Congregational Church of Topsfield

09/10/2026

September brings its own kind of beginning.

After the different rhythms of summer, many of us find ourselves returning to familiar routines and commitments. It can also be a good time to ask: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼? 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘂𝘀? 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘂𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲?

For the church, gathering in community is one of those things.

This Sunday is 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗜𝗻 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 at the Congregational Church of Topsfield—a chance to reconnect, begin a new season together, and return to practices that help us carry our faith beyond Sunday and into the rest of our lives.

Join us for worship at 𝟵:𝟯𝟬𝗮𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 in the Meetinghouse, followed by a 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗹𝘂𝗰𝗸, 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗮𝘄𝗻 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 at the Emerson Center. Come for worship and stay for food, conversation, and some fun together.

Whether you've been here all summer, have been away for a while, or have never worshiped with us before, you are welcome.

And wherever you are this September, it might be worth asking: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹?

09/10/2026

Thanks to Topsfield Town Library for organizing this and thanks to all who support the effort. Grateful for neighbors who care for neighbors.

It is time for the Topsfield Town Library's Annual Food Drive!

From September 8-30, 2026, the Topsfield Town Library will be collecting food for the Top Cupboard Food Pantry in the library vestibule during the library’s hours of operation. Please, do not leave items outside the library while we are not open. No expired food will be accepted. The pantry requests no bulk items.

This year, the Food Pantry notes they are in dire need of the following materials:

Coffee and tea (including decaf)
Peanut butter
Jelly
Condiments: ketchup, mustard, mayo
Soups
Snacks
Fruit cups
Paper goods: toilet paper, kleenex, napkins, paper towels
Toiletries: soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes
Detergents: for dishes and clothing

Top Cupboard is a food pantry serving the citizens of Topsfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 2013, the food pantry was created by a family in Topsfield to help those in our community with food insecurities. Today, Top Cupboard pantry provides thousands of food, personal care, and household items each year to Topsfield residents.

09/08/2026

Have you ever noticed that sometimes the best way to get to know people is to work on something together?

Working a shift at the Topsfield Fair is a chance to spend a few hours alongside friends, acquaintances, and people you’ve just met—all while doing something that makes a difference well beyond the Fairgrounds.

Because when you volunteer at the Congregational Church of Topsfield’s Fair booth, you get a kind of 2-for-1. You get to know people AND you help raise money for local, national, and international nonprofits doing important work in the world.

And you don’t have to belong to our church to be part of it.

In fact, we couldn’t do it with church members alone. Every year, friends, neighbors, teenagers, community members, and church members work side by side to make the booth happen. High school students can earn community service hours, too.

So if you’ve ever thought, “I’d volunteer, but I’m not part of the church,” consider this your invitation.

Bring a friend. Bring your teenager. Sign up for a shift together—or come on your own and meet some people while you’re there.

Have some fun. Meet some people. Do some good.

Sign up: Bit.ly/ccotfair2026
Learn more: https://www.topsfieldchurch.org/fair-booth-info

Be part of a Topsfield tradition! Each year, hundreds of volunteers help us operate the Congregational Church of Topsfield's restaurant at the Topsfield Fair.

08/16/2026

We talk a lot about widening our welcome—making room for people who are different from us, listening to different experiences, inviting new people into our communities.

But real welcome asks something more of us.

If we truly make room for people who think differently, live differently, or see the world differently, we have to accept the possibility that knowing them might change us.

That can be uncomfortable. But discomfort doesn’t necessarily mean something has gone wrong. Sometimes it simply means the circle has gotten bigger and we’re learning how to make room.

In Matthew 15:21-28, a Canaanite woman challenges a boundary—and even Jesus listens. The encounter changes what happens next.

Maybe that’s part of what genuine welcome looks like: not simply inviting people into the communities we’ve already created, but being open to what we might learn from one another and what we might become together.

“You are welcome here” means more when we’re also willing to say, “And we’re willing to be changed by knowing you.”

08/06/2026

It's easy to mistake church for a building. In reality, church is a community of people learning to follow Jesus together.

Our world is full of communities, each with its own identity. One of the marks of Christian community is that we welcome and learn from one another across generations.

In a few weeks, eleven members of our congregation—eight adults and three children—will help lead worship with ukuleles.

This group came together simply to enjoy making music and to share that joy with the congregation. None of us are experts. We're simply willing to learn, encourage one another, and keep trying.

That's true of music, but it's also true of faith. Following Jesus isn't about already having everything figured out. It's about showing up, learning together, and trusting that God can use what we bring.

I'm grateful for everyone who has been willing to step out of their comfort zone and share their gifts.

Photo is a stock image used to capture the spirit of what we're building together.

08/05/2026

Two weeks ago, six members of our congregation returned from Guatemala after serving alongside our partners at ODIM. This reel captures a few moments from their time there and reminds us that mission is ultimately about relationships, learning, and discovering how God is already at work in the world.

We're grateful to ODIM for sharing these memories.

08/04/2026

One of the gifts of partnering with organizations like Lazarus House is getting to know the people whose compassion makes their ministry possible.

Sagrario's reflection on dignity is a beautiful reminder that every person deserves to be met with respect, listened to with care, and encouraged to recognize their own strengths.

We invite you to take a few moments to read her story.

Meet Sagrario who works with individuals and families in our transitional and permanent housing program offering case management, housing advocacy, crisis support, and resource navigation with care. Watching Guests discover their own strength and build a future of long-term self-sufficiency is one of the greatest parts of her job.

08/02/2026

Sometimes Christianity is tricky.

We know we're called to follow Jesus. But sometimes the path can seem impossible.

Turn water into w**e? Heal the sick? Feed five thousand people with five loaves and two fish? How are we supposed to follow that?

But the Gospels don't just tell us about the miracles Jesus performed. They also show us the kind of person Jesus was.

In the feeding of the five thousand, I find myself paying attention not only to the bread, but to Jesus himself. Faced with a problem much bigger than the available resources, he didn't panic. He received what was available, gave thanks, trusted God, and invited others to share.

That's a way of living we can practice.

In an anxious world, perhaps one of the most faithful things we can do is begin with gratitude, trust God's abundance, and refuse to let fear have the final word.

07/29/2026

We live in an age overflowing with information but starving for wisdom. How do we respond?

Jesus reminds us that the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, a pearl of great value, and a net that requires sifting.

The kingdom isn't simply about collecting more things or more information. It's about learning to recognize what is truly valuable.

May God make us people of discernment, so that whatever tools we hold in our hands, our hearts remain firmly in God's hands.

Where have you recognized something truly valuable this week?

07/27/2026

We often think our gifts need to be extraordinary—something reserved for a few people with remarkable talents.

But Jesus tells us that the kingdom of heaven often begins with something much smaller: a mustard seed, a little yeast, an ordinary act of faith offered with love.

Yesterday, members of the New England Fiddle Ensemble reminded us that God works through gifts shared in community. Music, hospitality, encouragement, prayer, service—each offered with generosity, each becoming part of something larger than any one person could accomplish alone.

The kingdom of God has a way of growing through ordinary people willing to share what they have.

What gift has God given you that you might offer this week?