[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16047]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      IN RECOGNITION OF THE FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST IN LONGMEADOW, 
                             MASSACHUSETTS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. RICHARD E. NEAL

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 9, 2015

  Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to recognize 
the First Church of Christ in Longmeadow, Massachusetts as they kick 
off a yearlong celebration for their 300th anniversary. The 
establishment of this Congregational church was pivotal in the founding 
of the town of Longmeadow in 1783 and the great community that 
flourishes to this day.
  The origins of the First Church of Christ come from the Pilgrims and 
Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony fleeing England to escape 
religious persecution. After the settlement of Springfield, 
Massachusetts was founded in the 1630s on the banks of the Connecticut 
River, a group of families came together and created the neighborhood 
of ``longmeddowe,'' as it was called at the time. At the time, the only 
church they could go to was First Church in Springfield, miles away 
from their homes. There were also a series of attacks on the settlers 
by local Native American tribes. Due to the hazardous journey, the 
families of Longmeadow decided in 1713 that they should have the right 
to build their own church in the safety of their neighborhood. During 
that period, the Massachusetts General Court needed to grant approval 
to form a parish. After Longmeadow's fourth appeal to the 
Massachusetts' colonial General Court, they were granted permission to 
create their own congregation. Since the church was the center of not 
only religious life, but also political life, Longmeadow was set on the 
path to become their own town.
  The first meeting house was completed in March of 1716, where the 
town's Green is located today. Meetings and services were held there 
despite the walls taking 13 years to be plastered and without a stove 
or heating for 50 years. These meetings were a chance for people to 
have a voice in their community and local politics, a form of direct 
democracy that would be the cornerstone of American independence from 
the monarchy in Great Britain. Even today, Longmeadow elects selectmen, 
just as they did when the community was founded. The founders and 
parishioners of the First Church of Christ left a fine blueprint on how 
democracy at its most fundamental roots, can have a lasting effect on a 
community and on a nation.
  Mr. Speaker, The First Church of Christ still has much to offer to 
its parishioners and is still the cornerstone of Longmeadow even after 
the original meeting house has long been replaced. As they continue to 
celebrate their 300th anniversary year, I wish them all the best in 
their endeavors to preserve their rich history and community 
involvement that has been the legacy of the First Church of Christ.

                          ____________________