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Gifts by Will

One of the easiest ways to ensure the legacy of your generous spirit is through a bequest in your will.

By your will (which you may change by a simple form called a ‘codicil’) or your revocable trust (which you may change by an amendment), you can make UCC Boxborough the beneficiary of cash, securities, and/or other property.

If you do not have a will, we would recommend meeting with a lawyer, and beginning the discussion around creating a will. The national UCC website provides a very handy estate planning kit to help you get started.

You may leave a specific dollar amount or a particular property; you may specify a set percentage of your estate, or you may leave the remainder of your estate after providing for your heirs and other loved ones. This provision can be changed at any time during your lifetime. All options will help you reduce your estate taxes.

As you review your testamentary plans, here are four language samples. Your legal counsel can help you to ensure that the language reflects your specific wishes.

Bequest Amount for General Purposes (unrestricted gift):

“I give, advise, and bequeath to United Church of Christ, Congregational, Boxborough located in the city of Boxborough, Massachusetts, the sum of ___________ dollars ($_______) to be used at their discretion for the general objectives and mission of said Boxborough Church, determined by its governance team.”

Bequest Amount for Specific Purpose (restricted gift):

“I give, advise, and bequeath to United Church of Christ, Congregational, Boxborough located in the city of Boxborough, Massachusetts, the sum of ___________ dollars ($_______) to be used for ________________ (state the purpose).”

Percentage to UCC Boxborough's Endowment

“I give, advise and bequeath to United Church of Christ, Congregational, Boxborough located in the city of Boxborough, Massachusetts, ___% of the value of my estate at the date of my death” to be placed in the General Endowment Fund, for use at the discretion of the governance team to continue the work and mission of the church.”

Residuary Bequest to UCC Boxborough's Endowment

“I give, advise and bequeath to United Church of Christ, Congregational, Boxborough located in the city of Boxborough, Massachusetts, ___% of the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate to be placed in the General Endowment Fund, for use at the discretion of the governance team to continue the work and mission of the church.”
All inquiries about wills and planned gifts are treated confidentially. If you decide to include UCCB in your will, we would find it helpful to have a copy of that portion of your will for our records so that we can celebrate your gift. Or, you can send a notification letter to the Pastor with the following sample language:

“Dear Pastor [Name], I/we am/are excited to share that I/we have included United Church of Christ Congregational, Boxborough in [my/our] will. The intent of [my/our] bequest is to provide an unrestricted “perpetual” gift to the Church, upon my/our passing. This letter is intended to both inform you of [my/our] bequest and to facilitate the receipt of [my/our] gift by UCCB. My/our will[s] is/are dated mm/dd/yyyy and is/are held by [name of lawyer] at [Name of Law Firm], [Law Firm Address, City, State]. [Name of lawyer] can be contacted at [phone number].” Signed by the signatory/ies of the will[s], followed by the First and Last Name[s] of the Signatory/ies and date of signing of this notification letter.

Interim Ministers

We are excited to welcome Rev. Dr. Jill Edens and Rev. Richard Edens who will be serving as co-ministers for twelve months during our time of transition, starting April 15, 2024! The Interim Minister Search Team was impressed with Rev. Jill’s and Rev. Richard’s spirituality, experience, and creativity. With many years of experience in both settled and interim ministry, Rev. Jill and Rev. Richard demonstrate a keen understanding of issues facing churches today. They bring a wonderful blend of hope and pragmatism to their interim work. We quickly realized that this duo will bring energy and joy to the tasks ahead, as we prepare for the search for our next minister. Members of churches they have previously served raved about their sermons, open-minded wisdom, and administrative skill. The Edens are inspiring leaders and pastors. They served as Co-Senior Pastors for 38 years at the United Church of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, until their retirement in 2017. They relocated to the greater Boston area to be closer to their daughter, the Rev. Ruth Edens, and her family. Since arriving, they have served together at the Trinitarian Congregational Church of Concord (TriCon), the Wellesley Hills Congregational Church, the First Parish of Westwood, and the Congregational Church of Weston, in Interim capacities. They are both graduates of the Yale Divinity School, with Jill receiving her Doctorate in Ministry from Lancaster Theological Seminary. Regarding her approach to interim ministry, Rev. Jill tells us “I have a deep faith in the wisdom of congregations and their ability to formulate their calling and then identify the resources they will need to be faithful to that call.” Rev. Richard’s ministry encourages the faithful to “Strive for justice, share joy, befriend the lonely. Prepare for laughter, be willing to cry. Love simply, generously, playfully. Choose sparingly, live modestly, dream big. Speak the truth, pray, have fun. See rightly. Proclaim the mad love of God.” Their years of experience in leading a variety of faith communities will be a great benefit as we navigate our upcoming transition.

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Church Admin

Our Church Administrator is Jenn LaCross. She grew up in Greenfield and settled down in Lunenburg after graduating from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She began her career as an Exercise Physiologist working in corporate wellness in Boston and then moved into Pharmaceutical Sales. In 2002 she gave up working to stay at home and raise a family. Her and her husband, Richard have two children, Derek (21) and Bella (18). As the kids got older and more self-sufficient, she jumped back into the workforce here at UCCB in the fall of 2017. Jenn enjoys the opportunity to utilize her bookkeeping skills as well as tap into her creative side producing church communications. She continues loves visiting with and helping the church community. She can be reached at the office at 978.263.7387 or via email at boxborochurch@verizon.net.

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Choir Director

Cindy Blanchard is the Sr. Choir Director at UCC. She joined the church and choir in 1997 and has been the choir director for over 10 years. She earned a BA in music at Bowdoin College, a MA in conducting/music at Trenton State and did advanced grad work on trumpet and voice at Juilliard. I have sung since I can remember! Jr. Choir, school groups, college groups and various adult ensembles. Working with the adults in the choir is such a rewarding experience. We are a family! From our Tues. night rehearsals, our Sunday worship service singing, Music Sunday, our annual dinner and Christmas parties-it is a wonderful group of people that I’m so grateful to be able to work with every week. We also provide special guest musicians throughout the year. Recent guests have been a flute ensemble, harpist, violinist, clarinetist, Dixieland Band, and the Saturdays! I hope you enjoy our musical offerings and please know you are always welcome to join the choir!

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Organist

Joe Camara, the son of a music teacher, began piano lessons early in elementary school. Within a few years he was already accompanying choruses. He went to Lowell State College beginning as a piano major but changed to organ major. He graduated with a BA in music. He taught in the Lowell public school system for almost thirty years and received a Master Degree in education from UMASS Lowell and finally a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in administration from Fitchburg State University. He has played piano and organ in many groups and churches throughout the area. He is also the former director/accompanist of the Lowell High School Alumni Chorus which awards scholarships to students at Lowell High School going into the arts. He also was the pit director and accompanist for many of the high school shows presented at Maynard High School.

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Custodian

Our custodian is Lenny Connolly. Our buildings put his repair and maintenance skills to good use. He’s particularly popular with the kids at Boxboro Children Center, who love to watch him work!

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