Welcome to our church community!

Reverend Martha Leahy began her ministry at our church on July 1, 2008.  She is a 2007 graduate of Andover Newton Theological School with a Master of Divinity degree with a concentration on “The Public Church.”  In 2006 she was a founding board member of the Hugh Doyle Center in Newburyport, a collaboration of area service providers who sought to minister to the “hidden poor” in that city.  She is an active member of the Saugus Clergy Association, participating in ecumenical Thanksgiving and Lenten services, the Good Friday Walk at Breakhart Reservation, the Easter sunrise service at the Saugus Ironworks, and the Healing Prayer Events held at the Vineyard Church. She feels blessed to share in the Association’s collaborative response to the needs of homeless families temporarily living in Route 1 motels collecting food, clothing and other essentials for them.  Rev. Martha loves her ministry at First Congregational Church and is proud to be a member of the United Church of Christ.

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Pastor’s Newsletter
January 2012

Dear Friends,

The Feast of the Epiphany, celebrated Jan. 6, has mysterious origins.  Unlike Passover and Pentecost, it was not borrowed from Judaism, from which the majority of Christian festivals come.  It may have originated in Egypt, the place from which the “Magi from the east” traveled to pay homage to the baby Jesus in Bethlehem.  It may have originated from the miraculous baptism of Jesus, when “the Spirit of God descended like a dove and a voice from heaven was heard saying, ‘This is my Son with whom I am well pleased.’”  Or it may have come from the first miracle of Jesus, the wedding of Cana, when he turned the water into wine. 

Wherever or however these sacred events originated, they have one thing in common – they are each an “epiphany,” an appearance of the divine.  The Magi came west because the star showed them the way to the cradle of God’s son; God’s voice was heard baptizing Jesus for his ministry; and certainly, water does not become wine without divine intervention!

Do epiphanies happen today?  Are there times we recognize the divine among us? 

In our everyday life together as a church, God may appear among us in many ways.  Surprised?  Think of worship.  Has there been a time when you hear something in worship – a prayer, a song, a child’s response – that suddenly hits you like never before?  Think of Christmas.  Was your heart touched while you were shopping for an Angel Tree gift?  Think of fellowship.  Were the meaning of the scriptures suddenly opened to you during a Bible study here?  Is it possible that God was working in those moments to touch you with a bit of the Divine Holy Spirit?

What does it mean to us that God became human in the form of Jesus?  What does it matter to us and the world?  Jesus brought us a whole new way of looking at the divine.  He walked among us and along with us; he put his hands on us and healed us; he lived as a poor person, owning nothing, having no home to call his own. 

What kind of divinity is that?  The kind that loves to manifest itself to us, surprise us and want us to draw closer.  We have a God that comes to us in so many ways – by camel from the east, in the fluttery form of a white baptism dove, in the cup of wine drawn to celebrate a wedding.  God the Creator is always creating ways to reach us, not the least of which was Jesus Christ, the ultimate epiphany of God. 

In this new year, let’s take time to examine those seemingly ordinary experiences to perhaps discover how God is working among us.  One thing is for sure, when we are dealing with the Divine, anything is possible.  Thanks be to our great and mysterious God!

Epiphany Blessings,

Reverend Martha Leahy   

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Prayer Shawl Ministry and Bible Study Continues in 2012

Dear Friends,

During the four weeks of Advent the Prayer Shawl Ministry knitted, prayed and studied the Bible together discussing the birth stories of Jesus’ found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Our discussions were lively and thought provoking as we asked questions and shared stories of our experiences of God will reading the passages from scripture.

Beginning on Wednesday, January 4^th, at 10:00 a.m. the Prayer Shawl Ministry we will meet to knit, pray and continue our study as we focus on the Gospel of Matthew. During our time together we will look closely at the parables and the other teachings of Jesus.

A REMINDER - The Prayer Shawl Ministry is open to all - whether you knit our not. Come as you are! We will be meeting on the first and third Wednesdays of the month in Rev. Martha’s Office. If you have any questions, please contact Student Pastor Intern Kate Pinkham at katepinkham@gmail.com. 

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Kate Pinkham’s Ecclesiastical Council

 

At the November 2010 meeting of the Essex Association Church & Ministry Committee, we voted unanimously to approve Kate Pinkham for her Ecclesiastical Council.  This is the next-to-last step for Kate on her path to ordination to the ministry.  You are invited to join us at the Second Congregational Church in Beverly on Sunday, March 4, 2012 at 3 p.m. to support Kate as she fields questions on her ordination paper from all the delegates present.  If you want to come early and have refreshments, arrive at 2:30 p.m. 

 

We are very excited that our own Student Pastor Intern has come this far.  If you would like a copy of Kate’s ordination paper to read beforehand, please see me.  We wish Kate abundant blessings for a wonderful day on March 4!  Peace, Rev. Martha Leahy

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Looking for a daily devotional? Log on to http://i.ucc.org.

Sunday Sermons available for you online.

"The Search"_1-15-12
"Epiphany"-1-8-12
"Here is Your God"-12-4-11
"Keeping Watch"-11-27-11
"Reign of Christ"-11-20-11

Please feel free to contact me if you have a spiritual need or other questions: Rev. Martha Leahy