Senior Pastor
Dr.Rev. Candi Ashenden
2020- Present
Since my ordination in the United Church of Christ in 1995, I have served four different Massachusetts’ churches as senior pastor, interim pastor, and Fellowship and Outreach Pastor. My first church was Central Congregational Church of Orange and I have been living in Orange since that time.
In 1999, I received my Doctor of Ministry degree from Bangor Theological Seminary with a focus on the challenges of creating ecumenical youth groups, particularly in regards to the Open and Affirming movement. Thankfully, on that front, there has been much wider acceptance over the past twenty years.
My spouse, Pam Oddy, is an attorney in Athol specializing in elder care law, wills, and trusts. We have two children: a son, Billy, who is heading off to the University of Southern California in the fall as a freshman and a daughter, Christi, who will be starting 10th grade at the Colorado Rocky Mountain School in the fall. Not surprisingly, most of my future traveling will be to see our children and to visit with our extended family in Colorado.
I have intentionally been saying, “Yes,” to God since the age of nineteen and though it has led me along some difficult paths here and there, God has never left me alone. While many of us find God in worship, I have long known that God is truly everywhere we look. For me, living a Christian life means integrating God and faithful living into everyday life. God truly can be found in the ordinary moments, as well as in the extraordinary ones, if we only open our eyes and our hearts to see and feel God’s presence.
Personally, my soul is fed through constant conversation with God (in the shower, in my car, near the water). Being in or around water of any form, be it waterfall, babbling brook or roaring ocean, always soothes me and opens me to God’s presence. Additionally, nothing inspires me more than listening to the stories of those whom I encounter and I look forward to hearing all of yours as we move forward together in ministry.
Currently, along with serving this church part-time, I am the pastor of the United Congregational Church of Conway, a very small, but mighty hilltown church. This combination leads to a full and meaningful life and, as we are soon to be empty-nesters living at home with our two rescue dogs, I am delighted to be adding serving this church to my life!
Journeying together,
Rev. Candi