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Waitsfield United Church of Christ ...........4334 Main Street (Rte 100)
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Rev Nancy McHugh 496-9511
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What We Believe
We Believe in the triune of God
We Believe that each person is unique and valuable
We Believe that each person is on a spiritual journey
We Believe that the persistent search for God produces an authentic relationship with God
We Believe that all of the baptized "belong body and soul to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ¨
We Believe that all people of faith are invited to join Christ at Christ's table for the sacrament of Communion
We Believe the UCC is called to be a united and uniting church
We Believe that God calls us to be servants in the service of others
We Believe that the UCC is called to be a prophetic church
We Believe in the power of peace
We Believe in a God that is still speaking,
We are a people of possibility.
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Our History
The Waitsfield United Church of Christ is the newest name for a congregation which has worshipped and served in the Mad River Valley for over 200 years. The present building (built in 1875) is actually the third Congregational church built in Waitsfield. The first church was built up on the Common in 1807 and the second was located near the Mill Hill cemetery in 1845.
The present congregation has a second lineage- the Methodist Society which previously worshipped across the street. While the present church was under construction, the Congregational Church met in the Methodist Church. At one time there existed both a Methodist Episcopal and a Wesleyan Methodist society in Waitsfield.
The Methodists and Congregationalists formed a Federated Church from 1923 to 1998. The Methodist church was for a time the town hall and is now commercial space. In 1998, for both ecumenical and practical reasons, the Federated Church became the present Waitsfield United Church of Christ, continuing its affiliation with the state and national UCC denomination.
The WUCC church building honors much of its history. Major beams from the second congregational church on Mill Hill were used in the building. The bell in the present steeple used to ring from the Methodist steeple. Both historic features can be seen in a tour of the steeple.
The Church clock is actually the property of the Town of Waitsfield, with both clock faces driven from a central motor below the bell.
More information on the history of the church may be found in Richard M. Bisbee's History of the Waitsfield Congregational Church and Society, and Matt B. Jones’ History of Waitsfield.
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Church Programs
Sunday Worship 10:00 a.m.
Fellowship hour follows
Summer worship 9:00 a.m.
Church School during worship
During school year
Adult programs vary
Nursery care available during school year
Music
Four-part adult choir, rehearsals 7:00 pm Thursdays
Allen organ and Steinway piano
Mix of traditional, contemporary and gospel music
New voices welcome Occasional concerts
Special Services
Maundy Thursday & Easter
Anthem Sunday
Children's Sunday
Thanksgiving Eve Service
Christmas Eve Services
Annual Fundraisers
Town Meeting Luncheon
Spring Foliage Festival
Chicken Pie Supper
Christmas Wreath Sale
Holiday Bazaar and Craft Fair Voices Across the Valley Concert
(this is not an exhaustive list!)
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Who We Are Today
(You are what you eat. so the Chicken Pie Recipe is below)
The Waitsfield United Church of Christ is a vibrant and growing community of people who come together to worship and be in the presence of God. Our time together is spent educating ourselves and our children, singing and sharing, and giving of ourselves to our neighbors in our community and beyond.
Our UCC tradition draws on the Bible as a source of teaching for faith and daily life. Two sacraments are recognized- Baptism as the joining of the person into Christ’s Church by family and the congregation, and Communion as the sharing of our faith and lives.
The Waitsfield United Church of Christ participates in the Valley Council of Churches, with other churches in the Mad River Valley and belongs to the Washington Association of the Vermont Conference of the United Church of Christ.
Our local gifts to the Vermont Conference are distributed about 50% in Vermont and 50% through OCWM (Our Church's Wider Mission) to needy projects in the US and around the world. 6145 churches are affiliated with the United Church of Christ nationwide.
Several community groups utilize church space, including the Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Women, Infant & Children (WIC) and Habitat for Humanity.
The Waitsfield United Church of Christ has been a partner in the Vermont Department of Human Services Partners In Need (PINS) program, providing goods and household items to needy people in the community. The Church School is involved with the Heifer Project. We also sponsor several children in third-world countries, and support other charitable programs through our Mission Team.
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The famous Warner Sallman paintings of Jesus are controversial. The two which are prominent in our sanctuary were dedicated in memory of teacher Carolyn Kingsbury and provoked frequent discussion.
Waitsfield United Church of Christ
4335 Main Street
PO Box 16
Waitsfield, Vermont 05673
802.496.3065
waitsfieldchurch.com
Theme ministries - replacing Ministry of Spiritual Life in By-Laws:
INVITATION & WELCOME (EVANGELISM)
Ministry: Sharing the Good News with those outside the church. (evangel = "good news")
Purposes: Deepening people's relationship with God/Jesus, prompting them to serve their neighbors, and inviting them to take part in church.
Possible Result: Increased attendance and growth in numbers.
May Involve:
-Inviting people to attend our church (e.g. word of mouth, publicity, advertising)
-Welcoming visitors arriving on our doorstep (e.g. coffee hour, greeters, ushers, nametags)
-Showing hospitality in every way
-Following up with visitors -Brochure -Web SIte -Recordings of worship and concerts
MEMBERSHIP
Ministry: Building up our congregation as the body of Christ and keeping it healthy.
Purpose: To help each of us live out our faith and calling.
Possible Results: Increased attendance, growth in numbers, growth in spirit.
May Involve:
-Getting to know new-comers/visitors
-Preparing prospective new members for membership
-Incorporating/integrating new members into the congregation
-Staying in touch with church members
-Caring for church members (e.g. Called to Care)
-Engaging church members spiritually, intellectually, and morally
-Offering fellowship activities
-Offering adult study (e.g. Bible, book, topical, film, prayer)
-Leadership development (i.e. identifying people's gifts, affirming them, and equipping church members for leadership)
OUTREACH
Ministry: Reaching out beyond the walls of our church. (Mission = Latin missio = to send")
Purposes: Embodying the good news concretely through service to our community and beyond.
Possible Results: Healthier community and increased attendance.
May Involve:
-Serving our community (e.g. Food Shelf, Habitat)
-Offering programs of special interest or need to our community members
-Making our church building available for community groups
-Hosting special community-wide events/programs
-Serving others beyond our community (e.g. special offerings, work trip)
STEWARDSHIP
Ministry: Using every resource we been given (time, talents, treasure) in the service of God through our church's mission and ministries.
Purpose: Making our personal response to God's blessing tangible.
Possible Results: More energy within the church, increased commitment, and increased financial giving.
May Involve:
-Encouraging annual giving
-Seeking special gifts (cash, stock, etc.)
-Teaching people about planned giving (wills, etc.)
-Conducting a capital campaign
-Helping people discern their gifts and how these may be used in the ministry of the church
FUNDRAISING
Ministry: Every way we raise money aside from people's contributions.
Purpose: To support the church's mission and ministry.
Possible Results: More income and church publicity.
May Involve:
-Fundraisers
-Rents
-Fees for building use
CHURCH SCHOOL
Ministry: Supporting the church school program.
Purpose: To ensure that the church school program is healthy, strong, and vibrant.
Possible Results: Improved spiritual/educational experience for the children, increased church school attendance, increased adult attendance.
May Involve:
-Enlisting, training, and coordinating teachers
-Selecting curricula
-Creating new teaching materials
-Researching and experimenting with new approaches
-Ensuring that all needed materials are on hand
WORSHIP
Ministry: The group that plans, coordinates, and leads our worship.
Purpose: To keep our worship life meaningful, satisfying, God-focused, and Spirit-filled.
Possible Results: Enhancing our worship experience and increasing attendance.
May Involve:
-Planning worship services well in advance
-Locating and using new worship resources
-Reviewing and possibly changing our current worship structure
-Creating new worship services
-Ensuring that all the elements of worship (candles, flowers, communion cups, paraments) are set
-Enlisting, training, and coordinating lay worship leaders
-Evaluating and proposing changes to the worship space
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Voices Across the Valley Raised $1100 for WUCC and Habitat for Humanity. The next day, at Annual Meeting we approved a balanced budget.
Who's Who in the Church (partial list of leaders) Moderator.................................Vince Gauthier
Financial Secretary....................Di Gauthier
Clerk..........................................Peggy Stokes
Treasurer....................................Sandy Gallup Worship...........................Betsy Livingston
Member at Large........................Deb Burbank
Member at Large........Michele Dejong Kaiser
Member at Large..................Anne Wallis Bull
Member at Large....................Carol Milkuhn Facilities............................Drew Cunningham
Christian Education...................Jolyn Joslin
Auditor......................................Gary Livingston
Trustee of Investment Funds..... Susan Roy, Vince Gauthier,
Doug Graham Washington Assoc. Delegates......... ...Dorothy and Stanley Peck
VT Conf UCC Delegates....Peggy Stokes
Historian..................................Anne Wallis Bull
Uniter Editor........................................Deb Burbank
Pastor...................................... Rev Nancy McHugh . . Recent Pastors and Affiliation: rough dates- I need to research these.
For details and deeper info see Richard Bisbee's History of the Waitsfield Congregational Church, a thin blue comb-bound volume.
Paul Martz 1980-1990 UCC
Don Kokomoor 1993 Methodist interim
Jim Boudreau 1993-1996 Methodist (former Salvation Army)
Connie Coughlin 1996-1997 UCC interim
Jonathan New 1998-2005 UCC Steve Burt 2006-2007 UCC
From 1923-1997 we were a federated church, UMC and UCC,
and we alternated ministers. To simplify administration, etc., we dropped our UMC affiliation, but retained the parsonage across from the church which had been UMC. The old UMC church is the quilt shop down the street, and the 1895 bell from that church is in our steeple.
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One of Angelika's lovely quilts for raffle. We have lots of hookers too, so when will we raffle a rug? Time for change?
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