South Congregational Church
We are a local congregation with a long history of serving the community of faith in St. Johnsbury, VT and the surrounding communities. We are a Compassionate Faith Community and are a member of the Charter For Compassion.
HISTORY OF SOUTH CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
In 1851, the members of the “Church of St. Johnsbury Plain” completed four years of prayerful discussion on the needs of the growing community by voting that “the interests of religion require a new church at the South end (of town); that a building be erected at the expense of the whole society to be owned and occupied by a colony from the mother church of not less than one-quarter nor more than one third of its membership, chosen by committee of designation and to be organized at their consent”. Thus, on October 23, 1851, the colony of 66 members formally organized South Congregational Church.
With the colony worshipping at St. Johnsbury Academy, the society entered into an ambitious building program. Asa Edgerton received the $3000 contract for the construction of the church building, and Horace Carpenter, whose workmanship is now evident in the existing structure, began cutting timber from nearby hillsides to provide lumber for the project. The house of worship, with its classic architectural symmetry and typical New England Wren features, was built as an exact replica of the mother church. Changes in the original plans brought the final cost for construction to $4006.57. On January 14, 1852, members of South Congregational Church gathered in their sanctuary to dedicate the new edifice to the glory of God.
The worshipers who gathered on that January day found box-type pews with straight backs and no cushions. Light shone through the small-pane windows onto the lovely mahogany pulpit. As evening fell, the room was illuminated by whale-oil lamps, casting a warm glow on the white walls and ceiling.
The church’s interior underwent extensive renovation as early as 1888. The pews were rebuilt, the ceiling and walls frescoed, and memorial stained-glass windows were installed. Another renovation was completed in 1969, when the pulpit was moved closer to the congregation, the new organ was installed, and the choir loft moved to its present location. In May, 1998, the sanctuary of South Church was rededicated at a service celebrating the completion of the most recent renovation which recaptured some of the “feel” of the beautiful decor of the original construction.
Location: St. Johnsbury, Vermont, USA
