for our work and ministry in the world.
In the Old Testament book of Esther, we read about a Jewish queen of Persia (modern day Iran), who was faced with her own challenges of leadership. Deliberating over her choices as she faced a possible death sentence for helping others, her cousin Mordecai counseled her, "perhaps you have been given a position of authority for a time such as this." Though these words were written thousands of years ago, they are still powerful today. They beckon us to consider what it is that we as individuals, and as a church community, might do to better the world, with whatever agency we have. We will be exploring these questions and more as a part of our service.
We hope you'll join us for worship on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. in the Meetinghouse or online, and then for cake and ice-cream in Schultz Hall!
Blessings for your weekend, and we can’t wait to see you on Sunday!
Kindly,
Pastor Andrew