SPOTLIGHT: Gold, Frankincense, Myrrh and Beer?

The night began by singing “Joy to the World” and ended with “Silent Night.“  Attendees greeted one another with smiles and hugs. The mood was festive and joyful. And there was lots of beer. 
 
No, this wasn’t a Christmas or Advent worship service, it was the 3rd annual Beer and Carols held last month at Oak and Iron Brewery, sponsored by South Church in Andover, MA. What began as a one-night-only event in 2017, is now a two-night, sold out mainstay of the Christmas season in Andover. 
 
“I had a hunch this would meet a need in the community, but I had no idea it would be as popular as it is,” said Alex Shea Will, Associate Pastor for South Church. “The interest was so huge the first year, we had to institute a ticketing system for the second year to make sure we weren’t violating the fire code of the brewery.” Despite adding an additional night and charging $5 a ticket, both nights sold out in 2018 and 2019 in about three days. 
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Digital Ministry: What We've Learned, What's Next (Panel Discussion)

Listen in to hear worship leaders from around the [Southern New England] Conference discuss what they've learned so far about doing digital ministry, and where they believe we are headed. Hosted by Kent Siladi, with : Jonathan Chapman, Anna Flowers, Isaac Lawson, Jenn Macy, Ashley Popperson and Alex Shea Will.

Ash Wednesday to-go
Andover pastors administer religious ritual at train station, coffee shops

Dana Allen Walsh and Alex Shea Will, co-pastors of their Central Street parish, spent about 90 minutes giving out ashes at the Andover train depot, greeting commuters taking the 7:06 a.m. train to Boston. Then they greeted coffee lovers on Main Street, making stops at Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks.
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​[Will] and Walsh hit the road with their ashes reminding people that Lent does not have to be a dour and depressing time in one's life.
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"Rather, Lent urges us to think about our lives - not so we might fear what is to come, but rather so we might live more fully in the present,” Will said. "Our church may be 305 years old, but our thinking isn’t. This is only one of the ways we hope that South Church will feel like a vibrant and relevant piece of the Andover community for years to come."​[READ MORE]

SPOTLIGHT: A Small Change Can Make a Big Difference
Super Saturday Workshop Inspired a Westborough Church to  Create a More Welcoming Bulletin

At last year’s Super Saturday, Pastor Paul Sangree attended a workshop led by Alex Shea Will, Associate Pastor at South Church in Andover, on being a more welcoming church.

​During the session, Shea Will and the Andover church’s Welcome Team leader, Laura Jordan, explained that the success of any initiative aimed at inviting and retaining new disciples depends upon a church’s embracing a theology of welcome.  The two shared the various ways South Church has attempted to live into that theology. This included practical suggestions around websites, signage, bulletins, and face-to-face conversations, among other topics.

“Before you even speak to a new visitor, your church has already given them a thousand clues about whether they are welcome or not,” said Shea Will.  “What does your website convey? Did they struggle to find an unlocked door? How did your pastor welcome the congregation from the pulpit? Extravagant welcome is a church-wide, ever-evolving spiritual practice that every UCC church should be actively engaged in.” [READ MORE]

Local clergy help to build a home in Andover

Eight local clergy spent a recent morning together to help build a house with Merrimack Valley Habitat for Humanity and many of them are from Andover congregations.

“Partnering with Habitat has been one of my proudest moments in ministry," said Rev. Will, associate Pastor of South Church. "A church using its resources to help create affordable housing is exactly what Jesus would want us to do. Getting the chance to use our hands and bodies to help build the homes our new neighbors will soon live in, on Lupine Road in Andover, is an incredible joy and blessing. There is something deeply powerful about doing the physical work of welcoming and making room for our neighbors," 
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