Much more than a building — it's a place of fellowship, solace & contemplation!
![]() Sunday, July-August 2024 - Worship 10:00 AM (In person or via ZOOM)
Sermon: Come Inside for JC with AC! - Kathleen Reed, Pastor To join via ZOOM, please contact us at (617) 479-8778 or [email protected] |
Houghs Neck Congregational Church (UCC)
310 Manet Avenue Quincy, MA 02169 (617) 479-8778 Parking & Directions |
Are you searching for a spiritual home where all are welcome? Look no further. When our forefathers and mothers settled and formed a church in Houghs Neck 129 years ago, they did so to provide a Christian community that would affirm who they were, their histories, their families and their deep faith in a loving God and their unity in the spirit. It is this legacy that we continue to lift up.
We are an open Community of Faith serving the families and people of Houghs Neck, Quincy and surrounding communities. We seek to create a space for all believers who know their spiritual pilgrimage is one among many. We seek to honor each person’s walk with God and see others who seek the loving presence of God as brothers and sisters.
We are an open Community of Faith serving the families and people of Houghs Neck, Quincy and surrounding communities. We seek to create a space for all believers who know their spiritual pilgrimage is one among many. We seek to honor each person’s walk with God and see others who seek the loving presence of God as brothers and sisters.
Pastor’s Note
August 2024
In many Protestant churches, time is measured in hymnals. For example, when I entered the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg in the mid-1970’s, the cover of our hymnal was red. By the time I finished my Master of Divinity degree, a green hymnal had been introduced containing many new hymns and updated language for the liturgies. There was much weeping and gnashing of teeth. Thirty years later, along came another red-covered hymnal which we were to refer to as the cranberry hymnal to distinguish it from the 1960’s red one. But, instead of taking the green books away, we left the greens in the pew-racks and added the cranberries. It looked quite festive, as if Christmas had come early!
Following a time-honored practice, the cranberry hymnals were funded by donations from congregants who could memorialize the new books in the names of a loved ones. The first Sunday we used the new cranberry hymnal which brought back quite a few “old chestnuts” and added several fresh hymns by living composers, I braced myself. At the door after service Dr. Dick Brown shook my hand, grumbling that he “wanted his money back.” I asked him to wait in the vestibule so we could talk more after the line thinned out.
“Okay, Dick, I’m listening. What’s wrong?” I asked. “When you get to my age,” he answered, “you want to be able to rest in the familiar.” (Dick was in his late 60’s and still teaching at one of the Boston medical schools). “I hear you,” I said, but didn’t offer any refunds or any other solutions. We just stood together for a full minute in silence which he broke by continuing, “Yes, and I suppose now I am just going to have to live longer so this new one gets familiar, too.” “Yes, please!” I said.
In those 60 seconds of silence, I had to work very hard at not filling it up with solutions to his distress or platitudes about change being hard. For that minute, what Dick needed was some time to lament and have his grief seen and heard. I also believe he needed to experience assurance that two differently minded people of faith could stand side-by-side without judgement, listening.
It's a spiritual practice I’m still working on—listening deeply without mentally formulating a response before the speaker is finished. Listening almost as a sacrament, as a kind of communion, transformational and holy.
August Blessings!
Pastor Kathleen
August 2024
In many Protestant churches, time is measured in hymnals. For example, when I entered the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg in the mid-1970’s, the cover of our hymnal was red. By the time I finished my Master of Divinity degree, a green hymnal had been introduced containing many new hymns and updated language for the liturgies. There was much weeping and gnashing of teeth. Thirty years later, along came another red-covered hymnal which we were to refer to as the cranberry hymnal to distinguish it from the 1960’s red one. But, instead of taking the green books away, we left the greens in the pew-racks and added the cranberries. It looked quite festive, as if Christmas had come early!
Following a time-honored practice, the cranberry hymnals were funded by donations from congregants who could memorialize the new books in the names of a loved ones. The first Sunday we used the new cranberry hymnal which brought back quite a few “old chestnuts” and added several fresh hymns by living composers, I braced myself. At the door after service Dr. Dick Brown shook my hand, grumbling that he “wanted his money back.” I asked him to wait in the vestibule so we could talk more after the line thinned out.
“Okay, Dick, I’m listening. What’s wrong?” I asked. “When you get to my age,” he answered, “you want to be able to rest in the familiar.” (Dick was in his late 60’s and still teaching at one of the Boston medical schools). “I hear you,” I said, but didn’t offer any refunds or any other solutions. We just stood together for a full minute in silence which he broke by continuing, “Yes, and I suppose now I am just going to have to live longer so this new one gets familiar, too.” “Yes, please!” I said.
In those 60 seconds of silence, I had to work very hard at not filling it up with solutions to his distress or platitudes about change being hard. For that minute, what Dick needed was some time to lament and have his grief seen and heard. I also believe he needed to experience assurance that two differently minded people of faith could stand side-by-side without judgement, listening.
It's a spiritual practice I’m still working on—listening deeply without mentally formulating a response before the speaker is finished. Listening almost as a sacrament, as a kind of communion, transformational and holy.
August Blessings!
Pastor Kathleen
upcoming events in the life of our church
Both the Merriam-Webster and Oxford English Dictionaries define a choir as an organized company of singers. Neither state that you have to be able to read music, have perfect pitch or an amazing voice. The Houghs Neck Congregational Church choir welcomes anyone who loves to sing. Each Wednesday evening from September through May, our talented director Steve Reed works with us going over individual parts until we are comfortable with them then magically combines our voices and voila - we have a four-part anthem for our Sunday service!
So, if you love to sing, give us a try. We meet at the Church (310 Manet Avenue, Quincy, MA 02169) Wednesday evenings from 7:00-8:30 PM then again at 9:30 AM Sunday mornings to prepare for the 10:00 AM Worship Service.
So, if you love to sing, give us a try. We meet at the Church (310 Manet Avenue, Quincy, MA 02169) Wednesday evenings from 7:00-8:30 PM then again at 9:30 AM Sunday mornings to prepare for the 10:00 AM Worship Service.
Bible, Brews & Qs - 9-10AM
On break until September
On break until September
Gather for a midweek pick me up. Bible for inspiration, Brewed coffee and the Questions we all wrestle with.
Reading prep: Mark, Chapter 15 To join via ZOOM, please contact us at (617) 479-8778 or [email protected] Houghs Neck Congregational Church (Coffee Room) 310 Manet Avenue Quincy, MA 02169 |