The Waitsfield UCC: A Church on the Move
The roots of our church go back to the founding of the Town of Waitsfield, as early worship services were held in the barn of the Town’s namesake, Benjamin Wait. We were formally organized as a Congregational Church on June 27, 1796, the first in Washington County. The movement of our church location is symbolic of our drive to serve our community. After the barn, our first meetinghouse was on the Town Common, the second one closer to the village on Mill Hill in 1846, and the third meetinghouse in the heart of the village, where we are now, dates to 1875. After a successful capital campaign, in 2018 our 1875 building was beautifully renovated and re-Christened the Village Meeting House.
We’ve been on the move with our church identity as well. While we began as a stand-alone Congregational Church, we shared a minister with our sister church in Warren - with whom we remain close - from 1927-1979. While we began as a Congregational Church, we formed a Federated Church with local Methodists in 1923. This relationship ended in 1998. In 2014, we became an Open and Affirming church in the United Church of Christ, welcoming and inviting “those of every gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, mental and physical ability, age, ethnicity, nationality, faith background, marital status, economic, legal, and social status; and family structure.” Our Open and Affirming identity forms the new core of who we are as we reach out into the world in mission and service.
We are a church on the move. We’ve been on this journey for over 200 years, and we are still learning, still growing, still “living, serving & walking by faith for the benefit of our local and global community.” No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.
