Mission

We like to open the church for community events. The Yankee Male Chorus, August, 2007.

We're delighted to be the new hosts of The Farmhouse Nursery, a well-established Bennington service. The staff is here pictured in front of the Church Barn.

Jessie Kuzmicki and Jillian Conner with the 39 Church World Service school kits that we just sent off to Church World Service's distribution center in Maryland. Each kit contains lined notebooks of 140-200 pages, 12 sheets of construction paper, scissors, ruler, 6 new pencils, large eraser, pencil sharpener, and box of 24 crayons in a cloth bag with handles.

We're associated with the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches. We support or have supported Church World Service and CROP, local community projects such as the Interfaith Council's Emergency Assistance ("Food and Fuel") Fund, free Sunday suppers at the Second Congregational Church, P.A.V.E. (Prevention Against Violent Encounters), Bennington Coalition for the Homeless, Habitat for Humanity, Hospice, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Bennington Tutorial Center, an Afghanistan school building project, and broader-ranging groups such as Doctors Without Borders, Somotillo Sister City Project, the M.S. Society, Oxfam, Seeds for Peace and Heifer Project International.

Our biggest project is opening the church to visitors daily in the summer and early fall, and we staff such hospitality — called "Open Church" — with many volunteers. See the Visiting page to read about this important ministry.

The church is used for many couples as a place to conduct their weddings. Call (802) 447-1223 or e-mail for more information.

Our church Barn (pictured below) is offered to both nonprofit and private groups for meetings and other gatherings as a community service. Again, call (802) 447-1223 or e-mail for more information.

A candlelight service of lessons and carols on a Sunday evening before Christmas (on December 16 at 7:30 in 2007), draws people from far and wide.

Prior to the Iraq war, we corresponded with a church in Basra Iraq in order to share our prayers for peace with them. Our email correspondence is available for you to read here.

Groups

The congregation is the final authority for discerning God's will for the church.

The Church Council acts monthly to carry out the church's work. Specific members of the Council are advocates for education, fellowship, mission and open church.

The Deacons direct the church's spiritual life, including our worship, prayers, and acts of caring for those in need.

The Trustees care for the buildings, grounds and investments, and encourage faithful stewardship for God's mission in Christ.

The Old First Church Singers rehearse each Thursday from 5:15-6:00 p.m.

A Women's Book Group meets each month at a member's home.

A weekly Bible study group meets each Wednesday, 8:00-9:00 a.m.