Franklin Federated Looks to the Future

By Rev. Doreen Oughton

As the pastor of Franklin Federated Church, I’ve been asked a couple of important questions lately:

1. Are we selling the building?

2. Are we closing?

The short answers are:

1. Hopefully!

2. Absolutely not.

Our congregation understands that church is about the people, not the steeple. We continue to have vibrant ministries focused on worship, mission, justice, service, and community-building. What we’ve been discerning is the future of our building—not our faith community.

Our current building was designed to host hundreds of worshippers, multiple Sunday school classes, and large gatherings like church suppers. Today, we have far fewer worshippers, no Sunday school, and no in-house suppers. Meanwhile, the building demands a growing share of our financial and physical resources—more than feels faithful to our mission.

Franklin Federated Looks to the Future

As part of our discernment, we’ve asked: How might this beautiful, historic space be reimagined to better serve our community and values?

Knowing that the town’s master plan includes a cultural arts center, we wondered: could our building become that center? The idea aligns deeply with our values of community care, creativity, and shared space—far more than, say, converting it to residential housing.

We reached out to the former town planner, and conversations began. Since then, the town has commissioned a feasibility study to explore whether a cultural arts center here could be self-sustaining—meaning it wouldn’t require taxpayer support. Encouragingly, the study says yes—and offers a vibrant vision of how the space could host art exhibits, performances, culinary events, and more.

The conversation is ongoing and will likely continue when the new Town Council begins its term in January. If the town decides to move forward, we’ll explore options—perhaps continuing to worship in the space on Sunday mornings, or perhaps finding a new home. Either way, we are not closing. We are evolving.

We believe this transition can free us to more fully follow the movement of the Spirit—to make God’s love and mercy even more evident in and through our community.

If you have questions, or would like to tour the building and imagine the possibilities, please reach out: franklin.federated@gmail.com.