News

One Brilliant Moment

Did you know that we are on YouTube???

Visit our Youtube channel and see recorded sermons from Pastor Doug Williamson.

www.youtube.com/@firstcongregationalchurchofW.B

Easter Plants

Each year we decorate our sanctuary with beautiful Easter lilies, tulips and hyacinths for Easter Sunday. If you would like to purchase a plant In Memory Of or In Honor Of a loved one, please pick up a form on Sunday, return it to Nancy Arsenault with your payment and your dedication will appear in our Easter morning bulletin (10 am service).

Once that service has ended, we ask that you take your plant home. Please leave this form and your payment (checks made to First Congregational of W. Brookfield and write -Easter plants on the “for” line) with our Church Flower Coordinator Nancy Arsenault or contact Bonni Holmes at fccwbworship@gmail.com for a form. Deadline is Sunday, March 15TH.   The plants available are: Lilies, Tulips, Daffodils and Hyacinths. The lilies are $15 and the tulips, daffodils and hyacinths are $10.

Bible Study

Our six-week Bible study will begin on Wednesday, April 8 and run for six weeks.  We will gather at 5 p.m. each week, begin class at 5:15 and end at 6:30.  If you would like Pastor Doug to order the book for you and have not yet told him that, please let him know by this Sunday morning, March 8.  The book that we will use is Sermon on the Mount: A Beginner’s Guide to the Kingdom of Heaven by New Testament scholar Dr. Amy-Jill Levine. Doug will order the books and let everyone know what the cost will be for each book (no shipping costs if we order as a group).

Maundy Thursday

We will be having a Maundy Thursday service of worship in our sanctuary on Thursday, April 2 at 7 p.m., and we have invited folks from the George Whitefield United Methodist Church to join us for that service.  The service will last about 40-45 minutes and we will invite everyone to stay after the service to share in a quiet time of fellowship over a simple dessert before heading home.  Karen Andersen has graciously volunteered to make that dessert, Indian pudding (with ice cream), a confection that is quintessentially New England, dating back to the first European settlers in the Plymouth colony learning to make it from the Native Americans living in the area. Please consider joining us that evening for a special time of worship and fellowship.

Good Friday

Pastor Sandy the George Dam of Whitefield UMC will lead a cross walk, with devotional readings, around the West Brookfield Common beginning at 12 noon on Good Friday, April 3.  The walk will begin from our church lawn, and all members of our congregation are welcome, as are all members of our wider community.

Easter – Sunrise

We will be joining friends from George Whitefield United Methodist Church for an ecumenical Easter Sunrise Service of worship on Foster Hill Road at 6:15 a.m. that morning (timed so that we experience the sunrise at 6:24 a.m. as we are singing an opening hymn, accompanied by Mike Spencer’s trumpet).  That service will be followed by breakfast at our church, as our United Methodist friends cooked last year, and Karen Andersen has graciously agreed to coordinate the breakfast.  Our 10 o’clock worship service on Easter morning will include communion.  We look forward to celebrating the joy of the resurrection together that morning!

Prayer Requests

Please continue to keep Dave and Joan Fitzgerald in prayer as Joan continues in hospice care at home.

Pastor Doug’s Office Hours:

• 3/20 – Friday -NO OFFICE HOURS
• Wednesday hours will be by appointment, and I can be available by appointment on other days by calling my mobile phone at 913-387-9947.

Sharing Cupboard Needs:

The Sharing Cupboard always needs mayo, mustard, ketchup, canned carrots, cookies, crackers cereal and coffee. Thanks to the wonderful community outreach, our shelves are well stocked with other items. Please leave all donations in the donation box at the church entry.  Thank you.

Brookfield Farmer’s Market

Did you know?

….Our church is host to a fabulous farmer’s market each Wednesday afternoon from 3 – 6 in our Fellowship Hall!

Some of the fresh and delicious fare at the market include a wide variety of mushrooms, micro greens, fresh eggs, incredible bread, beautiful bulbs and flowers, a plethora of vegetables, fresh baked goodies, imported coffee, kombucha, honey, maple syrup, ice cream, grass-fed meat, hand-crafted jewelry, wooden bowls and cutting boards and even more!  Stop in sometime and enjoy one of West Brookfield’s hidden treasures! (Hidden right inside our church!)

(Time is running out to shop the market – Last one is Wednesday, March 25th!)

Have a wonderful weekend.

Bonni Holmes
Church Secretary

Dismas Farm

Dinner will be at the church Tuesday, March 10th at 6.00 PM. Please email Deanna or Angela with whatever you would like to bring! Thank you for your help! Deanna Randall – 413-436-7849 or drandall444@comcast.net or Angela Carville – 508-347-1148 or angelacarville67@gmail.com

Easter Plants

Each year we decorate our sanctuary with beautiful Easter lilies, tulips and hyacinths for Easter Sunday. If you would like to purchase a plant In Memory Of or In Honor Of a loved one, please pick up a form on Sunday, return it to Nancy Arsenault with your payment and your dedication will appear in our Easter morning bulletin (10 am service).

Once that service has ended, we ask that you take your plant home. Please leave this form and your payment (checks made to First Congregational of W. Brookfield and write -Easter plants on the “for” line) with our Church Flower Coordinator Nancy Arsenault or contact Bonni Holmes at fccwbworship@gmail.com for a form. Deadline is Sunday, March 15TH.   The plants available are: Lilies, Tulips, Daffodils and Hyacinths. The lilies are $15 and the tulips, daffodils and hyacinths are $10.

Bible Study

Our six-week Bible study will begin on Wednesday, April 8 and run for six weeks.  We will gather at 5 p.m. each week, begin class at 5:15 and end at 6:30.  If you would like Pastor Doug to order the book for you and have not yet told him that, please let him know by this Sunday morning, March 8.  The book that we will use is Sermon on the Mount: A Beginner’s Guide to the Kingdom of Heaven by New Testament scholar Dr. Amy-Jill Levine. Doug will order the books and let everyone know what the cost will be for each book (no shipping costs if we order as a group).

Maundy Thursday

We will be having a Maundy Thursday service of worship in our sanctuary on Thursday, April 2 at 7 p.m., and we have invited folks from the George Whitefield United Methodist Church to join us for that service.  The service will last about 40-45 minutes and we will invite everyone to stay after the service to share in a quiet time of fellowship over a simple dessert before heading home.  Karen Andersen has graciously volunteered to make that dessert, Indian pudding (with ice cream), a confection that is quintessentially New England, dating back to the first European settlers in the Plymouth colony learning to make it from the Native Americans living in the area. Please consider joining us that evening for a special time of worship and fellowship.

Good Friday

Pastor Sandy Dam of the George Whitefield UMC will lead a cross walk, with devotional readings, around the West Brookfield Common beginning at 12 noon on Good Friday, April 3.  The walk will begin from our church lawn, and all members of our congregation are welcome, as are all members of our wider community.

Prayer Requests

Please continue to keep Dave and Joan Fitzgerald in prayer as Joan continues in hospice care at home.

Pastor Doug’s Office Hours:

• 3/6 – TODAY – no office hours due to the weather
• 3/13 – Friday -9:30 a.m. to 12 noon and 1:00-2:00 p.m.
• Wednesday hours will be by appointment, and I can be available by appointment on other days by calling my mobile phone at 913/387-9947.

Annual Reports

Our 2025 annual report is available in printed form for those who need a paper copy. They are located on the chest in the Fellowship Hall near the mailboxes.

A Chorus for These Times
It is with great pleasure that we welcome a newly formed choral group, A Chorus for These Times, directed by Nym Cooke, to rehearse in our sanctuary. They had their initial rehearsal on Saturday, February 28th and will have a second one on  March 7th, both from 2 pm – 4 pm.  Thereafter, they are scheduled to rehearse every other Saturday.  If you are interested in joining this chorus, you can contact Nym at: nymcooke@gmail.com.

Snow Cancellations:

We will make decisions about snow cancellations by 8:30 and if we decide the safest decision is to cancel the service we will send out an e-mail message announcing the cancellation.  If you would prefer to receive a telephone call regarding such cancellations, please let Karen Murphy know.

Sharing Cupboard Needs:

The Sharing Cupboard always needs mayo, mustard, ketchup, canned carrots, cookies, crackers cereal and coffee. Thanks to the wonderful community outreach, our shelves are well stocked with other items. Please leave all donations in the donation box at the church entry.  Thank you.

Brookfield Farmer’s Market

Did you know?

….Our church is host to a fabulous farmer’s market each Wednesday afternoon from 3 – 6 in our Fellowship Hall!

Some of the fresh and delicious fare at the market include a wide variety of mushrooms, micro greens, fresh eggs, incredible bread, beautiful bulbs and flowers, a plethora of vegetables, fresh baked goodies, imported coffee, kombucha, honey, maple syrup, ice cream, grass-fed meat, hand-crafted jewelry, wooden bowls and cutting boards and even more!  Stop in sometime and enjoy one of West Brookfield’s hidden treasures! (Hidden right inside our church!)

(Time is running out to shop the market – Last one is Wednesday, March 25th!)

 Meetings this Week

Friday March, 6  – 1 pm

Sunday, March 8 – Board of Deacons

Have a wonderful weekend.

Bonni Holmes
Church Secretary

Friends,

Following are the current announcements from First Congregational Church, West Brookfield, United Church of Christ:

Looking Ahead

We will be holding a Maundy Thursday service of worship on April 2^nd at 7 p.m. Please watch the upcoming weekly announcement messages for more details about Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter!

Bible Study

I would like to do a six-week study using Professor Amy-Jill Levine’s book Sermon on the Mount: A Beginner’s Guide to the Kingdom of Heaven, beginning on Wednesday, April 8 and meeting on Wednesdays a 5 or 5:15 and lasting until 6:15 or 6:30 p.m. when we will still have plenty of daylight.  If we order books as a group, we will not have to pay shipping and they will likely cost $13.50-$14 each.  If this study sounds like something in which you would be interested , please e-mail me (djwnscaa@gmail.com) or text me (913-387-9947) and let me know if you would like to be part of a group book order or rather order your book individually.

Prayer Requests

Please continue to keep Dave and Joan Fitzgerald in prayer as Joan continues in hospice care at home.

Please also continue to keep Jim and Ellen Haynes both in prayer.  Jim has been transferred back to the rehabilitation facility in E. Longmeadow.

Pastor Doug’s Office Hours:

For the month of February and March, I will be changing my office hours to Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon and 1:00-2:00 p.m.  Wednesday hours will be by appointment, and I can be available by appointment on other days by calling my mobile phone at 913/387-9947.

Annual Reports

Our 2025 annual report is available in printed form for those who need a paper copy. they are located on the chest in the Fellowship Hall near the mailboxes.

A Chorus for These Times
It is with great pleasure that we welcome a newly formed choral group, A Chorus for These Times, directed by Nym Cooke, to rehearse in our sanctuary. They will have their initial rehearsal on Saturday, February 28th and a second on March 7th, both from 2 pm – 4 pm.  Thereafter, they are scheduled to rehearse every other Saturday.  If you are interested in joining this chorus, you can contact Nym at: nymcooke@gmail.com.

Snow Cancellations:

We will make decisions about snow cancellations by 8:30 and if we decide the safest decision is to cancel the service we will send out an e-mail message announcing the cancellation.  If you would prefer to receive a telephone call regarding such cancellations, please let Karen Murphy know.

Sharing Cupboard Needs:

The Sharing Cupboard always needs mayo, mustard, ketchup, canned carrots, cookies, crackers cereal and coffee. Thanks to the wonderful community outreach, our shelves are well stocked with other items. Please leave all donations in the donation box at the church entry.  Thank you.

Brookfield Farmer’s Market

Did you know?

….Our church is host to a fabulous farmer’s market each Wednesday afternoon from 3 – 6 in our Fellowship Hall!

Some of the fresh and delicious fare at the market include a wide variety of mushrooms, micro greens, fresh eggs, incredible bread, beautiful bulbs and flowers, a plethora of vegetables, fresh baked goodies, imported coffee, kombucha, honey, maple syrup, ice cream, grass-fed meat, hand-crafted jewelry, wooden bowls and cutting boards and even more!  Stop in sometime and enjoy one of West Brookfield’s hidden treasures! (Hidden right inside our church!)

(Time is running out to shop the market – Last one is Wednesday, March 25th!)

 Meetings this Week

Sunday, March 1 – Parish Board

Have a wonderful weekend.

Bonni Holmes
Church Secretary

PATTERN: Blue Onion

SIZE:  68” X 78”

TICKETS: $5.00 each

or 3 for $10.00

All proceeds help fund the

Pastor’s Discretionary Fund!

(This fund is set up to help folks in the community with urgent needs)

WHERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS?

Following Sunday Services

Farmer’s Market, Wednesdays through March 25^th

Asparagus & Flower Heritage Festival on the W.B. Common – Saturday, May 16, 2026

Flea Market on the W.B. Common – Saturday, September 12, 2026

White Christmas in West Brookfield at the church – Sunday, December 6, 2026

DRAWING WILL BE DECEMBER 6, 2026

Ash Wednesday Services

On the First Sunday of Lent, February 22, immediately following our regular worship service, we will invite whoever would like to stay for a short service of imposition of ashes (likely 10 minutes or so) to come to the front of the church.  We will share a brief responsive litany and reading, and then impose ashes on those who wish to do so. I will offer the option of placing ashes on one’s forehead, or on the back of one’s hand, as many churches did during COVID.  We will still be offering this opportunity on Sunday, February 22.

Bible Study

I would like to do a six-week study using Professor Amy-Jill Levine’s book Sermon on the Mount: A Beginner’s Guide to the Kingdom of Heaven, beginning on Wednesday, April 8 and meeting on Wednesdays a 5 or 5:15 and lasting until 6:15 or 6:30 p.m. when we will still have plenty of daylight.  If we order books as a group, we will not have to pay shipping and they will likely cost $13.50-$14 each.  If this study sounds like something in which you would be interested , please e-mail me (djwnscaa@gmail.com) or text me (913-387-9947) and let me know if you would like to be part of a group book order or rather order your book individually.

Prayer Requests

Please continue to keep Dave and Joan Fitzgerald in prayer as Joan continues in hospice care at home.

Please also continue to keep Jim and Ellen  Haynes both in prayer.  Jim has been transferred back to the rehabilitation facility in E. Longmeadow.

Pastor Doug’s Office Hours:

For the month of February and March, I will be changing my office hours to Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon and 1:00-2:00 p.m.  Wednesday hours will be by appointment, and I can be available by appointment on other days by calling my mobile phone at 913/387-9947.

Annual Reports

Our 2025 annual report is available in printed form for those who need a paper copy. they are located on the chest in the Fellowship Hall near the mailboxes.

CHORUS for these times
It is with great pleasure that we welcome the Chorus for these times directed by Nym Cooke.  This chorus will have an initial rehearsal on Saturday, February 28th and again on March 7th from 2pm – 4pm in our Sanctuary.  Thereafter, they are scheduled to rehearse every other Saturday.  If you are interested in joining this chorus, you can contact Nym at: nymcooke@gmail.com.

Deadline:

The deadline for the next Glad Tidings is Monday, February 23^rd. 

Snow Cancellations:

We will make decisions about snow cancellations by 8:30 and if we decide the safest decision is to cancel the service we will send out an e-mail message announcing the cancellation.  If you would prefer to receive a telephone call regarding such cancellations, please let Karen Murphy know.

Sharing Cupboard Needs:

The Sharing Cupboard always needs mayo, mustard, ketchup, canned carrots, cookies, crackers cereal and coffee. Thanks to the wonderful community outreach, our shelves are well stocked with other items. Please leave all donations in the donation box at the church entry.  Thank you.

Brookfield Farmer’s Market

Did you know?

….Our church is host to a fabulous farmer’s market each Wednesday afternoon from 3 – 6 in our Fellowship Hall!

Some of the fresh and delicious fare at the market include a wide variety of mushrooms, micro greens, fresh eggs, incredible bread, beautiful bulbs and flowers, a plethora of vegetables, fresh baked goodies, imported coffee, kombucha, honey, maple syrup, ice cream, grass-fed meat, hand-crafted jewelry, wooden bowls and cutting boards and even more!  Stop in sometime and enjoy one of West Brookfield’s hidden treasures! (Hidden right inside our church!)

(Time is running out to shop the market – Last one is Wednesday, March 25th!)

 Meetings this Week

Sunday, February 22 – Parish Board