We call it spiritual ‘practice,’ because we’re not perfect at it. We call it faith, because it’s not a certainty. Here are some of the ways we work on our inner lives, our trust in God and our living-out of the teachings of Jesus, together.

Small Groups

We have a number of small groups, open to all, to help people connect with new friends and deepen the quality of their spiritual practice and their relationship with God. In small groups, we learn to be real. We learn to serve and be served, to love and be loved. We learn how God moves, and we support each others’ abilities to notice the movement of God. If you don’t a small group that fits, or you have a burning desire to start a new small group, you can speak to the pastors about starting one!

• New Old Fashioned Bible Study is exactly what it sounds like: a weekly study in the scriptures, Old Testament (Hebrew Scriptures) and New Testament (Gospels and Letters) to gain wisdom and insight into the historical meanings of our ancient holy texts, and their meanings for our lives, today. NOFBS assumes no prior knowledge of the Bible, and meets people where they’re at.
• The Imponderables Pub Night. War–what’s it good for? What is the relationship between Science and Faith? When does human life begin? Every so often, we gather at a local pub and we focus on one current event or issue of moral significance, and duke it out, lovingly. We look to scripture, Christian tradition as well as our own consciences and experiences for practical answers to life’s big questions.
• Compassionate Caregivers are members and friends trained in the art of keeping elderly people and others company. They visit, bring sweets, occasionally give rides to church or to the doctor, traveling in pairs as did the early disciples of Jesus.
• Rooftop People gather as people in caregiving professions and roles (teachers, therapists, health care workers, ministers and others) to look closely at the Bible’s stories and into our own experiences for insights into the work that we do. We support and pray for one another and theologically reflect on our difficult “cases” to gain wisdom and liberation from the stress of carrying people who are ill and need God’s care.
• Lenten House Church meets midweek during the season of Lent, the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter. It is a time for reflection, meditation, and a chance to take on new habits designed to make more space in our heads, and lives, for God as we walk the long path to the cross with Jesus.
• Urban Farmers are those of us who worship God by getting our hands in the soil every so often. In spring 2010, we dug up our front lawn and built a terraced vegetable garden. Throughout the growing season we gather to sow, weed, water and harvest. Because we believe that the land is not ours, that we are called to be stewards of it, we share the harvest with the local food pantry, with our neighbors as well as putting it on our own coffee-hour table.

Retreats

Weekly worship and small groups are not enough for many of us. We love to go on retreat together at least once a year, to sing songs late into the night, play games, worship together, walk the labyrinth, make new friends, and go deep.

Other Offerings

We offer short-term programs throughout the year to deepen our competency on many topics of relevance to our spiritual health and Christian learning. Some recent offerings have included: establishing a culture of welcome to transgendered people, identifying your place in the enneagram wheel of spiritual types, having sacred conversations on race and and end to racism, and learning the steps of bereavement.

Outdoor Ministries

Silver Lake Conference Center is the excellent UCC outdoor ministries center and summer camp in western Connecticut. It provides high-quality, inexpensive Christian camp experiences for children and youth, and fulfilling volunteers opportunities for older teens and adults as counselors and resource people. Some of us at First Church have long, happy associations with SLCC and return every summer to volunteer with children and youth, or to nourish our own spirits.

Additionally, the UCC has a gorgeous and affordable retreat center at Craigville, on Cape Cod, for group or individual retreats.