Poetry for Advent

Mental Health Awareness Sunday – May 19th May is Mental Health Awareness Month and, this year, we will raise awareness of mental health in the LGBTQ+ community, especially among LGBTQ+ youth. Our guest preacher will be Rev. Sean Witty, MTS, MS, a psychotherapist, pastor and musician. After studying music and sound recording as an undergraduate at the Berklee College of Music and the University of New Haven, he earned a Master of Theological Studies from Drew University, a Certificate in Youth and Theology from Princeton Seminary, and a Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling from UMass Boston. His work focuses on the intersection of spiritual practice and mental health while continuing to be active as a guitarist and singer-songwriter. He holds dual standing with the United Church of Christ and the American Baptist Church (USA) and serves on the Board of Directors of the Mental Health Network of the United Church of Christ and the Board of Directors of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy. He currently resides in Acton and serves as a Designated Term Pastor (part-time) at the Congregational Church of Harvard. There will be a forum in Hartman Hall immediately after the worship service to discuss how a better understanding of gender identity, pronouns, acronyms and terminology reduces mental health stressors and improves the well-being of LGBTQ+ individuals and their families. The Forum will be led Rev. Witty, Bree Dietly and Rev. França. All are welcome!

Join Us for a Special Service Led by the Senior High Youth Fellowship Join us on Sunday, May 12th to hear the brilliant, talented, and insightful voices of the next generation. We will have a special service with a few new twists on our regular Sunday! Ryan Harrison, the Interim Director of Youth Ministries, and the SHYFers (aka members of the Senior High School Fellowship) will be leading the service. We 'will find out more about SHYF, learn to Share the Peace "SHYF-style", and hear from many of our Youth Members during the service.

3 Helping Opportunities from Missions & Outreach

Join One of Our Impactful Caring Ministries

Join Us on May 5th to Help Combat Worldwide Hunger 

Good Friday Service and Concert March 29, 2024 at 7:30 pm

Maundy Thursday Service March 28, 2024 at 8:00 pm

Making Love Tangible, Palpable and Real by Giving

Fill the Sanctuary with flowers for the Easter Sunday services.

Introducing a New Lenten Sermon Series In the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy and declares, “Human beings shall not live by bread alone,” and yet, throughout his ministry, Jesus gathered with others to share a meal. He ate with religious leaders and quite a few shady characters too. Jesus fed a hungry crowd and told stories about inclusive banquets. After his resurrection, the Risen Christ was revealed in the breaking of bread, and he cooked breakfast for his closest friends on the beach. Jesus’ table manners often challenged the societal barriers of his day. It is not surprising that Jesus acquired quite a reputation! His detractors and critics accused him of being a “glutton and a drunkard.” The truth however is that Jesus understood the importance of food and table sharing to create community. Jesus knew that sitting down with others to eat and drink is one of most sacred ways to experience the transformative power of friendship, mutuality, solidarity, communal joy, love and even redemption. The Lenten Sermon Series this year is an invitation to all of us to reflect on the table sharing ministry of Jesus. As we engage with familiar table stories in the Gospels, we will meet Jesus again in those very human, very simple, very beautiful and very commonplace moments of mealtimes. Each Sunday will take us back to one of those sacred moments of table fellowship when Jesus brought all different kinds of people together to enjoy God’s blessings of food and each other’s company. At the same time, those ancient stories will encourage us to imitate Jesus and, in the same way that Jesus did it, share our time, attention and food with each other. There is a deep emotional and spiritual hunger for friendship and social connection in our world. We are living through an epidemic of loneliness in our country. People are hungry for a fuller life and thirsty for life-giving relationships. By remembering Jesus’ table sharing ministry, we will rediscover the importance of meals, fellowship and faith to connect us to one another and to God.

A Look Forward at the Music of the Lenten Season Once again, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the many musical riches which bless our church. Lent, Holy Week, Palm Sunday, and Easter will be full of beautiful music, which, it is hoped, will comfort and inspire this congregation. On Ash Wednesday, February 14, at 7:00 pm, we will have a quiet service in the sanctuary; Ellie will be our cantor. Each Wednesday evening at 6:30 pm in our area UCC churches, there will be a Lenten supper with sung Taizé music; ACC’s dates to host this event are February 21 and March 13; you can find out more in the Worship section, above.