A Shining Treasure

Our time in Springfield, MA, for the NACCC Annual Meeting was rich with reflection, connection, and encouragement. It was special to be embedded in the region where the rich history of Congregationalists began. (It was also really good to be on the East Coast, as it was my home during my formative years.)

While some of our further experiences and reflections from the meeting will inevitably make their way into future conversations at FCC, I wanted to share something with you while it is still fresh in my mind.

On Saturday night, as Pastor Jon and I went to walk off our delicious dinner from a German restaurant (we were so full), we stumbled across the downtown square. A square with beautiful historic buildings, like the Symphony Hall where the Basketball Hall of Fame holds its Induction Ceremony. Or a castle-like building, which sadly turned out to be a youth detention center.

But what really stopped us in our tracks before we entered the square was the white steeple of a beautiful Congregational church, Old First Church. It was stunning, clearly the centerpiece, set apart like a shining treasure.

Naturally, like good Congregational tourists, we got closer to drink in the history and experience this treasure up close. Yet as we drew near, both of our hearts sank…

The beauty we saw from a distance was not the same when we got closer. A congregation that has existed since 1637, inhabiting four meeting houses (1645, 1677, 1752, and 1819), the last of which is the one we stumbled upon, was no longer open. Gated up, with chains and locks, the building's paint is fading, the wood is rotting, and the windows show empty space after empty space. A building that once was the gathering place for thousands and thousands of people, a place of celebration, worship, and sending, dating back 389 years, is collecting dust and decay, a mausoleum of memories.

What do you think happened? Why do you think they closed?

The following day, Sunday, everyone at the annual conference gathered for a worship service. Normally, it is a joyful experience for me, as it (usually) includes over 200 people from across the US, as well as NACCC mission partners from around the world. Yet I felt inner turmoil. What would it look like to worship on the stairs of Old First Church instead? As best I can tell, no one has worshipped there since 2007. What if Sunday was the day that changed that? Would that be like Ezekiel prophesying to the dry bones? Would it just be a moment? Would it start something new by joining with the old?

I wish I could report that we all gathered in the humidity. Instead, we met in the Gathering Hall of a Sheraton. As beautiful as the service was, how much more so would it have been to have 200+ people worshiping in the town square, outside Old First Church, praising God, as our Congregationalist ancestors did so many years ago. Proclaiming that God is still at work in this world and in the Congregational church! We are still here! Alive! Vibrant! Partnering with Christ in the renewal of all things!

Inevitably, as I have been digesting all of this, I have also had to face a difficult reality. One that all of our spiritual ancestors faced and that all of our congregational descendants will face – the end. A moment when the doors will close for the last time.

BUT.

That is not our story today. Unlike our ancestral siblings who had to close the doors at Old First Church, we are seeing a renewal and spiritual refreshment wrought out of a season of COVID and challenges. Because of this, we have a unique opportunity to consider our tomorrows as we live faithfully today.

How can we carry on the legacy of those who came before us, embodying the Congregational Way, in 2026, so that those who come after us 146 years from now will join our faithful worship? What is God inviting us into right now that prepares our great-great-great spiritual descendants for flourishing? What is God inviting us into as we consider how to multiply beyond the facility footprint in Redlands and immerse ourselves in our communities?

Pastor Jon and I can’t wait to find out together with you!

-Pastor Shaun Wissmann