Community Corner
First Congregational Church of Bethel Invites Community to New Tower Dedication
The historic First Congregational Church of Bethel was gathered in 1759 and past members include famous circus showman P.T. Barnum.
BETHEL, CT — Join First Congregational Church of Bethel, 46 Main Street, as they celebrate the dedication of their newly renovated church towers. The church welcomes the community to the church on Friday evening, Sept. 16, for a family-friendly, alcohol-free happy hour, with light refreshments followed by tours of the towers and the church.
The event will feature a bell ringing extravaganza. The historic First Congregational Church of Bethel was gathered in 1759 and past members include famous circus showman P.T. Barnum. Captain Ebenezer Hickok granted land for the building and burial ground. The original church burned down in 1842 and was rebuilt, however, one year later, the spire of the new building fell in a strong wind and the meeting house was sold to the town and moved to the other side of the burial ground. The congregation built a new structure on the site of the original meeting house which is the current church today.
The church describes their parish as a "family-friendly faith community with a passion for feeding the body, mind and spirit of our community and the world. We are members of the United Church of Christ, a progressive denomination with a commitment to service, education, peace-making."
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