Tag Archives: Christianity

Windsor UCC DNA

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On the final Wednesday of our Lenten Re:Confirmation program, we talked about church history, how the UCC formed in 1957 bringing together several Reformation churches, including Congregationalist churches like ours.  

I brought one of the many  dinner plates in our kitchen with the name “Union Congregational Church of Windsor” embossed in gold leaf.

“Union of what?” I asked.  

The answer didn’t spring to mind, and neither could we say when the Union Congregational Church of Windsor became Windsor United Church of Christ–how and why the church decided to join the UCC, how it managed such a momentous decision.  

The next day, Susan Norby sent some photos of a church directory with a black-and-white picture of the inside of the “blue church,” which is now our Narthex.  We enter and exit to and from our current sanctuary by way of its still-standing brick wall.  

Along with the photo of the blue church was this brief history:

In 1845, a group of settlers started holding services with a Congregational minister as their leader.  In 1847, the first church was organized and had a Baptist affiliation.  In 1851, the Congregational Church of Windsor was formed.  In 1858, people of the Baptist, Methodist and Congregational faiths united and formed the Union Congregational Church of Windsor.

The first church building was erected in 1862 and some 40 years later was moved to its present site.  In 1956, the present parsonage was built; and in 1967, the present church was built and the old church was remodeled for use in church related activities.

Our church has grown from a small group of seven people who met in a one-room schoolhouse to a congregation of 300 active members who worship and work in a modern well-kept facility.

This history is telling.  The churches united in 1858 were not of different faiths but denominations of the same Christian faith.  And then there is the question of what species of Baptist were part of the union, Baptists being as diverse as Lutherans.  It would be good to know more.  

From Congregational United Church of Christ, to Windsor Union Congregational Church, to Windsor United Church of Christ in 1991, this brief history reveals that the spirit of uniting diverse people from different worshiping communities is in the DNA of our congregation.

God bless you and Windsor UCC.

Peace,

Pr. Craig

Resignation from Windsor UCC

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Dear Friends,

With a heart full of love and heavy with the weight of this decision, I write to resign as your Pastor.  I have accepted a call to serve as Interim Lead Pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Madison and Verona.  My last day serving as your Pastor will be Sunday, April 21.

Thanks to the leadership of our Church Council, our congregation has begun the work of transforming conflict into energy for growth and renewal. This work will make it possible for the congregation to agree to its mission and vision and, in time, unite to call a new Pastor.

Leaving you is a hard thing to do. I would dearly love to be with you through the next chapter in the story of the congregation.  We have been through so much together.  Though it is not the timing I would choose, now is a good time, the right time, for me to leave.

I struggle to put into words why this time feels right.  There has been such a lovely outpouring of support for my ministry with you. I can see more clearly than ever the impact of my time serving as your Pastor.  But I can also see the congregation is poised to set the course for the future. Now is a good time for us to move into the future on our separate paths.    

On our last Sunday, April 21, we will celebrate a Service of Parting, led by Rev. Rachel Bauman.  I do hope you will join me for this important time of thanking God for all we have learned, asking for forgiveness, and releasing one another from our mutual covenants.

I thank God for you and will hold you in my heart as we continue in the way of our Savior.

Always Yours in Christ,
Pr. Craig

$4,100 for the Mother Emanuel AME Church Hope Fund

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I am pleased and proud to say that First Congregational Church (Moline, IL) raised $4,100 to send to the Mother Emanuel AME Church Hope Fund. Money is not all we have to give, but it is privilege and honor to contribute to this fund for hope as we look for other ways to fight against racial terrorism and Christian passivity.