The Rev. Barbara Hesse been named Pastor and Teacher of the Second Congregational church in Westfield. (photo submitted)
WESTFIELD – Members of the United Church of Christ, Second Congregational in Westfield recently voted to call The Rev. Barbara Hesse as their Pastor and Teacher. Pastor Barb or simply Barb, “both work for me” she says, began her ministry at Second Church on August 1st. She is the 16th Settled Pastor to lead the congregation which traces its roots to 1856 when a group of First Congregational Church parishioners set out on a “mission” to form a second Congregational church in town.Once located on the Westfield green, the congregation relocated, in 1962, to a new facility on Western Avenue.
Pastor Barb comes to Second Church after more than a year-long search by the congregation. Pastor Search Committee Co-Chair Karen Smith notes, “Barb is a loving and compassionate woman of God. Her passion for ministry has had us hooked since the first time we met her through her profile on paper. When she jumped at the opportunity to meet with us for an interview, we knew her enthusiasm was going to infect us!”
Pastor Barb is a 2016 graduate of Andover Newton Theological School with a Master of Divinity Degree and a certificate in Pastoral and Spiritual Care.Barb fulfilled her Ordination requirement for Clinical Pastoral Education by completing an eleven-week internship at Baystate Medical Center and was recently ordained as a Minister of the United Church of Christ.
With an undergraduate degree in public relations from Syracuse University, PastorBarb spent 30 years as a professional sales rep. She’s quick to note that she never “sold” anything to anyone. She adds that it was her intent to “listen” with understanding to help customers determine what they needed … a skill which will come in handy in her new role.
Pastor Barb tells that, after 40 years as a member of Elmwood Community Church in West Hartford, CT, she answered a lifelong call to ministry. Barb is a past Deacon and Moderator of her church and served as Moderator of the Hartford Association of the Connecticut Conference of the United Church of Christ. While at Andover Newton, she was recipient of its prestigious Award for Excellence in Biblical Studies. During her time in seminary, Barb spent two years at First Congregational Church in Vernon, CT, as a “field-ed” student and Student Minister. She tells that while at Vernon, she found that she loved preaching and leading Bible Study. She also provided Pastoral Care by visiting members at home; in the hospital; nursing home; or rehab facility.
Pastor Barb is the mother of two grown children and grandmother of a toddler. She will soon call the Church’s parsonage in Westfield home. Barb is looking forward with what she calls “an attitude of gratitude” to her life in Westfield where she will serve not only Second Church but also Westfield State University as Protestant Chaplain.
Speaking for the Search Committee, Karen Smith recently told the congregation that Pastor Barb was “the person whom the Holy Spirit has put in our path with intention and clarity.” She continued, “as consumers of God’s loving grace, we are drawn to her desire to understand who we are as a church and where we should go together from here.”
