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Welcome!First Congregational Church of Barkhamsted is located in the Connecticut town of Barkhamsted, at 6 Old Town Hall Road. The church is also known as "Center Church" because it is located in the section of town called Barkhamsted Center.
In late August of 2017 we learned that structural framing timbers in the roof of the church building were deficient. In June 2018 the structural problems were fixed and we are back at the church with regular Sunday services at 10 am. You may still see some construction on our building during the rest of 2018 as we address the need for new shingles and other repairs to a leaky roof. But that work is not expected to interrupt our services or using the church for other purposes. See our "church news" page for an updates. |
Who We Are |
We are a member of the National Association of Congregational Churches (NACCC).
We also belong to the Fellowship of Northeast Congregational Christian Churches (FNCCC). Our pastor is Rev. Susan Wyman who has served since 2014. Sunday School is open to children of all ages and is held during the service (except with our current roof framing issues, the basement of the church is not available for Sunday school activities). |
Our History |
The church was gathered in 1781 as the First Ecclesiastical Society of Barkhamsted. The first meeting house was built in 1784. Reverend Ozias Eels was ordained in 1787 as the first pastor.
In 1843 the Congregation voted to build a new meeting house in the "modern style". The current Greek Revival meeting house was built starting in 1844. The original meeting house was dismantled about the time of the Civil War. The name of the Church was changed to First Orthodox Congregational Society. In 1914 the Church was incorporated and became the First Congregational Church of Barkhamsted, although it is also known as Barkhamsted Center Church. The present meetinghouse is in a National Register of Historic Places historic district and is in the final stages of restoration. |