It is hard to believe that I celebrated my twelfth anniversary as your pastor on April 1. (Yes, it’s true, I started here on April Fool’s Day in 2013.) It seems appropriate to take a few minutes to review and reflect on the years we have spent together.
I arrived just after Easter, during the year in which we celebrated our 275th anniversary. I was immediately immersed in planning for our observance, which included my installation in September, participation in the Southington Apple Harvest Festival & parade in October and a celebratory banquet in November. This monumental undertaking gave me a great introduction to the congregation and its dedicated members.
In the following years, we have toiled, celebrated, grieved, and shared our lives together. We have mourned that passing of so many saints of the church including John Galayda, Richard & Virginia Hutton, Al Shaw, Bev & Ron Tooley, to name a few.
There have been Potlucks, Tag Sales, Penny-Pound Auctions and Spud Nights galore. On every occasion, our church family has pitched in to make every event an incredible success.
Over time, the mantle of leadership has successfully been passed to yet another generation of committed deacons, outreach, property, finance committee & board members, Christian education leaders, flower and hospitality mavens and ad hoc committees that have lovingly stepped forward to keep us moving into the future.
Perhaps the biggest challenge of my tenure so far was finding our way through the Pandemic shutdown of 2020-2021. After closing in March of 2020, we quickly moved our services online and we managed to retain our identity throughout those challenging times. While so many churches declined, even closed, we continued to thrive. When weather permitted, we met on the front lawn to praise God and fellowship with one another. July 4, 2021, Independence Day, was an incredible day when we were once again able to return to our sanctuary to worship in person!
In the four years since, we have continued to welcome new members and friends, as we continue our faith walk together. I am truly blessed to have been called to be a part of God’s vineyard here and I look forward to whatever the future brings!
In Christ,
Pastor Sharon