A Tribute to Pastor Priscilla
Rev. Dr. Priscilla L. Denham will be preaching her last sermon at the Federated Church of Ayer on Sunday, August 15, 2010.
Rev. Denham, who has been the church pastor for five years, is leaving to accept a position as Director of Clinical Pastoral Education at the Hershey Medical Center in Pennsylvania. Rev. Dr. Denham explained her new position by saying, “I am leaving the Federated Church in Ayer and returning to my first love in ministry – hospital chaplaincy. I am going to Hershey Medical Center in Pennsylvania to be the Director of Clinical Pastoral Education, a position in which I will be teaching other clergy of all faiths Clinical Pastoral Education. The Association for Clinical Pastoral Education is a national program designed to help clergy articulate their unique pastoral identity and skills in an interfaith context.”
Pastor Priscilla, as she is affectionately known, was actively recruited for this new position due to her exceptional prior work in this type of ministry.
The Federated Church has benefited from Pastor Priscilla’s creative approach to teaching the gospel. She has initiated new ways of presenting her sermons such as her Storytelling sermons where she portrays a Biblical character. One of the most impressive was when she became a young girl in the village of the Good Samaritan and told what she saw and heard, thereby telling the Bible story. She surprised the congregation with a MardiGras Sunday which included Jazz, donuts, beads, and gospel. She initiated the Blessing of the Animals at the church and a butterfly release. Her creativity has shined for all to enjoy and learn from.
A highlight of her time here was her seven week series on the Harry Potter books. She did a service for each book, tying them to scripture and Christian doctrine.
The last Sunday of each month she had a Jubilee Worship which is an interactive, intergenerational worship. She even did a yearly ‘Wisdom from Unlikely Sources’ joke service.
Many activities have been added to the church experience at the Federated Church including ‘Moveable Church’ which is a time when services are held at the Nashoba Assisted Living complex. She has also led meditation services and Bible study groups.
Social church activities that started during her tenure include Second Saturdays, which started as a night of entertainment for the community, and now has become a monthly Community Supper, the profits of which support a different mission each month. Movies for Missions is an evening for families held the last Saturday evening of most months and is comprised of a fun supper and a family movie. Admission is a food contribution for Loaves and Fishes.
Her Children’s Circle, during Sunday worship, has been a delight to all. The children of the church love her and sometimes they are the ones who get their parents to church on Sunday.
About twenty new members have joined the church during the five years that she has spent with us. When she came the church was a federation of three churches The United Church of Christ, The United Methodist, and the American Baptist. The congregation recently voted to change this form of government to a united format which streamlined committees and positions in the church. New bylaws were written and adopted during this time as well.
During her tenure she not only enriched the attendees during church services, but also in the stewardship of the church building. She led the congregation to redo the Fellowship Hall which had been neglected for many years. Curtains were taken down, flooring was sanded and refinished, new lights were installed as well as window air conditioners and a gas fireplace installed to replace the wood burning one. The members and friends have been very generous during her time here. It was a member who financed the fireplace renovation. Zelda Moore stepped forward when the historic bell tower was deemed unsafe and gave the money to have it repaired. A member of the community also donated a large sum for projects and a long time attendee remembered the church in his will.
An old building needs a lot of upkeep and knowing how long it had been since the electricity was replaced it was decided under Pastor Priscilla’s leadership by the Church Council to have all of the electricity updated in the building. This was a very expensive endeavor and was financed with funds from the church’s savings. The work took months, but now it is much safer and the worry of an electrical fire that could destroy the historical church is gone.
The members and friends of the church are sad to see her leave, but wish her luck in her new position. Marie Paige, church moderator and worship deacon, summed it up by saying, “Pastor Priscilla has given us so much with her talents. She truly has a gift for teaching. Her enthusiasm is contagious and she will be sorely missed. She has not only touched our lives, but many in the community, as well. We wish her every blessing as she begins a new life, teaching the clergy of the future.”
A Community Farewell Party for Rev. Dr. Priscilla Denham was held on Sunday, August 8th from 12 noon to 3 p.m. in Fellowship Hall.
