First Congregational Church UCC Harwich

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Newsletter for August 2014

August 4, 2014 by FCCH Staff

It has been over a year since the Town of Harwich’s Cemetery Commission “discovered” our Memorial Garden, something that has stood for 25 years and which previously had been approved by the former Cemetery Commission in December 1988.

From the start, I think it fair to say, today’s commission has baselessly assumed impropriety on the church’s part. As such, we have had to counter any number of unfounded complaints. And this without their possessing any documentation or having sought prior consultation.

As of this writing, First Church now finds itself in negotiations with the town over the future of this beautiful garden, one that contains the remains of many beloved friends and loved ones.

Through the prodigious efforts of Lynn Carver and Mary Montgomery (and others), we have been working on a short-term “License Agreement” with the town that will enable us to continue operating until such time as a long-term agreement is set, one that would require not just our approval but the approval of the Board of Selectmen as well as Town Meeting.

Suffice it to say, this has been upsetting to us all. Without getting into a lot of detail, it may be time for our church members to come together and express our concern to both town officials and the community at large.

As you may know, on June 26th, an article appeared in the Cape Cod Chronicle which presented a largely inaccurate picture of the situation. Two weeks later, in the July 10th issue, a letter from Lynn Carver, on behalf of the Cabinet, was published in the same newspaper presenting our considered response. Also appearing in that same issue was a letter to the editor from Barbara McMillan.

Then, on July 17th, yet another article was published in the Chronicle reporting on an earlier meeting with town officials and several members from First Church. The article contained at least two major inaccuracies. I personally sought to correct the record with the reporter, and a “clarification” was published addressed one of these concerns. In that same issue, Sally Rossetti’s letter to the editor also was published.

By the time you receive this, the Cabinet will have met to plan the church’s next steps. As we go forward, we would ask that you continue to keep First Church in your prayers, that God’s will be done, and that we continue to attend to what matters most, the sacred honor of all those buried in the First Congregational Church Cemetery.

Grace and peace,

Thomas C. Leinbach, Pastor

Filed Under: Letter

Sunday Worship

We are an Open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ.

During the health pandemic, we invite worshippers to join us on Sundays at 10:30 am. We meet in safety for a 45-minute service on our (encrypted) video-conference platform.

How to Find Us

Past Sermons

Sermon: Plan? What Plan?

December 27, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Worry, Be Happy

December 18, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Thoughts for 3 a.m.

December 11, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: The Moods of Christian Life

December 5, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Who Are We to Judge?

November 27, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Keeping One’s Marbles amid the Whistling Tree Frogs

November 20, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Interpreting the Bible

November 7, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Luther, Schmuther!

October 30, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: A Mechanistic God

October 16, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Knowing Who We Are

October 12, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: The Freedom of Constraint

October 2, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Daytime TV and Bonbons

September 25, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Mind Your Own Knitting

September 18, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Stasis, Novelty or Reform

September 11, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Decisions, Decisions

September 5, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Everyone’s Got One

August 28, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Self-Righteousness, Othering, and Violence

August 21, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Oh, This!

August 14, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: From Heel to Healer

August 8, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Unexpectedly

July 31, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Surviving Hope

July 25, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Prevenient Grace

July 17, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: The Strange Persistence of Guilt

July 11, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Freedom

July 3, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Looking for the Lord

June 26, 2017 By FCCH Staff

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