Ready to Sign an Agreement!

(Posted December 5, 2024)

This Sunday’s Advent text (image above) is supposed to be devoted to peace and how we achieve it, both personally and on this tired old globe of ours. That phrase – “the way of the Lord- is IN FACT the way of peace. It takes a lot of work to prepare that path to peace, to lowering the mountains that stand in our way, and to find new ways to make straight and smooth the path on which we help deliver the Word of God to the people.

It strikes me how fitting this is right now. As our members know, since 2018 First Church has been seeking to find a way to work with a strong partner who will help us sustain this congregation. We came into existence in 1696, into a different world with its own challenges. Today we face a different future where churches no longer draw 500 people for services. This is a time when churches hold more funerals than baptisms or weddings, and when huge buildings become unsustainable if only used for church events. A new way had to be found.

So now, after almost six years of work, first with the City of Danbury, and for the last three years with builder and preservationist Robert Botelho, we are almost ready to sign an agreement with him that will allow our Congregation to:

• Worship in our Meeting House in perpetuity.
• Conduct weddings, baptisms and memorial services.
• Maintain our offices and Thrift Shop to benefit the community.
• Invite other groups to rent unused space.

In exchange, Mr. Botelho takes ownership of the property and many of its expenses, improves the existing building to make it available for nonprofits and to host concerts and cultural events, and constructs badly needed housing for senior citizens.

The best part: We all continue to walk God’s path as we have since 1696, in this historic landmark Church.

How You Can Help

We are almost there. Our goal is to have a meeting and membership vote in the next ten days. If you are a member of First Church, look for a letter, hopefully in the next week, informing you of the special meeting where you can see the Preservation Partnership agreement, ask questions, and then vote on it.  If you are not a member, please keep us in your prayers as our faithful community seeks to make straight “the way of the Lord.”  

Stay tuned for the announcement of the special meeting date and time.