Leicester First Congregational Church

Category: News

  • Search Committee – Important News Update to the Members of the Church

    More than a year and a half ago, members of this Church entrusted the Search Committe with the responsibility of prayerfully selecting a candidate for your approval.  Your requirements were that this candidate was an effective speaker, energetic, creative, have a positive and youthful outlook and obviously possess a strong religious belief.  We have looked at profiles in excess of 70 candidates.  We have conducted numerous interviews and have arranged to hear others preach.  We have selected Doreen Cullen Oughton as the candidate we feel meets all your requirements to be the minister of the First Congregational Church of Leicester.  Doreen will be with us on Sunday June 28th to conduct our church service and meet with the members of the Church.  Following the church service you will be asked to vote on the recommendation that Doreen become our new pastor. We ask that you take part in this exciting moment in our ministry and we believe that you will share with us the excitement we felt when we interviewed and listened to her.

    Thank you for placing your trust in us,

    Search Committe Memebers:

    Ron LaPointe, Jim Cathcart, Len Ivel, Marie Feeney, Ann Mulrain, Debbie Arsenault, Jackie Henderseon and Rhiannon Oris

  • Search Committee Update August 2008

    Your Search Committee would like to reassure everyone that we’ve been focused and hard at work! Since our formation in March, several meetings have been held and tasks have been completed on schedule.

    Our first goal was to send out the survey entitled “Leadership Expectations: Called Pastor.” By the June 8th deadline, we had received 23 surveys and results were tabulated. The committee would like to thank everyone who took the time to respond to this important survey.

    Our next task was to meet a deadline set by Rev. Peter Wells, our UCC area minister: he asked us to complete our church profile by early July. When an applicant is interested in our church, the profile is the document he/she will receive. It contains information about our town our congregation, church finances, qualities we want in a minister, etc. Even though creating the profile is challenging and labor intensive, we were able to complete it by the deadline.

    On July 31, the committee met with Rev. Wendy Vander Hart, Acting Associate Conference Minister at the UCC. She helped us “fine tune” our profile by making suggestions for improvement and asked for our “new and improved” version by August 8th.

    Our finished profile is now in the hands of the UCC and an abbreviated job description in currently posted on their website. Our next steps are to wait for interested applicants to forward their own profiles and then begin the interview process. We’ll keep you informed along the way!

    The Search Committee: Ron LaPointe chairperson, Jim Cathcart, Marie Feeney, Jackie Henderson, Len Ivel, Anne Mulrain, Rhiannon Orsi

  • Summer Dance Program

    The summer dance program, run by Alyson Avoglia, was held here in Russell Hall at the First Congregational Church. Sixteen local kids, ages 3-9, signed up for the 4-week program and participated in classes on Tuesday afternoons. Classes were jazz-style dance and students learned basic dance moves and fun routines.

    For more photos and info about the program, visit: www.summerdanceprogram.blogspot.com

  • Pastor Nan’s Farewell

    For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven.

    Dear Friends in Christ,

    Saying farewell is never an easy thing to do. When a minister interviews with a church he or she usually hears something within the interview process that sounds like a spiritual call to them. Within a few months after arrival the mission becomes clear. It is then that the true energy comes to the fore and the mission of the church truly begins.

    When I arrived here five years ago, it became apparent that the church needed the help of a minister who would stick with you for a while and help in the healing process that was left over from the past. To do that task meant that I sometimes had to do things that were not popular but things which had to be done I order to bring wholeness to the congregations. I know that those opening months were difficult but we all survived them.

    Secondly, the business of the church needed to be reorganized. That project took time because of the combining of the two congregations.

    Thirdly, we needed to change the by-laws to bring the two churches under one umbrella. We actually did come up with a set of by-laws for that purpose but they were not put in place because the Unitarians decided to go back to their own church.

    As time went on I began to feel that we also needed to have some discussions about our beliefs. Those discussions were quite lively and I believe they were good for both churches. We also undertook a self study which helped us to see the spiritual future the church in the light of our Christian faith and heritage.

    To our surprise last year the Unitarians decided to go back to their own church and their own faith. Even though there was disappointment about this, I feel that it has been good for both churches because each church now can worship the way that they feel is paramount to their own tradition. We still treasure our relationship over the years and hope the Unitarians are enjoying their own surroundings.

    Everything else was sheer fun beginning with Ann’s 90th birthday party at the parsonage. What a wonderful afternoon that was. Dressed in period costumes, we had lunch and celebrated with Ann even though she wasn’t feeling at the top of her game because she had caught her hand in the lawn mower. What a good sport she was! Luckily the hand healed and all was well.

    There have been many other events that are cherished in my memory. The outdoor Pageant, the all church pageant (seeing Ron La Pointe with angle wings on was a first, at least I think it was him), the bunny extravaganza, the several bible studies (a time when we came to know and love each other on a new level), all the wonderful dinners and fairs, serving at the hot dog stand, choir rehearsals, the 50’s dance, and the fun we had in October when we opened the parsonage for a gourmet dinner that was provided by our own gourmet cook, Wow!

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  • Have a Heart – Give a Blanket Drive

    A heartfelt thank you to all who contributed to the success of this year’s “Have a Heart – Give a Blanket” drive. Through your generosity we collected money for 161 blankets. A special thank you also to our friends and neighbors, the Unitarians, who donated 35 blankets towards the total.

    In Christian Love,
    Nancy Desautils

  • Church News April 2008

    A Search Committee has been formed to find out next settled minister. The people that will be serving on it were chosen by the Council after considering several factors – age, gender, interest in areas of the church that need attention, and most importantly, they are active members. We are pleased to announce the names of the Search Committee members: Marie Feeney, Jackie Henderson, Anne Mulrain, Ray Orsi, Jim Cathcart, Len Ivel, Ron LaPointe

    The Council has every confidence that they will work together for the good of our church. It is a commitment that requires a fair amount of their time and energy. Their initial meeting with Rev. Peter Wells, our area UCC minister, was on April 6th. Watch for monthly updates on their progress in your newsletter. And don’t forget to thank them for serving on this very important committee.