Welcome! As pastor of the United Methodist Church of Litchfield and of the First United Methodist Church of Thomaston, I invite you to come visit with us, and experience the warm, open welcome you will find at both churches.

A hymn by Richard Avery and Donald Marsh sings forth, “I am the church! You are the church! We are the church TOGETHER!...The church is not a building, the church is not a steeple, the church is not a resting place, the church is a people.”  Each of us is called as an instrument of God’s grace and love in this broken world.  The pastor is no more the center of the church than are the people.  At the center of our churches is our Living God experienced through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

As I share in a wonderful ministry in Litchfield and Thomaston, I am inspired by our commitment to praising God in worship and being fed spiritually to go out into the world to serve. At Litchfield, we are early risers, gathering for worship at 9:00 a.m., while at Thomaston we gather at 11:00 a.m., following Sunday School at 9:30 a.m.  In our fellowship together we enjoy the warmth of old friendships, as well as welcoming new friends and folks ‘just passing through.’

As we are the church together, we hold one another within caring hearts, centering our lives on the Living God who moves and has being within us, committing ourselves to building up a healthy Body of Christ within our community of faith and throughout all God’s creation.

I personally invite you to experience the warm welcome in the spirit and light of the Lord which awaits you. Come share in the fellowship with others who are celebrating being spirit-led and spirit-fed.

Blessings and peace be with you,
Elizabeth Jones, Pastor

About Pastor Jones:  Most folks visiting a web site are a bit curious about who the pastor might be.  Well, I have been blessed to be called to serve these two small, yet vibrant, churches.  My spiritual path might resonate with yours if you were raised in the church -- whatever the denomination -- yet came to experience, in the words of Robert Frost, a ‘lover’s quarrel’ with organized religion.  I had huge awakenings during the 60s and 70s, both in grappling with a world at war and a nation divided by prejudice, as well as an inner grappling with my own identity as a woman of God.  After many twists and turns in my spiritual journey, I returned to my heart-filled denomination of the United Methodist Church. In 2001, I began my seminary training at Drew Theological School in Madison, NJ.  What seemed an impossible feat became reality in 2005 as I graduated from seminary, thanks be to the consistent nudging, shoving, and faithfulness of God.