Our Beliefs
We believe deeply in the power of love, compassion, forgiveness, and humility as vehicles for making this a more just and equitable society. We attend this church because these values are evident in every interaction we have with one another and in the community at large. We believe that it is not creedal restrictions that allow this to happen. Rather, we believe that it is the freedom to pursue our own spiritual paths with the support of a strong, loving community that will bring goodness to the world.
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Meet Our Pastor
Rev. Craig WerthCraig Werth is our new pastor at Nottingham Community Church, although he spent much of last year with us as frequent guest pastor. Craig is an interfaith chaplain ordained by the Chaplaincy Institute of Maine (ChIME) in Portland where he currently serves as Faculty-Advisor.
Craig worked for many years at the University of New Hampshire as an educational program administrator, a facilitator for the Browne Center for Experiential Education, and faculty member for UNH’s Thompson School of Applied Science. Currently, he also works with survivors of brain injury at the Krempels Center in Portsmouth as their Group Facilitator and Artist in Residence, designing and teaching classes in music, writing, improvisational theater and more. He is in the process of finalizing his qualification as a Certified Music Practitioner through the Music for Healing and Transition Program regionally based at Concord Hospital. Craig has toured much of the world as a professional musician, earning a Canadian Juno Award as co-producer of a best album of the year in the Folk category. He remains an active songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist, bringing his passion for music into his ministry at NCC. He lives in Newmarket, NH with his wife and best pal, Liz Westover Werth. In addition to supporting Craig and NCC, Liz works at UNH at Educational Talent Search – a program that provides access to higher education for students in need of support. They share a passion for playing music, kayaking, paddleboarding, and hiking, among many other common interests. Liz and Craig have one grown son, Ben, who lives in Nashua with his partner Erin, and their gem-of-a-daughter, Ryland. Craig and Liz co-habitate with an enthusiastically friendly, diminutive cat named Mika and a therapy dog, Sadie, who brings great joy as canine staff member at Krempels Center and as Craig’s right-hand associate for many of his hospice visits. Craig is available for pastoral care by request. He can be reached via email at revcraigwerth@gmail.com and via phone at 603.327.9792. |
About Unitarian-Universalism
As a member congregation of the Unitarian-Universalist Association, we covenant to affirm and promote:
We draw our strength for all spiritual and religious traditions, and we welcome people of all faiths and points of view into our congregation. We are grateful for the religious pluralism which enriches and ennobles our faith. We are inspired to deepen our understanding and expand our vision. As a free and self-governing congregation, we enter into this covenant and promise all comers mutual trust and support.
Our emphasis is on ethical living, rather than creedal restrictions. It is characteristic of the Universalist Faith within which the Nottingham Community CHurch was founded in 1875.
For more information about the Unitarian Universalist Association, click here: UUA
- The inherent worth and dignity of all people;
- Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
- Acceptance of one anoth er and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
- A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
- The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregation and in society at large;
- the goal of world community with peace. Liberty, and justice for all;
- Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are all a part.
We draw our strength for all spiritual and religious traditions, and we welcome people of all faiths and points of view into our congregation. We are grateful for the religious pluralism which enriches and ennobles our faith. We are inspired to deepen our understanding and expand our vision. As a free and self-governing congregation, we enter into this covenant and promise all comers mutual trust and support.
Our emphasis is on ethical living, rather than creedal restrictions. It is characteristic of the Universalist Faith within which the Nottingham Community CHurch was founded in 1875.
For more information about the Unitarian Universalist Association, click here: UUA
Our History
The Nottingham Community Church was founded in 1875 as a Universalist congregation, which it remained until the union of the Universalist and Unitarian churches in the early 1960's. As such, it has always been an open and welcoming community and served a purpose as a community center and gathering place for the small village of Nottingham and the surrounding towns. For much of its existence, the church honored its Christian roots, but always with the caveat that people of all faiths and creeds were welcome. Our affiliation with the Unitarian-Universalist Association merely codifies our current strong belief in the sanctity of the individual spiritual path.
Our building was built and finished for a dedication and celebration on Christmas Day in 1880. The open, bright sanctuary has a beautiful bell tower/steeple that complements the Victorian, gingerbread shingle style of the exterior of the building. The Fernald Chapel was added to the back of the church in 1960 to enlarge the parish hall. The Fernald Chapel is a more modern structure and practical space in which many a harvest supper and community gathering have taken place.
In 2000, a good deal of the church was damaged by fire, during which all the historic enameled windows and many other historical decorations of the church were destroyed. The good people of the fire department managed to save the organ and some of the other important contents of the church. Over the next several years, the church was painstakingly restored, though such details as the windows were irreplaceable. The octagonal enameled "rose" window, which sits high on the Southern wall at the front of the church, is the one part of the church that has yet to be replaced. The congregation has created a fund, and is slowly working toward the day when a new stained glass window will finally grace the church.
The rehabilitation and restoration of this historic building is a testament to the spirit of a small congregation. With few resources and even fewer people, this congregation was able to muster the support, both fiscally, physically, and spiritually to withstand what for many congregations would have been their end.
Our building was built and finished for a dedication and celebration on Christmas Day in 1880. The open, bright sanctuary has a beautiful bell tower/steeple that complements the Victorian, gingerbread shingle style of the exterior of the building. The Fernald Chapel was added to the back of the church in 1960 to enlarge the parish hall. The Fernald Chapel is a more modern structure and practical space in which many a harvest supper and community gathering have taken place.
In 2000, a good deal of the church was damaged by fire, during which all the historic enameled windows and many other historical decorations of the church were destroyed. The good people of the fire department managed to save the organ and some of the other important contents of the church. Over the next several years, the church was painstakingly restored, though such details as the windows were irreplaceable. The octagonal enameled "rose" window, which sits high on the Southern wall at the front of the church, is the one part of the church that has yet to be replaced. The congregation has created a fund, and is slowly working toward the day when a new stained glass window will finally grace the church.
The rehabilitation and restoration of this historic building is a testament to the spirit of a small congregation. With few resources and even fewer people, this congregation was able to muster the support, both fiscally, physically, and spiritually to withstand what for many congregations would have been their end.
