Category: News

This past Sunday, November 10, was Stewardship Sunday, the day when members of the congregation bring their pledge cards for their support of the next year’s budget and projects. We were blessed to have as our visiting pastor the Rev. Jametta Alston. Rev. Alston is a lawyer and was the former Child Advocate for the State of Rhode Island, former civil prosecutor with the Attorney General’s office, and former president of the Rhode Island Bar Association before she entered the ministry. Her sermon focused on the role of faith in finding the courage and strength to carry out God’s work. One of the Bible readings came from Mark 12:41-44: “Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.’ ”

The children in Sunday School focused on the power of faith in Stewardship as they visited our church’s Historic Properties Museum and learned about FCC Bristol’s historic Mite Box, dating from the mid-19th century.

The Rev. Dr. Thomas Shepard was the 10th pastor of the First Congregational Church in Bristol. He served from 1835-1865. It was during his pastorate, in 1856, that the third and current house of worship, the “Stone Church,” was erected. Among Dr. Shepard’s many efforts to carry out God’s Work, the building of our massive church and its promotion of the many missions this church has undertaken bears witness to the power of faith in our combined Stewardship contributions of time, talent and treasure. During Sunday School, the children decorated their own “Mite Boxes.” We are grateful for the faith that inspires our members and friends to contribute in the spirit of this Stewardship.

On October 20, 2024, some two dozen members of the church donned their orange vests. Then they bowed their heads in prayer and blessing of their morning’s work and set out to various locations in Bristol to carry out a ministry of helping others. This is our annual “Church Has Left the Building” Sunday. From toddlers to seniors, groups set out to help out with some home landscaping work for a member who needed our help. Others pulled invasive vines off the back of the church building. Still others foraged the roadsides and parks for litter and other clean-up jobs.

Thanks to everyone who participated. We all got more out of our morning’s efforts — in fellowship, satisfaction, and exercise — than we put in.

FCC Bristol was honored to have Dr. David Weed as our speaker on October 6, 2024. Dr. Weed is the Coordinator of the Sowams Heritage Area Project, an effort to recognize Sowams as the homeland of the Pokanoket and Wampanoag peoples and to seek to better understand their pivotal role, both past and present, in the history of the East Bay region. Dr. Weed has worked for years to understand the history of the Pokanoket people and King Philip’s War, which broke out in 1675 after the failure of a 50-year long peace treaty between the indigenous tribes and the colonial settlers. The Sowams Heritage Area Project seeks to lift up the life and culture of the indigenous tribal peoples in our history.

Dr. Weed alluded to the interpretive sign in front of our church, which speaks to the beginnings of the town of Bristol. He stated that the land on which the town of Bristol sits represents “ground zero” in an American genocide, and went on to tell the story of the long relationship between the indigenous peoples and the colonizing Europeans. The settlers, arriving in 1620 at Cape Cod and Plymouth, would have died without the major support of the native Americans, who provided food, health care and shelter. By 1675, however, the treatment of the tribes by the Europeans, including their major land grabs of tribal territory, resulted in conflict. In an effort to fend off hostilities, a meeting was held between tribal leaders and the settlers on the shoreline of Mount Hope to air the grievances of the Pokanoket. It was not successful, as the Europeans gave no legitimacy to the tribal complaints. Settlers saw the indigenous peoples as heathen and satanic animals, not fully human. King Philip’s War broke out on June 21, 1675 in what is now Warren, RI and ended with the death of King Philip, also known as Metacom, in 1676 at Mount Hope in Bristol. After the founding of this Congregational Church in 1680, the majority of the land in Bristol was simply taken from the Pokanoket homelands. Native genocide followed.

Only in the past few decades has reconciliation been attempted. Dr. Weed challenged the congregation to engage through Christian love in efforts to move this reconciliation forward — to love the people who once were seen as enemies, to seek to restore justice and to lead the community in greater understanding and healing.

During Fellowship Hour on October 6, following worship, FCC member Tony Morretini and Dr. Weed provided further information about some of these efforts to provide healing. Tony spoke about his successful efforts to have the Bristol Town Council adopt a Land Acknowledgement statement relating to Indigenous tribal habitation for more than 10,000 years prior to the arrival of Europeans of the land on which the town of Bristol sits . The proposed statement was presented to the Council on August 21, 2024 and adopted on September 18, 2024 on a 4-1 vote, with the deletion of the word “reconcile.” As Dr. Weed suggested in his presentation to the congregation, our members have the opportunity to work toward that very “reconciliation” that was removed from the Land Acknowledgement statement adopted by the Bristol Town Council.

This past Sunday, there was something pretty exciting happening. I don’t mean when the fire alarm started blaring out in the sanctuary and everyone emptied out onto the church lawn to await the arrival of the police and the fire department. That was . . . interesting. Turns out, it was probably dust erupting from the organ after a summer of disuse that triggered the smoke alarm. Anyway . . . after the alarm was silenced and worship came to a close, the older children of the congregation gathered with Rev. Nancy Soukup back out on the lawn to head out on a new journey. They began an exploration of the history of their church and the core beliefs of their United Church of Christ, all as a basis for their multi-week Confirmation Class.

If your child is interested in joining this group, contact the Rev. Dr. Nancy H. Soukup at 401-253-7288.

This summer Bristol’s Stone Church Coffeehouse was honored for a seventh year in a row with a Best Local Music Venue recognition from Best in RI Awards. The event reception was held on July 25 at the Waterfire Arts Center in Providence with some 1,000-1,500 in attendance. This award has special meaning for the Coffeehouse because the people who attend the shows are the voters for this honor. In this newsletter, you will see the upcoming line-up for upcoming shows. Huge congratulations and thanks go to Roger and Donna who established the Coffeehouse and continue to organize it each year, as well as to all the volunteers who help make each show happen. 

Each week, we have a faithful legion of techs who tape and livestream our Sunday services. If you were around for this summer’s services, you saw them out of their sanctuary balcony perch to tape our services in the DeWolf and Dimond Rooms.

One of these techs is Cristina Marino, who is a senior at Mt. Hope High School this year. Christina hopes to study film when she graduates in the spring. For her Mt. Hope senior project, she wants to put together a short video about our church, featuring interview clips with our members as well as a chronicle of some of our activities. This video can be something we can use on our website to lift up who we are as a faith community.

Some may want to participate in these taped interviews, which will not be long, and others may not. On Sunday, September 8, we will have permission releases available for people to indicate their preference about being interviewed or not.

We hope that interviews will start either Sunday, September 15, or Sunday, September 22, after church. We will update you. I know we all look forward to helping Cristina with her senior project and thank her for making our church its focus.

Sunday, September 8, will be FCC’s 2024 Rally Day—the opening of Church School. During the service, we will commission and bless our children and youth as they enter into another year of Christian education. Please join us for this annual service followed by fellowship with pizza, salad, and cake in the DeWolf Room. For this Sunday, children will remain in the Church for the whole service. Church School classes will start on Sunday, September 15.

AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: A Call for Church School Teachers
We very much are in need of church school teachers this year. We will be using a new curriculum this fall that follows along with the lectionary. Each week’s class will be spelled out with a lesson and an activity to follow. Because of our Safe Church practices, we need to have two teachers for each week. For those who have been teachers, we thank you and hope you will sign up again. For those who have not taught, we invite you to join in this amazing journey with our children and youth.

Participating in the faith formation of the youngest among us is the most vital part of our common life together. Rev. Nancy will have a sign-up sheet for fall Sundays in the DeWolf Room following each service. Thank you.

FCC Bristol works with two churches in Warren to prepare weekend meals for residents who, for a variety of reasons, need help securing nourishment. Every 3 months, our church takes on “a month” of Saturdays. Volunteer cooks, dessert makers and drivers work together to make 3-course meals for about a dozen individuals. The meals are cooked and delivered on Saturday mornings. The recipients are grateful and often express how thankful they are for these meals. Recently, one of our Ecumenical Meal recipients wrote a very loving note of thanks. We wanted to share it with you.

If you would like to sign up for one Saturday as a cook, dessert maker or driver, contact Lynne or Chuck Ramos. It’s easy. It’s fun.

And it makes a big difference for those who receive these meals.

Sometimes it seems as if everything is going wrong, as if it is all too challenging and things are not going to work out. But in the end, things do work out, and everything takes on a new meaning in this new situation and hearts are filled with a greater understanding. That is pretty much what happened this past Sunday. Plans were to hold the worship service in the sanctuary, just a day after the joyful, packed memorial service celebrating the life of one of our members. But when we arrived Sunday morning, the sanctuary was just too hot. Pivoting on a dime, the DeWolf Chapel, with its two new air conditioners and fans, was selected as the better choice. The chapel, however, was filled with the tables from the luncheon served the previous day. So the decision was made to just carry on with the Sunday worship service and let the congregation sit around the tables, each still decorated with its vase of delicate Queen Anne’s Lace.

With the AC going and the fans whirring, there was an air of informality for everyone waiting around their table for the service to begin. The children played in this new set up. People were able to wander from table to table and visit with friends. It felt good.

Then, in the middle of the welcoming announcements, we got the message that the Minister of Music was delayed and on his way. Acapella hymn singing was going to be the strategy until he arrived. The Old Testament and Gospel selections were read and the sermon began. Rev. Soukup focused on the growing tension between Jesus and his followers after the feeding of the 5,000. Jesus is giving them food. He is healing them. What will this Jesus do next, they wonder, to prove his superstar status? To give them what they need? Then, in the middle of this cliffhanger, in walks our Minister of Music to great applause — and the sermon resumes. The Israelites on their 40 year journey hungered for bread and water and wondered if they wouldn’t have been better off staying in Egyptian enslavement than starving in the desert, says Rev. Soukup. Like the Israelites, Jesus’ disciples and followers also hungered for bread. But Jesus told them to seek instead the bread of God, which was spiritual bread. It is hard, he said, to move from captivity to liberation. Jesus recognized that people really are hungry for simple food, clean water, shelter, healing. But He urged us to look further. How can we look beyond meeting those physical needs for the few, to understand how our hearts can be transformed so that we are able to meet the needs of all, to see what God is offering us spiritually to love and sustain ALL of our neighbors . . . as ourselves?

Somehow, in this new, informal situation, as we improvised our worship service and opened ourselves up to whatever might come next, we glimpsed the challenge that Rev. Soukup spoke to during her sermon. To view the rest of the sermon, see the worship video HERE.

And if you want to see something truly lovely, keep watching to the end of the service when Rev. Soukup invites 3-year old Raymond to join her at the Communion table to break the bread of Christ and offer it up to the congregation. It was beautiful to see.

As part of our 350 Fund goal of expanding community mission outreach, FCC Bristol inaugurated a new service project — the provision of bathrooms and free water to all comers before, during and after the Bristol July 4th Parade. It was a big hit. Between 450-500 parade watchers came to FCC Bristol for both hydration and dehydration.

Comments of “Bless you for doing this,” “This is awesome,” “This is so kind” validated the decision to try to meet some very basic needs in the community. This was one of the ideas that came out during the Congregational Gatherings this spring, as members brainstormed what their dreams were for FCC Bristol going forward. In addition to free water and bathroom usage, parade goers were offered soda and snacks for sale. Many thanks to the Evans family — yeah Sally, Robbie and Katie! — to Jack, the Morettinis, the Steere-Johnson family, the Ramos family, to Karen and to the Jacobus family for making it all happen. We had many wonderful conversations with all of the kind people who passed through FCC Bristol on July 4th.

FCC minister Rev. Nancy Hamlin Soukup marched the entire parade route with other Bristol religious leaders, walking from Colt State Park down to the Lobster Pot restaurant, around the corner and all the way up High Street to FCC Bristol. The parade ends at FCC Bristol in honor of our minister, the Rev. Henry Wight, starting this tradition back in 1785 — the first Patriotic Exercises honoring Independence Day in the nation. We’re already looking forward to next year!