First Parish Church of Newbury Vision and Mission

THE VISION PROCESS:

"In 2006, Rev. Nancy led the congregation through a vision process, believing the Proverb, “Without a vision, the people perish.” The entire congregation was invited to weekly and then monthly meetings to pray and bring together research data in a missional and strategic attempt to save the church by discovering God’s purpose for us. We examined demographics, looked at what other churches are doing so that we would not duplicate efforts in the community; we took geographic factors into consideration including the church’s ownership of a couple of acres of the Great Salt Marsh; we went through a process of self-examination and critique: what we do successfully; what we do that is not successful; we took scale into consideration; we based the whole process on biblical teachings. After doing this research and examination of self, community, and other churches, we prayed for the sole purpose of hearing that “still, small voice” within – we listened for God’s purpose. While we were sitting in silent prayer, a congregant stood up and said she had heard the answer: we are here to care for nature, for God’s creation. Our vision as “Stewards of Earth and Spirit” was born. That vision was embraced and accepted by church leaders and the congregation."

"We had no clue what that meant or what we were supposed to do. While ethics was my field at Harvard, I never studied environmental ethics. God was calling me to lead out of my own weakness. We decided that if God truly gave us this environmental vision, it would begin to unfold and we would know it by the fruits."

"Our first year, we had one little organic garden out back which nobody wanted to work. We called our annual auction, “Marsh Madness.” We did a couple of cooperative things with the Parker River Clean Water Association. Our second year, 2007, I organized our first Earth Day Weekend. We collaborated with the NBPT Parks Commission on a trail clean up; we hosted an environmental program for children in the community with a bonfire and sleepover; we had Rev. Jeffrey Bar-Snell come up to show “An Inconvenient Truth;” Sunday School incorporated environmental awareness into its program by doing things like having the children make an all natural cleaner they called “Spirit Scrub;” and we hosted the First Annual Earth Day Interfaith Ceremony: clergy from 7 churches and synagogue, representatives from 4 environmental organizations, sacred dance, live music, children’s Prayer Tree, culminating in an Interfaith Blessing of the Earth."

"Our third year, 2008, our vision has blossomed into a rich and varied mission. We are serving God through the community by raising awareness of our responsibility as moral agents to be good stewards of the earth and of the human spirit."

- Minister Nancy Haverington

As "Stewards of Earth" we:

offer organic gardens to congregants and the greater community;
collaborate with the Greater NBPT CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) - we are the organic veggie pick-up station
collaborate with the Green Artists League in our New Eden Collaborative (our sustainable community mural; aesthetic layout of our gardens; cold frames made from antique windows; children's playhouse made of all recycled materials
our youth group hosts an environmental speaker in church once a month
as members of the Northeast Earth Institute we offer adult ed classes on things like Simple Living, Deep Ecology, Eating Local, etc.
we are members of NOFA (national organic farming assoc.) and follow their practices
we are members of the newly formed Greater NBPT Eco Collaborative(Chamber of Commerce, City of NBPT, and Environmental Organizations of which we are one.
offer organic gardening classes to our gardeners
offer organic cooking classes to the community
organize annual community clean-ups around Earth Day
offer special children's environmental programs open to the community
offer leadership in the community as a community of faith with an environmental vision
offer an annual $1,000 scholarship to a Triton or NBPT High School student who has demonstrated a commitment to environmental issues and whose values reflect Albert Schweitzer’s “reverence for life.”
offer fun, relationship-building experiences such as building floats for the Yankee Homecoming Parade; we have won trophies for the past four years.

As "Stewards of Spirit" we:

offer a traditional Sunday morning worship service with relevant sermons and a variety of musicians and child care in the supervised nursery.
offer a special service once a month (Blessing of the Animals, St. Patrick's Sunday with bagpipes, Valentine's Sunday with marriage vow renewal, Children's Sunday, Music Sunday, etc.)
offer a weekly Celtic Contemplative Service of beauty, peace, and modern and ancient prayer
offer a weekly outdoor Eco Service in our Chapel Under the Trees which celebrates nature and reveres the wild as an intrinsically valuable part of God's creation
offer Holy Week services beginning with a Palm Sunday service on the Green and procession with a donkey to church; a service of Tennebrae on Maundy Thursday, Contemplation at the Cross on Good Friday, Easter Sunrise Service on top of Old Town Hill, and A 10AM Easter Sunday Service in the sanctuary.
offer Children’s Christmas play.
offer Christmas Eve Service of Candle lighting.
offer pastoral counseling
offer spiritual guidance
offer weekly Mystics Group of contemplative prayer
offer an annual Interfaith Blessing of the Earth Ceremony for the greater NBPT community
our minister is the president of the Greater NBPT Clergy Assoc and leads monthly meetings and helps organize interfaith services and events throughout the year
offer funerals with personal eulogies, weddings
offer a vibrant Rotation Model Sunday School
offer a youth group with a director
offer a monthly Men's Breakfast
offer a Ladies' Night Out
offer weekly fellowship at coffee hour
offer the sacraments of Holy Communion and Baptism
offer fellowship with the United Church of Christ (and through them, endless programs and resources and opportunities all of which are supported and made possible by our annual dues (OCWM).
offer community-building events like "Family Night"
we are about to offer bible study through film series
offer a "year of care" by the diaconate for families who have lost a loved one (2 weeks of meals, weekly phone calls, monthly cards of support)
offer an interactive website for inter-and-intra communication and planning.
offer a church for the 21st Century with a new structure that supports conscious growth, responsiveness to contemporary needs in the community and in the world, inclusiveness and diversity, and spirit-led vision.