In Good Hands

I am a...
Professional/Serious Amateur

Photograph Description
It’s said the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

A patient, steady gaze. Soft architectural lines rising behind him. A small Band-Aid marks a souvenir of everyday childhood. Each detail stands on its own. Together, they suggest something more.

Thomas is six years old here, waiting as his mother, Vanessa Rose, is about to be installed as First Congregational Church of Fairfield’s first female pastor in the 384-year history of the church. It’s a moment of change, of continuity, of community in motion.

We don’t know what he’s thinking. That’s part of the pull. The image invites us to wonder, about the day, the milestone, and what it means to grow up inside this moment.

To be present on November 20, 2022, was to feel the weight and grace of the occasion. The photograph, though, offers more than a child witnessing something historic - an entry point to a congregation shaped by humanity, steeped in openness, and carried beyond its walls.


Photograph Place
First Church Congregational Fairfield, CT

Photograph Date
November 20, 2022