First Church is a lively place, with opportunities for involvement that you can tailor to your availability and schedule. Not only do your gifts of time and talent benefit those with whom you are involved, choosing to participate in some way is a great way to connect with others and start making First Church your church home.

Worship Team 

Contact:  David Coulter -- admin@firstchurchnatick.org

Team members rotate responsibility of preparing the sanctuary for worship on Sunday. The team assists newcomers, reads Scripture, collects the offering, serves communion, helps with special services. There are always three to four team members,  veterans and newbies.  You are contributing to the worship experience in a very tangible way. Team members arrive approximately 30 minutes ahead to set-up and remain about 15 minutes after to close up.  

Sing with the Choir

Contact: Thomas Foster -- foster.pianist@gmail.com

Music is the heart and soul, not only of worship at First Church, but also in our life together. All kinds of music find expression here - from classical to bluegrass and folk.  The choir rehearses on Wednesdays from 7:30 to 9 PM in the choir room on the third floor from September to June and sings in worship every week.  No experience or audition is required.  If time is limited, you can join in for a couple of weeks or a special season.  

Other music opportunities - Contact the church office admin@FirstChurchNatick.org or 508/653-0971

Our congregation has wonderful professional instrumentalists as well as dedicated amateurs.  If you play, we are excited to add you to the number.  If you would like to organize a musical activity, we're ready. We actively encourage everybody "to make a joyful noise."

Godly Play Ministry Team 

Contact: Sarallyn Keller -- sarallyn@FirstChurchNatick.org

Our Godly Play and Connect ministry teams combine an interest in children with an eagerness to explore their personal spirituality through the lessons of Godly Play and Connect. We provide opportunities for leaders to attend both internal and external workshops to enhance their ministries and deepen their own spirituality. We welcome your participation in this vibrant ministry! Come visit one of our Godly Play or Connect Worship Centers to witness what we are excited about!

Flowers for Worship

Contact: admin@FirstChurchNatick.org

Do you have a loved one whose memory you would like to honor, or an anniversary or occasion that you would like to celebrate?  Or perhaps you just want to give a “shout-out” to God for the goodness of life?  Whatever the reason, what better way to lift it up than to say it with flowers! Contact the church office to reserve your date and make arrangements for the delivery of your flowers.

Coffee Hour

Coffee Hour is a wonderful time in the week to connect and it is a great time for newcomers to get acquainted with our congregation. Volunteer hosts just set-up, serve and clean up.  The coffee is ready to pour.  Non-perishable snack items and gluten free snacks are stored on a rolling cart in the kitchen, and juice and creamer are in the fridge.  You can leave worship on the last hymn and have plenty of time to set things up on the table.  Of course, you are always welcome to bring special goodies to share but the mose important thing you have to share is your time and your smile.

To sign up: 

• During Coffeehour look for the coffee hour clipboard on the coffeehour table;
• Or contact the church office or call 508/653-0971 to reserve your date.

Greeter Team - Contact the church office or call 508/653-0971

No special training is needed to be a greeter. Choose a Sunday that works for you. Greeters offer a friendly smile and a hand shake to members, friends, and visitors. Greeters also provide directions and information to newcomers. Greeters arrive 20 minutes before worship and are assigned to either the side entrance off of the parking lot or the front entrance off of East Central Street.  Sign up HERE for a date that works for you!

Congegational Care Ministry

Contact: Sarabeth Guptill (bishgup@aol.com)

The Prayer and Care Ministry offers an opportunity to lend a hand to those in need in our church community. Through the Prayer and Care Ministry, you can help out on an “as needed, as able” basis, in the way that you choose. You might be interested in:

• Comfort Food: making and delivering meals for those in times of short-term need ~ pre-baby, post-surgery, etc.;
• Willing Wheels: giving rides to church, appointments, etc., on an as-needed basis;
• Friendly Visitors: sharing a smile and some conversation with those who are laid up or home bound;
• Sunshine Ministry: sending notes to the home bound, Sunday School birthday cards, get well, thinking of you or condolence cards. 
• Praying Hearts: praying for the community, for those on the prayer list, being part of a prayer chain for urgent needs, etc.  

If you would like to be a part of the praying hearts ministry, our Praying Hearts Coordinator is Linda Champion at lchampion17@gmail.com; 508-653-7412. Or contact the church office or call 508/653-0971.

Prayer Shawl Knitting Meet-up - Contact Sarallyn Keller at sarallyn@firstchurchnatick.org; 508-653-0971

The Prayer Shawl Ministry combines the care and love of knitting into a prayerful ministry that reaches out to those in need of comfort and solace. Healing prayers are knitted into shawls and blankets and given to those during illness, recovery, at times of loss or in times of joy.

Leadership Opportunities - Contact the church office at 508-653-0971 or admin@FirstChurchNatick.org.

First Church relies on the talents of many leaders serving both in elected and volunteer positions. The leadership team works to connect volunteers with their area of interest

The Coordinating Council consists of elected coordinators and officers who are active members of the congregation. The Council represents and acts on behalf of the congregation as a decision-making and policy-setting body between congregational meetings.  They bring to a congregational meeting any issues which are core to the ministry and mission of the congregation or which are potentially controversial.

Each coordinator represents one of eight ministry areas. Those teams provide oversight for Building and Grounds, Christian Formation, Finance, Outreach, Trustees, Welcome, and Worship and Congregational Care.  Coordinators and Team Leaders are elected at our Annual Meeting at the end of January.  Within each of these ministry areas are many opportunities to participate on either an ongoing or a task-focused basis. A member of the Leadership Development Team will help you match your interests with opportunities. 

Building and Grounds

Contacts:  Hank Szretter (prudential@firstchurchnatick.org);

                    Doug Hanna (hannafamily@rcn.com)

The Building and Grounds team welcomes skilled and unskilled labor to help maintain our historic building with repairs and improvements, clean-ups, technology upgrades, as well as maintaining proper liability and property insurance coverage. If you have a skill, chances are that our beautiful old building has a need!  

Sunday Sound and Recording Team

Contact:  Hank Szretter (prudential@firstchurchnatick.org or 508-433-0010)

Get the best seat in the house as you control the soundboard and record the podcast of Sunday worship. 

The Open & Affirming Initiative

Contact - Carolyn Williams (cmwilliams10@verizon.net or 508/655-7731)

The Open & Affirming Initiative evelops programs to welcome people of every ability, race, culture, gender, economic circumstance, gender identity and sexual orientation to our congregation and promotes action on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender concerns.  We welcome your ideas and participation. Some of our events and projects include the Boston Pride Parade, our ONA covenant anniversary, our partnership with OUTMetroWest supporting LGBTQ youth in MetroWest, Open Studios, and raising awareness about LGBTQ concerns.

Green Team - Contact: church office or 508/653-0971)

First Church is concerned about climate change.  Working with local, national and denominational partners, the Green Team works to raise environmental awareness in our congregation and community through education and action, to develop a strategy for longer-range environmental improvements for our physical plant and property and to expand our public witness.

Stewardship

The financial contributions of our members and friends support our many ministries. You can place an offering in the plate every Sunday, but your pledge allows our church to budget responsibily.  If you can make a pledge, contact the church office at fccfinance@firstchurchnatick.org; 508/653-0971 and a pledge card can be mailed to you. Quarterly Reports are sent to all pledgers for your tax records. 

For questions about your statement please contact the office at 508-653-0971 or fccfinance@firstchurchnatick.org.

For questions about pledging, contact the church office.

To request offering envelopes, contact the office at fccfinance@firstchurchnatick.org. Single envelopes are also available at the entries to the sanctuary.  Be sure to note your name on the envelope so that we can add your contribution to your statement and send you a record of your donations.

Family Promise MetroWest - Contact: Jeanette Szretter (jeanettesz@comcast.net or 508-655-0570)

Family Promise is a cooperative, interfaith partnership, offering hope to homeless families with children through safe transitional shelter, meals and supportive case management as they seek permanent housing.  We open our church building for a week several times a year to provide a welcoming place for families to stay. Volunteer opportunities range from set-up to shopping; hosting meals to sleeping over; offering activities for the children or fundraising.  Every spring many from First Church participate in the Family Promise Walkathon, which begins and ends just across the street on the Natick Common. Visit Family Promise Metrowest for more information about the local network and its work.