Set on a hill above Tob Road in the small town of Westhampton, Massachusetts, Westhampton Congregational United Church of Christ has gathered for worship every Sunday at ten o'clock since the year the American Revolution ended. The white-clapboard congregation is known across the hill towns for its long-running food pantry, an interfaith Take & Eat program that brings weekend meals to homebound elders in Easthampton, Southampton, and Westhampton, and a children's community-service group called Good Works that meets at the church once a month. An Open and Affirming church within the United Church of Christ, it welcomes everyone to its Communion table and to every part of its life.
From 1779 to the United Church of Christ
The congregation was organized on September 1, 1779. Like many New England churches, it moved through the mergers of the twentieth century: with the Christian Churches in 1931 to form the Congregational Christian Church, and then with the Evangelical and Reformed Church in 1957 to become the United Church of Christ. This church voted to join that merger in 1961. In 1990 the members voted to call themselves Westhampton Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, and on February 7, 2010, a special meeting adopted the present name, Westhampton Congregational United Church of Christ. Through all of it, the church has kept its congregational tradition of autonomy and self-government, with members exercising the right of control in all its affairs.
Sunday Morning Worship at Ten
Worship on Sunday mornings is centered in the second-floor sanctuary. The service is built around heartfelt praise, prayer, scripture, and song, with music described as a regular blessing. Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month, and baptisms are performed with joy whenever a family requests them. The Communion table is open to all who would partake, whether baptized or not, and whether a person believes a little, a lot, or is struggling with belief.
Those who cannot make the drive up the hill can join the service by Zoom (Meeting ID 321 069 9076, Passcode 248423) or by phone at 1-646-558-8656. Recent sermons are also posted on the church's YouTube channel and kept on the sermons page, where they remain available alongside an archive of sermons preached by a former pastor, Pastor Tadd.
The Pastor and Her Call to Tending Lives
The pastor is the Rev. Carol B. Smith. Raised by faith-filled parents in Queens, New York, and later Simsbury, Connecticut, she came to ministry through years of work as an early-childhood educator and administrator before completing her theological studies at Hartford Seminary and earning a Master of Divinity from Bangor Theological Seminary. Her ministry has long centered on youth and adult education, music, service, and the small group traditions of New England Protestantism. She writes of herself: "I am passionate about people! Passionate about tending lives the way a gardener tends a beloved garden, with presence, attention, and care that nurtures growth and fruitfulness." She and her wife, Mary, have three children and three grandchildren.
The church was also served during a summer interim by Julia Khan, a writer and educator who holds a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary and has preached a long series of sermons from the lectionary that remain available as PDFs.
Special Services Through the Year
Several services mark the turning of the Christian year. On Easter Sunday the congregation gathers at sunrise on the hill above the church. The Tuesday before Thanksgiving is the Community Thanksgiving Service, shared with neighbors. The Longest Night Service is held on the Winter Solstice for those who find the darkest weeks heavy. Christmas Eve brings a Service of Lessons and Carols. The Youth Group places luminaries on Christmas Eve, facilitates the Easter sunrise service and Easter breakfast, and puts on a variety show each spring in conjunction with the Westhampton EMTs.
Faith Works: Sunday School and Childcare
The Christian Education committee runs Faith Works, the church's Sunday school program. Children through sixth grade are invited to begin the service in the sanctuary with their families and then go downstairs with their teachers during worship. Faith Works meets on the first and third Sundays of the month during the program season. Childcare is also provided for younger children. The safety of children and youth is taken seriously, and every volunteer with children and youth must fill out an application and disclosure form before serving.
Good Works: A Community-Service Group for Kids
Good Works is a non-religious, monthly community-service group for students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Children ride the bus from the Westhampton school to the church, where adults meet them with a snack. After snack, the group works on projects that care for the world, friends, and neighbors: gardening, making cards for the sick or elderly, and other tasks suggested by families. Pickup is at 4:30 p.m. The group meets on the third Wednesday of each month during the school year, and parents sign a permission slip at the start of the year. It is led by Sarah Madden and Lynn Willard, with help from a rotating circle of volunteers.
Youth Group
Students in seventh through twelfth grades are invited to the Youth Group, whose schedule varies with field trips, hands-on activities, and discussion. Beyond regular gatherings, the youth place the Christmas Eve luminaries, lead the Easter sunrise service and breakfast, and put on the spring variety show with the Westhampton EMTs.
The Westhampton Food Pantry
The food pantry is the most visible community ministry. It is open to anyone in need of food, no questions asked, and it runs on three weekly schedules:
- Wednesdays, 5 to 6 p.m.
- Fridays, 11 a.m. to noon
- Saturdays, 9 to 10 a.m.
The pantry is located in the lower level of the church. Visitors enter through the street-side door and walk to the food bank at the end of the hall, where they fill out a simple log sheet each visit. Donations can be dropped off during pantry hours, or, when the pantry is closed, at the Miller home at 7 Stage Road. Perishable donations go into the fridge or freezer. The church keeps a printed list of assistance resources for anyone who asks.
Take & Eat: Weekend Meals for Homebound Elders
The Take & Eat program prepares and delivers weekend meals to elders and homebound people who use Meals on Wheels during the week but have no coverage on Saturdays and Sundays. The program now serves up to one hundred clients in Easthampton, Southampton, and Westhampton, on the first, third, and fourth Saturdays of each month. It is run by Our Lady of the Valley Parish in Easthampton; Westhampton UCC partners with St. Philip's Episcopal Church to deliver meals on the fourth weekend of every month. Volunteers cook and pack at a commercial kitchen at 30 Davis Street in Easthampton, and sign up online through the church's volunteer page. Over thirty volunteers each month keep the program running.
Kiva Microloans and the Witherell Scholarship
Two smaller programs extend the church's reach beyond Westhampton. Through the Kiva program, the congregation has participated in three hundred loans to farmers, bakers, weavers, and fishermen in countries around the world. A loan of twenty-five dollars is enough to join the platform, and every dollar repaid can be lent again. Members can send a check with "KIVA" in the memo to the church or open their own Kiva account.
The Witherell Memorial Education Scholarship Fund was established in 2018 by a bequest from Carol R. Witherell. It offers financial assistance to students of any age who live in Westhampton or are active participants in the life of the church and are pursuing education past high school. Awards are based on financial need, school or work history, community involvement, and seriousness of purpose; academic standing is considered but is not the deciding factor. There is no expectation of repayment and no requirement of involvement with the church.
An Open and Affirming Congregation
Westhampton is an Open and Affirming (ONA) congregation of the United Church of Christ. Members have made a public covenant of welcome to persons of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions into the full life and ministry of the church. The mission statement, originally adopted in 1996 and amended in 2001 and 2009, reads in part: "Our unconditional love is inclusive of all God's people. We denounce acts of discrimination and violence against any person. As an open and affirming church, we joyfully welcome all people into our community of faith, regardless of age, gender, race, sexual orientation, ethnic background, socioeconomic status or physical/mental abilities." The congregation is part of the Massachusetts Conference of the UCC and links to the national UCC's Open and Affirming resources.
What the Church Believes
The beliefs page opens with 1 John 4:7-8: "Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God." Rooted in love, members of the church do God's work through helping others in any kind of need. Christians, the page says, recognize the Bible as an important guide in life; it is central to the faith, but Christians vary in their approaches to it. The Bible contains diverse religious perspectives, including three different Creation stories and four gospels. Any view of Jesus that brings a person into a richer relationship with God is welcomed and explored in the church's company.
Visiting the Church
The church sits at 1 Tob Road in Westhampton, with two parking lots, one to the left of the building and another on South Road below it, plus on-street parking. Greeters meet visitors at the door, and more greeters are present in the sanctuary upstairs, where bulletins and a welcome mug for first-time guests are offered. Guests are asked to sign the guest book so the church can send a thank-you note.
A handicap-accessible entrance is on the left of the building, with one handicap-accessible bathroom. An elevator reaches all three floors, including the sanctuary and the basement offices. Listening-assisted devices are available in the sanctuary. Bathrooms are on the first floor near the kitchen and in the basement.
The pastor's office and the church secretary's office (Ms. Julie Holt) are in the basement, just inside the basement door on the right side of the building. The church can be reached at 413-527-4204 or westhamptonchurchucc@comcast.net. Giving to the church and its ministries is available online through Tithe.ly, with separate designations for the general fund, the food pantry, and outreach.