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Amesbury Churches Combine Talents and Consider Merger

November, 2004

The 170 members of the Amesbury-based churches Main Street Congregational Church and Union Congregational Church, UCC, spent the summer getting to know each other. And only time will tell if the two churches will marry.

“God has presented us with a unique opportunity,” explains the Rev. Joan MacPherson, pastor of the Main Street Congregational Church. Since the time MacPherson was called to Main Street, the part-time pastor at the Union Congregational Church resigned. (MacPherson is now providing pastoral coverage to Union Congregational through November 2004.) This new set of circumstances has presented an opportunity to combine the strengths of both churches and form one new UCC church in Amesbury.

Although over the past many years, the two UCC churches explored and conducted joint worship and fellowship activities, more recently the leadership of both churches have been meeting to explore the possibility of the two separate entities becoming one. Previous to MacPherson’s call, a vision committee made up of members from both churches had been established to discuss and decide how the churches could combine their strengths. During the summer, the two congregations shared worship services, got to know each other through small house gatherings, and appointed leaders to meet and discuss how both churches could best serve Christ and the community.

“So far, the Executive Council has agreed to stay together through the end of November,” says MacPherson. “At that time, a decision will be made to merge, or not, or continue as-is.” Although it was incorrectly reported in local papers that one of the church buildings was being sold, MacPherson assures the community that no decisions have been made yet. “The options of selling both churches and building a new one or selling one church and expanding or updating the other are still being considered.”

“The Vision Team realizes that each decision has its own pros and cons. They recognize that many people would fear a loss of tradition and long-held identities if buildings are sold. But they also want to make sure we’re not spreading ourselves too thin. We don’t wish anyone to feel disenfranchised, but we need to discover how to be the best church in 2004 and beyond.”

“Through the process, we have recognized how much we both have in common,” explains MacPherson. “Besides the fact that both churches are in transition, both also share many of the same goals, values and questions of how best to serve God, Christ, and the community.

“The most important outcome of any decision made,” insists MacPherson, “is to show the connection among all the members and invite the community to join together to hear the Still Speaking God, no matter where we worship.”