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On February 22, 1763, an ecclesiastical council convened to organize the First Congregational Church of Huntstown (as Ashfield was then called). Fifteen people gathered at the home of Ebenezer Belding. That group of 15 included six white men, eight white women, and one freed enslaved man. On February 23, the next day, the Rev. Jacob Sherwin was installed as pastor. Our church has had 37 pastors since then. We celebrated our 250th anniversary on February 24rd, 2013.
In 1958, the Ashfield Congregational Church joined the newly formed United Church of Christ. The UCC is a distinct and diverse community of four mainstream Protestant denominations that now includes nearly one million members in 5,000 churches across the U.S. The UCC’s mission is to serve God in the creation of a just and sustainable world. It challenged churches to become Open and Affirming of all individuals, regardless of race, sexual and gender identity, and our church is proud to be an ONA congregation. We are a part of the Southern New England UCC conference (SNEUCC) made up of churches from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. Over the years our congregation has grown to include believers, non-believers, and questioning believers, and people from various religious backgrounds. We have a long history of working for social justice through ministries that address hunger, non-violence, and climate change. We are open and inquisitive people. We want to keep our church relevant to a changing society. We hope you will join us. |
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