The Rev. Richard Taber offers amen at his final service on Jan. 11

SALISBURY — After 27 years as pastor of the Congregational Church, the Rev. Richard Taber will preach his final sermon Sunday, Jan. 11, at 10 a.m.

Taber will turn 68 at the end of the month and said it “just seemed the time had come� to retire.

“Coming up with 45 sermons a year is challenging,� he said. “You want to feel you’re going out at the top of your game.�

Taber was called to Salisbury Congregational in 1981. He graduated from Yale Seminary in 1976 after making a career change; he had been working as a social worker and taught social work at Southern Connecticut State University.

“When I went to see the Committee on Ministry, the people who approve applicants to the seminary, they asked me why I decided to become a minister,� Taber said. “I said I didn’t decide to become a minister; I am a minister. I decided to change my forum.�

Looking back on the projects and programs Taber has had a hand in over the last 27 years, it is easy to see how his background in social work has influenced his ministry. He has played an integral role in the development of the Housatonic Youth Service Bureau, Sarum Village, Habitat for Humanity, EXTRAS (the after-school program at Salisbury Central School) and the Foundation for Community Health. He has been chaplain to the Salisbury Visiting Nurse Association’s hospice and to the Lakeville Hose Company. He was also instrumental in bringing the CROP Walk to the Northwest Corner. Over 25 years, the walk has raised $750,000 to bring clean drinking water to people in impoverished countries around the globe.

“I’ve tried to minister to the community as well as the congregation,� Taber said.

As for his impact on the church, Taber said one thing in particular stands out.

“In terms of the church itself, my biggest accomplishment is that Al Sly, Barbara Collins and Mary Davidson have stayed on,� he said. Sly is the organist and director of music, Collins runs the Sunday school program and Davidson directs the bell and children’s choirs. They have all worked for the church longer than Taber has. “The sexton is the only position I’ve had to replace.�

Taber also said he has tried to bring contemporary worship to the church community. The giant stilt-walking dove puppets of Mortal Beasts and Dieties have been invited to services, and Michael Brown and his gospel choir have performed during services. The church school program has also staged Biblical musicals during worship.

Despite his efforts to keep the church relevant to 21st-century parishioners, Taber said it is still difficult to convince people to show up.

“Worship attendance is down some,� he said. “I think we’re facing a systemic problem there in terms of the secularization of community life. Things like soccer and hockey are impinging on family participation. We’re living in a time where it’s difficult to compete with what’s available to kids on the screen and the keyboard. It’s a real challenge for the church school program, but it makes it even more important as we uphold life in the community.�

As Taber steps down from the pulpit, an interim minister will step up. The Rev. Stephen Austin  from Buffalo, N.Y., will join Salisbury Congregational. His first sermon will be Sunday, Jan. 18.

“It will be up to me to get out of his way, which is the hard part,� Taber said.

The United Church of Christ, of which Salisbury Congregational is a member church, does not allow a retired minister to attend services at his former church. In fact, they encourage retired ministers to move out of town in order to allow the church congregation to form a relationship with its new pastor. Taber does not plan to move out of town, in part because his children are students at Indian Mountain School, but he will no longer attend Salisbury Congregational Church.

“It has been hard for the congregation to understand,� Taber said. “I think in some ways it will be harder for the community to understand. Some of the older folks assume that I’ll be here to do their funeral and I can’t.�

Taber said he will step down as chaplain to hospice and the Hose Company, but that he will retain his board seats at EXTRAS and the Foundation for Community Health. He will also offer private counseling services.

“I am very thankful to God and grateful to the congregation for giving me the opportunity to serve God in this place for so many years,� Taber said.

The Rev. Richard Taber will offer his last sermon as pastor of Salisbury Congregational Church on Sunday, Jan. 11 at 10 a.m. The church will hold a community worship and reception for Taber at 3 p.m. For more information, call the church at 860-435-2442.