Lighting the Chalice for my Spiritual Home

First Parish Church, Chelmsford MA

When I was trying to figure out what to talk about today I was reminded by my husband Ron that this week marks 20 years since we first started attending First Parish. 

TWENTY YEARS.

It’s gone by quickly but has produced so many memories for me. High school youth groups, pot luck dinners, Coming of Age mentorships, new member gatherings, small group discussions, and lots more.

The Gift of Generosity is the Soul Matters theme for this month and as I look back on the past 20 years, I am struck by the generosity of First Parish. Not just the monetary generosity that has kept our church community healthy and thriving, both for us and for our next generations. But also the generosity of spirit that I’ve experienced here.

I see it every day especially as a member of the Pastoral Care and Service Team. Not just our team but many others here are dedicated to helping our community and its members be whole.

At social hour we host a table for folks to come by and write a card to someone who is in need of some emotional support. Maybe they’ve experienced a loss, or are unable to attend in person, or are going through a difficult time. It’s so beautiful to see our table bustling with activity. It’s there that I witness just one of the many places that displays the generosity of spirit that, to me, defines First Parish. 

That generosity was the first thing I noticed when I arrived here 20 years ago. We were warmly welcomed by others during the service and then we took another leap of faith by joining complete strangers for coffee downstairs after the service. We were surrounded by folks who genuinely wanted to make us feel included and valued. 

It is this spiritual generosity that keeps me here at my second home. In a country that is becoming increasingly intolerant of any and all religions, and anything that is not in their narrow view of the world, I find even more reasons to belong to First Parish where I am accepted for who I am with all my faults, my beliefs, and my questions. 

So I light the chalice today for the generosity that Ron and I have received here and for the hope that First Parish will always be here to envelop others in that same spirit.