Crawford Upgrades, Summer 2026

by Stacey Hilliard | Sep 30, 2026 | Uncategorized

submitted by Pam Reeve (pdar)

I have expressed my deep gratitude to the community at Crawford for the work done in our space over the summer. The purpose of this message is to provide a bit more context, detail and specific recognitions.

What was done? In Gifford Hall: new technology (sound, video, and projection systems, drop-down screen, lighting); HVAC; windows; painting; acoustics ceiling; minor repairs. In the kitchen: HVAC. In the bathroom area: repairs, painting, new signage. In the sanctuary: ceiling repairs and painting. Throughout the building: 22 additional wireless access points and a central communications control room.

In addition, cleaning of carpets in the foyer and Crawford Room and numerous upgrades and repairs in the parsonage round out a very active summer period.

Who worked on this? It takes a village! In addition to a terrific group of well-vetted and experienced outside contractors, this work could not have been completed as well (or on time!) without: Pam Donaldson, George DeRedon, Alyssa DiMarzo, Frank Leathers, Robert McAlpine, Stephen Black-Schaffer, Doug Marmon, Sue DiMarzo, Peter Reeve, Colin Simson, Stacey Hilliard, and all the people from the congregation who provided input, specifically regarding colors.

What did the work cost? The work in our building ran over $300,000 in total. The Board of the New Song Fund has approved $100,000 toward that amount; the remainder comes from Crawford capital and operating funds. In addition, there were many valuable inputs (and time!) from Crawford volunteers, noted above and not included in a financial number, that really made the whole thing come together. We could do this work because of the generosity of our people inspired by the vision of a future in which we are even more engaged and welcoming to our community, and seeking new ways to be of service.

Now What? Imagine the possibilities—concerts, plays, community gatherings, safe havens for young people to engage. It is now up to us to make the best use of this wonderful gift to share the love of Christ and grow the beloved community Pastor Jen has been talking about.

Let’s get on with it!

Church Conference: Sunday, November 1

by Stacey Hilliard | Sep 23, 2026 | Uncategorized

Please mark your calendars and plan to attend our annual Church Conference, which will be held at 1:00pm on Sunday, Nov. 1 at Wilmington United Methodist Church, including lunch beforehand. We will be conferencing with the five other churches of the East Middlesex United Methodist Cooperative: Aldersgate in North Reading, Old South in Reading, Tewksbury UMC, Wilmington UMC, and Woburn UMC.

Some background on church conferences: Each year, United Methodist congregations gather with the District Superintendent (or their designee) for Church Conference. This is the time we conduct important annual business: approving budgets and leadership nominations, voting on candidates pursuing certified ministry, and deciding other important matters of church vision (Reconciling, capital campaigns, building projects, etc.). In recent years, there has been an effort to infuse these meetings with more time for worship and connection. In very recent years, church conferences have been combined for missional and practical reasons. Given our assignment to a cooperative in 2026, it makes sense that we would conference together with these churches.

There are concerns that this joint format, tried for the first time last year, does not allow ample time for churches to discuss and celebrate their own ministries. (Stay tuned for how we may approach this challenge at Crawford outside of the official conference.) However, Nov. 1 will be a chance to connect and think missionally about the opportunities of this new cooperative, as well as to take the official votes required each year of each church. We hope to have a large Crawford contingent—especially of our nominated leaders!—in attendance at this important meeting. Please reach out to Pastor Jen with questions or comments as we prepare our hearts (and paperwork) for Church Conference.