Summer Worship at Chandler Hovey Park

We have returned to our summer worship at the Lighthouse at Chandler Hovey Park each Sunday at 8 am. If the weather is inclement there will be a sign at the Devereux Beach entrance to let folks know. 

Rev. Lindsay is back!

Here's a look at her and her family on vacation in Acadia National Park, and a note from her: 

"Church, I missed you! I'm so grateful I had the chance to step away for a few weeks, rest, and get a fresh perspective on our shared ministry. We went to Acadia and had a family reunion in New Hampshire; I took weaving lessons and read a lot of books. I'm coming back refreshed with a lot of excitement and hope for the months and years ahead. 

I'm looking forward to having much more time to spend in the community, especially spending one-on-one time with as many of you as possible as we dream about and plan for the future. I'll be in the office all day on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays (you can put yourself on my calendar at calendly.com/lindsaypopper/30min).

Ashley and I are planning to move to the North Shore soon; there are a lot of moving parts to that, and we're prioritizing Nicholas (making sure he has everything needs, and that we follow all the requirements of the Department of Children and Families as we move). It won't happen right away, but I'll keep you posted as things move along. 

I'd love to see you at either of our Sunday services (8am at the Lighthouse, 10am at the church meetinghouse)!" 

10 am Worship Continues Through July

We've had a regular response to our 10 am service this summer and the Diaconate has decided to continue this service through the month of July.

We will continue to offer the 8 am service at the Lighthouse at Chandler Hovey State Park (which will move to the Sanctuary in inclement weather).  

This summer we will be painting the Sanctuary ceiling as part of our Capital Campaign. When that project begins we will move the 10am service to the Parish Hall. 

See you in church.  

Men’s Group Breakfast - tomorrow

The Men’s Group will meet for breakfast on the last Friday of this month, July 26, (tomorrow) in the Stacey Street Great Room starting at 7:30 am.

Please contact Dave Hostetter at davehracer@gmail.com for more information and to get on the group’s email list. Please let Dave know if you plan to attend the breakfast and if you can bring something to share. Newcomers are always welcome.

MYCM (Marblehead Youth Cooperative Ministry) is pleased and excited to announce Jessica Easter as our first MYCM Youth Minister

A student at Boston University’s School of Theology, Jessica will officially begin here on August 11, and after a few weeks of remote preparations, she’ll be on site by early September to meet parishioners at all three congregations: St. Andrew’s Episcopal, Clifton Lutheran, and Old North (United Church of Christ). The part-time job allows for the establishment of one or more youth groups (e.g. high school and middle school), as well as some time spent at each church each month.



Jessica comes highly recommended with excellent religious training and numerous experiences with youth and families. Since September of 2023, she has led Godly Play at Saint John’s Episcopal Church in Jamaica Plain. Before that she was Children, Youth, and Family Ministry Coordinator at Mount Cross Lutheran Church in Camarillo, California for close to four years, serving as an assistant youth leader and also as a preschool teacher, experiences which, as her mentor explains “kept her work in religion grounded and practical. “Jessica helped with high schoolers and faith formation with younger children, but she was primarily tasked with building and leading a middle school youth group. She says it was during Covid and it was challenging, but “My biggest thing is asking the kids what they want to do. They started to invite their own friends, and we ended up with a much larger group. That was rewarding to see the community that they built.”

As an undergraduate at California Lutheran University, Jessica was an honors student and a peer leader, and she received a number of fellowships and awards. References cite her love of children and youth, her impressive communication skills, and her leadership capacity. Strong relationship skills and a deep commitment to open and affirming practices are among the impressive attributes she will bring to her work with young people.



Jessica expects to receive her Master of Divinity in May 2026. She has expressed great enthusiasm for her new position at MYCM and says of our ecumenical approach, “I believe we firmly agree on the core tenants of our faith, especially in efforts of advocacy, care for one another in community, and the amazing love of God for every single person.”

Thank you to the MYCM congregations for your support of this position. Current board members are: Kara Bixby and Ross Dobson from Clifton Lutheran; Betsey Halbert, Richard Thibedeau, Heather Martin and Roy Martin from Old North, and Dave Westbrook and Peg Howard from St. Andrew’s, assisted by pastors Jim Bixby, Clyde Elledge, and Lindsay Popperson. 

Designated Term Associate Pastor Search Team Update

Our search team is up and running for our Designated Term Associate Pastor. We have been meeting to get oriented on the search process. We've met with Rev. Alex Shea Will to receive guidance and resources. We've completed the Designated Term Associate Pastor profile which has been reviewed and approved by our Leadership Board and Conference. The position has been posted nationally. Our team is reviewing profiles. We'll be holding a mock interview to get some good practice and feedback before we launch into interviews with prospective candidates. We remain hopeful that we'll have a candidate prepared to present to the congregation in September, if not before. 

Please hold us in prayer!



Your Search Team:  Betsey Halbert, Blair Lord, James Horgan. (with guidance and support from Lindsay) 

Capital Campaign Projects Update

Painting and carpentry repairs on the Parish Hall and Link building are almost complete, and replacement of the Sanctuary roof is well underway. The old roof materials have been removed and new ice & water shield and roofing shingles are being installed, with completion by next week. Once that is done, work will begin on new copper gutters and fascia boards for both sides of the Sanctuary building to replace the rotted wooden ones. Then scaffolding will be erected on the north wall of the church building for the masonry repairs. In early August we expect to have scaffolding erected in the sanctuary for the repainting of the ceiling. At that time, the space will be closed until the work is completed by the end of August.

In our two-year plan, the repairs to the bell tower and the repointing of the granite façade will not begin until next spring.



Property Projects – Eleven sections of new fencing have replaced deteriorated ones along the southern portion of the parking lot.

Coffee Hour at the Lighthouse

Please join us for coffee hour after the 8am service at the Lighthouse (or in the Parish Hall in the case of inclement weather). Don't forget to bring your travel cup so we can reduce waste and save trees.

Garden Volunteers

During the summer months we will need volunteers to weed and tidy our church properties in the Memorial Garden, front patio area and parking lot beds. The Green Team has planted a pollinator garden behind the work trucks in the parking lot which they will maintain.



If you can help for an hour or two to keep our gardens looking healthy and beautiful Please contact Ginny von Rueden: rvonrueden@comcast.net or 781-631-7898.

Search for a New Board Member of Essex County Habitat for Humanity

Old North Church’s Outreach Ministry Board (OMB) has been asked by the Essex County Habitat for Humanity to help its board identify a new board member to represent southern Essex County. Stuart Johnson, a current board member and past-president, reached out to OMB through Old North members Steve and Suzanne Quigley to request the assistance in a partnership to better address housing needs in the south of Essex County, including cities such as Lynn, Salem, Peabody, and Gloucester. The Essex County Habitat for Humanity covers 34 cities and towns throughout Essex County, providing help to qualified families to make it more affordable for them to build and improve places to call home.

The Essex County Habitat for Humanity board currently has 16 members serving 3-year renewable terms and meeting as a full board 4 times per year. Board members also serve on subcommittees that meet more often, with most members serving on at least two. These subcommittees work closely with staff in key areas such as site and family selection, marketing and advocacy, events, development, and finance. There are currently 17 homes under construction in Essex County, including a multi-family development for 10 families in Hamilton.

The board seeks candidates who are passionate about Habitat for Humanity’s mission to create affordable housing. There is a desire to balance the board composition with new members who live in southern Essex County. The ideal candidate will be someone who is well connected in the community and can relate to city and town administration, city councils and planning boards, for example. Prior experience with nonprofit boards, town/city planning, construction, finance, law, or development would be a plus.



Interested potential candidates can contact Richard von Rueden, Chair of Old North’s Outreach Ministry Board at rvonrueden@gmail.com or 617-416-5264 to obtain more information and arrange for a conversation with Stuart Johnson of Essex County Habitat for Humanity.   

Seeking Refrigerator Donation



The refrigerator at Stacey Street appears to be no longer working well enough to keep items cool or frozen. Before we invest in a new one, we wanted to put out a request to see if any member has an extra one they might donate to Old North. If so, please contact the office at office@onchurch.or or 781-631-1244. Thank you.

Congregational Caring



The love and prayers of our congregation go out to the families of Jill Weber and Marilyn Atkins, whose memorial services were held this week. On Wednesday Rev. Lindsay led the memorial service for Jill Weber who passed away recently. Her obituary can be found here. In addition, on Thursday, Rev. Lindsay led the graveside service at Waterside Cemetery for Marilyn Atkins, whose obituary can be found here.

“When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure.” (Author unknown) 

Gifts of Cheer



If you know of anyone, either here at Old North or in the wider Marblehead community who is going through a difficult time, the Community Life Board would like to reach out with a little plant and a friendly note. Please contact Lynda Hare at hares8carrots@hotmail.com or 781-639-0107 if you know someone who would appreciate a little extra cheer.

Lectio Divina

A monastic practice of scripture, reflection and prayer dating back to the 4^th century, at Old North lectio divina has been adapted and practiced for more than ten years on every Tuesday morning from 9 to about 10:30 am. When Dennis was here, he led the practice. Since his leaving, we all take turns being the leader to select the readings. We have welcomed newcomers, some not from Old North, who seem to find soul food in the practice and the shared reflections that are part of it. We meet at 9 am both in person in the “Great Room” on Stacey St. and on Zoom.

We begin each meeting with a context-setting call to worship. Then we pair a scripture reading with a poem, chosen by the leader for the day and read aloud. We then move into 21 minutes of silent meditation, marked by chimes, and finally we share in “safe space” our responses – personal and intellectual. We end each session with prayers for healing and the Lord’s Prayer.



It is a rich time of being together in community and quite like no other. We invite you to give it a try.