This page contains the answers to some questions that you may be asking about Pilgrim Church. If you don't see your question, feel free to contact us. As we get more questions, we will continue to expand this page. Some of the work is in progress; these items are marked “to be written”.

Questions

Answers

About the UCC in general

What does UCC stand for?: United Church of Christ.
How long has the UCC existed?: The UCC was founded in 1957.
Does the UCC have anything like a Pope? Bishops? A “ruling council ”?: No. The essense of a congregational Church is that that the individual congregation decides how to worship, and what is appropriate for their liturgy. So—in that sense—the real “control” of UCC churches is “from the bottom up”, rather than “from the top down”. There is no hierarchy of worship leaders or ecclesiastical rulers.
So how is the national Church controlled?: Every couple of years or so, representatives from UCC congregations around the country meet in a gigantic gathering called the Synod. During this multi-day event, the representatives debate and decide issues that affect the position and course of the national Church. In this way, local churches make their opinions known, and have a hand in how the national organization is run. In addition, the national UCC has a paid staff that helps coordinate and communicate between congregations.
Is the UCC one of those “fundamentalist” religions?: No. We are what might be referred to as a “thoughtfully serious” Church. Our theology tends to be a moderate interpretation of the scriptures. Because of the congregational nature of the UCC, each congregation is different; however, the UCC in general tends to be a mainstream liberal Church.
Is it “Church” or “church”?: When referring to a Church as a body (as a national or worldwide organization), one generally uses the capitalized “Church”. When referring to an individual congregation or building, one can talk about the lower-case “church”. The only exception is when referring to the actual legal title of an individual church (such as “Pilgrim Congregational Church UCC, Nashua, NH ”). But don't stress over it—if you use the incorrect capitalization, no one here will yell at you.
Where can I go to learn more about the UCC?: The best place is the original national Church website at www.ucc.org. For an alternative look, check out the “Still Speaking” outreach website (still an official site, just a livelier style).

About Pilgrim Church in particular

When was Pilgrim Church founded?: That depends on how you look at it. The current building was dedicated in 1957; however, the congregation has ties that go back much farther. The roots of congregational worship in the Nashua area—and therefore, our direct descendants—go back to 1684. For a more complete history, see our history page.
Where was the previous church building located?: From 1882 to 1954, Pilgrim Church was located in downtown Nashua on Temple Street, where the office building at One Indian Head Plaza presently stands. In 1954, that church building was critically damaged by Hurricane Carol, and was subsequently demolished. During the interim period before the current building was constructed, the congregation worshipped in the Charlotte Avenue school.
Who runs the church?: Ultimately, the congregation decides all matters in public meetings, by voting. The biggest such meeting is the annual congregational meeting, which occurs in January. In practice, it is very much like an old-fashioned town meeting. For the rest of the year, regular business is delegated to various Boards and committees, whose members are elected by the congregation at the annual meeting.
Who decides how the congregation worships?: In essense, the congregation does. In practice, the Pastor and Diaconate work jointly to create the worship liturgy and services.
What are all these complicated terms that you use to describe the church building?: Church construction has a long history, and various parts of a church have specific names and significance. The sanctuary refers to the entire space that is used for worship, including the area where the congregation sits, as well as the parts occupied by the choir and minister. The chancel in Pilgrim Church is the raised platform that includes the choir pews, organ, and table. The pulpit and lectern are the two podiums used for public speaking; traditionally, the pulpit is used by the minister (and/or other preachers) for the sole purpose of preaching and leading worship, and is the taller of the two. The lectern may be used by any person for any purpose, and is usually shorter and plainer. Outside the sanctuary is the narthex, which serves as a quiet foyer or entrance to the worship space.

In larger churches, cathedrals, and basilicas, there are many other specialized parts of the church; however, Pilgrim Church is small enough that we don’t have to worry about those.
Who did the stained glass?: Scott McDaniel (currently of Stained Glass Resources in Hampden, MA) designed and supervised the installation of our windows. (At the time he did the design, he was working with Our Glass, which is the name inscribed on the window. See the picture at right.) We think he did a wonderful job.
How many pipes does the organ have?: 1440. We know because we had to take them all out during our recent building renovation project.
Why does Fellowship Hall have an odd-shaped roof?: The original architectural plan anticipated a two-story addition on the Watson St. side of Fellowship Hall. At that time, we chose to create a roofline that could be easily extended to accomodate such an addition. In light of current construction codes, we decided that a two-story addition was too expensive. So we have a rather odd roofline. We are considering a mural on the vertical wall …
Why do the bricks look so old?: The exterior bricks of the sanctuary and parlor were taken from the Temple Street church, following its destruction in 1954. In addition, we have structural beams in the sanctuary floor which were also taken from Temple Street. These beams were blackened in the fire of 1969; however, they are structurally sound and continue to support our worship.

About our Worship

What days are worship services held?: We have regular worship services on Sunday mornings. During specific times of year we have special services, which are announced well in advance (Ash Wednesday, the week before Easter, Christmas Eve, etc.). At the present time, we do not have regular worship services on other days of the week.
What time is Sunday worship?: We have one service on Sunday morning. During most of the year, Sunday worship begins at 10:00 a.m. During the heat of the summer months (usually July and August), we generally move the worship service to 9:00 a.m., to help avoid the heat and let people get out earlier. The service typically lasts about an hour to an hour and a half, depending upon exactly what is scheduled.
How will I know what to do during worship?: Each service has a worship bulletin which is available as you walk into the sanctuary. This has the outline of the service, and all parts to be spoken by the congregation are in bold print. The bulletin also lists which songs are to be sung, and notes which parts of the service are standing or seated (if you are able, you should stand during those parts that are marked with an asterisk).
Who are those people helping the minister?: They are members of the Diaconate. The Diaconate helps before the service by serving as ushers, handing out bulletins, and answering questions. During the worship service itself, the Deaconate members collect the offering and assist in Communion and Baptisms.
Who do I ask if I have a question?: Before or after the service, feel free to ask a Diaconate member about anything.
Where are all the words to the songs?: Most of the time, the song numbers in the bulletin refers to the Pilgrim Hymnal, which are in the racks in the pews. Sometimes, a song may be included in the bulletin itself.
Why so much singing?: Because we are descended from old Protestant denominations, and they all liked to sing!
I walked in one Sunday, and ordinary members of the church led worship. What happened?: Periodically, we will have Laity Sunday, in which members of the congregation (“lay persons”) will lead the worship. This includes leading the prayers, preaching, everything.
Do I have to get up in front of everyone and speak?: Not unless you want to. During most of our services, congregation members simply take part in the prayers and responses listed in the bulletins, and sing along with the hymns as well as they can. If you have an announcement to make to the church, you can certainly do so during our time of announcements and concerns (near the beginning of worship); however, this is never a requirement. For special events like Laity Sunday, the minister and Deaconate arrange participants well in advance, and they are always voluntary.
What sacraments does Pilgrim Church observe?: Baptism and Communion.
Who can be baptized?: Anyone, young or old, can be baptized. Baptism is a prerequisite for full membership in our church. Parents who want to have their children baptized meet with our church minister to discuss the meaning of Baptism and the implications of the promises they make at the time of Baptism. Older youth or adults who want to be baptized meet with our church minister to discuss Baptism.
If I get baptized, will I get dunked underwater?: Not unless you want to be, and then you will have to bring your own tub. Seriously, we do not have a large tank for full-immersion baptisms (as is common in some other Protestant denominations). So the symbolic cleansing is done by sprinkling water from a small Baptismal font onto the recipient’s forehead. You won’t even need a towel.
Who can receive Communion?: All worshippers are welcome to receive Communion regardless of age, baptism, or membership status. We believe young children learn about its meaning as they partake of the sacrament in the context of our worship and participation in the educational and mission life of our congregation.
How often is Communion served, and how is it done?: Our liturgy does not require Communion to be celebrated at each service; in our congregation, we typically have one Communion service each month (usually the first Sunday of the month). The details of the service may vary; however, the common thread is that we receive bread to represent the body of Christ, and juice to represent his blood. Often we will walk up to the front of the sanctuary to take the bread from the Diaconate members (symbolizing our individual committment), and receive the juice seated in the pews (symbolizing our unity in Christ).

Renting the Facilities

Can I rent Pilgrim Church for a private function?: In most cases, yes; however, we reserve the right to limit what kind of functions can be held in the building.
Who do I contact about renting part of the church?: The church secretary acts as our contact for all facilities use. She will ask you to fill out a standard facilities usage form, describing the details of the event and the specific requirements you have for your function. The process is described in more detail on our facilities page.
What limitations do I have if I rent the building?: Our secretary can explain the terms of use.
Who decides what is and what is not allowed?: The church Board of Directors reviews all applications for church use, and authorizes the details of each function.
How far in advance should I reserve the building?: At a minimum, you should start at least 2 months prior to the date of the event. That allows us time to schedule and review the application, as well as inform you of any potential scheduling conflicts. However, our building is heavily utilized, so it is wise to contact the office and fill out the facilities usage form as early as possible. We have some events booked over a year in advance.
I have a complaint about the facilities. Who do I see?: Again, all contact about facilities is through the church secretary.

About this Web Site

What does the little icon mean?: It indicates a link to an external web site that is not maintained by Pilgrim Church. It’s just an easy way to know whether you are leaving our site before you click on a link.
What is with the fading?: A few items on the site (such as the calendar) use a variation on the “Yellow Fade Technique”, first developed by the folks at 37Signals. It is a simple way of calling attention to an item on a page, and then getting out of the way. Reload this page to see the fade in action on the question title above. (This particular variation was posted by Adam Michela. Thanks, Adam! )