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Special Gifts

Special Gifts

Special gifts address a particular need in the church or a particular moment in the lives of parishioners. This is different than annual gifts that help fund our congregation’s annual operations and mission.
For the giver, a special gift often reflects a specific interest or life event. For the church, special gifts might enable a new aspect of ministry or care for the buildings and grounds. Examples of special gifts include:
Capital Campaign Gift: Vibrant congregations undertake significant projects to further God’s ministry, funded at least in part by parishioners’ major investments in a capital campaign. Our last capital campaign built a new sanctuary. Imagine what the next capital campaign might bring!
Wish List Donation: Ministry teams and individuals have identified specific items or improvements that would benefit UCC Boxborough’s ministry. Small or large, these items are not funded in our annual budget. Council, elected by the congregation, manages these suggestions through the Wish List. Individual or combined gifts of cash or in-kind donations make these wishes come true. Previous examples include: chimes for the choir, sanctuary floor sanding, chandeliers & sconces, upgraded efficient windows, snow blower, etc.
If you have ideas that you’d like to add to the Wish List and gain exposure and interest from others, please see the church Moderator. Call the church office, if you would like a copy of the Wish List.
Tribute Gift: Significant moments in life deserve to be celebrated. A Tribute Gift is a beautiful way to recognize a big moment in someone’s life, such as a retirement, promotion, marriage, birth, or baptism. In giving this gift, you not only celebrate the person or moment, but also the church’s role in their journey. We will consult with you on the use of a tribute gift, so that it will appropriately celebrate the person or occasion being honored.
Memorial Gift: You can give a gift to our church in memory of a loved one. Most commonly, at the time of a memorial service, families name the church as a recipient of gifts in memory of the person who has died. Our church treasures and values these gifts. We will consult with you on the use of a memorial gift, so that it will most honor the one who is remembered.
Outright Gift: Individuals who have been blessed with unexpected income, or who are celebrating a special event, may be inclined to give an extra-ordinary outright gift to UCCB out of gratitude and thanksgiving.
Contact the Pastor at any time to discuss a special gift. Tribute, Memorial and Outright Gifts can be used in a variety of manners: the Endowment Fund or for a specific purpose! If you are considering making a Special Gift, consider talking with the Pastor to discuss which gift destination is best for you.

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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