HDS - OMS - Field Education Handbook

Project: First Church in Charlestown, UCC is celebrating its 375th Anniversary this year. We have collaborated with the Charlestown Branch of the Boston Public Library in presenting a power-point show entitled, "In the Footsteps of John Harvard," based on the ministers sabbatical trip to England to visit sites where our third minister, John Harvard, was baptized, went to college, and where his mother lived. We have collaborated with the Charlestown Preservation Society in the clean-up of the Phipps Street Burying Ground, which is the historic cemetery associated with our church; and we have had a wreath-laying ceremony on the monument to John Harvard which stands there. The anniversary of our founding in 1632 falls in November, and we will celebrate with a special worship service at which our Conference Minister and President Jim Antal will preach, on November 4th. We would very much like to include a Harvard student intern in the work of this church. Someone interested in history might help us with an oral history project.

Aside from our history, we are working to expand our outreach and service in our neighborhood. We collaborate with Boston Urban Outreach, as a hospitality site for youth groups from around the country who come to Boston to do social service projects. We also collaborate with Mission Safe, a Boston program which targets late elementary aged children to get involved in positive activities. Our church hosts their cooking class. We also contribute to the Harvest on Vine Food Pantry, located near the Bunker Hill Housing Project, and sponsor our own thrift shop within the church building, called Second Chance Clothes.

We are a small congregation, with 64 members and an average of about twenty on a Sunday morning. Our older members come from working class backgrounds, and some now live in housing projects or elderly housing. Our younger members are college educated professionals. We have added a monthly service for families with toddlers in our chapel, and want to work on serving the young families of our neighborhood better. Another group which we would like to serve better are young adults. We are just a five minute walk from the Orange Line Community College stop.

Student Involvement: We are seeking a student with a strong interest in history, who has the energy and enthusiasm to help us make our anniversary year a year of growth and vitality. Weekly involvement in Sunday worship is expected. There will be opportunities for preaching and worship planning, liaison work with our youth outreach groups, involvement in pastoral care, counseling, religious education for children and adults, and program development.

Arts of Ministry Competencies: Preaching and Worship. Pastoral Care and Counseling. Religious Education and Spiritual Development. Administration and Program Development.

Supervision: Weekly meetings with the supervisor, as well as bi-monthly support from a seminarian support committee.

Notes: Mileage or monthly T-Pass for pastoral visiting, support for attending UCC Annual Meeting. Site is unavailable 2008/9, 2009/10.

Harvard Divinity School

Ministry Studies

Field Education Handbook