First Congregational Church of Wakefield UCC

Clothing Collection
2020-10-05 15:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)

Ash Wednesday Zoom Service
2021-02-17 18:00 - 19:00
Pastor Dr. Tere and Father Dave DeSalvo of St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church will join in worship with our congregations via Zoom on Ash Wednesday, February 17 at 6 p.m. If you are not already on our emailing list, please contact Julie M at churchoffice@fccwakefieldnh.org to received a Zoom invitation.

Lenten Zoom Faith Formation Study
2021-04-06 12:00 - 13:00
A Very Different Lenten Study
Our Lenten Faith Formation study will begin the first Tuesday in Lent (February 23rd). This study will focus on a different type of devotional entitled “The Art of Lent” by Sister Wendy Beckett. During this study we will look at a wide variety of paintings – ancient and modern, sacred and secular, familiar and unfamiliar. Sister Wendy presents us with a painting and brief reflection for every day of Lent;
You don’t have to have a degree in art history (in fact, it’s preferable that you don’t!). We’re all invited to look at paintings in a very different way – one where the act of seeing slows us down, and invites us to prayer, to pay attention to the moment, to pause and reflect and make sense of our own relationship with the world around us.
Please consider joining us for this most intriguing Lenten zoom study! The book can be purchased through Amazon.com at a price of $14.59 in print or KIndle ebook at $6.99. For those of you who just want to attend on occasion and/or not purchase your own copy, know that each piece of artwork will be shared on the zoom session. Let Julie Kessler know if you’re interested in attending (julielouisekessler@gmail.com or 603-871-8066).
Please contact Julie Kessler if you’re interested.
(julielouisekessler@gmail.com or 603-871-8066)

Racial Justice Zoom Discussion Group
2021-05-06 16:30 - 17:30
Racial Justice
What is Racial Justice, you might ask. Didn’t we already address that with the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950’s and 60’s? Wasn’t that laid to rest with the Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.? What do you mean by “Black Lives Matter” don’t All Lives Matter? Jesus would have said, “Yes, all lives do matter”. But He did not reach out to all lives. His Disciples were common laborers and fishermen, not rulers or religious leaders who held positions of wealth and power. His followers were tax collectors and prostitutes. These were the marginalized people that Jesus knew needed His teachings, healings, and love. They were the Black Lives Matter people of the first century.
Christ “came that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly”, John 10:10. In our society those who are living abundantly are predominately White. Economic resources, education, housing, medical coverage, and many other societal opportunities are not always accessible for people of color (POC). Generations upon generations have left POC out of the collective American pie.
Our Racial Justice Discussion group meets the first Thursday of every month at 4:30 via Zoom (except in January we meet on the 14th). We talk about books, podcasts, music, movies, news articles and any other resources we encounter concerning Racial Justice. We are learning how to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. Questioning our status in society and opening our eyes to the realities faced by POC can be a little uncomfortable. There isn’t any guilt or blame tossed around, only awareness and understanding. People join our monthly meetings when time allows. If you can’t make it on the 14th, I will still send you the zoom link and maybe you can make February’s meeting. If this interests you, please email me at dvackerman@gmail.com and I’ll add you to the group.

Book Launch and Reception
2021-08-07 13:00 - 15:00
The Villages of Wakefield are extremely fortunate to have Titia Bozuwa as its resident author. Her newest book is a wonderful compilation of what she calls “vignettes” titled, Our Tree A Conversation with Gijs. Titia’s ability to share her own love, loss and laughter allows for the reader to venture into a world that all could someday find relatable. Join friends and family as they celebrate the publication of this heartfelt book on Saturday August 7th at 1:00 at the First Congregational Church of Wakefield, 2718 Wakefield Rd, Sanbornville. There will be limited seating, so reservations are required. Please RSVP to (603) 522-3189. Following the presentation, a reception will be held across the street from the church, at the Twin Farms Estate where Titia will be happy to sign your new purchase. All proceeds, $15 per copy, will be donated to the benefit of your choice, either the Endowment Fund for the First Congregational Church of Wakefield or the Gafney Library in Sanbornville.

Celebration 235
2021-09-25 14:00 - 16:30
Celebration 235, marking 235 years as a settled church in Wakefield, will take place on Saturday, September 25 and Sunday, September 26. There is a lot to celebrate and we will do so observing safe protocols for all by requiring masks be worn and social distanced seating. The concerts are free and open to the public. Please call CLA Andrea at the church office – 522-3189 – Monday through Friday from 9 to 3 to reserve your seats.
Come and be inspired
Saturday (9/25) Free Handbell Concerts (1/2 hr. each) at 2:00, 3:00 and 4:00 p.m.
Sunday (9/26) Celebration Worship Service at 10:00 a.m. — the service will be rich with surprises!

Treasure Shop Last Day
2021-10-09 09:00 - 13:00
Last day to find your Treasures until next summer!

Candlelight Service
2021-12-24 16:00 - 17:00

Prepared to Serve
2022-02-08
Prepared to Serve 2022 is presented by the NH Conference UCC and will be held as an online event from February 8 – 17.
Workshop Information:
Download the event brochure to learn more.
Registration:
Registration is open! Visit https://cvent.me/YdeNld to register now.
Exhibitors:
This year we are inviting the Mission Groups of each Conference Ministry as well as Conference partners to share a one-minute video about their work or organization. Please plan to submit this video no later than February 1st.
Exhibitor videos will be posted on this website page for viewing.
Exhibitor Video Instructions:
Recordings are best done in a landscape orientation. (otherwise, they often present with black bars on either side of the recording). MP4 files are the easiest for us to work with, but we can accept other formats with advanced notice of what file type you plan to submit.
When you are ready to submit your video, please contact Ann Desrochers, adesrochers@nhcucc.org for instructions on how and where to upload the file.

Holy Week Observances
2022-04-10 10:00 - 2022-04-13 11:30
Easter Week begins with our Palm Sunday Worship with the distribution of palms. We commemorate Jesus entering into Jerusalem and being greeted by the people waving palm branches. It is a reminder of the welcoming of Jesus into our hearts and of our willingness to follow him.
On Maundy Thursday, we commemorate the day on which Jesus Christ shared the Last Supper with his 12 apostles prior to his crucifixion. Jesus is believed to have washed the disciples’ feet before the meal in order to demonstrate the importance of serving others. We will celebrate this Last Supper with Communion and hear selections of the passion story that led to the Shadow of the Cross. This service is at 7 p.m. is completed in the dark.
In commemoration of the crucifixion of Jesus, we are offering our sanctuary on Good Friday for a Prayer Vigil to all who wish to come and sit silently, pray, meditate, reflect. The church will be open from 12 to 3:30. We will offer several short selections if you choose to read. Spend as much time as you wish.

Lenten Faith Formation
2022-04-19 12:00 - 13:00
LENT Faith Formation Option: Tuesday Faith Formation Class –
On March 8th, we will begin our weekly Lenten walk using the Lenten study entitled “Wild Hope: Stories for Lent from the Vanishing” by Gayle Boss. This is the same author that gave us our Advent study (“All Creation Waits”) – a study that was both profound and beautifully written.
A synopsis of this study: Pangolins and polar bears, olms, lemurs, and leopards. We share this beautiful blue-green globe with creatures magnificent, delicate, intricate—and now vanishing at a faster rate than at any other time in Earth’s history. Spend Lent with twenty-five of these wild ones. Vivid descriptions of their lives will fill readers with wonder—and grief at what they suffer on a planet shaped by human choices. Their stories thaw our stiff hearts and wake us to greater compassion—which is what Lent, meaning “springtime,” has always been for. These stories also wake in us a wild hope that from all this death and ruin, something new could rise. The promise of Lent is that something new will rise. In fact, as these stories also attest, our hope, though wild, is not impossible and is already loose in the world.
Our class will meet via Zoom every Tuesday at noon. Please contact Julie Kessler (julielouisekessler@gmail.com or 603-871-8066) if you’re interested in attending.

Team Synergy Meeting
2022-04-23 10:00 - 11:30

Spirit Discovery Group
2022-05-10 15:30 - 16:30
Have you wanted to go deeper in your spiritual life-–find some additional spiritual tools? Do you want to learn some ways which can help us to clear space inside for discernment and listen to the Holy Spirit. This is what we are doing in the Spirit Discovery Group. Please feel free to come join us!

Heart Saver CPR Course
2022-06-11 09:00 - 11:30

Rebecca Rule - Moved and Seconded, NH Town Meeting
2022-10-13 13:00 - 15:00
Great News! NH writer and humorist, Rebecca Rule, is coming back to Wakefield for a free open-to-the public program on October 13 at 1 p.m. in our church sanctuary. Rebecca Rule hosted the New Hampshire Authors Series for ten years on NHPBS and now hosts Our Hometown on NHPBS. She’s been telling stories in New England, especially NH, for more than thirty years. She hasn’t visited every town in the Granite State, but has found her way to many of them — speaking at libraries, historical societies, church groups, and charitable organizations. She likes collecting stories because “they’re free and you don’t have to dust them.”

Drawing on research from her book, Moved and Seconded: Town Meeting in New Hampshire, the Present, the Past, and the Future, Rebecca Rule regales audiences with stories of the rituals, traditions, and history of town meeting, including the perennial characters, the literature, the humor, and the wisdom of this uniquely New England institution.

This program is being provided to us by New Hampshire Humanities. We hope you will join us for the program which will be followed by refreshments in the church hall.

Halloween Pancake Breakfast
2022-10-29 08:00 - 11:00

Stress and Anxiety Relief Class - Weekly on Friday
2022-11-04 18:00 - 2022-11-18 18:00
Does it feel like stress & anxiety put your life on hold? You are not alone. For most people, stress & anxiety seem like normal, natural parts of life. What if what’s naturally built into the human system, is peace of mind? And what if a simple, logical understanding could help you say goodbye to stress and anxiety for good?
Patti Schmoock is offering a FREE 4-week exploration
into the nature of stress & anxiety and discover the peace of mind that is your birthright!
Classes will be held on 10/28, 11/4, 11/11 & 11/18 at 6:00 PM in the Parish Helper’s Room. Please contact Patti with questions at pschmoock@gmail.com

Christmas Bazaar - Saturdays and Sundays
2022-11-27 11:00 - 2022-12-17 13:00

About Hospice
2023-09-18 09:30 - 11:00

Blue Christmas Service
2023-12-19 08:00 - 17:00
Tuesday, December 19— Blue Christmas Service, 7:00 p.m.
A service holding the grief, sadness and despair of the world in this season. Done in Partnership with St. John’s Episcopal Church at FCCW.

Maundy Thursday Service
2024-03-28 19:00 - 20:00
On Holy Thursday- Maundy Thursday come witness the emotional movement from light to dark as we recall the final new commandment Jesus gave to his followers at his final Passover meal: “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” (John 13:34 NRSV) As a community, let us experience the darkness of death on Thursday, March 28 th at 7 pm while residing in the foreshadow of hope.

Scrabble Group - First Wednesday
2024-04-03 13:00 - 2024-09-04 15:00

Giving Tuesday
2024-12-03
Alternative Gift Giving

If you are looking for a gift for the person who has everything, consider donating to charity in their name. You can donate to Local and Global options spaning from the Wakefield Community to Zimbabwe.

LOCAL PROGRAM
The Feddern Diaconate Discretionary Fund provides temporary emergency assistance to individuals and families in need within our church and within the community.
GLOBAL
Heifer International provides livestock and training to individuals or families in need to increase income, food security, and nutrition with a pass-it-on philosophy. Each person who receives an animal passes on the first offspring to another person/family in need. You can purchase shares of goats, chickens, pigs, rabbits, llamas, buffaloes, heifers and other animals.
ZIMBABWE MISSION PROJECTS (www.projectsz.org)
FOOT/PKZ Child Sponsorship . Sponsorship provides school fees, uniforms, shoes, food, and school supplies to the children most in need. Sponsorship makes education a reality.
Girls Empowerment Sanitary Pad Program
Girls miss one week of school per month due to lack of sanitary supplies. This gift provides washable, reusable, sanitary pads which provide girls with a sense of dignity and empowerment.
Food for Children at the Daisy Dube Home This program provides protein (soya chunks, fish, meat, eggs, peanut butter), vegetables and other everyday staples to combat malnutrition.
Download the form below and mail in or click on “Donate” on our homepage.

2024 Alternative Gift Program

Christmas Caroling
2024-12-21 15:30 - 18:00
Let us gather on December 21st (storm date on the 22nd) to sing carols and make merry! There are neighbors in our town who could use a bit of Christmas cheer, so let us carry a song to them. We will:
* gather at the church at 3:30PM and pack into 3 or more cars.
* drive to 4-6 homes, sing 3-4 carols, and ring jingle bells.
* return to the church to enjoy pizza, cookies, hot chocolate or cider, and perhaps more singing!
Yours in Christ,
Gloria Ballinger, gcballinger@gmail.com

Dining With Friends
2025-01-22 18:00 - 20:00
Dining with Friends
The Men’s Fellowship Group is coordinating another dinner party. We would love it if you could join us, everyone is welcome. This time we are planning to go to the Lodge at Moose Mountain Recreation. We have reservations for 6:00 pm, on January 15th. George Ackerman is coordinating the event, so you need to call to let him know that you plan on attending. The Lodge will have their full menu, but they are requesting that you select your meal choice ahead of time. The full menu can be found here
Menu Page 1 – img005
Menu Page 2 – img006
It would be most convenient if you let George know your food choice at the time you reserve your space, or it can be done at a later time. However, space is limited, so plan on attending. Check out the menu and contact George. He will call you in early January if you haven’t already given him your selection. If you want opinions about the food choices, the guys have pretty much tried everything on the menu, so just ask one of them.
If we have snow on the ground, you can come early and do a little tubing to build up your appetites. They hope to have the rope tow open when and if we get snow this year. If you want to watch folks slide, the bar will be open at that time too.
Peace,
George Ackerman 603 651 6331

Lenten Faith Formation - Weekly on Tuesdays
2025-03-05 12:00 - 2025-06-03 13:00
Please consider joining us as we walk through Lent using the SALT Lenten Study – Lift Up Your Voice: Singing through Lent and Easter. A description follows:

All of creation,” wrote St. Hildegard of Bingen, “is a song of praise to God” – a swirling symphony all around us.
So for this year’s 40-day Lenten journey, why not take the Christian musical treasury as your guide, classic hymns and sacred songs bringing together big ideas and beautiful melodies?
In this devotional, each week, reflections on biblical texts and beloved music inspire practices you can try yourself, with your family or friends, or with your congregation. As the days lengthen, the birds will sing – and so will we, joining in with creation’s symphony of sorrow and joy, death and new life. Lift up your voice!

This study will start on March 4th (the day before Ash Wednesday). We meet every Tuesday at noon as a hybrid class (both in-person and on zoom). We will use the time to discuss the readings for that week, along with listening (and perhaps even singing!) some of the songs that are presented in this study.

Our class will run for an hour (or so) and will be followed by a sharing of thoughts on the Stillspeaking Lenten Devotional – Into the Deep.

As Mary Luti writes in the introduction, “God inhabits the depths of life, love, loss, ecstasy, and pain, God dwells in the profundities of prayer, in sighs too deep for words. God loves the deep.”
What courage, what faith, what reckoning, what wonder might find us as we go deep into God’s depths this Lent?

If you’re interested in joining us on this Lenten path, please reach out to Julie Kessler (julielouisekessler@gmail.com or 603-871-8066)

Adult Faith Formation - Weekly on Tuesdays
2025-06-17 12:00 - 2025-06-24 13:00
Beginning Tuesday, June 3rd, we will start a new class based on the poetry of Mary Oliver using the SALT devotional entitled: Summer Days. This class will consist of four sessions taking us through June. Description follows:

… summertime taps into the deep, ancient practice of rest and restoration, echoing the joyful, sacred rhythms of sabbath.
Mary Oliver’s poetry can help us connect with this dimension of the season, savoring its delights, valuing its treasures, and reveling in what she calls summer’s “luminous sprawl of gifts.” Think of that sprawl as a sabbath for the year as a whole: not the resurrections of spring or the harvests of autumn, but the joyful, restful moments in between. Moments we all are made for.

At each of the four steps, you’ll find a gentle rhythm to guide you: the lighting of a candle, a passage from Scripture to pair with poems in Oliver’s Devotions, a short prayer, and a song or two. Each step also includes a bouquet of “daily practices” to try, activities to help deepen your experience of the poems, the biblical passages, and the wider world they call us to love.

You will be supplied with a Summer Days booklet and copies of the poems being used. Just let Julie Kessler know if you’re interested in participating – or if you want copies even if you can’t join us. (603-871-8066 or julielouisekessler@gmail.com)

Class meets every Tuesday at 12:00 in the Parish Helper room. We also have a Zoom option if you’d prefer to participate remotely.

Yard Sale
2025-08-23 08:00 - 13:00
Annual Yard Sale – August 23, 2025 – 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Members of the local community who may wish to join us with a table for their yard sale items may contact Margie Galabrun (balchlaker@gmail.com) for information.
Come for the bargains! Come for the food! Come for the fun!

Bake Sale Bliss – Homemade sweet treats!
Grilled Burgers & Dogs – Served with a smile!
Cool Stuff Boutique – Unique finds you won’t see anywhere else.
Clothing Deals – Stylish steals for all ages.
Household Items & More – Bargains you just can’t resist!
Shop. Eat. Smile. Repeat.

Celebration Sunday
2025-09-07 11:00 - 13:00
***Update –Celebration will be held in the Fellowship Hall due to inclement weather.**

Clothing, Soft Goods and More Collection
2025-09-13 10:00 - 2025-09-28 12:00
It’s Collection Time!
Drop off your bagged and boxed donations at the church. Various times – see info below. Clothing of all kinds, soft household items such as bedding, towels, etc. regardless of condition are also acceptable. And shoes, purses. Also now collecting boxed books, CDs and DVDs. Please bag your items in plastic bags and securely tie them. (13-gallon kitchen bags work very well.)
Donation drop off days and times are:
