Ministry

Through our ministry, we share our faith with one another.  We offer ministries tailored for children, teenagers and adults; ministries that enable the exploration of spirituality through music and the arts; and a comprehensive and compassionate pastoral care program. 

Youth & Families

We support and welcome families of all kinds. 

For the children and youth in our congregation, we offer ancient wisdom through a modern mindset that helps connect them to their families and the Divine with joy, hope and a lot of laughter; a chance to inhabit a truly diverse community that’s both queer and straight, multiracial, intergenerational, and inclusive of all abilities and incomes; and moral development through stories, service and the arts.  We have a Sunday School program called God’s Neighborhood for younger children and, for junior and senior high school students, we offer the Junior and Senior Pilgrim Fellowship programs.

For the parents in our congregation, we offer a network of honorary grandparents and community support to help parents through the red-letter days and challenging seasons of parenting; free, high-quality childcare during our Sunday worship services; and a chance for your children to be loved by human beings the way that God loves them – unconditionally.

God’s Neighborhood Sunday School Program

In addition to regular Sunday School meetings which explore important spiritual themes and stories through lessons, prayers, songs and healthy snacks, our youngest students participate in a variety of different activities, including volunteering to serve the community, gardening, field trips, cleanups of local beaches, theater arts camps – as well as annual events, such as the blessings of the bicycles, backpacks and animals, and the end-of-summer church picnic and Christmas pageant.  For more information, please contact Director of Christian Education, Jolene Brant at jmbrant2023@gmail.com. The Sunday School program is currently meeting weekly on a socially distanced basis, with teachers and students wearing masks and observing other public health protocols.

Registration Forms

Please click here for the God’s Neighborhood Registration Form.

Pilgrim Fellowship Programs

The junior and senior high school students who belong to our Pilgrim Fellowship programs meet regularly throughout the year to explore important spiritual issues and pursue charitable endeavors that benefit the community and the world. Many of these activities involve traveling to meet with other young people and explore commonalities in different faith traditions. Our students have met with their counterparts from the Greater Hartford Islamic Center and Berlin Mosque here in Connecticut; with youth from the Green Grass Church on a reservation out in South Dakota; even young people down in Haiti who participate in the work of the Crosby Fund. They have traveled to New London to donate food and serve meals in soup kitchens; to New York City to help homeless people through the Midnight Run organization; and to Georgia and Alabama to better understand the origins of the U.S. civil rights movement.  Plus, here at home, there are a variety of social and fund-raising events throughout the year, including bowling nights, bonfires, weekly soup suppers and a Mardi Gras breakfast. For more information, please contact Director of Christian Education, Jolene Brant at jmbrant2023@gmail.com. The Pilgrim Fellowship programs are currently meeting weekly on a socially distanced basis, with teachers and students wearing masks and observing other public health protocols.

Children’s Choir

Please go here for information on our Children’s Choir.

Confirmation Classes

At the start of each calendar year, we offer a series of confirmation classes that are open to all young people in the 9th to 12th grades who would like to be confirmed as full members of the church.  Meetings are held between January and April where these participants attend classes, get paired with a mentor, participate in church-arranged field trips and perform community service hours. For more information, please contact Senior Associate Minister Laura Fitzpatrick-Nager at lfitz.nager@gmail.com.

Music

Our extensive music ministry enhances both our worship services and the lives of our congregation members.  We support a nearly 60-member Senior Choir, a Children’s Choir, an a cappella group called the Agape Singers and a seasonal bell choir called the Old Lyme Ringers – all led by professional directors and soloists.  In addition, we regularly hold music sessions during our Sunday School classes, as well as special concerts throughout the year. We believe God can be revealed through music and our lives can enriched by these experiences.

Senior Choir

Our Senior Choir performs during our Sunday morning worship services for most of the year and arranges special holiday performances for our Maundy Thursday and Christmas Eve worship services.  This choir also joins with the choruses from Saint Ann’s Parish and Christ the King Church to enhance the annual Ecumenical Thanksgiving service. Membership is open to all congregation members. For more information, please contact Director of Music Simon Holt at smo.artisticdirector@yahoo.com.

Children’s Choir

Our Children’s Choir rehearses and provides special performances for worship services celebrating Easter, Mother’s Day, Children’s Day and Christmas. Membership is open to all of our younger congregation members. For more information, please contact Director of Children’s Music Rachael Jungkeit at fccol@fccol.org.

Agape Singers

The Agape Singers is an a cappella group that performs at nursing homes, senior centers, private residences of homebound individuals – anywhere where people might benefit from the joyful and healing comfort of song.  Membership is open to all congregation members.  For more information, please contact Lisa Feltes at lisafeltes@sbcglobal.net.

Old Lyme Ringers

The Old Lyme Ringers rehearse and provide a special bell-ringing performance each year during our Easter worship services. Membership is open to all congregation members. For more information, please contact Gary Jungkeit at gjunkeit@charter.net.

Pastoral Care

Our three ministers are available at all times to meet the pastoral-care needs of our congregation and other members of our community. These gifts of service include ongoing visits to private homes, hospitals and nursing homes, as well as meet private meetings in our church offices when someone is in need of support or encouragement. Our ministers provide memorial services and grief counseling year round, as well as pre-marriage and baptism counseling. Both the Ministers’ Discretionary Fund and the Love in the Time of Corona Fund enable our pastors to provide direct financial support to neighbors in need. 

Adult Education

We strive to help our congregation members develop a robust spiritual life through study groups, and ongoing prayer and fellowship with one another.  We join together to tackle life’s toughest challenges, explore and share our faith traditions, and embrace one another in our times of need.

Adult Forums

From September through May we offer several Adult Forums where experts are invited to help the congregation explore and discuss challenging issues or topics of special interest. Past forums have focused on climate change, conflict resolution, charitable-giving strategies and immigration; as well as offered spotlights on area museums, homeless services, legal aid groups and LGBTQ+ issues. The forums are held in either the Fellowship Hall or the Sheffield Auditorium at 11:30 am following the Sunday worship service. Specific dates and subjects will be publicized in the weekly Sunday worship service bulletins, and in our weekly email broadcasts sent out every Tuesday.

Bible Study Group

Rev. Dr. Steven Jungkeit and Rev. Laura Fitzpatrick-Nager share the leadership of leading weekly Bible Study lessons throughout the year where our members gather to read and interpret Bible excerpts and stories, and share their ideas and understanding of the teachings involved. The Bible Study group meets on Thursday at 11 am in the Library and a Zoom option is available for those unable to attend in person. For more information, please contact Laura at lfitz.nager@gmail.com.

Grief and Loss Support Group

Our Grief and Loss Support Group meets monthly to enable folks to share their experiences for either having lost a loved one or who face the ongoing challenges of care giving. The group is co-facilitated by Senior Associate Minister Laura Fitzpatrick-Nager and Mary McGannon-Kollman. Dates of the group’s gatherings will be publicized in the monthly newsletters, the Sunday service bulletins, and the weekly broadcast “This Week at FCCOL.”

Walking Group

Our Walking Group meets weekly in front of the church on Wednesday mornings at 9:00 a.m. to share a one-hour walk together. For more information, please contact Senior Associate Minister Laura Fitzpatrick-Nager at lfitz.nager@gmail.com.

Committee on the Environment

Our Committee on the Environment keeps the congregation informed on environmental issues; explores ways to reduce or offset the church’s carbon footprint; and helps our Sunday School teachers incorporate environmental messages into their lessons.  The committee also works with local community leaders and environmental groups to promote energy conservation, food-waste reduction, sustainable food networks, zero-emission vehicle deployment and environmental protection. For more information, please contact Patsy McCook at PMcCook125@gmail.com or Tink Willauer at ccwil@conncoll.edu.

Ladies Benevolent Society

Our Ladies Benevolent Society (LBS) – which, despite its name, includes both women and men – is a group of congregation members who continuously raise funds to support the church’s charitable endeavors.  Three of its most popular activities are included here:

LBS Luncheons

Throughout the year, the LBS arranges a series of educational and informative lunches that are open to members of our congregation and community, where delicious meals are served and speakers address topics of interest.  Admission to these luncheons is $5, plus a donation of a canned good to support the Food Pantry.  For more information, please send an email to fccol@fccol.org.  

White Elephant Sale

The LBS’s annual White Elephant Sale (WES) which takes place every July is an extraordinary, annual fund-raising event that the entire Old Lyme community plans its summer around. This popular, once-a-year tag sale raises massive funds for church missions and charities with the help of more than 200 volunteers and items donated by area residents.  In December, we traditionally hold a much smaller version of the WES called the Elephants-in-Winter Christmas Sale to raise additional, year-end funds for charities and missions.

Arts

We offer a variety of arts groups and activities that enhance the lives of our congregation members, including a book club, a writing group, a poetry group – even a pottery-making studio.

Book Club

Our Book Club meets several times a year to read and discuss books of current interest – such as Barbara Brown Taylor’s “Altar in the World” and Parker J. Palmer’s “Healing the Heart of Democracy.” This past summer, the Book Club focused on several books about racial justice, including “How to Be an Anti-Racist” by Ibram X. Kendi, “White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo and “Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America” by Michael Eric Dyson. For more information, please contact Senior Associate Minister Laura Fitzpatrick-Nager at lfitz.nager@gmail.com.

Writing at the Well

Our Writing at the Well Group meets monthly in the Hoag Parlor, the dates might vary from month to month, refer to the calendar on our website for a current schedule. Participants either bring in written work of their own to share, or a poem or short prose piece by a favorite author. All writers of prose or poetry are welcome. For more information, please contact Laura Fitzpatrick-Nager at  lfitz.nager@gmail.com.

Poetry Reading Group

Our Poetry Reading Group is currenty on hiatus. Check back in the future for updates.