The best coffee hour in town. Very friendly people.The Service is Episcopalian but fairly relaxed…read more The music is outstanding with an excellent organ.

Walked in and violin was playing an Irish lament Homily was spot onread more

Beautiful old church with a touch more historical relevance than one might think…read more First things first. This is a beautiful old church, not terribly large or overly ornate, but it's really pretty just from a visual standpoint. To say it's "picturesque" would be an astute characterization. It was built between 1805-1806 in the Federalist style and is apparently one of only a select number of similarly-styled church buildings to survive to this day from the area- at least, that's what I was told by a church member during a tour of the building while visiting friends who live in Massachusetts. The building, which originally served as a meetinghouse for the village, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in the early 1980's. While the congregation apparently dates back to 1769, the current church building wasn't erected until 1805-1806, replacing the old village meetinghouse, which was built by the early 1770's. To this day, the church hosts regular worship services for the community, as well as funerals, weddings, baptisms, etc. The site even plays host to the annual Lenox Craft Fair every summer. Apparently, the craft fair is a pretty big town event nowadays and people come from all over to attend. My friends that live nearby even pick up Christmas gifts a few months ahead of the holidays that they find at this shindig. I think the building, although not a typically ornate, large chapel, is lovely. I especially liked how well-preserved and maintained the building is, particularly the beautiful Palladian window- a hallmark of the building's architectural style- that sits above the church doors. As for historical significance, the town's first cemetery, located behind the church, marks the graves of several prominent Revolutionary War figures, including Major Azariah Egleston. I was also told by a church historian during a tour here that the original building, a meetinghouse later torn down to make way for the current chapel, served as a "safe house" for several key meetings during the Revolutionary War. I don't know if all that is 100% true, but that's what I was told and the local historian seemed to know their stuff. If you're in the area and want to visit the church/cemetery, the site seems pretty open to guests and tourists and other curiosity seekers. Otherwise, it's an interesting location to take a few photos and learn a bit more about local history.

The Church on the Hill was the dream location for my wedding ceremony. It is absolutely stunning…read more If you are considering having your wedding here and are still on the fence, go see it in person and you'll be convinced. The inside of the church is absolutely breathtaking. The second my husband and I walked in we knew we had to get married there. Amy was a superstar to work with! I was emailing her constantly for six months and she answered all my questions fully and promptly. We had a few special requests and she was able to accommodate us - for example, we asked if we could bring snack bags in the entry/lobby of the church for guests that arrived early. This was not a problem and we were able to use tables from the church to set up treats, coffee, and water. Because it was the second weekend in December, the church was already decorated for Christmas. Initially I was worried because I had not envisioned a Christmas themed wedding, however Amy was able to send me pictures of the decorations ahead of time and the church was beautiful. I loved the way it looked on our wedding day - it was absolutely gorgeous and festive and warm. One other general note: my husband and I really wanted to get married in a historic or pretty church because the majority of our guests were from out of town and we wanted to make a good impression. It was also really important to me that the church have a center aisle so that when the doors opened I could see down the aisle to where my husband was standing at the altar. This was the ONLY church in either the Berkshires or the Hudson Valley that had a center aisle and allowed us to use our own minister. It was perfect and I loved getting married there so much I want to renew my vows there....tomorrow.

I love this church! It is warm and welcoming. The pastor is excellent and consistently gives…read moreBiblically accurate, practical, and challenging lessons. The worship is contemporary but balanced (not obnoxious/distracting). They have a lot of great programs for people of all ages and excellent child care so its a great church for families.

I'll admit it. I don't have much church experience (I was raised by Buddhists and Jews)…read more But I've seen a lot of churches on TV and in film (mostly mob movies), so I had a good idea what I was getting into when I showed up here on Christmas Eve. It was quite confusing though when the pastor didn't want to hear about the shoplifting I'd done as a teenager, the premarital sex,* the rampant gluttony I exhibit on a daily basis, etc. He kept saying odd things like, "This isn't that kind of church," and, "That's disgusting," and, "Stop following me!" Anyway, it turns out this isn't that kind of church. I guess Catholics are the ones with the confessions, and this is a united church of the American Baptist Churches USA and United Church of Christ, the largest Protestant denomination in Massachusetts. I'm not exactly sure what that means, worship-wise, in comparison to other churches, but from what I can tell from a Christmas Eve visit, First Churches is a lovely place. It's huge, with a pretty sweet organ, and everyone is extremely nice and welcoming even if you're clearly a horribly underdressed Buddhist Jew. Their church mission statement (motto?) is also full of things I've got to agree with, like 'protect the environment, forgive often, reject racism,' etc. I especially have to agree with "enjoy this life." That's important, and wasn't always a tenet of Christianity, if I've read history correctly. I don't know if every service is the same, but on Christmas Eve, it's less being berated re: fire and brimstone, and more like a nice concert that you participate in. There are plenty of instruments (the aforementioned organ, some woodwinds, even a bell concert like the one Winston got into on New Girl), lots of singing, and it's generally very musical. The grand finale is when everyone lines up in a huge circle, lights candles, and sings Silent Night, which apparently has way more words than I originally thought. It was very pleasant, and not a single person told me I was going to hell. By the way, you should probably bring small cash bills, because APPARENTLY it's not considered proper etiquette to throw a $20 in the collection plate and then root around for change. You're welcome. ____________ *This would've been an exaggeration, anyway. I'm still holding out hope that I'll one day engage in post-marital sex.

Great Church!! Phenomenal People! Involved in the community. In Depth study of God's Word & Vibrant…read moreheart-felt, spirit-led worship! Ministry for kids, youth, and young adults as well!

This a wonderful, loving, Christ-centered church. Your first visit you will feel like family. The…read morepreaching is energetic and always has a great message. The worship band and choir are awesome. Once you come to this church, you will never want to leave.

From the owner: An independent local church committed to the great commandment and great commission…read more 1. We worship God in spirit and truth. 2. We build community in the body of Christ. 3. We grow spiritually to live like Jesus. 4. We serve God by serving others. 5. We share the good news of Christ's gospel.