The Suffield Observer (https://thesuffieldobserver.com/category/churches/page/30/)
For some the call to a particular vocation can be an “aha” moment. For others, the route is much more circuitous. And so it was for The Reverend Bridget Fidler, senior minister at First Church of Christ Congregational, United Church of Christ, Suffield. Bridget accepted the call to minister at First Church in spring 2009. After ten years of faithful leadership, her last Sunday will be July 21, 2019.
First Church of Christ, Suffield has recently received a grant from the Amiel P. Zak Service Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. The $7000 award will allow First Church to purchase three new Automated External Defibrillators (AED) and will be able to provide the training that is needed in order to operate the AEDs. An AED is a portable device that automatically delivers an electronic shock to the heart to re-establish the rhythm during a cardiac arrest. Having an AED readily available gives first responders a 60 percent greater chance than CPR in saving a victim. The devices will be placed on each of the three floors of the church so that in case of an emergency anywhere in the building, an AED will be nearby.
Sacred Heart Church will be closed approximately six weeks to allow for minor structural repairs and renovations to the thirty year old structure. The work officially started the week of June 24. All the services will be held at St. Joseph’s Church until further notice. On the advice of a structural engineer, expansion joints need to be installed on the single doorways on the front of the building.
We are seeking Vendors for our Christmas Bazaar held at Sacred Heart Church, 446 Mountain Road, Suffield, CT to be held on Saturday, November 2nd from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. All proceeds go to the Sacred Heart Women’s Guild Scholarship Fund. For details call Elizabeth at 860 668-4246 or email sheart.church@sbcglobal.net.
The following events are happening in June at First Church, An Open and Affirming Church. Worship is held every Sunday at 10 a.m. All are welcome!
The following events are happening in May at First Church, An Open and Affirming Church. Worship is held every Sunday at 10 a.m. All are Welcome!
The Greater Suffield Interfaith Council is hosting a free luncheon and guest speaker from The Network on various domestic violence topics followed by questions and answers.
The Suffield High School Chamber Ensemble, shown above, was one of eight choral groups from three schools and three churches in Suffield to perform in Suffield Sings.
This year’s interfaith service at the Third Baptist Church honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, January 21, was held almost five weeks later on February 24, and that was two years after the last such observance in town – both delays having been caused by weather problems – but the event made up for the delays with its enthusiastic spirit and the forcefulness of the messages offered. The little church was close to full when Suffield’s Interfaith Choir and members of Third Baptist marched slowly in with the customary powerful opening spiritual, We Come This Way by Faith. Portions of the service were led by representatives of three Christian churches plus the Islamic, Jewish, and Baha’i faiths, including readings significant to the occasion. Hana Saleh of the Islamic Society of Western Massachusetts summed up the spirit of the occasion with one of King’s excellent quotes and added “Let’s work together to fulfill Dr. King’s Dream!”
The main message of the afternoon was delivered in a traditional manner by Third Baptist’s new pastor, Rev. David E Penn, with the expected enthusiastic response from his audience. Perhaps in deference to the interfaith audience, his address was not overlong, but he had time to make strong points about the need to overcome hatred and intolerance, likening the task to David’s task against Goliath.
You may notice a new face around town and at Sacred Heart Church. Father Mathieu Isaac is new to Suffield and will be in residence at the Sacred Heart Rectory. Father Mathieu Isaac came to the United States from Haiti in 2010 after the earthquake, and he returns to Haiti annually. He has had assignments in numerous Connecticut parishes since being ordained on May 12, 2012, in the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford.