Family Life
In a congregation of many generations and diverse cultural backgrounds, fellowship and community are central. In addition to attending Sunday School, children and youth also participate in activities that include everyone in every family. Outings include sports events, fun nights, dinners, block parties, fundraisers and community events.
Pastoral Care
Our minister and deacons provide pastoral care to our members, including home visits, hospital visits and pastoral counseling. The deacons also visit parishioners who are no longer able to attend church regularly. The pastoral ministry of the Diaconate assists members with such things as getting to medical appointments, picking up a medication or finding a hot meal. If you have a pastoral need, please contact our pastoral staff.
The Prayer Shawl Ministry
Meets every Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. in the Guild Room, where knitting enthusiasts create prayer shawls, hats, blankets, mittens and items for hospice patients and those in need.
The Sewing Group
Meets every Tuesday at 4 p.m. to make quilts that are sold in fundraisers or donated to hospitals. The session is often ended with a soup-and-bread dinner.
South Church Cooks
A group that cooks and serves meals on a monthly basis for the Loaves and Fishes program. Dates are announced in the Crossroads calendar, the Website calendar and the Sunday bulletin. The group will be cooks and servers four or five times during the year.
For more information about any of these groups and how to participate, or if you have an idea for a new ministry, please contact the church office.
Benevolence
The Benevolence Committee and the Taylor Benevolent Fund at South Church provide financial assistance to organizations in the community who minister to those in need. In addition to administering a scholarship program for students in the congregation who attend a seminary or university, these programs have also given financial assistance to such entities as Youth with a Purpose, the Emergency Fuel Fund of the Council of Churches, Open Pantry, the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, Action Centered Tutoring Services and other. Requests for donation are accepted each year in the fall and are awarded in the spring of the following year. For more information or to make a request contact the church office.
Facilities
With its expansive worship spaces and numerous meeting rooms of various sizes and styles, South Church affords the opportunities for many outside organizations to make use of the building affordably. Currently a number of groups use our space weekly, monthly or at specific times of the year, including th Pioneer Valley Project, Loaves and Fishes, Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. Ample parking is available on weekends and after 5 p.m. weekdays and kitchen space can be arranged for meal preparation.
Also, spaces in our parking lot are available to rent between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays. To find out more about using our facilities please contact the church office.