When the Rev. Rowland Thatcher was asked 275 years ago to become the first pastor at the First Congregational Church of Wareham, he accepted, responding, "Having seriously weighed the matter and and asked the direction of heaven, I conclude your call to be God."

With slightly less fanfare, Rev. Katherine Schofield became the congregation's pastor on Oct. 1 of this year. As she leads the church into its 275th anniversary, she is looking at all the places it can go. She also serves as an example of how far the church has come.

Schofield said things that attracted her to the congregation were the sense of community and the church's openness to trying new things, her selection as pastor included.

"It's unusual enough to select a woman," she said, "much less one in an interracial, same-sex marriage."

Schofield, 32, is originally from Dennis, and previously served as the Minister for Campus Engagement at United University Church at the University of Southern California.

She said she had some nervousness returning to New England after her "non-traditional" lifestyle was so accepted in Los Angeles.

She was, however, married in her home congregation in Dennis and said she wanted to be closer to friends and family in Massachusetts.

"The church is taking a bold step to say 'we believe all people are loved by God and have gifts to share,'" Schofield said. "Also, that the human family is widely diverse and should be celebrated that way."

She said that the First Congregational Church has been a great fit for her, her wife Adilia James, and their 7-month-old son, Elliot.

Schofield said more congregations are opening doors to those that have been excluded in the past, and that the First Congregational Church is doing a number of things differently than in the past.

"A lot of churches around the country are going about things the same old way, and in doing so, they're seeing a decline in attendance," Schofield said. "They're not meeting the needs of the community."

According to Schofield, the First Congregational Church has realized this, and for the last decade has explored new ideas and found ways to be open beyond traditional Sunday services.

There are Wednesday morning friendship breakfasts, a large amount of children and family programming and a mission and outreach program that goes to local farms once a month to harvest, then donating food to those in need.

Schofield was also excited about the recent Holly and Harvest Festival, where more than 50 vendors and hundreds of residents got to know each other outside of the typical church service capacity.

Schofield said there was a lot of energy and creativity at USC that she wanted to bring to a parish community and thinks she may have found it in Wareham.

"People have been really warm and welcoming and there is a sense of excitement around the church," she said.

Looking to the future, she plans to have more family programming in the spring. There will be opportunities for families that don't have a church connection, but want to be meaningfully and spiritually engaged, she said.

But first, the church will look to the past.

The 275th anniversary of the church will be celebrated at the 7p.m. Christmas Eve mass at the church as well as on Sunday, Dec. 28.