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First Congregational Church
of Ashfield
Creating Community, Welcoming All
Blueberry Picking for the Food Pantry We are hoping to deliver 30-40 pints of blueberries to the Food Pantry each of the next two distribution dates - July 23rd and August 6th. To achieve that goal we need three things to align: a sufficient quantity of ripe berries, some volunteer pickers and a reduction in the population of berry-ravenous birds, especially cedar waxwings. We are planning to pick on the two days before each date, so Sunday and Monday, and also Tuesday morning. (To be exact: July 21, 22 & 23 and then August 4,5 & 6.) So, if you like picking berries and have some time any of those days, we’d very much appreciate your help. Ten pickers picking two quarts each would get us to 40 pints. To make sure we don’t waste anyone’s time, please email ([email protected]) or give us a call (413-628-3980) and leave a message with your contact info so we can get things organized. Many thanks, Charlotte and Sam Professional Dancer Seeks Youth for Summer Workshop From August 5-9, Mikayla Archambeau will conduct a five day workshop for youth ages 5-20 entitled “Music and Motion: Exploring Emotions Through Dance and Music.” The workshop is offered through a grant from the First Congregational Church’s Young Voices: Listening to Our Youth initiative and will be held at the church on Main Street, Ashfield. “Rhythm, locomotion, harmony, space/direction/force. Those are the foundations of music and movement,” said Archambeau. “We’ll spend five days exploring those elements, then we will put them all together in a short piece to present to the community. This will be a fun and creative experience for all who participate. Sound and movement are our most fundamental ways of engaging with and expressing our deepest emotions, and I look forward to encouraging young people in the hilltowns to explore these mediums. And because of the church’s grant, I am able to offer it at no cost to anyone.” Archambeau, Director of the Amherst Ballet, is a former professional dancer, and music and dance educator. Her experience includes training in modern dance, Flamenco, and classical ballet, among others. She also plays the violin. She lives in Conway, and with her partner Geoffrey Archambeau, founded Conway Fine Arts. “Music and Motion” will take place, free of charge, at First Congregational Church from August 5-9, 2024, 9-4 pm. To register contact [email protected] or call 413-369-4048. Young Voices is funded by grants from the church’s Mission and Social Justice Committee and by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts. Ashfield Churches Together Seek to Raise $1,000 for World Central Kitchen Thanks for helping us surpass our goal of $1000!!! DONATE! Use this link to make a donation through our ACT team effort: https://donate.wck.org/ashfieldchurchestogether. The Food Pantry Garden is getting started again!
The Food Pantry Garden is back up and running. If you’d like to help, email Sam Perkins sampriceperk at gmail.com The Food Pantry Garden is a collaboration among Bug Hill Farm, Hilltown Churches' Food Pantry, and First Congregational Church. Funded in part by the Mary Lyon Foundation. |
What distinguishes the human animal is the extraordinary new way it has found of living with its kind. What binds the human species together, and what is thus necessary for its flourishing, is not just kinship, [...] but friendship. Friendship is more than people wishing well to other people. It involves what Aquinas calls communicatio, sharing, and the New Testament calls koinonia, sharing a common life. Friendship is a matter of being with others.” — Herbert McCabe
OF NOTE:
IN PERSON & ZOOM WORSHIP First Congregational Church continues in-person Sunday services at 10AM, masks optional. Join the Sunday Zoom service here.
Meeting ID: 878 8863 1016 Find previous recordings here.
♫ Thanks for a great year of singing! ♫
COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD
Hilltown Churches Food Pantry Distributions: Tuesdays, 3-5 July 9, July 23, August 6, August 20 Young Voices Speak Out About the Climate Crisis View a Zoom recording of this event from June 3, 2023 here.
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Creating Community, Welcoming All
Welcome
“Creating Community, Welcoming All” -- Those words sum up our aspirations for our Ashfield church. For over 250 years, we have been group of people who strive to know God — in each other, in our life together, in the wider community, and in ourselves. Read more. |
Worship
First Congregational Church of Ashfield is offering both in-person worship services and on-line access for those who wish to connect virtually. To receive information about online services, contact [email protected]. Read more. |
Spiritual Resources
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