History
The First Congregational Church was gathered in 1785. The first Town Meeting House was located at a site which is now Lovell Lake Cemetery. In 1831, the church was built at the current location in Wakefield Corner. It was one of the finest examples of New England Church architecture, having been patterned after an ancient Church in England. On September 2, 1956, the church’s steeple was struck by lightning and the church was destroyed by fire. The congregation set to work raising money to rebuild and the current structure was completed in 1958.
In 2001, another building project was completed, making the church handicapped accessible, adding Sunday School classrooms, the Parish Helpers room and renovating the fellowship hall and the kitchen.
A wonderful and comprehensive history of our church was written by Marjorie Banks in 1985. “Through the Open Doors of the First Congregational Church” is available for loan in our church libraries and for sale at the church (contact the office). What is the rest of the story? Our church librarian and archivist, Linda Petkunas, has researched and updated our history from 1985 to 2017. That booklet is available to read or download here: Spirit of the First Congregational Church of Wakefield, NH UCC 1985 – 2018
Our Denomination – The United Church of Christ
The United Church of Christ was formed in 1957 by the union of the Evangelical and Reformed Churches and the Christian Congregational Churches. As part of the UCC, the First Congregational Church is one of 6,000 congregations united together so that “they may all be one.” For more about the United Church of Christ, go to the website at http://www.ucc.org/
Open and Affirming
In 2004 our Church became an Open and Affirming congregation — one which celebrates human relationships that are based on love, responsibility, mutual respect, and trust. We embrace diversity in race, gender, ability, age, spiritual belief, economic status, nationality, ethnicity, marital status, and sexual identity, or orientation.