Greetings, all, and welcome to autumn once again! The leaves are changing and falling in droves, and soon we’ll all be looking toward soups, stews, and warm drinks. At Marlborough Congregational, we are celebrating the beginning of yet another wonderful fall in the life of our church! Folks are coming back from vacations, kiddos are back in Sunday School, and the Hebron Harvest Fair was a rousing success, thanks to our incredible volunteers. Rally Day has come and gone, and it got me to thinking…we have so many traditions that we continue with that are so helpful to our church community, our community at large, and even going out to brighten up the lives of whoever we can!
So, I wanted to ask about some of those traditions which we enjoy so much. From Lenten Soup Suppers to Maundy Thursday, and from Rally Day to the Nativity Festival. New traditions and old…what are your favorites and why?
I’d like to start this new tradition here, and you don’t have to put your name on them if you don’t want to, but as we tell the stories of our great times and wonderful fellowship, I’d love to invite folks to consider jotting some thoughts down and leaving them at the church for me to read through. For the future history blogs (which you’ll be seeing soon, part one has been submitted!!), let’s not just say that we did these things. Let’s tell them why we kept doing them, and let’s tell them why we loved being a part of those traditions that we have come to love, and the ones we are still falling in love with!
This past year, I found a letter from 1845 which spoke, among some updates on health and general goings-on, to the amazing tradition of passing flowers to those who were in need of comfort. The letter was addressed to Mary Bell, wife of Rev. Hiram Bell, our sixth minister (1840-1850). I know I am always excited when I find a letter or note in and among the history docs which talk about gratitude for one event or another. Well, I’m not asking for a handwritten letter, just a few words on a slip of paper or even an email to the address below would suffice. Again, you may remain anonymous if you so wish.
I do hope to hear from you soon and keep an eye out…some history is coming up for your viewing over the autumn months. You’ll see history on the website soon, some new plaques have been ordered telling some of our stories, and on the larger scale, it is my hope that by late spring 2025 there should be an interactive way for everyone to be able to access the digital copies of some of our oldest and more precious documents!
Hey, I’m History!
Steve Pozzato, Church Historian
history@marlcongchurch.org
Arcane Technology Solutions, LLC