A History of the Florence Congregational Church
The Florence Congregational Church (FCC) had its beginnings in 1857 as a fair weather Sunday school for the First Church of Northampton, which met under the pine trees in Florence, Massachusetts. The residents of Florence made the Sunday trip to Northampton to attend church services. They even had a special carriage service for a while but as the village population increased to over 700, several of the leading citizens decided it was time to establish their own church. John Payson Williston was the energizing force behind the 26 founding members of this new church. These founding members were of diverse backgrounds with at least 9 denominations represented. There were Methodists, Baptists, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Old and New School Adventists, liberal Christians, and Congregationalists. This was quite an ecumenical mix of Protestant community leaders.
The first service was held in the "Little South School House" on October 9, 1861. Rudimentary foundations had already been laid for this meetinghouse at 130 Pine Street. From the beginning the church wrestled with the difficulty of maintaining a balance between being a spiritually conservative bible-based church while at the same time being a community church. This tension increased when the Civil War soldiers returned who had experienced revival tent meetings for the first time while serving in the Union Army. Active community outreach programs, both formal and informal, are evident throughout our history as noted in the annual meeting records.
Of special note is the fact that from the beginning our church recognized and cherished its energetic women. They were not only very active in women's groups like the sewing club which provided bandages and such for the Union war effort, women were also full-voting members of the church. It seems that the vision of the original founders of the church was to be of service to the local community, by the study of Scripture and the practical application of the teaching of Jesus Christ. This applied in 1861 and still applies today. (Extracted from "The Florence Congregational Church: 1861-2005" written by Rev. Arthur Wright, Hatfield, Massachusetts by permission.)
The individuals that make up the FCC characterize the continuing remnant of the founding members described above. Each member contributes to the Lord's work according to his or her conscience, heart and talent in an effort to promote the love, mercy and peace of God in the Florence community and world abroad.
150th Anniversary of Church's Founding
Our Anniversary Celebration Team (ACT) held a big celebration in 2011 with a number of fundraisers. Back in 2008 they hosted an Ice Cream Social which was well received, and ACT sold apparel with the Florence Congregational Church's Anniversary logo on it, including fleece jackets and vests, polo shirts and sweatshirts in variety of colors.
We are proud to have served the the area for over 150 years. Thank you for all your support; we hope to continue our ministry for many more years. May you be blessed.