Our June 29 worship service is available online
- publications97
- Jun 29
- 2 min read
Summer worship schedule: One service at 9:00 a.m.
Summer Church School and childcare continue to be available.
Worship Leaders: Andrew Wicks, Kate VanDerzee-Glidden
Music: Cheryl Gaudette, Singer/Songwriter; Nicole Struth; Jim Barry, Guest Organist
HEA Representative: Mitsey Baker
Church Leaders: Leslie Donovan, John McNab, Dan Martin
Dear Friends,
In my 22 years at First Church, I’ve seen lots of changes in our community. We’ve welcomed babies and new members, buried our friends, bid farewell to our neighbors and said goodbye to beloved staff members. Our staff plays a vital role in creating and sustaining our amazing church, and it's hard to say goodbye.
This Sunday will be Andrew's last one with us. We will miss him and are grateful for the gifts he has shared with us over the last 14 years - his presence, faith, passion and care. While our mutual love and affection will remain, the professional relationship of pastor and parishioner will end when we participate in the Liturgy of Release on Sunday morning. This is an important step of acknowledging how important we have been to each other and officially releasing Andrew from his pastoral duties so he can go and serve in his new church community. As sad as it is, Andrew will no longer be our pastor, and we must honor that. Andrew and his family will continue to live in Glastonbury so you may run into him in town, and as Andrew wrote in his resignation letter to the congregation, "It is important for you to know when we do run into each other, professional ethics around pastoring require that I remove myself from the ongoing ministries of our congregation. This means that even though I love you all deeply, after June 30, I will not be able to provide pastoral services or comment on the many exciting things happening at First Church."
We hope you will worship with us this Sunday at 9:00 a.m. in the Meetinghouse or online. After the service, we will have a reception in Schultz Hall. We continue to offer childcare and Church School throughout the summer.
The bulletin, large print bulletin and announcement slides are available on our website. You can watch any of our livestreamed or recorded services on our YouTube channel.
Saying goodbye can be sad, but it also gives us a chance to say thank you and show our gratitude. We are grateful for the ways Andrew has led, shaped and loved our community. And we are thankful for our beloved First Church where we pray, sing and serve together in the name of creating a more just, compassionate and hope-filled world. People come and go and time moves on, and despite the changes, we will continue to share love in our congregation and the world. ❤️
Blessings and love,
Kate
Our First Church family of faith enjoys worshipping together, and we hope you will join us! On summer Sundays our worship services are at 9:00 am in the Meetinghouse and livestreamed (and are also available for viewing later).
