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First Congregational Church of Kingston

6 Church Street
603-642-7256

About

The First Congregational Church is a community of believers, where together we worship our Lord Jesus Christ, enjoy fellowship with and support for one another and in His name reach out to the world around us.

KFCC's Historical  Highlights

The parish church of Kingston was gathered September 17, 1725 with Ward Clark as Minister.  His successor, Joseph Seccombe, reaped 177 members during the Great Awakening and fostered four daughter churches.  Most notable among the members of the church was Josiah Bartlett, first Governor of New Hampshire and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.  Elihu Thayer, Minister from 1776 to 1812 founded the New Hampshire Missionary Society.  A society at nearby Andover aided the church in organizing the Sabbath School in 1813.

The present meeting house was built in 1825 and redecorated in 1879.  Temperance and Sunday School causes brought churches together and federation with the Methodists in 1917 resulted.  The 1950's saw the restoration of the sanctuary, the addition of the Rent Memorial Room and the building of a new parsonage.  Pastor Wendall Irvine served as a settled pastor for two separate terms first in the 1950's, then he and Laura returned to Kingston in 1975 for over 12 more years of service to the church.

Our carillon was first installed in 1986 in memory of James B. Cornish, Alfred L. Moore, and Joseph J. Norris.  It plays the Westminster bells on the hour and can play beautiful bell music for services, special occasions, or seasons.  In the mid-2000's the pipe organ was restored and the sanctuary refurbished.   In 2012, the new Rent-Fellowship education and fellowship building was completed more than doubling the classroom and fellowship space.


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