Monroe Congregational Church Marks 250th Anniversary with Celebration

Throughout scripture we hear the refrain “… tell all generations of their LORD’S wonderful works”. Part of what that means for us is that we must preserve the memory of how God has worked in our lives. A church that has a strong sense of its history will have a better sense of identity to build on for the future. So we take a look back to rediscover how our church came into being, what its early ministry was like, and how it has grown and changed over the years.
This year the Monroe Congregational Church has been joyously celebrating our 250th anniversary.

Rather than trying to squeeze our celebration into a one-day program, we chose to spread it out over the entire year, beginning in fall of 2013 with a logo contest. Thanks to Noah Friend for the wonderful piece of art that has graced our anniversary shirts ever since. In December we began reading each of our fifty pastor’s biographies, thoughtfully written by Ken Post, beginning with Elijah Rexford. It has been exciting to see that we are now into the era of church life when people actually KNEW the pastors we are highlighting; history is beginning to come alive!

In May we entered a historically themed float in the parade featuring people in costume, Rev. Sheldon Smith’s fife and drum corp, a Model A Ford driven by Bernie Sippin, and a grand anniversary banner, which now hangs between the Meetinghouse and Rexford. Don Whiteley and Myron Wininger were instrumental in helping create a historical display during Strawberry Festival, which delighted and educated guests both young and old.

And now, we look ahead to our Celebration Luncheon on Saturday, November 15th at noon, with sharing of memories and a slideshow, a delicious meal from Connecticut Catering and a concert of early American music by Atwater-Donelly (http://www.atwater-donnelly.com/) directly following (DO YOU HAVE YOUR TICKETS????). Thank you to Peg Villani for spearheading the effort and to June Wininger for selling tickets and to Julie McClenathan and the Fellowship Board for helping with planning and logistics. The memories are pouring in, if you have any to send there is still time!
Beginning November16th, our own Gary Thompson will offer a new history book all about our church called “In Binding Covenant”.

Of course, we could not possibly have completed all of these wonderful remembrances without the patient, thoughtful and wise leadership of chairperson Arlene Redmond and her faithful partner Vaughan Askue. They have been amazing at helping focus all the creative energy of our team and I am eternally grateful for their servant-leadership.
But wait… there will be even more to come…continuation of pastoral bios, a historical worship service on December 14th, followed by a birthday party and placement of a Revolutionary War medal at Rev. Elijiah Rexford’s gravesite, and a remembrance of Elijiah’s ordination on January 9th. Stay Tuned!

Having a celebration year (and then some!) has given us the opportunity to join together and focus on our blessings. And it’s an occasion for church members of all ages to tell and hear stories of the past and present days of the church. It has also been a wonderful time to thank everyone for the unique gift they bring to the body of Christ.
So let’s CELEBRATE! Tickets for our big event will only be sold until November 9th, so that we can plan the special day with a solid idea of how many to expect. Mark your calendars, invite a friend, and say a word of thanks for the hardworking committee members and friends who have helped us along the way!

In peace, Pastor Jenn Gingras