First Church Amherst

Advent 2025: Good News for Hard Times

Dick Matteson in the Daily Hampshire Gazette!

‘Once I started playing the organ, I was hooked’: Beloved longtime minister of music Dick Matteson bids farewell…Check out the article by Carolyn Brown in the Daily Hampshire Gazette

“The Stations of the Resurrection,” by Laura James

First Church Amherst is pleased to host an exhibit of prints by artist Laura James, “The Stations of the Resurrection,” beginning during Holy Week and lasting through Pentecost Sunday, June 8, 2025.

Lent 2025: A Spirituality of Belonging

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. —Mother Teresa

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic separated us from one another physically and hate speech divided us politically, researchers were uncovering alarming gaps in our social fabric. In 2023, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared a national “epidemic of loneliness and isolation,” and recently he left a “parting prescription for America” that boils down to community building.

Advent and Christmas 2024: Season of Promise

“The days are surely coming, God says, when I will fulfill the promise I made.”
“Because of the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us,
to shine upon those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
(Jeremiah 33:14; Luke 1: 78-79)

Our faith is built on some fairly outrageous promises: that the ways of worldly power will be turned upside-down, for example, and that the poor will be lifted up. That love is stronger than death, and that there is a light no darkness can overcome. But it can be hard to trust those promises, especially when so much in our world contradicts them.

Which is why we need to reflect on the promises—and the stories behind them—again and again. It’s why we need to sing the carols, light the candles, and rekindle the joy and hope. It’s why, at the darkest time of the year, we get ready to welcome light and love.

Cranberry Fair Coming October 19!

First Church Amherst’s beloved Cranberry Fair is almost here! This year’s fair continues with our somewhat-new October timing, and will happen on Saturday, October 19 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Fair is a thrifter’s delight! It’s also a gold mine for anyone assembling a Halloween costume or simply wanting to connect to a long-standing New England tradition.

Both floors of the church will be filled with bargains on everything from toys, clothing, housewares, books, and antiques to baked goods, games and puzzles, children’s books, and baked goods.

In addition, Fair-goers will be able to bid on gift cards, vacation get-aways, home-baked goods, and services at our Silent Auction.

One new feature at this year’s fair will be raffle baskets for dog lovers, cooks, chocolate lovers, and child artists.

As always, a hearty lunch, plus coffee, tea, and cider, will be offered in the Fair Cafe.

We hope to see you on October 19!