The Hampshire Colony Congregational Church of

Princeton, Illinois Princeton is a city in and the county seat of Bureau County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,832 at the 2020 census. Princeton is part of the Ottawa Micropolitan Statistical Area. Due to its location where Interstate 80 meets the ...

was founded in 1831 and was the first

Congregational church Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

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. Its

Richardsonian Romanesque Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after the American architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838–1886). The revival style incorporates 11th and 12th century southern French, Spanish, and Italian Romanesque ...

church building, which was built in 1905-06, is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

History

In 1831 young people in the

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area were encouraged to take advantage of the fertile land in

, being sold cheaply. On February 9, 1831, ''

The New Hampshire Gazette ''The New Hampshire Gazette'' is a non-profit, alternative, bi-weekly newspaper published in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Its editors claim that the paper, which all but disappeared into other publications until the late 1900s, is the oldest news ...

'' printed a notice from the Illinois Colonial Association that a meeting would be held in a local coffee house in

Northampton, Massachusetts The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of Northampton (including its outer villages, Florence and Leeds) was 29,571. Northampton is known as an acade ...

on Wednesday, the 16 February 1831 at 10:00 A. M. The purpose of this meeting was to organize a Church fellowship before going out west. This idea was growing in the area and flyers were sent out stating: :“It was not so much to promote the private interests of its members as to advance the cause of Christ by planting religious institutions in the virgin soil of the west and aiding the cause of Christian education in its various departments.” When more than a few people offered themselves to this effort, a council was convened. This is how Hampshire Colony Congregational Church was founded on March 23, 1831. Ebeneezer Strong Phelps, a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

at Northampton Church, was one of the charter members and the council meeting was held in his home. The 18 charter members of the church came not only from the Northampton church but from surrounding churches as well. They came from Elizabethtown, Conway, Amherst, Warwick, Springfield, South Haley, and even Chutney, Vermont. The purpose of this church start was clear. In fact, at the service held to organize the church, even the council was made up of

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

s and

laymen In religious organizations, the laity () consists of all members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-ordained members of religious orders, e.g. a nun or a lay brother. In both religious and wider secular usage, a layperson ...

from three of the churches. It is fitting then, to name the church Hampshire Colony, after the county where it was founded. The council was held. After they went to the church to worship. Rev.

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preached a sermon and quoted

Luke People *Luke (given name), a masculine given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Luke (surname) (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Luke the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of Luke. Also known as ...

12:32, “Fear not little flock, it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.” After the sermon they took communion with the large congregation that had gathered to see them off, and a collection of $54.00 was given to supply the infant church with new vessels for the communion table. The church is now a member of the

National Association of Congregational Christian Churches The National Association of Congregational Christian Churches (NACCC) is an association of about 400 churches providing fellowship for and services to churches from the Congregational tradition. The Association maintains its national office in Oak ...

. It was listed on the

in 2018.

References

{{reflist Religious organizations established in 1831 Congregational organizations established in the 19th century 19th-century Protestant churches Congregational churches in Illinois 1831 establishments in Illinois National Register of Historic Places in Bureau County, Illinois Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois Churches completed in 1906