Welcome to the Tamworth Congregational Church (UCC) website
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The church was founded by Reverend Samuel H. Hidden in 1792.
He was ordained the first minister in that year on September 12th.
The chosen site was on a large flat-topped boulder by the road one quarter mile
west of the village. The location subsequently became known as Ordination Rock.
Samuel Hidden, thirty two years old and a recent graduate of Dartmouth College,
was from Gilmanton, New Hampshire, and became a leader in the church and the
community. He was a man of remarkable talents and varied interests; he
faithfully served his God and country until his death in 1837. Records show the first meeting
house and minister’s salary as part of the town’s expenses, supporting the
early tradition of church and state being joined. In 1812 The Congregational
Society was established. That organization worked well in the running of church
business. This twofold system remained in place until 1945 when the Society was
incorporated with the church. The first half of the nineteenth century produced a great
revival in religion and a steady growth in church membership. Members were
taxed to raise money for the support of the church. During those years the
church kept a close watch on member’s conduct. There were frequent letters of
admonition and calls for penitence. Later, these practices gradually passed out
of existence. By 1840 there
was a need for a larger meeting house. Between1851-53 a new building was erected.
The cost of the new building was four thousand dollars, raised by the sale of
pews. It is considered a good example of church architecture in transition from
colonial to Victorian. The Tamworth Congregational Church remains in use today.
The old meeting house reverted to the town and was taken apart and moved in
1851 from its original site near Ordination Rock to its present location across
from the church. It is used as a community center for town activities. Prior to 1850 church membership
was at its highest but then began a slow decline. By 1890 it struggled to
support a minister due to lack of funds. The early 1900s proved difficult as
well. At times the church had to be closed, however, a faithful remnant
continued to carry on. Annual meetings were held, records kept, the Sunday
School was active and ministers secured when possible. Finally, in 1945, the
Congregational Church decided to enter into a yoked relationship with another
small parish, the Chocorua Community Church. The churches meet together for
worship services sharing a minister, but in all respects have kept their
separate identities. This arrangement has been a harmonious one and continues
to the present. A change took place in 1957 when
in that year the Congregational Church in the USA merged with the Evangelical
Reformed Church, forming a new denomination called the United Church of Christ.
The church in Tamworth, after considerable debate, voted to ratify the new
constitution. Also in 1957, an ecumenical
experiment began when the Congregational Church and Chocorua Community Church
agreed to be yoked with a third church, St. Andrew’s –in-the-Valley, an
Episcopal church. The Reverend Doctor George W. Wickersham II of the Episcopal
Church led the three churches for thirteen highly successful years. After his
departure, however, the “Tamworth Plan” as it was called, faltered, and then
failed. In 1973, the Congregational and Community churches voted to withdraw
and return to their former yoked status. The Tamworth Associated Churches,
founded in 1957, was reactivated in 1980 in a new framework. Today the five
churches in Tamworth meet for ecumenical services several times a year. In this year of 2009, the
Tamworth Congregational Church celebrates two hundred seventeen years of
witness to the Christian faith in this town. The Church voted to break our yoke
effective May 1st, 2009 and move forward. Roll of
ministers who have served Tamworth
Congregational Church
Rev. Samuel H. Hidden 1792-1836
Rev. William L. Buffit 1837-1842
Rev. Jeremiah Blake 1843-1852
Rev. John H. Merrill 1853-1860
Rev. Samuel H Riddell 1860-1872
Rev. John G. Wilson 1873-1875
Rev. Franklin Davis 1875-1885
Rev. Edward H. Hackett 1885-1886
Rev. E.C. Cogswell 1886-1887
Rev. C.J. Richardson 1887-1888
No data 1889-1911
Rev. George A. Senter 1912-1916
No data 1917-1920
Rev. Royal E. McGowan 1921-1922
Rev. E.B. Trefethren 1921-1922
Rev. Wood 1922-1923
George W. Whyte 1924-1927
Rev. Charles H. Atkin 1928-1929
Rev. Pearson 1930-1931
Rev. Jason F. Thurston 1931-1935
Rev. A.B. Ross 1936-1937
Rev. T.D. Paddon 1938-1942
Church closed April
1942-November 1945
Rev. A.H. Rowland 1945-1952
Rev. Frank F. Thomas 1952-1956
Rev. Dr. George W. Wickersham 1957-1969
Rev. James W. Kellett 1970-1973
Rev. Dr. W. Wallace Downes 1973-1977
Rev. Mark A. Nothnagle 1977-1980
Rev. Burrett E. McBee 1980-1981
Rev. David Lea Snyder 1981-1983
Rev. Floyd G. Kinsley (interim) 1983-1990
Rev. Dr. Douglas C. Smith (interim) 1990-1993
Rev. Lawrence Heath (supply minister) 1993-1994
Rev. Richard Russell 1994-2000
Rev. James Waugh (interim) 2000-2001
Rev. Ronald Francey 2001-2002
Supply ministers 2002-2003
Rev. Thomas Abugelis 2003-2009
Supply Ministers
2009-2010
Rev. Dr David Kemper
2010-Present
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Tamworth Congregational Church (UCC) 28 Cleveland Hill Road, P.O. Box 381 Tamworth, NH 03886 Contact: Bill Jones, Board of Trustees Email us at info@tamworthcc.org |
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