The Reverend Dr. Kenneth Baily
Senior Pastor
Called to NHCC in the spring of 2002. He grew up in Pennsylvania and Maine, attended college at Vassar, divinity school at Yale, and completed his master's in public administration at Harvard. In May of 2006 he was awarded his Doctor of Ministry by Hartford Seminary; his dissertation focuses on types of congregational leadership. Early part-time work as a carpenter and lobsterman has influenced the way that he has served churches in Maine (Yarmouth), Massachusetts (South Hadley), and Connecticut (West Hartford). Earlier, he served as a legislative aide, speechwriter, and lobbyist in Maine. Baily's post-graduate work has focused on counseling, healing, and in particular on conflict resolution. He was awarded the Mersick Prize for excellence in preaching by Yale University. He has traveled (and especially eaten!) on several continents and holds particular commitments to mission, stewardship, Bible study, and youth activities.
Wendy Donnell
Director of Christian Education
Called to NHCC in 2010, she was already an experienced CE leader with twelve years of church work in her background. She is a Davis Scholar graduate of Wellesley College (Religion) as well as of Mass Bay Community College and has taken graduate courses at Andover Newton Theological School. She has developed a great deal of her own curriculum over the years. In addition to organizing our growing Church School program and implementing special events, she supervises our nursery staff, Church School teachers, and middle and high school leaders.
Sarah Eberly
Church Administrator,
Sarah takes care of most of the day-to-day operation of the church. Office hours most of the year are Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 1 PM. Late June through Labor Day hours are the same but only Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Lynd Matt
Music Director
The director of the NHCC choir since 1999. Before that, he was a member of various church choirs in the area including those at Old South Church in Boston (UCC) and Marsh Chapel at Boston University. Currently, he sings with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and has sung with The Seraphim Singers. Before coming to Boston, he was assistant minister of music at First United Methodist Church in Shreveport. Lynd Matt received the Bachelor of Arts degree in Christian Education and the Bachelor of Music degree in Sacred Music from Centenary College of Louisiana. While at Centenary, he was a member of the world renowned Centenary College Choir and the Camerata singers. He also holds the Master of Sacred Music degree from Boston University, where he was a member of the Boston University Symphonic and Chamber Choruses.
Yevgenia Semeina,
Organist
Yevgenia is an acclaimed organist and pianist currently based in Boston, MA, where she is extensively active in artistic endeavors both as a performer and as an educator. Yevgenia’s career took off in 1994 when she was engaged to perform solo concerts in various cities of the former USSR, as well as in numerous European countries (Estonia, Germany, England, France, Norway, Poland, Czech Republic, Spain, Switzerland), and in the USA. A decade later Yevgenia earned a special prize at the organ competition Concours Internationaux de la Ville de Paris in France, and another special prize at the IV International Mikael Tariverdiev organ competition in Russia during the following year. Yevgenia’s educational path began in the Special Music School of the St.-Petersburg Conservatory under the tutelage of Natalia Ushakova (piano) and Daniel Zaretsky (organ). She continued her education and earned a Master of Music degree in Organ Performance at the Longy School of Music of Bard College, where her principal professor was Peter Sykes. She went back to Russia to complete her culminate degree, the post-graduate diploma, in Moscow Conservatory, while being mentored by Professor Natalia Gureeva. As a pianist, Yevgenia regularly collaborates with distinguished instrumentalists and singers. Yevgenia was an organist at the Arlington Street Church in Boston and was one of the special guest performers at the Boston First Night celebration. Presently Yevgenia is an organist and pianist at Newton Highlands Congregational Church in Newton, MA. Yevgenia has been a dedicated teacher and has a private studio in the Greater Boston Area for nearly two decades. She is also a co-founder of the newly launched Contemporary School of Music Heritage.
As a Congregational church, much of the work of NHCC is done by its members, led in part by several committees.