Littleton's First Congregational Church is big part of community

LITTLETON — The Littleton Area Chamber of Commerce has named the First Congregational Church of Littleton as its Featured Member for September.

The First Congregational Church, a congregation of the United Church of Christ, has been bringing people together in Littleton to build and support the community and to worship for more than 200 years. The original church building, including the sanctuary as we know it today, was first occupied and ready for its congregation in 1833. The sanctuary is well-known for its 17 stained glass windows installed in 1901. Fourteen of the windows are memorial windows honoring citizens of Littleton prior to that time. There is so much history in and of this building that church leadership published a church history pamphlet in the early 2000s, which is still available today.

Today the church remains as busy as ever, offering weekly worship services on Sundays, opening its doors for community meetings, and holding many church-run community events, including the Pollyanna Day pancake breakfast and the upcoming 6th annual RiverWalk for MS to benefit the National MS Society on Saturday, Sept. 21, as well as its popular Harvest Supper, coming up this year on Saturday, Oct. 5.

The Parish Hall also houses Shining Lights Learning Center, a Christian daycare and learning center for area children ages 1-5, which is a mission of the church that opened in 2006.

In a recent conversation with Pastor David Weddington and members of the church, it was clear that, while the physical space is certainly breathtaking and full of history and vibrancy, it is the people of the congregation who keep the strong community thriving.

Estelle LaFleur, a member of the church’s community outreach group, talked passionately about the committee’s new idea of a “Little Free Pantry” that will soon be opening on the church grounds.

“The premise is so simple,” LaFleur said. “Take what you need, leave what you can.”

It is all community-driven. Anything, from food to socks, can be placed in the pantry, and those who are in need can simply take what they need. The committee hopes to use Facebook as a method of sharing current needs of the pantry and putting out an “all call” when needs arise.

The Little Free Pantry is meant to complement existing food pantries in the area. ”The big thing about the Little Free Pantry is its 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week access,” said Alice Muh. “That’s why we felt that it wouldn’t compete [with other area food pantries] but still fill a community need.”

Another involved member of the church community, Ron Bolt, recently headed up the successful application by the church for grant funds given by the State Homeland Security Program. Seven houses of worship in New Hampshire received funds to upgrade and bolster security at their facilities. Bolt worked with a group of congregants and with Littleton public safety officials to gather data and information which led to their being awarded funds to make much-needed upgrades to the safety and security of the space.

The First Congregational Church welcomes all people into its community. Muh said that, years back, “We as a church wanted to figure out: What are we doing here, sitting here on Main Street?” They concluded that they wanted to be “a loving community within the community,” and from that came their Community Outreach Group.

First Congregational Church, Littleton, is located at 189 Main St. For more information about public events and happenings, see Facebook at “First Congregational Church of Littleton NH,” visit 1stconglittleton.org, or call 603-444-3376.