Browse the First Parish Congregational Church records in North Bridgewater, Massachusetts

The First Parish Congregational Church in Brockton was originally founded as the Fourth Parish Church in Bridgewater in March, 1737, with the construction of the first meeting house for the community that had formed in Bridgewater’s North. In 1738, the community sent a petition to the General Court of Massachusetts to designate the area as a unique parish within Bridgewater. The request was granted in December, 1739 with the formation of the North Precinct of Bridgewater. John Porter, a 1736 graduate of Harvard, was ordained as the first minister of the Fourth Parish Church in October, 1740 at the same time that the church was formally gathered.

Membership within the church grew significantly under Rev. Porter, mimicking the expansion of the community. The expansion of the parish community resulted in the need for a new meeting house; the dedication of the second meeting house, which was twice as large as the first building, was held in December, 1763. Rev. Porter was interested in education and readily helped prepare talented youth for higher education during his ministry. During the American Revolution, Rev. Porter supported the Continental Army by organizing an effort which resulted in the shipment of 5580 pounds of beef to the army. He served as the minister of the church until his death in 1802.

The first parish Sunday school was organized in 1818 with an initial enrolment of 185 students. In 1823 the North Precinct of Bridgewater as incorporated as the town of North Bridgewater. At this time, the name of the church was changed to the First Parish Congregational Church. By the 1820s the second meeting house was beginning to require extensive fixes and renovations to meet the needs of the community. Instead of embarking on those costly renovations, the community found the funds to build the third meeting house, which was dedicated in November, 1827. In 1836 a significant portion of the parish withdrew from the church due to the formation of the South Congregational Church in Plain Village (now Campello) North Bridgewater.

The ordination of Rev. Paul Couch in 1835 resulted in a liberalization of the First Parish’s teachings during his 24 years of ministry. This ultimately resulted in another significant portion of the church separating in 1850 to form the Porter Evangelical Congregational Church. Rev. Couch also oversaw construction of the fourth meeting house, also known as the Old Brown Church. This building was dedicated in July, 1854. In 1874 the name of the town of North Bridgewater was changed to Brockton.

During 1897 the fifth meeting house was constructed. This stone building was dedicated in December, 1897 and Rev. Alan Hudson was installed as the minister the same day. The fifth meeting house was largely destroyed in an early morning fire on February 19, 1965. The sixth and final meeting house was constructed in 1967 with the dedication taking place in June. In 1980 the First Parish Congregational Church, South Congregational Church, Porter Congregational Church, and Waldo Congregational Church merged to form the Christ Congregational Church. The Christ Congregational Church in Brockton continues to serve the local community today. The sixth meeting house is now the house of warship for the Mt. Moriah Baptist Church.