We look forward to
giving you a warm welcome at
the Village Congregational Church
You will find:
• A caring community that
puts people before beliefs
• People who believe that spiritual exploration is vital to
their lives.
• People who value music and make it a central part of their weekly
worship experience
• An informal, traditionally-based and creative style of worship
Our Staff:
Organist/Choir Director
Ms. Heather Davies
heather@cummingtonvillagechurch.org
Heather has been serving as the Minister of Music at the Village Church since May of 2005. She obtained her Bachelor's degree in Music Education from Nazareth College of Rochester and has experience as a general music teacher at both private and public schools in New York and Indiana. Heather currently lives in Florence and is a telecommunications legal assistant at Green, Miles, Lipton & Fitz-Gibbon, LLP. She also teaches private music lessons after church on Sundays. Our small adult choir sings periodically between September and June and rehearses on Sunday mornings beginning at 9:15 AM.
Pastor
Rev. Liza Neal
liza@cummingtonvillagechurch.org
Liza grew up in San Diego, California,
and came east to study religion, writing, and dance at Hampshire
College. She remained in western Massachusetts after college
and has worked as a counselor for adolescents, developmentally
disabled folks, and survivors of sexual abuse and domestic
violence. After attending Yale Divinity School, she became
the Spiritual Life Coordinator at Hampshire College and the
Assistant Minister/Youth Coordinator at First Churches in
Northampton. Liza enjoys walking in the woods with her dogs
and going for coffee.
Contact Liza at: liza@cummingtonvillagechurch.org
Our History
The first house of worship in Cummington was built in 1780, on a hill outside of the present village area. After years of discussion some members decided to build a church in the Village of Cummington, and others built a church in West Cummington. In 1838 the Village Congregational Church was erected. The incorporation of the Village Church as a legal body was completed on February 20, 1912.
The Village Church was yoked with the West Cummington Church from 1912 to 1994, sharing a minister. We are now independent of each other, but share worship services at certain times of the year.
In 2005, the Village Church voted to form a "bridge" with First Churches in Northampton, MA. Starting in September of 2005, a minister and two ministerial students will begin to preach at the Village Church. The shared ministry included Liza Neal, leader, and students Duane Romberger and Barbara Black. It was a great experience with the variety of preaching and the chance for the church to help two ministerial students progress in their callings. Duane and Barbara have moved on, leaving fond memories behind. The Village Church liked Liza so much we called her to be our settled part-time minister.
The Village church started a newsletter called "The Good Will Messenger" which started as a church newsletter and has become an unofficial newsletter for the town.
