Christ Church Celebrates 200 Years in Quaker Farms

200 years ago, life was awfully hard for those living in Quaker Farms:

• Like in our day and time, there were times when the local economy boomed and times it bustled.
• In 1807, the shipping port in Derby closed, causing widespread economic hardship for farmers and factory workers, and for wealthy people alike.
• Housing was a problem for most people who lived in log cabins. When the cold wind blew in the winter, you couldn’t escape to a nice heated house, like we do now.  Life was much more like what we experienced with the power outages after the Halloween blizzard last year.
• And of course, roads were problematic. During the spring rains, the dirt roads became mud city. But during the winter months, going up hills and mountain roads, covered with ice and snow, was almost impossible. Indeed, during such months, the people of Quaker Farms were cut off from the outside world. 

So, in 1812, something wonderful happened, something which began to improve the quality of life for the people of Quaker Farms. Neighbors and friends from St. Peter's (our mother church), others of many different religious backgrounds,  and even some who had no religious background at all came together in the name of Christ to build . 

Christ Church Quaker Farms is celebrating our Bicentennial Birthday on Sunday, Sept. 23. Recently, Connecticut Gov. Daniel P Malloy sent us a congratulatory letter, honoring our church for "200 years of serving the Oxford community with programs for children & youth, feeding the hungry, and other outreach efforts."

Speaking on behalf of the parish members and  leadership, we wish to give thanks to God for the countless blessings that He has showered upon this church for the past two centuries. Also, we thank all of our neighbors in the Quaker Farms and Oxford area for your support, friendship, prayers and good wishes.

You are most cordially invited to the party on Sunday, Sept. 23, 11:30 a.m.  

-- The Rev. John Donnelly