Jesus prayed “that they may all be one” (John 17:21) . The Ecumenical Fellowship seeks this Christian unity in our community, through common prayer, encouraging and supporting our common goals of being the hands and feet of Jesus. This group includes any Christian church wishing to participate in Charlton, Southbridge, Sturbridge and surrounding towns.
We sponsor three missions/services currently. These are:
The Winter Coat Closet- Churches collect gently used coats which are given out free of charge on Saturday mornings from the end of October to December. Some new children’s coats have been donated in the past from the KOC. In 2023, we gave out over 400 coats.
Easter Sunrise Service at OSV- This service has been a tradition in the area and has been well attended. Every year we designate a food pantry or other organization to receive the free will donations collected. This year $700 was sent to St. Luke’s Guesthouse in Southbridge, a family temporary shelter.
National Day of Prayer- On the first Thursday of May we gather in a public place and pray for our world, country and community. This year was the first year we held this in quite a few years. Anyone who wanted to pray for something specific could and we did not follow the specific format that the NDP put out.
At this time, we do not meet formally, but are in contact when planning the events. I am the only member of this ministry from St. Joseph but would welcome anyone who wants to help.
Another ecumenical service held is the Thanksgiving Ecumenical Service (each town holds their own). Past events held included a soup kitchen, Living Faith (workshops during Lent), Christian Unity Sunday and hymn sings.
Anyone who wants more information, contact Chris McTigue [email protected] or
508-248-4726