Holy Week Observances
2022-04-10 10:00 - 2022-04-13 11:30 (America/New_York)
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

Kids' Music Camp
2024-07-29 09:00 - 2024-08-02 12:00
Summer Music Camp – July 29 to August 2 – 9 a.m. to noon.
Come to the First Congregational Church of Wakefield Kid’s Music Camp July 29 – August 2, 2024, from 9am-12 noon for Grades 1 & up! There will be Music Training, Crafts, Games, Songs, Snacks and FUN! NO CHARGE.
Click to register – Music Camp Registration
Questions – Please email churchoffice@fccwakefieldnh.org or call the office at 603-522-3189.

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:

Quilt Raffle
2025-11-02 10:00 - 2025-11-15 13:00
The Parish Helpers annual raffle is a queen sized quilt pieced by Parish Helpers. It is called “Summer on the Pond” and is a beautiful mix of blues, greens and purple.
Tickets for the raffle are $5 each or 3 for $10 and can be purchased from any Parish Helper or at the Harvest Fair on November 15. The winner will be drawn at the end of the Fair.

Harvest Fair
2025-11-15 09:00 - 13:00 | FCCW, Wakefield Rd, Sanbornville , NH, United States
The Harvest Fair will be held on November 15 th from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. You will find crafters selling handmade items, Pies and Baked Goods, Gift Baskets, Jewelry, and Cookie Walk. Don’t miss the Penny Sale featuring many local business gift certificates! Something for everyone – a great opportunity to do some holiday shopping and support the church and its missions at the same time!

Lunch will be offered beginning at 11 a.m.

Also, come and see the Parish Helper’s queen size raffle quilt and get your tickets for a chance to win. The winning ticket will be drawn at the end of the Fair. Tickets are only $5 each or 3 for $10.

For more information, contact the church at 603-522-3189.

Candlelight Service
2025-12-24 18:00 - 19:00
All are welcome to join us for our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service on December 24th. FCCW is at 2718 Wakefield Road, across the street from the Wakefield Inn. We will also offer Zoom/ Facebook worship and you can find the links at our website homepage.

Souper Bowl Soup Sale
2026-02-07 11:00 - 13:00 | FCCW, Wakefield Rd, Sanbornville , NH, United States
Souper Bowl Soup Sale – 2026
Back by popular demand! Our Souper Bowl Soup Sale!
We are once again offering a wide variety of soup for take out! Soups must be pre-ordered and pre-paid and will be available for pickup at the church on Feb. 7 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Snow Date is Feb. 8, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.) Local home delivery can be arranged.
Choose from a wide selection of soups (see below) at a cost of $5 per 16-oz. container. Call Julie at 603-871-8066 or email her at julielouisekessler@gmail.com to place your order. Payment can be made by check made out to FCCW and mailed to FCCW Assistant Treasurer at 2718 Wakefield Road, Wakefield, NH 03872 or dropped in the mailbox attached to the church by the side entrance. You can also pay online through our website by going to http://www.fccwakefieldnh.org and look for the “Donate Button” on our homepage (on drop down menu – choose “Soup”.)
Consider donating a homemade soup to someone in need. Just let us know and we will arrange to deliver it.
There are limited quantities on some varieties, so act now! Deadline to order is February 2. For the complete list of soups with ingredients listed
go to: 2026 Soups
#1 Mixed Bean Soup with Kielbasa
#2 Black Eyed Peas and Sweet Potato
#3 Chicken pot pie soup
#4 Turkey & 4 Bean Chili
#5 Texas Chili
#6 Italian Wedding Soup
#7 Pea Soup w/ Ham
#8 Potato Cheddar Soup w/ Ham
#9 Country Chicken Chowder
#10 Sausage Stew w/ Spinach
#11 Stuffed Pepper Soup
#12 Stuffed Pepper Soup
#13 Baked Potato Soup
#14 Harvest Sweet Potato Soup
#15 Clam Chowder
#16 Chicken Noodle
#17 Meat Lover’s Chili
Vegetarian Options:
#1V Broccoli, Cauliflower Cheddar
#2V Butternut Squash Soup
#3V Carrot Ginger Soup
#4V Pea Soup
#5V Pumpkin Mushroom Soup
#6V Egg Drop Soup

Banjos, Bones and Ballards
2026-02-12 13:00 - 15:00
This program is possible through a grant from the NH Humanities and is free and open to the public.
The Parish Helpers of the First Congregational Church of Wakefield, UCC are pleased to present the program, “Banjos, Bones, and Ballards” on Thursday, February 12, at 1 p.m. at the church at 2718 Wakefield Road, (across from the Wakefield Inn), Wakefield, NH.
Traditional songs, rich in local history and a sense of place, present the latest news from the distant past. They help us to interpret present-day life with an understanding of the working people who built our country. Tavern songs, banjo tunes, 18th century New England hymns, sailor songs, and humorous stories about traditional singers and their songs highlight this informative program by Jeff Warner.
Jeff connects 21st century audiences with the music and everyday lives of 19th century people. He is a Folklorist and Community Scholar for the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts and a former State Arts Council Fellow. He has toured nationally for the Smithsonian Institution and has recorded for Flying Fish, Rounder Records, and other labels. Jeff is a founder of the Portsmouth Maritime Folk Festival.
For more information, please contact the church at 602-522-3189 or churchoffice@fccwakefieldnh.org.

Prayer Shawl Ministry - 3rd Tuesday
2026-02-17 10:00 - 23:30
Wakefield Community Prayer Shawl Ministry was started in 2010 and follows the model of Shawl Ministry started by Janet Bristow and Victoria Galo in 1998. We meet monthly to make shawls, bless completed shawls and share prayer concerns. The shawls are distributed to people celebrating joys or struggling with illness and loss.
The Prayer Shawl Ministry meets on the fourth Thursday of the month from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the Parish Helpers Room.
All are welcome! You need not be a member of the church to participate!

NEW! Evening Bible Study - 1st and 3rd Thursdays
2026-03-19 17:30 - 2026-04-23 18:30
Bible Study, led by our pastor, Rev. Dr. James L. Mills (Rev), will begin on January 22 at 5:30 p.m. and then going forward will meet on the first and third Thursday of each month.
The group will be using the book “Harper Collins Study Bible”.

The meetings will be at the church but may be via Zoom if the weather necessitates. You can sign up in advance, or just attend! For more information, contact Rev or Andrea at the church office at 603-522-3189.

Treasure Shop Open Wed. and Sat.
2026-05-23 09:00 - 2026-10-10 12:00
The Treasure Shop is open this season on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. until October 12 at the Old Town Hall, 2695 Wakefield Road in Wakefield, NH. It is located in the historic village of Wakefield Corner which is also home to the Wakefield Library, and the Wakefield Inn, and the First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ.
The Old Town Hall was built in 1837 and was used as the town hall until 1895 when the current town hall was built. The building was then leased to the Ladies Social Circle (now the Parish Helpers) of the First Congregational Church and it has been leased to them ever since. For many years it was used as a meeting place for the women’s group and for dinners, fairs, and events for the church and the town. In 1963, the Parish Helpers began having a Treasure Sale on Wednesday afternoons. Thus, the Treasure Shop came into existence. It has changed somewhat over the past 50+ years. They no longer sell clothing, and they don’t sell larger items, but they have just about everything else. You can find fine china and toys. Small appliances and yarn! There’s a large selection of used books, and there are curtains, jewelry, hardware and more! Something for everyone!
The Treasure Shop is the primary fundraiser for the Parish Helpers. From its beginning in 1857, the Parish Helpers has been contributing to the First Congregational Church which it calls home. Over the course of the last 160 years, the Parish Helpers has expanded its philanthropies and now donates to many other local and global charities as well.
Stop by this summer and see what treasures await you at the Treasure Shop! For more information about the First Congregational Church or the Parish Helpers, visit www.fccwakefieldnh.org or our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/FirstCongregationalChurchofWakefieldUCC/
