OUTREACH MINISTRIES
The power of love and caring can change the world.
James Autry
Our church is committed to assisting others through a variety of missions, primarily via the Christian Outreach Committee and the Women's Fellowship Group.
Christian Outreach
Through the Christian Outreach Committee, our church can reach out to our neighboring communities and the world to provide assistance in times of need.
The mission of the Christian Outreach Committee is to spread Christ’s compassion out to our neighboring communities and the world's citizens by partnering with charitable organizations to provide aid and assistance to those in need.
The committee hosts Sunday morning coffee hours as well as distributing special offering envelopes, which provide the congregation with the opportunity to contribute to those in need. Through their generosity assistance is given to organizations like One Great Hour of Sharing, Neighbors in Need, Veterans of the Cross and Disaster relief.
During the Advent Season, we decorate a Giving Tree where members of the congregation select tags from this tree and bring wrapped gifts to be donated to HOPE for Kids in area towns. Members also decorate a tree with warm mittens, hats, and scarves that are donated to local families.
The Westminster Food Pantry is a very important part of our local support. This is supported through monies collected at Sunday coffee hours and a collection of food throughout the year.
Neighbors In Need
Neighbors in Need (NIN) is a special mission offering of the UCC that supports ministries of justice and compassion throughout the United States. One-third of NIN funds support the Council for American Indian Ministry (CAIM). Two-thirds of the offering is used by the UCC's Justice and Witness Ministries (JWM) to support a variety of justice initiatives, advocacy efforts, and direct service projects through grants. This offering will be received on World Sunday, which is October 5, 2025.
Truly, much has changed in the world since the Neighbors in Need Special Mission Offering of 2019. Justice issues — from women’s rights to racial bias to income gaps — continue to be laid bare, making the Neighbors in Need Special Mission Offering on October 5, 2025, even more critical.
Please take a moment to learn more about some of the wonderful programs funded by this worthy cause. Envelopes will be in the church bulletin on the first Sunday in October or can be put in the offering plate during the month in a labeled envelope.
The Outreach Committee
“If every person offered just one act
Of kindness every day,
We could change the world.”
The Outreach Committee would like to thank everyone who continued to support our local food pantry throughout the summer months. This is an important mission of our church and one that is needed more than ever. As we all know the price of groceries continues to keep going up monthly, it seems. There is still the convenient box that is labeled outside the side entrance, of your church.
The Outreach Committee would like to bring back the labeled bins that we had in the spring at both entrances to our sanctuary. If there are special food items that are needed, we will try and post them there as well.
Annual Giving Tree
The Christian Outreach Committee is kicking off our annual Giving Tree project and this year we have decided to partner with the local non-profit agency LUK to bring Christmas cheer to those in need. LUK’s mission is to challenge and inspire youth, adults and families to realize their unique potential through community-based prevention, intervention, education, and support services.
You can grant a wish this holiday season! For families already stretching budgets to pay for rent, heat, and groceries, providing a holiday gift is not always possible. LUK collaborates with community organizations throughout north central Massachusetts to provide the youth they serve with gifts that they may not otherwise receive.
Starting November 23rd, there will be a giving tree in the Narthex with tags representing the wishes of some of those local children. We ask that you consider taking a tag and supplying either a toy or clothing item (size provided) for that child.
We are asking that all purchases be made and dropped off at the church under the giving tree by Sunday December 14, 2025, to allow for delivery ahead of Christmas. Please do not wrap the presents but do attach the tag to the gift so that we can ensure the correct items go to the correct children.
Thank you for your kindness and generosity,
The Christian Outreach Committee
Women's Fellowship
The mission of the Women's Fellowship of the First Congregational Church of Westminster is to create opportunities for women to connect to God, church, community, and each other through diverse programs, service, and fellowship and by recognizing the gifts of all women of the church to aid in the response to the material, spiritual, and social needs of others.
The events and activities of the Women's Fellowship are open to all
women of the church. They include social, spiritual, and service events.
fundraising events, including our annual apple pie baking, benefit the
Church, as well as other charities.
As we look to the coming church year, the Women’s Fellowship has been underway planning activities. Part of this process is always a reflection on the previous year and a review of the programs that brought us
together. In addition to welcoming our new pastor in the fall of 2024, we held another successful apple pie sale at the Farmer’s Market in September.
Members of the congregation visited the Barre Cross in October, where the Ten Commandments come to life and the trees spell out a message visible only from above. Pathways lead visitors to quiet places for meditation and scriptures abound on surrounding stones, a place to see and feel God’s majesty. Afterwards, everyone gathered at Stone Cow, a 1,000-acre dairy farm, for lunch and conversation.
In October, we also reorganized the kitchen – cupboards emptied, dishes washed, and decisions made. We were a small group and grateful for the help of Bob Ruberti and Sammi Dawley, who transported unwanted items to a local consignment store as a potential source of revenue.
December brought sixteen women together for lunch at Monty Tech. Our gathering was enhanced by our Christmas Mission Project -- the collection and donation of items for the Westminster Food Pantry. We more than filled a few car trunks, and we were happy that our new pastor stopped by to greet us.
The new year opened in January with a presentation on world religions by Pastor Russ. Twenty members of First Congregational and another five or six individuals from local churches participated. What a wonderful learning opportunity this was, even more meaningful in today’s world.
And then we were on to some great opportunities for creative expression. On a Saturday in March, we met in Fellowship Hall to create Lenten crosses out of natural and found materials, and in April we tested our artistic skills in a painting activity led by Bob Ruberti. Amazingly, we each produced a “work of art” to take home.
May led us to Doyle Community Park in Leominster, where we enjoyed a nice walk on a beautiful day, followed by lunch together.
In June, thirteen of us gathered for dinner at the Blueprint Restaurant to celebrate another year of fellowship. What an evening of conversation and laughter we shared, made more enjoyable with Pastor Russ and Karen Reitter having joined us.
The Women’s Fellowship was successful in maintaining our connection during this past year with interesting and well-attended programs. We look for the same in the months that follow. Our programs are open to all women of the church. Young and older alike, we always enjoy one another.
Empowering Connections:
Women's Fellowship Events
Join Us for Inspiration, Growth, and Community!
MANY WOMEN TOGETHER MAKE MANY APPLE PIES!
On September 25th the church kitchen was filled with the sounds of laughter, conversation and rolling pins as well as the aroma of apple pies baking! The pies were made with ingredients donated by many of you as well as apples donated by Sholan Farms in Leominster. Thank you to all who donated ingredients and purchased a pie. The funds raised when the pies were sold at the Westminster Farmer’s Market will be used to support our church budget and other missions.
Thank you also to LeeAnn, Karen B., Bobbie, Debbie, Peg, Chris, Carole, Ginny, Donna, Kathy, Sandi & Sammi who together baked 41 pies!