From the Congregational Church of Eastford
Summer in our patch of the world can be delightful, full of family, friends, fire pits, fireflies, fun at the lake, porch swings, hiking, fishing and plenty of “forbidden” food — like Bucks and hot dogs. Our church has a pattern of community events in July — our Frog Jump and Band Concert (thanks to all our guests for making it a party this year), and a Sports Camp for kids. That keeps our July busy, but in August we can hit “refresh” and grab some rest before fall programs and the school year get going. It is always good to get re-centered on what really matters in life. I hope you all can find some space to do just that.
Along these lines, I was recently reviewing some spiritual milestones in recent years for our church. One goes back a decade — a verse from the Old Testament that tells God’s people to make ready for growth (Isaiah 54:2 for you Bible types). Another was a sermon on our church’s YouTube channel – one from COVID times. In it, I spoke of the vision we believe God gave us for our church.
Established in 1777, our church has served a bunch of generations. The building we lost served our community for nearly 200 years. The pattern of God’s people since the beginning of time has been for one generation to pass their relationship with God to another. Thousands of years of this pattern are documented in the Bible, which we hold to be God’s truth.
And that brings me to now, and to our vision. My words back in 2021 acknowledged the presence of kids in our worship time – and I spoke of how the Lord has a future prepared for us and for our community. Our vision then and now is to serve and be involved in this community we share with all of you. We will actively engage younger generations, young adults, young families, children and youth. Our vision is that years from now — 25, 50, 100 years from now — there will be a vibrant and profound witness for the good news of Jesus here in our community. To do this, our church family today is thinking in terms that include “young,” “new,” “fresh,” and “lasting.”
Back in April 2023 our historic building was destroyed by fire, and as we have developed our plans to rebuild, this vision has guided us. Responding to the vision of growth, we were moved to buy new land, to think in terms of both growth and flexibility for the future. Our vision was validated as the Lord has doubled our size since the fire. And the Lord has given us a substantial provision to build a new building. If you drive by our new site (54 John Perry Rd.), you will see a lot going on. We are excited and looking forward to moving into the new space next summer. In the meantime, we are already experiencing “young, new, fresh and lasting” in the life of our church. We worship every Sunday at 10 a.m. in the Eastford School gym. All sorts of other activities are going on (check out cceastford.org). So, maybe you are looking for something new and fresh. If so, come check us out. Blessings!