Dear Church Family,
               Last week I met with our new area conference minister, the Rev. Terry Ogawa,  at her request.   She was eager to get a picture of the Falls Village Congregational Church and its current ministry.  We had a good conversation and, since we had just had our congregational meeting, I was able to give her  an up to date, positive report of our year’s activities and told her about the warm fellowship that we have.  She was grateful for the many strengths of our church.
               She did urge that small congregations like ours think proactively about our future.  I know that is on the hearts of many of us, as we recognize we are an older congregation.  We are deeply conscious of how the loss of valued members, such as we have experienced this year, affects our life together.  
The Southern New England Conference of the UCC is sponsoring a Small Church Summit  on Saturday, February 26 from 9 a.m. -3 p.m.  This will be held virtually. There will be 5 workshops on a variety of topics which might stimulate our thinking.  If you are interested let me know; I would be interested in attending with you. There is a small registration fee, which I hope the church could cover.
It is communion Sunday this week, so I look forward to the service beginning with the choir’s choral prelude, “Song of Fellowship.”  The sermon is “The Gaze of God” based on Psalm 139:1-12 and Luke 5:1-11.
See you in church.
Peace and Joy,
Rich