The Congregational Church of Westminster West is the heart of the non-traditional, progressive-leaning hill farming community west of the mountain ridge that separates it from its more culturally  traditional parent town of Westminster. Our church is a gathering place and sanctuary for all season of life, where people’s spiritual needs for beauty, connection and love are met regardless of their particular faith.Our overarching goal is to serve as a community church given a population of divergent thinkers, a public fearful of explicit expressions of faith, individuals suspicious of institutions, families struggling with the burdens of everyday life, and home-bound elders hoping to remain connected.The destruction of the church by fire in 1988 led the congregation to reach out to the community for help in rebuilding.   The congregation pledged the new building to the community as a center for its worship and secular needs.  We opened the doors to community dinners, Jewish sabbath-day services and Hannukkah parties, weddings, funerals and movie openings, a concert venue for jazz, folk and classical musicians, a rehearsal and retreat area for regional choruses and musical groups, and a meeting place for a land conservation and environmental group.  Chairs instead of pews allow for different patterns of worship, and can be cleared away entirely in order to host dances, community meals, Pilates, exercise and elder weights classes and other events.