Franklin Federated Church Gives Feet To Faith
Members step up and step out to serve the community
 Story submitted by the Rev. Ms. Sarah Hubbell, Associate Pastor
When the Rev. Ms. Sarah Hubbell, Associate Pastor of The Franklin Federated Church, had a conversation with June Cooper, the executive director of City Mission Society, a match was lit.
The Franklin Federated Mission and Outreach members had been looking to conduct programs that would have visible impact on both the church building and grounds and in the community. Cooper is the outreach coordinator at her home church -- First Baptist Church in Framingham -- and has spearheaded "Give Feet to Faith" programs that focus on meeting and helping people in the church's neighborhood. When Sarah brought those conversation ideas to the Mission Task Force, embers started to glow; and then when those ideas were presented to the congregation, interest was sparked.
On the first Sunday after Easter, Franklin Federated had a service with a twist. "After a brief worship service in the sanctuary, we left our monetary offerings behind while we began our offering of service to the community," said Hubbell. People were encouraged to choose from different activities -- each designed to take about an hour -- and help serve in some way, then return from their outreach opportunities, reflect on the experiences, and celebrate together with a pizza lunch in the church dining area.
Putting the event together took some planning. "When I brought the idea back to Deb Stiffler, the chair of the Mission Task Force at Franklin Federated, we decided that we needed options that would appeal to people of all ages, that could be completed in a relatively short time frame, that would provide the opportunity to really show love done in Christ's name, and that would build community," said Hubbell. Money for pizza and materials was donated, but costs were minimal.
With the help of many members of the church, on that one Sunday many different types of people in the community were served and shown love in Christ's name:
- The bell choir, under the direction of Denise Merten, performed a half-hour long concert at the Forge Hill Assisted Living Residence in Franklin.
- Visiting teams, led by Phyllis Gibson and Nancy Ross, called on shut-ins and delivered fresh flowers from the morning's service and miniature goodie baskets made by the kindergarten and first grade classes.
For those who wished to serve but not leave the building, several programs were conducted at the church. For example:
- Church volunteers Shirley Bennett and Steve Kinson videotaped oral histories of people's involvement throughout the church's history.Handy helper teams, led by Dave Sveden, put in non-skid stair treads on all the stairs so that it would be easier and safer to get around. They also taped off two rooms to be painted later, and planted flower bulbs to beautify the grounds. The work was particularly important because Federated Church is home to the Tri-County Meals on Wheels Program and multiple community groups who use the space during the week.
- A large number of bakers of all ages made the most fragrant offering of the day, baking dozens and dozens of cookies. Led by Julia Cribby, the "cookies with Julia" crew made enough cookies to provide homemade desserts for all non-diabetic recipients of the Meals on Wheels program in Franklin and Bellingham, as well as to share at lunch.
"We had such tremendous participation from the people who came to worship -- around 70% of the folks participated in one or more various activities -- that we are planning to make this an on-going event," said Stiffler.
An older member commented that it was fun to bake cookies with the kids and with their parents, while the people at Forge Hill were so delighted with the bell performance that they requested the ringers return for another concert. Hubbell said: "Through this 'Give Feet to Faith' program, we have discovered that there is something for all ages to do to help celebrate the glowing new life that Christ offers to each of us."
Sarah Hubbell and Deb Stiffler can be reached at the church office at (508) 528-3803 or eMail: office@franklinfederated.org.
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