CHARLEMONT — When the Rev. Cara Hochhalter was ordained at 56 years old, her first job as pastor was at the Federated Church of Charlemont. On Aug. 12, Hochhalter will give her final sermon at the church where she has served for 10 years.
“It just feels like it’s time,” Hochhalter said. “It’s been really wonderful. I loved the church. I wanted to have a congregation that I could walk with, and this congregation has been a wonderful place to explore the Scriptures in today’s world.”
In her time as pastor, Hochhalter has also been creating relief-cut artwork. These black-and-white prints, made from carved etchings, are then inked and pressed onto paper.
Over recent years, Hochhalter made at least 30 relief prints inspired by the Scriptures. “My idea is to create at least 36 images that tell the story of Christ,” she said. The tentative title of her book is: “A Challenging Peace: The Life and Teachings of Jesus.”
An artist and former fifth-grade school teacher, Hochhalter was the Christian education director for a United Church of Christ church in Michigan when she decided to go to seminary. She attended the United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities, which has a special program that combines theology, art and social justice.
During her ministry, the Federated Church has hosted the Charlemont Forum and live-streamed programs from Trinity Institute Global Conference that have dealt with politics and religion, economic disparity, racism, social justice and environmental concerns.
After Hochhalter retires, she and her husband, Jeff, have plans to travel across the United States and visit friends and family. Eventually, they hope to move and settle in the Hudson Valley, to be closer to their daughter, who lives in New York.
Although Charlemont is rural, the church has between 45 to 65 people attending Sunday services, according to Hochhalter. When she leaves, “I hope the church will continue to thrive,” she said. “It will be exciting to see what new pastor comes to them. They’re in the process of finding an interim (pastor). I’ve been here welcoming new people, some who have just moved here from a larger area.”
“It doesn’t seem like a static place,” she added. “It’s always growing and trying new things.”
In a letter, Hochhalter told her parishioners: “I plan to continue my ministry through my artwork, volunteering and listening for God’s leading spirit. Jeff and I are not getting any younger, and this big change in our lives will never be any easier. It is certainly not easy now.” She said the church is vibrant and “looked to in so many ways by our local communities.”
“It seems you follow the advice from Micah 6:8 ‘to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with God’ as you affirm one another,” she wrote in her letter. “How our world needs churches to hold a place for this kind of love and peace.”
All are welcome at her farewell service on Sunday, Aug. 12, at 9:30 a.m. and at the reception afterward in the church social rooms.