Historic Dates in the Life of Our Church
- Our first meeting house was built and forty-eight men of the Bradford Church organized Church themselves as the East Parish Church.
- Fifty-three women were admitted to membership in the East Parish Church, bringing total membership to 101. All 101 had no disagreement with the Bradford Church; they merely found the distance to the Bradford Church too great & the church was “between pastors”.
- 1788 It was voted to erect a new building “at the foot of the lane” (King Street) on “Monument Square” (Perry Park), the building to be 42’ wide by 53’ long. This building was completed in 1790 and faced Main Street.
- 1795 The Paul Revere Bell was hung.
- The church received a legacy from the Benjamin Balch estate.
- 1849 The meeting house was moved to the present site, the portico rebuilt, and the two tiers of windows were reduced to one.
- 1865 The first organ was acquired and placed in the balcony surrounded by the “singing pews”.
- 1883 The Town Clock was presented by Burton E. Merrill and hung in the church. It strikes on the Paul Revere Bell. The building was renovated this year with help from Gardner Perry, son of the third pastor.
- 1888 Mr. Perry gave the baptismal font, dedicated to his mother, Mary Perry.
- Twenty “ladies… interested in the prosperity of the church” met and organized the Ladies’ Aid Society.
- Incorporated as “The Orthodox Congregational Church of Christ” in Groveland, Massachusetts.
- Extensive church renovations were made this year. At this time Rev. Joseph Kimball, Dean of Ministers in Haverhill, but a resident of Groveland, presented a new organ to the church .
- 1912 The brick mansion, built by Rev. Gardner B. Perry ,which was used as his parsonage during his 45 years as pastor, became the property of the church by legacy from some of the Perry family.
- 1947 The Mother’s Club Kindergarten was established. This would become the Perry Park Preschool in 1977.
- 1961 The new addition of the church building was essentially completed, giving us the Fellow- ship Hall, the church office, the Sunday School rooms, the kindergarten area, etc.
- 1961 GCC became a member of the United Church of Christ.
- 1964 lt was voted to approve the purchase and installation of a colonial altar and clergy pews in the chancel. This altar and chancel were dedicated in memory of Frank K. Lawrence.
- 1976-1977 A year-long celebration of the 250th anniversary of the church was held.
- 1979 The Thrift Shop is opened!
- 1988 The 100th anniversary of the Ladies’ Aid Society was celebrated at the conclusion of the annual church fair, dubbed the Balloon Fair that year. In honor of the LAS, Fellowship Hall was filled with helium balloons during the Roast Beef Dinner that evening.
- 1995 The church purchased the adjacent Pike property which allows room for expansion.
- 2001 The sanctuary was extensively renovated.
- 2006 After several years of transitional pastors, the Groveland Congregational Church welcomed the arrival of Pastor Lance C. Dallaire and his family to our community.
- The church embarks on a three-phase Capital Campaign program to raise funds for extensive exterior renovations.