Reverend Susan Nye Thornton was Installed as the thirty-first Settled Pastor of The First Congregational Church in Marshfield on April 24, 2010. Reverend Thornton is the first woman to be called as the Settled Pastor of the Church by vote of the Congregational Meeting in February, 2010, after serving as Interim Pastor since July, 2008. Originally from Medfield, Massachusetts, she graduated with highest honors from Northeastern University and received a Master of Divinity Degree with honor from Andover Newton Theological School. Previously, she served Pilgrim Congregational Church in Taunton, Massachusetts, and as a hospice chaplain in southeastern Massachusetts. Rev. Thornton is an eleventh generation Congregationalist beginning with her great grand uncle, Philip Nye, one of the ‘five dissenting brethren’ of the Westminster Assembly in England in 1643. Philip Nye influenced American Congregationalists through his writings, notably, Cotton Mather who quoted Nye in his “Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven” a biblical defense of the Congregational Way.

Pastor Susan and her husband, Wayne, have been married for thirty-seven years. Their daughter, Susannah, is working toward a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Vocal Performance at the University of New Hampshire.

Pastor Susan serves on the Executive Committee of the Massachusetts Association of Congregational Christian Churches, on the Building and Loan Committee of the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches, and is past Convener of the Mayflower Ministers Association.

In her ministry, Pastor Susan seeks to model her love for the Lord in all that she says and does. Her sermons always begin with God’s Word in the Bible, connecting it to the challenges and complexities of living as a Christian in today’s world. She considers it a privilege to both lead the Church in Worship and minister to the pastoral needs of the congregation. She loves the people of the First Congregational Church of Marshfield and is honored to serve as Pastor.

Secretary
Joanne Kannaly is both our Church Secretary and a member of the Congregation. Her ministry is very important in our Church as she administers the clerical and scheduling functions of the Church. She makes her home in Marshfield with her husband of thirty-one years, Bill.

Music Director
Andrew Chandler is the music director.

Organist
Ernest Chandler is our organist.

Bell Ringer
David Riley is our Bell / Carillon Ringer.

Sunday School Superintendent
Pam Drouin has been our Sunday School superintendent since 2008 and has long been a Sunday School teacher. She is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Education, and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, with a Master of Science in Environmental Policy & Management. She has been a member of our church since 2000, after transferring membership from Union Congregational Church of Braintree, Massachusetts, where she was a member since childhood. She has lived in Marshfield with her husband and two children since 1995. She has long had a desire to serve the Lord since accepting Christ as her Savior as a teen, which she has done by serving the young people of our Sunday School and by caring for the environment  along with teaching others to do the same.

Custodian
Todd Luque is the custodian of our Parish House.

Sexton
Jack Pattison is the sexton of the Meeting House. A sexton is a church officer charged with the maintenance of its buildings. Jack is a retired elementary school art teacher who retired in 2008 after teaching for 35 years in Pembroke Mass. He and his wife Kathie are both very active in the FCC church community. They have two grown sons Adam and Daniel. Now, he spends much of his time building custom made birdhouses.