By: Pam Pollan, Reporter
Zach Kerzee, Associate Pastor at First Church in Sterling, started playing guitar at the age of 19 .
Prior to becoming the associate pastor at First Church, Kerzee was the pastor for Simple Church
in Worcester. People at the church fundraised through the trades, such as by baking and selling
bread, designing websites, and making furniture.
“I started doing woodworking to raise funds for Simple Church and made tables for about one
year. Then a friend suggested making a guitar,” he said.
Pastor Kerzee then stated that he taught himself how to make guitars by watching YouTube
videos and viewing “how to” books.
When the pandemic came, Simple Church closed. Kerzee applied for the First Church pastor
position and moved his family to Sterling once he had received notice that he had been chosen.
Today, Kerzee spends his free time in his workshop and treats his woodworking as a hobby.
Whatever money he takes in, he puts back into his workshop.
“My grandfather was a builder, and I’ve always loved hanging around a woodshop. I build
heirloom furniture and custom acoustic guitars from wood that tell a story. My favorite pieces are
made from decades old library shelving or centuries old church pews,” he said on his website.
Pastor Kerzee also stated that he chooses to use reclaimed wood.
“It’s 100% recycled material, [made from] primarily church pews and library shelving,” he said.
Pastor Kerzee reuses wood from maple library tables, dating back to the 1920’s, from a North
Grafton library. He also uses recycled black walnut church pews, dating back to 1830, from a
church in Leicester, MA.
“ I think of it [the tree] as a living thing. It gets a second life as a church pew or library shelf and
a third life, as a musical instrument,” he said.
Typically, one guitar could take him about 100 hours to build, he said.
Quality is important to Pastor Kerzee, “I limit my work to 10 pieces a year or less to ensure
attention to detail and longevity,” he said on his website.
To learn more, visit Pastor Zerzee’s website at kerzeewoodcraft.com. He also has an Instagram
page at “zachkerzee.”