After a group of Lyme Congregational Church members visited CBC in New Jersey and established a broader working relationship with CBC, Pastor Amy and LCC invited other Upper Valley Churches to join her in strengthing the program for racial conversation and justice. We formed the Upper Valley Parish (UVP), comprised of the Lyme Congregational Church, the Church of Christ at Dartmouth College, Norwich Congregational Church, and the First Congregational Church in Thetford, UCC, to further this work. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, our partnership has grown, and with the other local churches in the UVP, we have done far more together than we could have accomplished as one small church.
We are so grateful for the support of our local sister churches as they have made it possible to host large events and visits by CBC. We look forward to reconnecting with CBC together. Through the Holy Spirit, the model initiated by Pastor Amy continues to grow and be utilized by other area churches.
Through Pastor Amy's professional connections and the movement of the Holy Spirit, beginning while at seminary 20 years ago, the Lyme Congregational Church has benefited from her leadership in race relations.
Racial Justice
Pastor Amy Hayden had studied African-American literature, worship, music, and theology at Yale Divinity School. After graduating in 2007, Pastor Amy lived and worked in New York City, where she led, worked, and participated in worship in various African-American and Interracial Churches. With a deep appreciation of all that the Black tradition represents, Pastor Amy began a mentorship program with Pastor Lester W. Taylor, Jr. at Community Baptist Church of Englewood, NJ (CBC). Pastor Amy then developed a model for a partnership with CBC. Pastor Amy's and Pastor Taylor's partnership is based on sharing worship and fellowship.