United Congregational Church of Little Compton

09/04/2026

Rally Sunday is on September 20th, the official start of the church year and the beginning of our children’s ministries. We have some exciting changes in store.

· Each month, children are particularly invited to stay in church on the first Sunday of the month, our Communion Sunday. Though there won’t be particular changes to those services we will look for ways to include the children in worship and Communion.

· Another Sunday each month will be Story Sunday, during which the service and especially the sermon will focus on our kids, telling and bringing alive a different Bible story each month. Each of those sermons will include 3-Things for the kids to take away. And we will introduce the Amen Corner, inviting the children to sit together and respond to my cues to shout, Amen! Alleluia! and Praise God!

· And a third Sunday will invite the children downstairs to the vestry for Sunday School during which they will share in a lesson drawn from my 3-Things sermon.

I know I am as excited as can be, and I trust our kids will love Story Sunday and the Amen Corner. It all begins on Rally Sunday on September 20th!

Pastor George

08/28/2026

Over just a few weeks in August and September I will have presided over five baptisms, three weddings (one with a bagpiper!), and two memorial services. Most of these are in our role as "the community church" meaning for people with ties to the church over generations but not active members. I have come to really appreciate the role we play in the Little Compton community and rejoice in the web of relationships represented in these celebrations.

Pastor George

08/23/2026

Our beach Sunday was a blessed one, complete with a little rain, five baptisms, blessed backpacks for the school year, music, an ice cream truck & cake to celebrate Pastor George Harris birthday!

08/22/2026

Beach Sunday Update!!

The latest weather report says we will escape any serious rain so don't let the weather keep you away from this special service.

We will bring 25 chairs but you are invited to bring your own beach chairs.

We already had a baptism scheduled but today had a request to baptize another four kids ages four to thirteen! Talk about the Holy Spirit moving. The two families are related, both couples were married at UCC LC, and this will be a fabulous celebration all the way around!

Of course we will have our annual back to school backpack blessing so bring your kids and grandkids with their backpacks.

Don't miss it!

See you in the morning!

Pastor George

08/21/2026

Beach Sunday

We have a fabulous Beach Sunday service planned at Town Landing. We have a baptism scheduled, and what could be better than baptizing a little one down by the living waters of the ocean. What’s more, it looks like we may have a bit of rain (not to worry, we are hearty folks here in Little Compton).

My father used to quote the Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Coleridge, “Water, water, everywhere, but not a drop to drink.” Not a helpful poem for Sunday, but we might make the words our own, “Water, water, everywhere, with which we are baptized!”

Of course, we will also celebrate the annual back-to-school blessing of the backpacks. This is a great service for kids from start to finish!

Dress for the weather. If we do need to move the service inside the church, we will notify you with an email and a Facebook post by 7 am on Sunday morning.

We hope to see you there!

Pastor George

08/14/2026

In one of the more remarkable stories in the gospels, Jesus tries to dismiss the Canaanite woman before him as she pleads for her daughter to be healed. The woman is a Gentile (not a Jew) and Jesus uses a slur referring to Gentiles as dogs! Jesus continues that he had been sent only to serve Jews! Wait, what! This exchange could have quickly gone off the rails, but instead it led to transformation for the woman and her daughter, and for Jesus. Both kept the conversation real meaning they didn’t lean on banal pleasantries. They spoke their truth and listened to the other. What might we learn that is helpful for the tough conversations we face?

We hope to see you Sunday!

Pastor George

08/10/2026

Join us on Sunday, August 23rd at 10am at Town Landing for our annual worship near the water!

We’ll have a lovely seaside service with a Blessing of Backpacks in preparation for the school year 📚📓📝! So students, teachers, librarians & admins, bring your backpacks 🎒 , briefcases 💼 & tote bags 👜 to have them blessed ✨ for the new school year. Our favorite ice cream man, Pete, will also make his pilgrimage down South of Commons road for a sweet treat after wards! 🍦

All are welcome to cap off the summer ☀️season with us!

Enjoy these photos from Beach Sundays for years past!!

08/08/2026

Tristan Pinnock Photography captured a beautiful sunset on the commons recently!

“For the beauty of the earth,
for the glory of the skies,
for the love which from our birth
over and around us lies;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise”
🎶

Thank you Tristan 🙏🏻

Sunset at the Little Compton Commons

08/07/2026

After Jesus feeds the 5,000, he tells his disciples to get in the boat and sends them out into a wild and restless sea, a “tumult” according to a favorite hymn. We mighty imagine that the wind was already coming up, whitecaps forming as they set out. And sure enough, the disciples find themselves in a fierce storm, battering their boat for hours. They are terrified.

Jesus comes to them across the water and says, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”

There are times in our life that we don’t have a choice. Jesus says, “Get in.” Times when all we can do is face into the storm and trust that Jesus will find us in the tumult, still the storm and quiet our fear. May it be so.

We hope to see you Sunday!

Pastor George

07/31/2026

Lourdes and I recently spent a few days at Southwest Harbor, Maine to celebrate our twenty-fifth anniversary. Out in search of a morning cup of coffee we stumbled across the Common Good Café, a volunteer run organization that provides a food pantry and soup kitchen to nourish the hungry. To support their services, they offer fresh from the oven popovers and coffee, asking only for a donation in return. The popovers were delicious served with honey and maple butters, homemade blueberry preserves, and a warm smile!

This Sunday we will again hear the story of Jesus feeding five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish. Preachers can become consumed with explaining the miracle or mining the story’s details for theological insights, but maybe it is just simple a story about bringing hungry people together around food!

We hope to see you Sunday!
Pastor George