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First Church in Jaffrey starts anew in its 243rd year

First Church in Jaffrey starts anew in its 243rd year

Elected at the First Church in Jaffrey Annual Meeting in its 243rd year on Sunday Jan.30) were (L-R, front row) Trustees Roy Lake, Pam Hill , David Bliss and Janet Grant; in the middle, Clerk Nancy Elder-Wilfrid; in back row, Treasurer Annie Gordon and Moderator Sam Greene, a descendant of the church’s first minister, Rev.Laban Ainsworth. Photo by Carol Hess.First Church in Jaffrey, organized in 1780, is starting its 243rd year with a new settled minister in the parsonage and an entirely new...

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First Church in Jaffrey’s New Minister Will Give His First Sermon Jan. 23

First Church in Jaffrey’s New Minister Will Give His First Sermon Jan. 23

Rev. Steve Miller, First Church in Jaffrey’s new settled pastor, will give his first sermon Sunday Jan. 23 at the red brick church next to the 1775 Meetinghouse in Jaffrey Center, NH.             Preludes by Music Minister Gene Faxon start at 10:25 and the service begins at 10:30 at the Congregational/United Church of Christ at 14 Laban Ainsworth Way off NH Rte. 124.  To protect against COVID, you must be fully vaccinated, wear a mask and adhere  to socially distant seating.             Miller...

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First Church in Jaffrey will have a video service on Christmas Eve

First Church in Jaffrey will have a video service on Christmas Eve

Dec. 14, 2021 For Immediate Release First Church in Jaffrey, mindful of COVID safety concerns for the scores of people who traditionally come on Dec. 24th, will have a Christmas Eve video service of Lessons and Carols that will be available via its website on the morning of Christmas Eve so that people can sing and celebrate the service at a time that is convenient to them. The Interim Minister, the Rev. David Felton, will give a Christmas meditation, followed by the service of Lessons and...

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ADVENT SERVICES on line

ADVENT SERVICES on line

Friends we have been able to put online excerpts from today/’s worship service (the Second Sunday in Advent) and also portions of last week’s worship led by Rev. Cassius Webb. Take a look and have a mini-service meditation experience.  We will try to continue providing such abbreviated mini-services throughout the Advent Season.  These will generally appear on Mondays on our YouTube channel, which you can access at any time by inserting     firstchurchinjaffrey YouTube channel     into your...

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USHERING IN THANKSGIVING with a PIE for your table!

USHERING IN THANKSGIVING with a PIE for your table!

Pam Hill and Pat Harmon welcomed the Thanksgiving week by making and selling 38 pies -- all on Tuesday!  Surprisingly, of the 4 varieties: apple, pumpkin, pecan and blueberry, the 2 to 1 favorite was blueberry.  Proceeds from sale of the pies are shared through First Church in Jaffrey's financial contributions to a range of community service organizations. We are ever grateful to Lisa Giragosian and Bruce Hill for setting up the Parish House, boxing, labeling and selling pies!

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Giving Thanks for the Parish Hall Makeover!

Giving Thanks for the Parish Hall Makeover!

Our Parish House languished during COVID because it could not be used by the church and the community safely. Plans to have Rev. Steve Miller and his wife Jill Tyler come to Jaffrey for candidating weekend in mid-October spurred members to dream of renovating this space. There was just enough time to add newer “gently used” furniture, plants, and other accents, thanks to Ed and Dee Poole, Marcia Breckenridge, Linda Giragosian, and Nancy Elder-Wilfrid and Dan Wilfrid.  More planning and...

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Rev. Steve Miller
And Wife Dr. Jill Tyler

The Rev. Steve G. Miller started his ministry at The First Church in Jaffrey in January 2022, after a unanimous vote of approval by the congregation in October of 2021 when he visited and conducted worship. His wife, Dr. Jill Tyler, will join him in the First Church parsonage after she retires in May as professor and chair of the University of South Dakota (USD) Communications Department. Currently Leah and Luke Summit (Steve and Jill’s daughter and son-in-law) and the Summit’s two boys are staying with Miller while the young family looks for a house in the greater Boston area.

“I am very excited about getting to know all the people in Jaffrey, the church and the wider Jaffrey community!  I’ve met neighbors walking my dog and playing in front of the parsonage with my two grandsons, who are ages 2-1/2 and nine months.”  Miller confessed: “I’m a bit of a schmoozer.”

For the past 26 years Miller was the senior pastor at the United Church of Christ-Congregational in Vermillion SD.  Originally a New Englander, Miller grew up in  Worcester, MA, in what is now the United Congregational Church.  Miller shared, in his first Sunday leading worship at First Church: “I used to come up here to climb Monadnock as a kid.  It’s like returning home.  I love the mountains, the trees, the ponds and rivers – it’s beautiful here.”

A man of many interests, Miller spent five years studying Lakota spirit, language and music. He invited the Lakota community to hold sacred ceremonies at the UCC church. Speaking for the Lakota community during a farewell gathering honoring Miller, one participant observed that he and Steve have been friends for years and call each other “Kola,” the Lakota term for brother.

At this same event Miller was honored by the Vermillion Community Theatre with a poster of six photos of him in community theater productions that was headlined “Actor, Playwright, Songwriter, Musician, Director of Spirit” in appreciation of his and the church’s support in helping the theater build a center for performing arts at the Vermillion high school.  A devoted baseball fan, Miller was a leader of the Vermillion Youth Baseball Association for players 5 to 12 for many years.

The title of teacher also belongs in Miller’s repertoire, as demonstrated by his popular “World Religions” course at the University of SD.   The University’s provost Kurt Hackemer observed that an important Miller offering was titled “The Pipe and the Cross,” about the intersection of Christianity and native spirituality. “So many students considered this THE great class, the best class that they ever had at USD,” the provost added.

Steve Miller graduated from Springfield College in 1981. He began studying at Yale Divinity School and transferred to the Pacific School of Religion, where he received his Master of Divinity degree in 1987.  He served churches in Bethlehem, CT and Gilman, IA before going to Vermillion in 1995. Rev. Miller has also been involved with Shem Center for Interfaith Spirituality in Oak Park, IL for more 30 years through retreats, conferences, and classes.

Please come to First Church in Jaffrey at 10:30 on Sundays and meet Steve Miller!

Gene Faxon
Minster of Music

Gene brings his experience with teaching music and his expertise on the organ, piano, and harpsichord. He leads the choir as well as organizes special musical worship and other church events. Gene is also an accomplished recorder player.  During the pandemic Gene and three ladies have become a harmonious quartet.  We enjoy their offerings on multiple occasions during our services.  The congregation joins this group in singing Taize chants and hymns selected from the Pilgrim Hymnal and the New Century Hymnal.

Judy Lessard
Administrative Assistant

Judy brings her corporate experience. Working with our pastor and music minister, she creates the worship bulletins, sends out e-blasts, and monitors phone calls and church email. Working with our treasurer, she maintains the QuickBooks database and generates financial reports. Working with the communications team, she creates, prints, and distributes the church newsletter.

Officers

In late January 2022, First Church heartily welcomed (bottom row)  Roy Lake, Pam Hill,  David Bliss and Janet Grant as new Trustees.  Nancy Elder-Wilfrid is the new Clerk and in the top row is Ann St. Cyr Gordon (Treasurer) and Sam Greene Moderator.

Officers:

Sam Greene, Moderator
Ann Gordon, Treasurer
Nancy Elder-Wilfrid, Clerk

 
Trustees:

David Bliss
Janet Grant
Pam Hill
Roy Lake
Tom Warren
Dan Wilfrid