On a busy block where Main, State, and South Streets meet in downtown Northampton, a wall of floor-to-ceiling glass separates the sanctuary of Edwards Church from the sidewalk. Passers-by can see straight in, and the people in the pews can see straight out. Reverend Jennifer Geary, the church's Interim Minister, calls the wall "a thin, transparent veil" that reminds worshipers of their connection to the wider world even while they take refuge in the light of the cross. Edwards Church has stood on that corner since the Christmas Eve service in 1958, but the congregation itself is one of the oldest in town, tracing its roots to 1833.
Roots Back to 1833
The congregation began as the Edwards Society, started by ninety-nine younger members of the First Church of Northampton who felt the older body had grown too big for one pastor to tend. The parent church blessed the new venture with a silver communion set, presented in 1834. The same communion silver is still in use every month. The Society's first pastor, John Todd, soon built a Sunday school large enough to need nineteen teachers for nearly a hundred and twenty-five children.
Edwards has lived in three buildings since then. The first stood across from First Church, on the corner of Old South and Main. In May of 1870 it burned when the Hunt Building next door caught fire. A stately stone replacement went up on the corner of State and Main, where the present building still sits. By mid-century the stone structure needed too much work to save, and the congregation chose to build new. The first service in the not-quite-complete sanctuary was held on Christmas Eve in 1958. The congregation has welcomed Calvin Coolidge and his family in past generations, watched Main Street trade its industry for the eclectic mix of restaurants, galleries, and shops it carries today, and seen dirt roads give way to canals, then to trolley tracks, then to paved streets.
Today the building's most striking feature is the great glass wall, covered with crosses, that turns the sanctuary into a kind of public window onto the life of the church. At night, an eighteen-foot hand-wrought iron cross from Sweden glows from within, visible to people walking along Main Street.
Worship on Sundays at Ten
Sunday morning is the cornerstone of life at Edwards. Worship starts at 10:00 a.m. and lasts about an hour. Music fills the sanctuary first, helping the congregation settle in. After a welcome and a few brief announcements, worshipers share the Passing of the Peace, turning to greet those nearby. Lay readers lead unison prayers and scripture, and the minister preaches a sermon that aims to connect scripture to everyday life. Hymns, choir pieces, organ and piano music, prayer, and the receiving of an offering follow. A children's sermon invites younger worshipers to the front of the sanctuary for a short talk connected to the day's theme, after which the children head downstairs to their classes.
On the first Sunday of every month the congregation celebrates Communion. Communion Sundays are intentionally intergenerational; the children join the full worship and then come forward for the bread and cup alongside everyone else. The church is explicit that all are welcome at God's table, whether or not they are members of Edwards or of the United Church of Christ.
Worship at Edwards is described by the church as "familiar and always evolving." Visitors can expect a warm greeting from a greeter in the entryway and an usher at the sanctuary door who hands out the day's bulletin. No one is asked to stand up and introduce themselves, and worshipers are invited to participate as fully as they feel comfortable. After the service, members and visitors gather in Addis Hall, the fellowship hall directly under the sanctuary, for coffee, juice for the children, and conversation.
Special Sundays dot the calendar: the Back-to-School Blessings on the fifth Sunday of August, when worshipers bring backpacks, briefcases, and other tokens of their work to be blessed; a Blessing of the Animals; the receiving of new members; baptisms of infants and adults; and a Sunday each year for the blessing of prayer shawls.
The Church Year: Advent to Pentecost
Beyond the rhythm of Sunday mornings, Edwards walks the Christian year through its full sweep. Advent, a four-week season of anticipation and preparation, opens with wreaths and litanies; a white Christ candle in the center of the wreath is lit on Christmas Eve. The Christmas season runs twelve days to Epiphany on January 6, marking the arrival of the Magi and Christ's disclosure to all peoples. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and is observed as a reflective season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Holy Week brings Palm Sunday, often marked by an outdoor procession with two other neighborhood Protestant churches before returning to Edwards for the service; Maundy Thursday, a 6:00 p.m. potluck communion around tables; Good Friday Tenebrae, a Service of Shadows that ends in a darkened sanctuary; and Easter Sunday, when lilies fill the chancel and special music rings through the building. Pentecost closes the great half of the year with the color red and a celebration of the Holy Spirit.
Two Advent Sundays carry particular traditions at Edwards. On one, children, youth, and adults stage a Nativity Sunday, telling the Christmas story from the perspective of animals, wise men, angels, shepherds, Mary, Joseph, or Jesus. On another, the Festival of Lessons and Carols follows the classic Cambridge form of nine readings and nine musical pieces, sometimes with spirituals and other genres folded in. Christmas Eve itself draws a crowd at 7:00 p.m. for a blend of Sunday worship and the lessons-and-carols shape, ending with a candlelit singing of "Silent Night" in a darkened sanctuary.
Music as a Blessing
Music is central to the identity of Edwards Church. The congregation draws on the traditional Pilgrim Hymnal and the progressive New Century Hymnal, drawing from its Congregational and United Church of Christ heritage. Repertoire spans Renaissance to modern, anthems and oratorios, folk songs and spirituals, Broadway and rock, and pieces by local and living composers. The music leadership, choir, and pipe organ carry a tradition described by the church as one of "musical excellence."
Adam Simon is the Director of Music. A composer and folk singer, Simon has received commissions from ensembles including Lorelei Ensemble, A Far Cry, Cantus, and Conspirare, and his String Quartet No. 1 won the St. Botolph Club Emerging Artist Award in 2010. He performs with the Vermont-based vocal ensemble Northern Harmony and as half of the duo Sophie et Adam, and his recent solo work has included the tenor solos in Mozart's Mass in C minor with the Onion River Chorus. He holds a master's degree in composition from Tufts University and lives in the western Massachusetts Berkshires.
The Edwards Church Choir provides choral leadership for Sunday worship. Its roster mixes talented volunteers and professional singers, and the choir sings classical music from the Renaissance through the twenty-first century, anthems, oratorios, spirituals, gospel, Broadway, and rock. Choral programming follows both the liturgical and secular calendars, with songs for social justice in January, spirituals for African American History Month in February, anthems for Holy Week and Easter, music for Earth Day, guest instrumentalists for Thanksgiving, and a Festival of Lessons and Carols at Christmas, plus caroling in downtown Northampton. Concert collaborations have included the Fauré Requiem with the Holyoke Civic Symphony, Morten Lauridsen's Lux Aeterna with Schola Nova, and Ron Kean's American Mass.
The church's pipe organ is a historical instrument with roots going back more than a century. In 1897, Boston organ builder George Hutchings installed a three-manual, forty-five-rank organ in an earlier Edwards Church building. That instrument served until 1946, when Austin Organs of Hartford built a new three-manual, thirty-four-rank organ, retaining much of the original pipework. Austin moved the organ to storage in 1958 when the present building went up, then rebuilt and reconfigured it for its current location. Later work by Arthur Birchall of Æolian-Skinner in 1970 and major maintenance by Messrs. Czelusniak et Dugal of Northampton since 1975, including a full overhaul in 2000 and a solid-state control system in 2009, have brought the organ to its present voice. Long-serving organists have included Doric Alviani, Frances Sutcliffe, John Gerry-Karajanes, and David Kidwell.
Children have a music program of their own. Launched in March 2016, the children's music program serves kids ages six to twelve with a choir, a handbell choir, and a mixed instrumental ensemble. The children rehearse on selected Sunday mornings after worship for about half an hour and present their music at Easter, Pentecost, the Christmas pageant, and other special Sundays.
Music at the Crossroads is the church's free concert series, begun in 2017 as an outgrowth of the congregation's vision statement about gathering "at the crossroads of ancient faith and contemporary culture." Recent seasons have featured Blue Heron in a program of late fourteenth-century Ars subtilior polyphony, the South River Singers in world choral music, the Avery Sharpe Double Quartet in "I Am My Neighbor's Keeper," and Zara Bode's Little Big Band in a swing-era set. Donations from the concerts are directed to local nonprofits supported by the church, including Community Action Pioneer Valley, the Pioneer Valley Workers' Center, the Cancer Connection, the Center for New Americans, the Trans Asylum Seeker Support Network, Survivor Arts Collective of Easthampton, and Cathedral in the Night.
Children, Youth, and Family
Faith formation at Edwards begins in the nursery and continues through adulthood. Infants and toddlers through age three are cared for in the nursery downstairs across from Addis Hall on Sunday mornings from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Children ages four through grade six begin in the sanctuary with their parents for the children's sermon, then move downstairs to classrooms. Ages four to seven meet in the kindergarten room, and ages eight to twelve meet in Addis Hall. Two teachers, generally college students studying early or elementary education alongside an adult congregation member, lead each class. All staff are background-checked and certified in CPR and first aid.
An activity table is always available at the front of the sanctuary for children who prefer to stay with their families. On Communion Sundays, the children begin downstairs in Addis Hall for Children's Worship and then join their parents in the sanctuary for communion.
Youth in grades seven through twelve are invited to the Youth Group, which meets several times a year for fellowship, faith, and service. Several times a year the Edwards youth gather with sister churches in Northampton for ecumenical youth events. Each September, the church presents Bibles to every child in grades three through twelve who wants one, an annual offering begun to give young people in the wider community a free copy of the scripture they will study.
Young adults and adults at Edwards are offered Bible study, Advent and Lent offerings, theological discussions, prayer shawl ministry, book discussions, topical discussions, poetry readings, movies, mindfulness meditation, contemplative healing, and gatherings with college students. The Adult Forum meets virtually on Wednesdays from 11:00 a.m. to noon, exploring the upcoming Sunday's lectionary texts or a specific topic of interest.
Family-centered offerings extend to the home. The church sponsors intergenerational mission opportunities such as Family Volunteer Days at the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, assembling clean-up buckets for Church World Service, and Lenten mission outreach for various non-profit organizations.
Spiritual Practices for the Searching Soul
Edwards Church offers a sustained set of contemplative practices for those who want to deepen their spiritual life. The Monday Meditation Group meets at 6:00 p.m. in the Edwards Room and is open to anyone, with no experience necessary. The church grounds also include a labyrinth, an ancient form of body prayer in three movements: entering, centering, and exiting. Scheduled walks in Addis Hall coincide with the solstices and equinoxes.
Centering prayer, lectio divina, and visio divina are taught as ongoing practices. Centering prayer cultivates a deeper relationship with God through a sacred word, silence, and a brief period of stillness at the end. Lectio divina, divine reading, moves through four steps: read, reflect, respond, and rest. Visio divina invites prayerful gazing on a photograph, icon, or piece of art and the gentle release of distractions. Mindfulness practice is described in the church's own writing as paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, without judgment.
A Community Hub: MANNA, Cathedral in the Night, and the Parents Center
More than a sanctuary for Sunday morning worship, the building at 297 Main Street is a daily community center in the heart of Northampton. The Outreach Committee coordinates ten percent of the congregation's annual budget and countless volunteer hours toward the wider community.
MANNA Soup Kitchen has been serving free, hot meals in Northampton since 1986. MANNA prepares and serves close to a thousand meals for Thanksgiving and Christmas at a sit-down dinner and delivers meals to the homebound; it prepares over fifteen thousand meals a year. The soup kitchen operates three days a week, fifty-two weeks a year, at St. John's Church on Elm Street. Members of Edwards volunteer as regular cooks and servers.
Cathedral in the Night is an outdoor Christian community in downtown Northampton that assembles every Sunday at 5:00 p.m., rain, snow, or shine, in front of First Churches at 129 Main Street. A team of Edwards volunteers gathers at the church to cook the main meal and organize sandwiches and desserts made in members' homes for take-aways, then brings the food to Cathedral for worship and the meal that follows.
The Northampton Parents Center, a nonprofit cooperative drop-in center for children from birth to kindergarten age and their caregivers, has met in the lower level of the church since 1986. The Parents Center is open Monday through Thursday from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., mid-September through late May, and is administered by Northampton Public Schools with support from a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care.
Support groups meet in the church throughout the week. Gamblers Anonymous meets on Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. in Addis Hall. Alcoholics Anonymous meets on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. in Addis Hall, Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. in Addis Hall, and Fridays at 7:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary.
Members of Edwards also volunteer at the Western Massachusetts Food Bank, the Heifer International farm, Rachel's Table gleaning projects, the Cooley Dickinson VNA Hospice Shop, and the Hampshire Interfaith Emergency Shelter.
Justice Education
Justice education is a stated ministry of the congregation. A reading list developed for adults includes titles such as "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander, "White Fragility" by Robin DiAngelo, "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates, "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents" by Isabel Wilkerson, "How to Be an Antiracist" by Ibram X. Kendi, "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson, "Stamped from the Beginning" by Ibram X. Kendi, "So You Want to Talk About Race" by Ijeoma Oluo, "Tears We Cannot Stop" by Michael Eric Dyson, and "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave." For young adults and children, the list ranges from "Shades of People" by Shelley Rotner and Sheila M. Kelly for ages three to six, to "Many Thousands Gone" by Virginia Hamilton, "All Because You Matter" by Tami Charles, "The Story of Ruby Bridges" by Robert Coles, "Whoever You Are" by Mem Fox, "This Book Is Anti-Racist" by Tiffany Jewell, and "Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You" by Jason Reynolds.
A companion film list names "13th" by Ava DuVernay, "42," "Amistad," "Hidden Figures," "If Beale Street Could Talk," "Just Mercy," "Moonlight," "Remember the Titans," "The Color Purple," and "To Kill a Mockingbird." A poetry shelf includes "Citizen" by Claudia Rankine, "American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin" by Terrance Hayes, "Life on Mars" by Tracy K. Smith, and "Bringing the Shovel Down" and "Against Which" by Ross Gay. A daily devotional resource, "Prayers for Anti-Racism" by Derek Weber on behalf of Discipleship Ministries of The United Methodist Church, is recommended alongside art by Amanda Williams from her installation at the Smith College Museum of Art.
The Justice Education ministry points readers toward local and national action: petitions on change.org, lists of Black-owned businesses in Western Massachusetts and online, donations to organizations such as the NAACP, Campaign Zero, Black Lives Matter, Color of Change, and the ACLU, and civic engagement from voter registration to running for local office in Northampton, Easthampton, Amherst, or Hadley.
The Building: Sanctuary, Cross, Bell, and Courtyard
The current building is the third home of the congregation. Its sanctuary has a forty-five-foot ceiling and excellent acoustics, making it a favorite venue for concerts, lectures, weddings, and memorials. The southern wall, inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright's designs, is constructed entirely of glass. On a clear day the sanctuary is flooded with light; at night, passers-by on Main Street see the eighteen-foot iron cross from Sweden, lit from within. The sanctuary seats about two hundred and forty people.
Addis Hall, the fellowship hall directly under the sanctuary, is an open space with chairs and folding tables for meetings and receptions, with a kitchen across the hall. It seats about one hundred at tables and serves as the gathering place after Sunday worship, the site of the Monday meditation, the Thursday AA meeting, and the Children's Worship classrooms.
The Edwards Room features a large conference table, armchairs, a kitchenette, and full-length windows looking onto the courtyard, and is popular for workshops and small-group gatherings. The Heritage Room is a smaller meeting space for up to ten around a conference table, with the same courtyard outlook. The courtyard itself holds the 1892 steeple bell and a unique bowl-shaped fountain of Vermont glacial stone.
The building is fully handicapped accessible, and the church maintains a Safe Church policy.
Visitors, Members, and How to Connect
Edwards is the church with the big A-frame wall of windows, across the street from the Academy of Music in downtown Northampton. Parking behind the church is limited and is reserved on Sundays for worshipers who are elderly or have walking challenges. Free parking is available on Sundays in the public parking lots and at meters, though the Northampton Parking Garage is not free.
Anyone considering membership is welcome to attend worship and other events at their own pace. After a few visits, those interested in joining are invited to a gathering for folks exploring membership, and new members are received several times a year. No one is denied membership because of race, ethnic origin, worldly condition, or any other reason not related to faith. The congregation's 2023 Welcoming Statement invites everyone to bring all that they are: gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, family structure, race, color, ethnicity, culture, age, range of ability, economic, educational, immigration status, and unique perspective.
Worship is livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel, and an archive of recent services goes back several years. Recordings of sermons are posted alongside the live stream. Giving is welcomed during Sunday services, by mail to the church office, online, or by QR code in the sanctuary. The office is open weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Leadership
The Reverend Jennifer Geary serves as Interim Minister. Geary grew up on a dairy farm in Westhampton, Massachusetts, and earned a degree in Biology from Westfield State after attending Washington University in St. Louis. She began professional ministry as the Director of Education at Old First Church in Springfield, earned her Master of Divinity at Lancaster Theological Seminary, and was ordained in the United Church of Christ in 1995. She served her first parish in Morristown, Vermont, for eight years, then spent ten years as an Interim Pastor in seven churches. For seven years she directed Irons Homestead, the Outdoor Ministry site for the Historic Rhode Island Conference UCC. She returned to interim ministry in 2020, serving churches in Millis and Upton, Massachusetts. Her work has included advocacy at the Rhode Island State House through the Rhode Island State Council of Churches. She and her husband Bud, who directs maintenance at Aldersgate Camp and Retreat in Glocester, Rhode Island, have three children, four grandchildren, and a one-hundred-thirty-year-old house in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.
The Director of Music is composer Adam Simon, whose biography appears above. The congregation is led day to day by its ministers and a traditional system of boards and committees. Officers include the Moderator, Vice-Moderator, and Clerk. Boards include the Board of Trustees and the Board on Faith Formation. Committees include the Church Council, the Committee on Christian Outreach, the Visioning Committee, the Diaconate, the Music Committee, the Stewardship Committee, the Investment Committee, the Personnel Committee, the Committee on Nominations, the Pastor-Congregation Relations Committee, and the Memorial Committee.
The values that shape this work, as the congregation states them, are Community, Fellowship, Prayer, Spirituality and the Arts, Faith Formation, and Family. The vision that the congregation set in 2015 still guides the way: "Gathering at the crossroads of ancient faith and contemporary culture, we are a Christian church asking God to open us to a new way. Knowing that the road is long, we choose to walk together. Finding strength in our diversity, we call on all our talents to worship and serve. Encountering the world's joys and suffering, we offer ourselves as instruments of love and justice. Longing to find the holy in ourselves and others, we listen for God's still-speaking voice."