Each Sunday at 10 AM (9:30 AM for summer worship — see below for more information), we gather to praise God through a blend of modern and traditional forms of worship. Coming from diverse faith traditions, we discover God’s word in music, prayer, and preaching and relate it to the concerns of our lives and our world. It is a time of nurture and challenge, of sharing and contemplation. Services are enriched by our organ and choir music. Our main floor is wheelchair accessible, and hearing-assistance devices as well as large-print bulletins and hymnals are available.
Holy Communion is generally celebrated on the first Sunday of each month but with some variation for special days in the church calendar or practical reasons. Scheduled communion Sundays are usually indicated in the Events Calendar, but there can sometimes be mistakes or late changes. Please contact us if you need to know for sure.
Each summer, this parish reflects its deep commitment to the ministry of the laity by promoting lay members as worship leaders. This tradition has for many years reflected the Protestant value of “a priesthood of all believers.” That is, we are all ministers to one another, and the Holy Spirit can give vision to any of us to preach, guide, and serve one another. And so we do. Summer services start at 9:30 AM, and summer hours are in effect from late June until Labor Day. See the Calendar for exact dates of changeover.
COVID19, Snow, Winter, and Online Worship
We’ve never canceled worship, but we sometimes encourage you not to come! For example during the time of COVID-19, we had worship services online only. Now, we’re worshipping in person, but you can still attend online on our YouTube channel.
Also, once a year or so, if there is a bad storm, we encourage you not to come unless you can walk. On these occasions, we’ll have an announcement on our telephone recording at 617-527-3898.
If you have choir, education, or worship duties, check with your group. As a church that follows Christ and preaches healing, we long to see you safe and well, and we believe — sincerely — that we will see you next week.
Revised Common Lectionary
NHCC usually, though not always, chooses Scripture readings at worship according to the “Revised Common Lectionary.” This is a three-year cycle of readings that a group of scholars have considered the most important. It is widely used among Protestant churches and is quite similar to the readings used in Catholic and Episcopal churches.
For more information on the creation of the lectionary, see The Consultation on Common Texts. For a calendar of each week’s readings, see the Revised Common Lectionary.
Liturgical Colors
Christian churches since the fourth century have used colors to denote the seasons of the church year, and NHCC follows the customs of most UCC churches. Altar cloths, pulpit decorations (known as “paraments”), and the pastor’s stole follow the colors of the season. Green denotes “ordinary time” and also stands for life and growth. Violet is the color of royalty and therefore a symbol of Christ’s sovereignty. It is also the symbol of expectation and therefore is used during Advent and Lent. White (or gold) symbolizes joy and triumph and is used on major feast days. (White is used in the sanctuary, but this web site uses gold because white would be hard to read.) Red is the color of blood thus the color of martyrs and of Christ’s death on the cross. Red also symbolizes fire and is therefore the color of the Holy Spirit, used on Pentecost. Days of mourning and penitence — Good Friday and Holy Saturday — have no color.
Read our Mission Statement and church covenant.