The First Church Return Task Force every week, working hard to plan and prepare for our ongoing efforts toward providing safe in-person worship. The team is carefully considering the health and well being of our people, the directives provided by the state and local authorities as well as your own level of comfort regarding larger faith-based gatherings. Below you’ll find a variety of resources and information helping us all navigate the best path forward.

Relevant Documents

*This is for any unaffiliated group wishing to use First Church as a meeting place.

A Note from Pastor Lisa

Beloved First Church Family –

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The prayers of the First Church staff continue to be with you all as we learn how to maneuver our world’s new circumstances and situations. We are dedicated to continuing to provide both online worship, children’s ministries, and meetings as well as to provide in-person ministry opportunities that adhere to the wisdom of health officials. As weather permits, we expect to use our outdoor spaces as much as possible and during inclement weather, we will design indoor ministries that will help to keep us as safe and healthy as possible.

With all this in mind, I celebrate that the church leadership has worked hard over these last few months to help us keep focused on our mission. Even as it is accomplished in different ways, we remain:

Devoted to Christ.

We continue to develop relevant and spirit-filled worship, both online and in-person. The Bible is still studied. The praises of God are still sung by the faithful. And the name of Jesus is still lifted up.

Connected to others.

Small groups meet via zoom – and some groups now face-to-face in outdoor settings. Staff gathers with church members via zoom. Church members and staff call to check in on church members. Youth meet and do activities.

Sent to serve.

Summoned2Serve still took place, packing and providing 100,000 meals to children. We will still partner with Coventry School to provide winter clothes and Christmas gifts and emergency food aid. We still provide monthly Saturday food trucks and weekly Friday food trucks. UMW and UMM still support missions. Stephen Ministers still provide caring ministries to those who are struggling. And we will hold a variation of community outreach events at Halloween and Christmas.

And may we use these days to find new ways to be in mission and service in the name of Jesus. We don’t have to be held back in a mindset that says, “because it’s not the same way, we cannot do ministry.” So let us forge ahead for the sake of Christ’s kingdom in the world! Let us remember that no matter what we are facing, we are still God’s people – we are salt and light – and we have a witness to make!