Wellness-focused nonprofit seeks to bring new life to Claremont church
Published: 01-22-2025 7:31 PM |
CLAREMONT — Yoga mats and chairs covered the floor of the sanctuary of the First Congregational Church on Pleasant Street last Saturday morning as participants settled in for a guided sound bath meditation.
Holistic practitioner Beth Pollari of One Tree Wellness in Newport arranged seven quartz bowls at the front of the room. Circling the rim of the bowl with a wooden mallet produces a melodic sound believed to resonate with frequencies in the body, promoting relaxation and mental clarity.
“I saw colors,” Yvette Clark, of Windsor, said after the meditation. Clark was among about two dozen participants who attended the event, the majority of whom were newcomers to the monthly sound bath.
The meditation was part of a series hosted by the Well Collaborative N.H, a new organization operating out of the church.
The Well, as its founders refer to it, is the church’s solution to dwindling numbers at Sunday services that threaten the longevity of the 19th century building.
“People are getting old, money’s not coming,” said Shawn Walch, a member of the Well’s steering committee and church council.
At first, a search committee comprising church leadership, city officials and state representatives looked for an existing nonprofit that could use the historic building as a community hub. When the committee couldn’t find one, it proposed to form a new organization instead.
“A congregational church used to be where everything happened, and we’re really preserving that heritage,” Dana McGrath, a member of the Well’s steering committee, said in a phone interview.
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The organization launched its programming on Jan. 14 with a jazz concert featuring music from Parker Eastman, the church’s musician.
Other upcoming events include a lecture on clowning, crafting in collaboration with Connecticut River Pride Center, drumming circles and sound bath meditations like the one last weekend.
All events fit into the Well’s three programming themes: WellSpoken, WellInspired, and WellNurtured.
WellSpoken, the education program, responds to feedback from community members who requested lecture-based events at a public forum in November, McGrath said.
WellInspired, the arts series, and WellNurtured, the holistic series, are designed to highlight the talents of people in the community such as Eastman and Walch, who practices Reiki, the Japanese relaxation technique involving soft touch.
Accessibility is another one of the Well’s guiding principles. Most events, except for some concerts, are free with a suggested donation.
“We don’t want to be a community exclusively for people who can afford it,” Walch said.
The Well hopes to raise $5,000 by 2026 to cover legal fees involved in becoming a 501(c)3 nonprofit, which would allow the organization to qualify for tax-deductible donations.
Even though the organization operates out of the church, it does not subscribe to a particular faith.
“We want to be a resource for everyone, whether you have faith or don’t have faith, it doesn’t matter,” Walch said.
Walch has been hosting monthly sound bath meditations with Pollari for the past year and a half as part of the church’s wellness series, with attendance ranging from four to 36 participants.
“Time and time again the wellness-based events are the ones that bring people in, and the ones that when people come in they’re willing to put money in the jar,” Walch said.
Walch was pleased with the turnout on Saturday and hopes the numbers will hold.
“It’s important that people come back, because if they don’t come back it could indicate that we’re doing something wrong,” Walch said.
The Well’s launch coincides with a broader phase of revitalization of historic buildings in Claremont.
Last year, the West Claremont Center for Music and the Arts moved from the Union Church to the long-empty historic National Bank Building in Opera House Square, a block away from First Congregational. Folk artist Ida Mae Specker performed at the center in December.
Now the Well is giving the First Congregational Church a new lease on life.
“The repurposing of that space has been great,” said Town Manager Yoshi Manale.
“It brings vibrancy back to that part of the community.”
Marion Umpleby can be reached at mumpleby@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.