Ministry

Blog with Pastor Laura www.firstchurchdanbury.blogspot.com

A Conversation with Pastor Laura Westby

1. Where did you studiy?

I took courses at Hartford Seminary and then graduated from Yale Divinity School.

2. How long have you been a pastor? 17 years now. At first I was a an interim pastor in seven CT different churches; Waterbury, Newington, Kensington, Hartford, New Britain, Weston, Cornwall.  This was a good way to hone my craft while raising my two daughters.
 
3. How long have you been at First Congregational Church Danbury? Since 2004.

 
4. What did you do before becoming a pastor that helped prepare you?

I was a hospice nurse before seminary. Working as a home care nurse taught me invaluable lessons about the blessings to be found in becoming partners with those I serve.  So often the most life affirming and hopeful solutions to a patient’s challenges came by the goals of my clients.  This was especially true when I worked with hospice patients.  They taught me that it is a privilege to be allowed into the difficult spaces of a person’s life, because it is in those times that the presence of God draws especially near.

2. What led you to the ministry?

Looking back, I can see the ways that God was leading me toward ministry, but the moment when I realized that I was being called to ministry came as a surprise.  I was raised Roman Catholic, so the idea of being a pastor never occurred to me.  It was only after finding the United Church of Christ, that the need to serve others which had motivated me to become a nurse became a desire to become a pastor.

What was struck you most when you came to First Congregational Church of Danbury?

The years prior to my ministry in Danbury were characterized by profound change in the congregation and the city of Danbury.  First Church was a church in transition- and all of my ministry to date had been as an interim pastor, a ministry specialty that focuses on helping churches in transition.  So on a practical level, my skills were a good fit for the church’s need.  I was looking for a city church, one with a strong sense of commitment to social ministries and outreach.  But the most important factor was the people I met here.  Despite their struggles, they were hopeful, courageous and passionate about helping others in the model of Christ. In them I discovered friends and partners in ministry.

This church has a long history of being a voice for justice.  Almost from its beginning 312 years ago, the people of First Church put their faith into action in the world.  Whether it was speaking out against slavery or protesting racism and homophobia or standing with people of others faiths, they have been courageous advocates for others.  

What is your vision for us? I want our house of worship to be a Meeting Place - a place for the entire community where we learn and share on issues facing us today so that we can work together to help resolve them.

3. What are the issues that are important to you ?

This church has the gift of hospitality, of making others welcome.  So homelessness, hunger, immigration and interfaith dialogue are natural avenues of concern for us.  I think the warmth of our church also offers a sense of belonging to those without a strong network of support.  As a smaller church, part of what we try to do is support the individual ministries of our members.

4. Are there steps that you think we're taking right now that are especially important to our future effectiveness? Becoming a Meeting House- reinterpreting the great strengths of the Christian faith and our own history in ways that meet current and future needs.   Looking at our programs and buildings and asking how they can contribute to becoming a place where we meet God in worship, gather together in service and learning to provide a place for the community to come together for the common good.

5. What are the most special things about 1st Church to you?   The most special thing about this church is the people - their warmth, their desire to serve God by serving others and their willingness to be open to wherever God might lead us.  We need to reclaim our heritage of bold and faithful discipleship, which has been diminished somewhat during the years of change within and outside the church.

The First Congregational Church of Danbury, UCC, serves as an internship site for the Yale Divinity School program of supervised ministries. Only a few churches in the state become “field placement” sites.  The YDS Director of Supervised Ministries screens and chooses the sites and the pastors who serve as intern supervisors. Each pastor who, like Pastor Laura, directs an intern must undergo supervisor training at YDS and must have multiple years of ordained ministry experience. Although YDS provides no training per se for internship churches, each church's members must be the sort to support its intern with a warm welcome, on-going prayers, and take time throughout the year to offer the intern encouragement and constructive feedback.

 

First Church accepts with enthusiasm the challenge and the opportunity to assist interns in discerning God’s call in their lives and to help form UCC ordained ministers of the future. Through the internship, Pastor Laura and the congregation help YDS students gain professional competence, acquire a broader and more realistic view of the Christian Church and its ministries, and develop a ministerial identity. The interns, in turn, offer their hard work, abilities, and enthusiasm to the congregation for two academic semesters. In the UCC’s classic covenantal fashion, First Church and its chosen seminary intern participate in a wonderful exchange of needs and gifts!

Seminary Interns 

2008-2009

Geoff Parker

2007-2008 

Videen McGaughey Bennett