History of the Interfaith Council
Mission of the Interfaith Council
Purposes of the Interfaith Council
Major Projects of the Interfaith Council
Interfaith Council Officers and Meeting Schedule
Qualifications for IFC Membership
Other IFC Members (Organizations and Individuals)
To Contact the Interfaith Council
September 17: Following a summer recess, the Interfaith Council will resume its monthly meeting schedule Thursday, September 17. The first meeting of the new fiscal year will be at a site yet to be determined. A pot luck dinner will begin at 5:30 p.m. and be followed at 6 by a business meeting.
In late 1985, Temple Israel in Greenfield hosted a meeting for "Jewish-Christian Dialogue" to discuss the fragmented public voice of the religious community of Franklin County. Although an ecumenical organization had existed for many years, the Greater Greenfield Council of Churches, there was no local interfaith organization which formally involved Christian and non-Christian faith traditions working together for common goals.
As a result of a perceived need for a broad-based cooperative effort and a single spiritual voice regarding shared issues of community concern, the Interfaith Council of Franklin County was organized February 18, 1986. The IFC and the GGCC conducted a joint meeting May 7, 1987, then, as a result of continued dialogue and shared efforts, the two organizations merged May 19, 1988. In November, 1989, incorporation papers were filed and in November, 1991, the IFC became a nonprofit, voluntary corporation, organized pursuant to Chapter 180 of the Massachusetts General Laws and organized exclusively within the meaning of Section 501 (c) 3 of the federal Internal Revenue Code.
The mission of the Interfaith Council is to bring together religious professionals and lay people representing the houses of worship and religious organizations of Franklin County, as well as like-minded individuals, for the purpose of dialogue, information sharing, celebration, and social action. The IFC honors the rich variety of religious traditions in the 26 towns of Franklin County. At the same time, the IFC considers it a privilege to work together for the good of the larger community, to celebrate unity within diversity, and to promote the dignity of all persons.
The fundamental purposes of the Interfaith Council include:
*Creating a forum across religious lines where people can meet, discuss, and reach out to each other and to others.
*Developing a vehicle for greater understanding of the collective riches of diverse religious roots and varied spiritual traditions.
*Offering a focus for action toward social issues of common concern.
*Fostering the opportunity for common public celebrations and remembrances.
Each year the Interfaith Council sponsors projects and events in keeping with its mission and purposes. Those annual projects/events include:
*A Shared Thanksgiving Worship Service in November on the Sunday evening prior to the Thanksgiving holiday.
*A Holocaust Memorial observance in April.
*A Peacemaker Awards Ceremony in May to honor high school students nominated for efforts to promote peaceful coexistence and cooperative problem solving (cosponsored by Traprock Center for Peace and Justice).
*A memorial observance in May to remember homeless people in Massachusetts who have died in the past year.
*A series of programs throughout the year focusing on peace and justice issues facing Franklin County residents and communities.
The fiscal year of the Interfaith Council is from July 1 through June 30. Officers are elected and installed at the IFC's annual meeting in June. The IFC normally recesses for the summer months and resumes monthly meetings in September. Meetings occur on a rotating basis at places of worship of member organizations. Gatherings begin at 5:30 p.m. with a potluck dinner and are followed by a business meeting.
Officers currently serving include: Jennifer Bennett of the Pagan Community, president; Joan VanderVliet of Second Congregational Church, Greenfield, vice-president; Doris McLeod of St. James Episcopal Church, Greenfield, secretary, and Rev. Marguerite Sheehan of First Parish Unitarian, Northfield, treasurer.
Membership is open to all religious bodies in and around Franklin County which agree with the purposes of the IFC. For a religious body to qualify as a member it must pay annual dues assessed on a sliding scale according to the number of members of that religious body. IFC member churches/groups for the current fiscal year are identified with an * in the Faith Tradition Directory section of the webpage.
Membership is also available to non-faith groups and individuals that share belief in the IFC's mission and wish to participate in the Interfaith Council's work. A non-faith group is assessed on the same sliding scale as a religious group. Individual membership dues are $10 per year. Non-faith group members and individual members are identified in the Other IFC Members (Organizations and Individuals) section of this webpage.
Directory based on Franklin County listings with addresses and/or phone numbers
under Religious Services on the Religion Page of The Recorder
Ashfield, Bernardston, Buckland, Charlemont, Colrain, Conway, Deerfield, Erving, Gill, Greenfield, Heath, Lake Pleasant, Leverett, Leyden, Millers Falls, Montague Center, New Salem, Northfield, Orange, Rowe, Shelburne, Shelburne Falls, Shutesbury, South Deerfield, Sunderland, Turners Falls, Warwick, Whately.
First Congregational Church, Main Street, (413) 628-4470
St. John's Episcopal Church, Main Street, (413) 628-4402
*Congregational Unitarian Society, Route 10, (413) 648-9574
*United Church (federated, United Church of Christ and United Methodist Church), 58 Church Street, (413) 648-9306
First Congregational Church (also known as Mary Lyon Church), Upper Street, (413) 625-9440
Federated Church, Mohawk Trail, (413) 339-4294
Maranatha Bible Chapel, Mohawk Trail, (413) 625-9284
St. Christopher's Mission (Roman Catholic), Mohawk Trail, (413) 625-6405
West County Baptist Church, 108 Main Street, (413) 339-4488
Colrain Community Church, Main Road, (413) 624-3808
First Baptist Church, Foundry Village Road, (413) 624-8886
St. John's (Roman Catholic), Church Street, (413) 625-6405
United Congregational Church, Pumpkin Hollow, (413) 369-4040
St. Mark's (Roman Catholic), Delabarre Avenue, (413) 665-4535
*First Church (multi-denominational), Old Main Street, (413) 773-5323
Valley Life Assembly of God (meets at Frontier Regional School auditorium)
Evangelical Congregational Church, Route 2, (413) 772-2717
First Congregational Church, Main Road
Memorial Chapel, NMH School, Mount Hermon campus, (413) 498-3339
The Renaissance, Main Road, (413) 863-8411
*All Souls Unitarian-Universalist Church, 399 Main Street, (413) 773-5018
Assembly of God, 450 Davis Street, (413) 773-9506
Blessed Sacrament (Roman Catholic), 221 Federal Street, (413) 773-3311
Christ Church (meets at Guiding Star Grange), 401 Chapman Street, (413) 772-5860
Christian and Missionary Alliance Church, 385 Chapman Street, (413) 773-8798
Church of Christ, 341 Conway Street
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons), 92 Colrain Road, (413) 772-8514
Faith Baptist Church, 331 Silver Street, (413) 774-6438
*First Church of Christ, Scientist, 110 Federal Street, (413) 773-9765
*First Congregational Church, 43 Silver Street, (413) 774-3449
First United Methodist Church, 25 Church Street, (413) 772-6935
Holy Trinity (Roman Catholic), 133 Main Street, (413) 774-2884
Kingdom Hall (Jehovah's Witnesses), 805 Bernardston Road, (413) 774-5149
Providence Moldovian Baptist Church, 116 Federal Street
*Robbins Memorial Congregational Church, 55 Munson Street, (413) 774-2559
Salvation Army, 72 Chapman Street, (413) 773-3154
St. James Episcopal Church, 8 Church Street, (413) 773-3925
St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 23 Long Avenue, (413) 773-5242
Second Congregational Church, 16 Court Square, (413) 774-4355
Temple Israel, 27 Pierce Street, (413) 773-5884
*Unity in the Pioneer Valley, 6 Arch Place, (413) 774-5552
Upper Valley Worship Group (Quakers), 278 Main Street, third floor, 307A
Zion Korean Church, 463 Main Street
Union Church, Main Street
*The National Spiritual Alliance, 2 Montague Avenue, (413) 367-0138
First Congregational Church, Leverett Center
Moores Corner Church, Church Road
Mount Toby Monthly Meeting of Friends (Quaker), Route 63, (413) 548-9188
North Leverett Baptist Church, North Leverett Road, (413) 367-2619
United Methodist Church, Leyden Center
Covenant Church, 19 Bridge Street, (413) 659-3430
Greatness Life Korean, 19 Bridge Street
St. John's (Roman Catholic), (413) 659-3435
*First Congregational Church, 4 North Main Street, (413) 367-9467
Central Congregational Church, 22 South Main Street
North Congregational Church, 60 Elm Street, (978) 544-6324
Baha'i Community of Northfield, (413) 498-2768
Baptist Church, 87 Main Street, (413) 498-2739
*First Parish Unitarian, 72 Main Street, (413) 498-5566
*St. Patrick's Church (Roman Catholic), 80 Main Street, (413) 498-2728
*Trinitarian Congregational Church, Main Street, (413) 498-2431
Bethany Lutheran Church, 62 Cheney Street, (978) 544-3541
Central Congregational Church, 93 South Main Street, (978) 544-6895
Community Church of North Orange, North Main Street, (978) 575-0342
First Universalist Church, 31 North Main Street, (978) 544-6501
Kingdom Hall (Jehovah's Witnesses), 185 Daniel Shays Highway, (978) 544-6922
Mission Covenant, (978) 544-2803
New Life Christian Fellowship of the Assemblies of God, 349 South Main Street, (978) 544-7324
St. Mary's (Roman Catholic) 19 Congress Street, (978) 544-2900
United Methodist Church, 104 Main Street, (978) 544-3086
Community Church, Zoar Road, (413) 339-4222
First Congregational Church, 22 Church Common Road, (413) 625-0028
Kingdom Hall (Jehovah's Witnesses) 412 Mohawk Trail, (413) 625-2976/(413) 624-8857
Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Ashfield Road, (413) 625-2489
St. Joseph's (Roman Catholic), 34 Monroe Avenue, (413) 625-6405
Shambhala Center, 71B Ashfield Street, (413) 625-2982
Trinity Church (muti-denominational), Severance Street, (413) 625-2341
Shutesbury Community Church, Leverett Road, (413) 259-1443
Congregational Church, 71 North Main Street, (413) 665-3130
Holy Family Roman Catholic Church, 31 Sugarloaf Street, (413) 665-2417
Holy Name of Jesus National Catholic, Thayer Street, (413) 665-2129
Holy Spirit Ukrainian Catholic, 115 Sugarloaf Street, (413) 665-3880
First Congregational Church, 91 Main Street, (413) 665-7987
Calvary Baptist Church, 10 Prospect Street, (413) 863-9083
First Congregational Church, 148 L Street, (413) 863-9844
Grace Church, 41 K Street, (413) 863-2771
Our Lady of Czestochowa (Roman Catholic), 84 K Street, (413) 863-4748
*Our Lady of Peace (Roman Catholic), 90 Seventh Street, (413) 863-2585
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Seventh and Prospect streets, (413) 863-4602
Trinitarian Congregational at Metcalf Chapel
First Congregational Church, 177 Chestnut Plain Road, (413) 665-3537
Jennifer Bennett/Pagan Community, Mary Gene Devlin, Farren Care Center, Rev. Leslie Fraser Barbara Hoynoski, Marcy Hoynoski, Dennis Leblanc/Pastoral Counseling Center, Mary Colleen MacDougall/Pagan Community, Barry Montgomery/Masons/Guiding Star Grange, Northfield Mount Hermon School/chaplaincy program, Harriet Sternberg, Storm, Traprock Center for Peace and Justice.
on the Faith Tradition Directory