ACTON CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH – THEN AND NOW
The People
On September 18, 1781, 15 Christian men and women met to sign a covenant binding themselves to God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and each other. The church they founded was known as The First Parish Church of Shapleigh since what is now Acton was a part of Shapleigh until 1830. The Second Church of Kittery (now Eliot Congregational Church) was the parent church and their pastor, Alpheus Spring, was the organizer of this fledgling congregation.
Perhaps you know current residents of Acton or Shapleigh with the same last names as some of those first members: Willey, Remick, Hubbard, Sanborn, Horn, Felph, Row, Carr, and Hammons. By 1795, the membership had grown to 21 and included other last names: Wood, Tibbett, Rogers, March, and Maxwell. Today’s membership and friends list includes the names Rogers, Sanborn, and Wood!
It was difficult for the tiny church to attract pastors, so they were often led by deacons – the first being a Deacon Sanborn, a name which features prominently in the history of this church. In 1795 a “very proper call” was extended to Joseph Brown to be their pastor. Through the years many clergymen served the church, some briefly, some only during the summer, some for more extended periods of time. One gathers that throughout its history, this has been a congregation largely held together and led by its lay members.
The annual reports frequently contain the words, “minister finished his year and went away” usually followed by “attempt to hire a new pastor”!
The Buildings
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The original church building
Information about the original church building is fragmentary and must be pieced together from a variety of sources and to a large extent based upon supposition.
Though the First Parish Church of Shapleigh was organized in 1781, a meeting house was not begun until 1794. The first mention of a meeting in that building is in 1798. We assume, however, that the building was not fully completed at that time since early records indicate that work continued on it through 1801 when the congregation voted “to appoint Timothy Remick agent to complete the work.”
The location of this original building cannot be pinpointed exactly, but indications are that it was somewhere near the present-day elementary school building. Unfortunately, no further information is available about it or what eventually happened to it. The commonly accepted explanation is that it burned at some time. Through the early 1800s, there are references to meetings held at the “Congregational Meeting House.” From 1810 to 1820, however, meetings were held at the “Baptist Meeting House.”
Apparently in the early 1820s it became customary to hold meetings in private homes. They appear to have been business meetings rather than worship although several people were “examined as to their qualifications for Church Membership,” baptized, and admitted to the Church on the next Lord’s Day. It is unclear where these Lord’s Day services were held.
According to The History of Acton, Maine by Joseph Fullonton, published in 1847, “The present meeting house was built in 1827.” There is no record of the decision to build this building, who built it, or when it was completed. A mention of “several additions” in 1831 seems to indicate ongoing work - perhaps the outhouses, the vestibules and choir loft at back, the tower and bell?
A parsonage was built for the first pastor, Joseph Brown. After his dismissal in 1804, it was rented to a succession of local residents. Land was purchased and a new parsonage was built in the 1840s. This house is known to current members as the home of the late Ethel Williams. Records from an 1847 meeting say it was voted “to sell the Little Old House to Nathaniel Gerrish, Jr. for twelve days work to be done on the New House.” Could the “little Old House” be the original parsonage? The “new” parsonage was sold in 1927 for $600 and the money used to repair the church.
Despite the inconsistency of meetings (both worship and business), pastoral tenure, and membership, somehow the building itself was maintained. As mentioned earlier, worship services during the mid-1900s were largely confined to the summer months. One reason for this was that the chimneys were in bad shape, so there was no way to heat the building. In 1956, the stoves were removed and sold, and the church voted to buy two new “thimbles” for the chimneys where the stovepipes had been removed. It was not until May of 1968 that two wall-type electric heaters were installed to “take the chill out of the building on cool Sundays.” Two more were added in 1973. A furnace and central heating were installed in the 1980s.
The 1960s and 70s saw the beginning of new life for this church. As regular summer services were conducted, a group of dedicated members began a series of physical improvements to the building – some were routine maintenance; others, such as the electric heaters, were improvements. Granite front steps and hand rails replaced a wood platform, and a flower bed was built along the front of the church. Combination windows were installed, the building was insulated, wall-to-wall carpeting was laid, and other cosmetic treatments added to the comfort and esthetic appeal of the sanctuary.
A major crisis arose in 1981 when a leak was discovered in the tower which required reconstruction of the tower and refurbishing of the bell, a $9,571.92 project. Interestingly, the existing tower had been a replacement for the original one; the reconstruction was designed to replicate the original tower.
The first few years after this became a full-time church under Hugh Crouch’s leadership, Sunday school classes and after-church neighboring were held in the town hall next door. In fact, the first winter worship services were held there until the sanctuary was insulated.
In the last twenty years, three major construction projects have brought us to the church as it is today. On June 10, 1984, ground was broken for Phase I of the long-range plan. Completed in November of 1985, it consisted of a “neighboring” room (the present church office, pastor’s study, and hallway), men’s and women’s bathrooms, and the handicap ramp. A sink just outside the ladies’ room served as a place to prepare coffee and clean up afterward. A raised choir and organ loft at the front of the sanctuary was removed and a window converted to a door to access the new addition.
With courage and faith, the small congregation began Phase II in June of 1988. This section comprises the fellowship hall, the kitchen, and storage room. Dedicated in May 1990, it was now possible to have our famous bean suppers at the church rather than in the town hall!
Once again the congregation stepped forth in faith by voting at the September, 1997 annual meeting to build another addition which would house three church school classrooms, a nursery, a custodian’s storeroom, and a storage area for tables and chairs (since converted to our library) on the main level, with an all-purpose room, food pantry, and bathroom on the lower level. This was accomplished and the formal dedication took place on June 18, 2000 although the classrooms had been completed and in use since the previous fall while the lower level was being finished.
The church building today
It should be noted that the restoration of the tower and the building of the three additions was funded by donations, bean suppers, and other fund raisers. Though some work was done by professionals, many hours of volunteer labor by church members and friends kept the monetary cost to a minimum and the projects were completed debt free!
Church Discipline
Does the title of this installment surprise you? We seldom hear about church discipline nowadays, but in the 1800s it was the duty of the church to monitor the behavior of its members and help them mend their ways – or, if they were unrepentant, to expel them.
Prospective church members were thoroughly examined by a committee before they were taken into membership. Despite that precaution, some members did not live up to their vows.
A few examples from our records are of interest. In 1803, Noah Rumlet found himself in trouble with the church. After several church meetings he “acknowledged some of the principal things which occurred, but as we thought he did not show marks of sincere repentance, we then admonished him of the awful situation he was in. We then advised him to begin a new life and apprised him that when he could find himself reconciled to his wife and conduct himself at home and abroad as becomes a Christian, then, we would receive him to our communion as a brother.” In 1808, he was still under suspension, but in 1926 we read that a meeting was held at his house where several prospective members were examined as to their qualifications for church membership. Apparently he had mended his ways.
A common reason for disciplinary action was non-attendance at worship services. In 1830, for example, a committee was appointed to visit Jonathan Grant because he had “for some time absented himself from Sabbath Worship and Ordinances of God’s Hour.” They were diligent in their attempts to bring Grant back into the fold, but in 1831 they reported that he was unrepentant for his violations of the Covenant, so it was voted “that he be suspended from Church Privileges until he manifest repentance.” There is no evidence that he ever did so.
In 1848, Deacon James Hubbard was at odds with his pastor. Instead of bringing his unhappiness to the church in accord with the Christian discipline, he proceeded to discuss his dissatisfaction in detail and at great length outside the church. This could not be tolerated for it was a disgrace to the witness of the church and a violation of his oath. After unsuccessfully exhausting all scriptural injunctions for seeking reconciliation within the church, the assistance of other churches was sought by calling an ecclesiastical council to a) determine if the church had acted properly, b) council the church, and c) undertake to solve the problem. Unfortunately, no solution was achieved. A second council had to be called to deal with the deacon’s demand that he be given a letter of recommendation and dismissal to the Sanford church. The answer was “no” unless and until the gentleman gave evidence of repentance and Christian charity! Over the next two or three years, Deacon Hubbard tried repeatedly to persuade the church to give him a letter of recommendation and the answer was always the same – “No, unless he would send the church a letter of confession.” Church records do not indicate that he ever repented.
Other causes for concern by the church included intoxication, family squabbles, and conflicts between church members. Some members repented and were restored to full communion with the church; others, unfortunately, were suspended or expelled from the Fellowship. Though we no long practice this kind of discipline, it is interesting to note that we still encounter some of the same transgressions.
Women in the Church
Anyone over the age of 60 is well aware that the role of women in society has changed in the last few decades. Likewise, since the founding of our church in 1781, there have been changes in women’s roles in the church. Happily, the Congregational Church was often ahead of its time in its practice of human rights.
In the 1800s, two “catalogs” were published in the church minutes – one catalog was a list of male members; the other a list of female members. At least a list of women members was published; it was common during that period for towns to name only men on their lists of town residents.
“Sisters” in this church were accorded voting privileges in 1877 – long before 1920 when the Nineteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution granted women the right to vote in national elections.
Women had to wait much longer, however, to be allowed to hold church offices. In 1955 the nominating committee reported that they were “unable to name a deacon other than Carr Horn since there is at present no other male member of the congregation.” The other four active members were women.
In 1961, Carr Horn was forced to resign due to ill health. There was no man to replace him “to fill the vacancy of the Trusteeship.” (“Deacon” and “trustee” seem to be interchangeable in minutes of this period.) Trustees were sought from North Parish Church in Sanford. Stanley Thwing replaced Horn, and Captain Albert Prosser and Clifford Holdsworth of that church were also elected trustees.
Ineligibility for office, did not prevent women from being active in the work of the church. One such woman was Ellen J. O’Brien. Originally from Massachusetts, Miss O’Brien was a practical nurse and full-time companion to a lady who spent summers in Acton. In 1927 Miss O’Brien purchased the church’s parsonage. Although she was raised as a Catholic, she had become a Protestant and felt strongly that Acton needed a viable church. To that end she spearheaded the effort to raise money and open these church doors for Sunday morning services during the 1940s. She “had an income which enabled her to spend her spare dollars to get us started cooking plenty of good, hearty food for friends and neighbors at a reasonable price.”
This, it would seem, was the beginning of our church’s tradition of good food sold and served on many occasion by the women – and sometimes by men, too!
By the mid 1970s, women’s names were appearing in the records as office holders. Though many women were active during this period, special mention should be made of Frema Grant who worked tirelessly to establish this as an active year-round church.
The first women’s organization was formed in 1982. The forerunner of our present Women’s Fellowship, it was called Parish Helpers and Helen Wentworth was its first president.
Today women outnumber men in leadership roles. The 2004-2005 nominating committee report lists a total of 25 women officers and committee and board members and 14 men!
Financial Matters
This segment is by no means a comprehensive history of the finances of this church. Rather, it is a series of interesting money facts chosen at random from over the past 225 years.
- 1795 Pews in the original building were sold to the highest bidder. (There is no record of similar sales in the current building.)
- 1806 The church voted to give Elder William Goding 166 and 2/3 dollars for a year of ministerial services.
- 1829 Brother Clement Parker was hired for $350 annually for a period of five years. However, in 1831 he was discharged because the church was unable to support him and he had fallen into debt. He was “strongly commended by the Council to other Congregational Churches as an excellent minister.”
- 1838 Parker was invited back. He agreed subject to these conditions: the church would furnish him with a convenient parsonage and two hundred dollars annually, or he would at least “be at liberty to labor in some other place enough to make up the difference. I shall likewise want from three to five Sabbaths annually to be absent visiting my friends and other purposes.” The church agreed.
- 1846 The church bought a parsonage lot from Noah R. Gerrish for $500, and James Sanborn was to build “a parsonage of generous dimensions.” They later reconsidered and changed from the two-story building planned to a smaller one-story house. The pay for a day’s labor on the house was 50 cents! Contributions toward the building fund ranged from $1.50 to $30.00 for a total of $301.50. We know that building as the Ethel William’s house.
- 1856 It was voted to pay Dr. Merrow $5 for his manure. (No record of what the manure was for!)
- 1871 It was decided to meet communion expenses by a tax – males 25 cents and females 12½ cents. In 1873 they purchased a baptismal font with the excess.
- 1892 They voted that each member should pay 10 cents each communion Sabbath.
- 1943 A summer pastor was paid $75 by the Maine Conference and $75 by the congregation.
- 1948 The interior of the church was painted at a cost of $350. In 1998, fifty years later, the price for painting the sanctuary was $5016.
- 1956 $10 was paid to the Maine Conference for Missions. That gradually rose to $25 by 1970. Our 2005-2006 budget includes $3300 for Conference missions and a total of $7762 for missions and outreach.
- 1961 Organists Jeanne Bartlett and Eva Stansfield were each given $10 for “their kindness through the summer services.”
- 1969 The church building and contents were insured for $15,000. This was raised to $40,000 in 1972 with help from the Maine Conference. Today’s insurance coverage is for $900,000.
- 1976 The first budget was developed. Expenses were budgeted at $1971. This year’s budget totals $85,386.