First Congregational Church

About

We are proud to be an Open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ. Sunday services at 9:30 am.

Story

Most people still use the name “Congregational” because that’s what we were called for many generations. Originally, we were simply called “First Parish.” Back in 1765, when the church and town were formed, the congregationalists were “it”–town and church were one and the same. That picture changed very quickly after the Revolution, as other protestant groups formed congregations here.

In the 1930′s the Congregationalists joined with the Christian Church (a small, like-minded denomination whose churches were located mostly in the Carolinas, Virginia, and New England)…which is why our official name became “Congregational-Christian.” Then, in 1957, the Congregational-Christian denomination joined with the Evangelical and Reformed denomination(big in Pennsylvania and the Midwest) to become the United Church of Christ. For many reasons, our church, along with many in our area, never dropped the “Congregational” name. The most honest of those reasons might be that nobody could make us do it (which should tell you something about congregationalists). Now that the United Church of Christ has been around for more than 50 years and people know the name, folks who come here “from away” can’t find us because we DON’T use it. Go figure.

Mission

Members and friends of the congregation organize its programs and missions, with support from Pastor Linda Gard, Director of Music John Terison, Office Administrator Cindy Mahan, and Sexton Phil Blake.

Like other churches in the congregational tradition, we follow a set of bylaws which we have created locally and update on a regular basis to meet our changing needs and patterns of service.