Come Laugh With God and the Williamstown Ecumenical Association
Williamstown - At 7 pm on Tuesday, April 1 the Williamstown Ecumenical Association is bringing the Rev. Neil Gastonguay, pastor of the United Methodist Church in Bath, Maine, to the First Congregational Church of Williamstown to speak on Holy Humor. The talk is preceded by a potluck supper at 6 pm in the Church’s Fellowship Hall. We will find in our ability to laugh together a common bond that will unite us in our identity and mission as Christians. Both events are free of charge and open to the public. Come and join us!“Laughter is very unifying. We’re going to look at some humor in the bible and go from there to look at humor in the church, ultimately finding joy in being a Christian,” Gastonguay explained in a phone interview when asked how he planned to present Holy Humor to an ecumenical audience. “I love to laugh! What draws me to it is the knowledge of God’s saving love, which makes me very happy. In a world in which there is so much struggle economically and militarily there is a need to find joy and relief.”
Reverend Gastonguay graduated from Wesley Theological Seminary's Course of Study School, and has a lifelong interest in finding joy in Christian living. He doesn’t speak specifically on humor very often, but it is an essential part of the preaching ministry in which he has been engaged for 15 years. In the last two churches he has served, parishioners have commented: "Since you have been here, we have gotten our laughter back." Gastonguay and his wife Lisa have been married for 30 years, and that's no laughing matter. Their two sons don't think he's funny at all.
The Williamstown Ecumenical Association (WEA) was established in the late 1970’s with the purpose of uniting the Christian Churches in Williamstown, Massachusetts, and the Williams College Chaplaincy, in affirming their common heritage in its diverse expressions: by united worship, by shared study, and through shared ministries in the community. In addition the clergy and lay representatives of the WEA strive toward a greater understanding of all organized religions and an active openness to working with people of all faiths in important acts of compassion within the community and the wider world.
The current members of the WEA are: The Community Bible Church, the First Baptist Church, the First Congregational Church-United Church of Christ, the First United Methodist Church, the Parish of St. Patrick and Raphael, St. John’s Episcopal Church, the Second Congregational Church, the White Oaks Congregational Church, and the Williams College Chaplaincy.
The First Congregational Church is a Just Peace and an Open and Affirming Church, located at 906 Main Street (Rt. 2) in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The building is fully handicap accessible and parking is available behind the church off of Chapin Hall Drive. For more information on the WEA Holy Humor event or any other events at the Church call 413-458-4273 or e-mail fcc.willi@verizon.net
