Welcome
Mission Statement
Federated Church
Organization
Christian Education
Nursery Care
Membership
Community
Missions
Special Organizations
Redevelopment CovenantOn behalf of all of us associated with The Federated Church of Ashland, we extend to you a warm welcome and hope that you will be encouraged to attend our service. We would like to take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about ourselves.
The Mission of The Federated Church of Ashland is to daily proclaim the teachings of Jesus Christ through education, worship, mission and celebration of the word of God, uniting as a community of diverse Protestants in Christian love and nurture.
The following is meant to provide a brief overview of our church, its facilities and its organization. We encourage you to approach the Pastor or any member of Council or the Deaconate with questions or concerns.
The town’s American Baptist, United Methodist and Congregational (United Church of Christ) churches found it necessary to join together for worship services in 1919 because of World War I fuel shortages. The result was so successful that the three denominations have remained together since. Over time, a fourth “Affiliated” branch developed consisting of members of other denominations who became a constituent body in 1950. The denominations cooperate as a mainline church, while each retains its own statement of belief.
The church was built in 1836. (The church was added onto in 1956.)
The federation of four branches adopted a set of by-laws, called the “Articles of Agreement”, which provide a charter for the coordinated operation of the church. The church is incorporated and the organization of the church includes a Church Council, a Board of Deacons, and the following standing committees: Christian Education, Music, Missions, Nominating, Properties, Hospitality, Stewardship and Finance. The Church Council and committee members are elected at the annual church meeting. To provide Council coordination of all church activities, a member of the Council is designated as an additional member of each standing committee.
The Board of Deacons oversees the spiritual affairs of the church and the Board consists of members from the four constituent branches. A Deacon also serves as a representative to Council for the Deaconate.
Financing of church operation is provided mainly by the members of our church, who support the church by pledging, and by money received for the use of the church by outside groups.
Christian Education represents a significant portion of our efforts. Everyone, from preschoolers through high school is welcome to attend classes that run on Sunday mornings. Further, adult education classes are periodically in process.
Nursery care is available for children up to and including the age of 2 ½. The nursery is fully equipped and attended by no less than two qualified adults, when possible.
Membership entitles an individual to vote on matters affecting the church, and is open to any adult who is a member of good standing in any constituent denomination. A series of orientation classes are periodically conducted for new members, at the conclusion of which willing individuals are formally accepted into the church membership as a Congregationalist (United Church of Christ), an American Baptist, or a United Methodist; one of our three main branches. However, members of other denominations may become an Affiliated branch member, which continues with the doctrine of that previous denomination. Of course, a person may choose to continue to worship with us as a non-member and become involved in the work of the church, with certain restrictions such as not having voting rights relative to the operation of the church.
Our church seeks to be an integral part of the community at large and seeks to establish, and maintain, good working relationships with all local religious institutions and customarily conduct an ecumenical service each Veteran’s Day, and participate in local ecumenical groups. In addition, our facilities are made available, with reasonable fees and precautions, to diverse groups, such as a Christian School, a Reform Jewish Congregation, and other social or religious groups.
We take every opportunity to help others. We regularly donate food, clothing and money to established local charities, and support and contribute to calls from our denominations to assist their organized efforts. Further, we organize groups from within the church to provide physical assistance to local charities and, as the need arises, those located in other areas of the country. A special collection is taken the first Sunday of each month for our “Deacon’s Fund”. The purpose of this fund is to assist needy individuals within our church and community.
The women of the church participate in the Theta Phi Delta Women’s Group, which is primarily a social group, which contributes greatly to church-supporting activities, such as the annual church fair, and a Thrift Shop, which resells donated clothing.
In 2005 the Federated Church began a program called Redevelopment Covenant that would begin to shape the future of the church. Click here for more details.
We hope that this information answers some of your questions, and gives you some understanding of our church. Should you wish to speak with the Pastor, please feel free to call the church office. (508-881-1355)
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