[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 131 (Tuesday, September 23, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1858-E1859]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH'S 300TH ANNIVERSARY

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                           HON. BARNEY FRANK

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 23, 2003

  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, the First Congregational 
Church of Rochester, Massachusetts, in the district which I am 
privileged to represent, will mark a very impressive occasion--the 
church's 300th Anniversary. During these 300 years--which of course 
predate the establishment of our country, an event in which members of 
the church had an important role--the First Congregational Church has 
made innumerable contributions to society while serving its central 
religious purpose. Recently I received a letter from the Reverend Dr. 
Leo D. Christian, which gives a brief history of the church--brief 
because it would take a volume the size of this Record adequately to 
document what has happened here over 3 centuries. This is an impressive 
example of the way in which our institutions ought to work, and how 
institutions can both serve the needs of their members and contribute 
to the greater society. I ask, because I think this is an example that 
should be widely shared, that the letter from the Reverend Dr. Leo D. 
Christian be printed here, and I again express my congratulations to 
Dr. Christian and the members of the church for their truly impressive 
record.


                                  First Congregational Church,

                                                    Rochester, MA.
       Dear Representative Frank: On October the 13th, 2003, we at 
     the First Congregational Church are celebrating our 300th 
     Anniversary. As a Church we have had the privilege of not 
     only watching the development of this nation and this 
     commonwealth, but we participated in its very formation. The 
     laws and governing principles were decided by the input and 
     votes of our people along with the other great peoples of the 
     day. A list of some notable people is as follows: Joseph 
     Burge, First Representative to Province Court and John 
     Hammond, Second Representative to Province Court. 
     Representatives to the General Court before the Revolution; 
     Abraham Holmes, John Hammond, Noah Sprague, Thomas Dexter, 
     John Freeman, and Samuel Sprague.
       Rochester Selectmen/Town Clerks: Between the years from 
     1690 to 1909, more than 30 of our members took on the civic 
     roles of Town Clerk and Selectman, the first three being 
     Samuel White, Samuel Hammond and Mark Haskell. From 1909 
     until present times, our members have continued to play a 
     major part in local government.
       When the settlers came to the shores of New England they 
     found this a very rustic place in comparison to their mother 
     country. Our first minister, the Reverend Samuel Arnold, 
     noted that this was a dark wilderness. Our church has had the 
     privilege of helping our nation and state be what it is 
     today. Whether it was the issue of slaves or the

[[Page E1859]]

     rights for women to vote we, along with other of like mind, 
     stood for emancipation and for the suffrage movements.
       When our nation was involved in its Revolutionary War we 
     mustered the militia on the church green and sent many of our 
     own to answer the call to arms in our nation's revolution. 
     Thirty three (33) of our young men never returned home. In a 
     time of great national crisis we sent people again to stand 
     for liberty in the Civil War. It is more than likely that our 
     people have served in every war and conflict that our nation 
     has fought, even to the point of our ladies' society making 
     bandages and giving support to the troops. Such people of 
     note are Militia: (1690) Lieut. John Hammond and Ensign Isaac 
     Holmes. Rev. Jonathan Moore went as chaplain with the 1st 
     company of militia answering the Lexington call. Captain Earl 
     Clapp was at the Battle of Bunker Hill and rose in rank to 
     Major. Major Elnathan Haskel was an aid to General George 
     Washington and as such is shown in a painting hanging in the 
     Capitol in Washington, D.C. portraying Borgoyne's Surrender.
       As our nation was threatened from the north there were 
     those who fought in the French and Indian Wars: Paul Sears 
     and Joseph Doty. Those who served in Canada were Joseph 
     Barlow, Charles Sturtevant and Earl Clapp. Then again in the 
     War of 1812: Joseph Doty, Jonathan King and Samuel Cowing 
     represented our church and community.
       Missionaries, authors, educators, civil servants, 
     physicians, lawyers and politicians have come from this 
     beautiful white meeting house on the village green. Through 
     these 300 years our mother church has given birth to four 
     daughter congregations, Marion, Mattapoisett, Warcham and 
     North Rochester Congregational Churches. Our vestry served 
     for years as a town school and many people in the community 
     still remember attending there as children.
       We have hosted and still do many civic programs such as 
     senior citizens, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. The men of our 
     church formed an organization known as the Brotherhood that 
     not only provided them fellowship, but served the community 
     with a host of family entertainment opportunities and 
     benevolent contributions to those who were in need.
       Some of those who served in the following capacities were: 
     Medicine: Dr. James Foster, (Note) The early pastors, namely 
     Rev. Samuel Arnold and Timothy Ruggles, also aided their 
     people by extracting teeth, doling out opium, saffron, older, 
     yellow dock and snake root when their parishioners' own 
     remedies failed.
       Education: The first pastor, Samuel Arnold, along with his 
     pastoral duties, taught young boys who wanted to attend 
     Harvard College. (Rochester has always been known for its 
     support of academics and in the early days it was generally 
     the presiding Reverend who led the quest for education.)
       Abraham Holmes, a lawyer and representative to the General 
     Court, used his home office to teach law students, there 
     being no law school available.
       Rev. Jonathan Bigelow, who came in 1827, was responsible 
     for the building of our present meetinghouse, a parsonage and 
     the Rochester Academy. The latter a ``noted and highly 
     accredited institution gave instruction in all English 
     studies, Latin, Greek and French languages and great 
     attention was paid to the Moral Conduct, general deportment 
     and intellectual improvement of its scholars.'' Many 
     graduates became doctors, lawyers, teachers, ministers and 
     judges, living beneficial lives in their own communities.
       Henry Martyn Dexter, one of the first preceptors of 
     Rochester Academy afterwards became Nestor of 
     Congregationalism. Our congregation has always been blessed 
     with an abundance of teachers.
       Although we are separate organizations to our governing and 
     civil structures we have always been in congruence for the 
     good of the community, our commonwealth and our nation. 
     Whatever the need of the community we have tried to rise to 
     the occasion and offer assistance.

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