A Short History of South Freeport Congregational Church
- compiled by the late Esther O'Brien, Church Historian, for our 2011 Church Directory, and recently updated by Bethany Dunfee, Church Administrator
South Freeport Congregational Church, UCC, owes its heritage to a group of seafaring men who chose the sheltered harbor of South Freeport as an ideal spot from which to launch and sail their ships to ports around the world. These men were the captains and crews of the very same ships that were built in their busy shipyards along the shores of South Freeport harbor.
At first, these men and their families drove by horse and buggy to North Yarmouth and then to Freeport to attend church. However they soon realized the need for a church of their own as a place to worship, and also to serve as a central meeting place for their community. therefore, on the twenty-third of February 1855, twenty villagers banded together to form the Freeport South Church Society and decided to erect a meetinghouse. Between February 1855 and August 1856 they designed and built their meetinghouse, using both volunteer labor and donated materials. Building a meetinghouse was very easy for these shipbuilders, and the new meetinghouse was then officially dedicated on August 14, 1856. On July 9, 1857, the members of the Freeport South Church Society reorganized under the name of The South Freeport Congregational Church and adopted a Creed and Covenant. There were eighteen charter members.
On March 6, 1884, the original meetinghouse caught fire and burned to the ground, with no insurance. However a Building Committee was formed immediately, and shipyard workers build a new church in nine months. The dedication of the new church took place on the fourth of December 1884, again, completely free of debt. this is the same building in which we worship today. A separate vestry building was built in 1898. This building is what is now known as the Community Hall.
A significant event in the life of our church was the merger of our South Freeport Congregational Church with the United Church of Christ on the 15th of May in 1961. The word "ecumenical" was given much emphasis in the merger.
Over the years, needed repairs and renovations have been made to both the church and vestry. Three major undertakings have taken place in recent decades. In 1986 a new addition connected the vestry building and the church building, resulting in more classrooms, meeting areas, and more adequate office space for the minister and staff. In 1998 the vestry was completely renovated, resulting in a large, attractive Community Hall and larger more modern kitchen; also the minister's and administrator's offices were relocated upstairs along with space where youth can meet. Most recently, in the fall of 2015, the congregation voted to begin extensive renovations to the exterior of the building to remove all traces of possible lead paint, and roof and side the building with materials to last for generations to come. Updates on the progress of this process can be found on our building restoration web page.
Over the passage of time, our South Freeport Congregational Church has been the center of community life. We trust that this trend will continue and that, with God's grace, we will continue to have a growing and vibrant church; a place where fellowship can extend a welcoming hand, a place where we can gather together to worship God, a place where we can take pride in our heritage and our traditions, a place where we can seek the wisdom and courage to try and make this place a better world for all God's children.
- compiled by the late Esther O'Brien, Church Historian, for our 2011 Church Directory, and recently updated by Bethany Dunfee, Church Administrator
South Freeport Congregational Church, UCC, owes its heritage to a group of seafaring men who chose the sheltered harbor of South Freeport as an ideal spot from which to launch and sail their ships to ports around the world. These men were the captains and crews of the very same ships that were built in their busy shipyards along the shores of South Freeport harbor.
At first, these men and their families drove by horse and buggy to North Yarmouth and then to Freeport to attend church. However they soon realized the need for a church of their own as a place to worship, and also to serve as a central meeting place for their community. therefore, on the twenty-third of February 1855, twenty villagers banded together to form the Freeport South Church Society and decided to erect a meetinghouse. Between February 1855 and August 1856 they designed and built their meetinghouse, using both volunteer labor and donated materials. Building a meetinghouse was very easy for these shipbuilders, and the new meetinghouse was then officially dedicated on August 14, 1856. On July 9, 1857, the members of the Freeport South Church Society reorganized under the name of The South Freeport Congregational Church and adopted a Creed and Covenant. There were eighteen charter members.
On March 6, 1884, the original meetinghouse caught fire and burned to the ground, with no insurance. However a Building Committee was formed immediately, and shipyard workers build a new church in nine months. The dedication of the new church took place on the fourth of December 1884, again, completely free of debt. this is the same building in which we worship today. A separate vestry building was built in 1898. This building is what is now known as the Community Hall.
A significant event in the life of our church was the merger of our South Freeport Congregational Church with the United Church of Christ on the 15th of May in 1961. The word "ecumenical" was given much emphasis in the merger.
Over the years, needed repairs and renovations have been made to both the church and vestry. Three major undertakings have taken place in recent decades. In 1986 a new addition connected the vestry building and the church building, resulting in more classrooms, meeting areas, and more adequate office space for the minister and staff. In 1998 the vestry was completely renovated, resulting in a large, attractive Community Hall and larger more modern kitchen; also the minister's and administrator's offices were relocated upstairs along with space where youth can meet. Most recently, in the fall of 2015, the congregation voted to begin extensive renovations to the exterior of the building to remove all traces of possible lead paint, and roof and side the building with materials to last for generations to come. Updates on the progress of this process can be found on our building restoration web page.
Over the passage of time, our South Freeport Congregational Church has been the center of community life. We trust that this trend will continue and that, with God's grace, we will continue to have a growing and vibrant church; a place where fellowship can extend a welcoming hand, a place where we can gather together to worship God, a place where we can take pride in our heritage and our traditions, a place where we can seek the wisdom and courage to try and make this place a better world for all God's children.