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Date: 2/26/2020
SOUTHWICK – While some churches offer a more rigid method of service, Southwick Community Episcopal Church offers a casual experience for churchgoers looking for something new.
Cheryl McCarthy, the church’s senior warden, said it was originally founded 16 years ago and was meant to offer a different experience to those who attend.
“It was a church that was opened to have a different style of the service for people who have never been to church or left a church previously,” she said.
One of the ways Southwick Community Episcopal Church establishes its less formal atmosphere is by allowing its members to bring coffee and breakfast into its services.
McCarthy said, “We allow people to bring in coffee, we get Mrs. Murphy’s Donuts every Sunday, we have hospitality before and after service. And any of those items can be brought into the church during the service.”
Along with the sugary sweets, McCarthy also said that the church offers healthy options for breakfast, including deviled eggs.
She said that during the service, a band plays rather than someone playing the organ in a traditional church.
“Our music is more contemporary Christian music, and we have a band so we don’t have an organ with old fashioned music and hymns,” she said.
On top of the different style of service, McCarthy said the church also looks for ways to give back to the community, including its annual turkey drive. This year they raised enough money to buy 405 turkeys, which they donated to the Southwick Food Pantry, the Westfield Food Pantry, the Westfield Boys and Girls Club and Suffield Community Aid.
McCarthy said the church offers a variety of free events to its members and the public. On Feb. 22, the church hosted its fourth Ladies’ Tea Night and McCarthy said, “It’s a fun gathering of different sorts of foods and it’s an informal, fun way of getting together with women.”
Currently the church is in between pastors, but McCarthy said the casual atmosphere has allowed services to continue without any problems.
“We actually for the last year and a half have not had a full time rector,” she said, “Because of our casual style, we’ve been able to facilitate and keep the services going by getting substitute priests.”
While Southwick Community Episcopal Church tries to create its own casual atmosphere, McCarthy said its members are the ones who establish it. She said, “The people that come are very open and friendly, and welcoming. I think that’s the first thing of any church, the people have to be willing to welcome new people in to grow.”