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Rehoboth, Mass. First Church articles of faith, 1785.

 Collection
Identifier: RG0953

Scope and Contents

This collection contains a 1785 draft of the articles of faith for the First Church in Rehoboth, Massachusetts. The articles of faith, Within Congregationalist churches, lay out in writing the core beliefs that the parish agrees to uphold as part of their membership. This particular document is a draft which was reviewed by Rev. John Ellis. There are some revisions and addenda which may have been added after Ellis's written approval of the draft.

Dates

  • 1785

Creator

Restrictions on Access

Access to this collection is unrestricted and open to the public.

Restrictions on Use

Items in this collection are subject to U.S. Copyright Law. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine the copyright status of collection items and to secure any permissions necessary for their reproduction and publication. Requests for permission to publish material must be discussed with the archivist or librarian.

Digital Reproductions are protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use the Digital Reproductions in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. In addition, no permission is required from the Congregational Library & Archives for educational uses. For other uses, you need to obtain permission from the Congregational Library & Archives. For additional information regarding copyright, please consult the Congregational Library & Archives' Digital Collections Copyright & Use policy.

Historical Note

The town of Rehoboth, Massachusetts, was settled as early as 1636 and was officially established in 1643. The town included what is now Seekonk, Massachusetts, and East Providence, Rhode Island. The First Church in Rehoboth was established in 1643 with Rev. Samuel Newman as the minister. Newman, born in England, immigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony to escape persecution for his nonconformist beliefs. He settled in Dorchester until eventually he was called to become the sole minister of the Church at Weymouth after the church had, for a short while, three concurrent ministers. In 1643, Rev. Newman resigned from the position in large part because of dissention in the parish due to the continued residence of the three previous ministers in Weymouth. He left Weymouth to settle in western Rehoboth with some of his former parishioners. Rev. Newman served the First Church until his death on July 5, 1663.

The first meeting house was constructed in 1646. In 1674 construction began on the second meeting house. The onset of King Phillip's War in 1675 however delayed construction. Much of the town was burned in 1676, though the original meeting house was preserved. In 1678 construction on the second meeting house was resumed and by the following year the parish had moved into the new building. In 1713 the eastern portion of Rehoboth was set aside as its own parish where the Second Church was established. The First Parish remained in Seekonk and by 1718 construction was completed on the third meeting house.

In 1785 Rev. John Ellis was installed as the minister of the church. By 1791 his ministry was largely unpopular within the parish, although he still maintained the support of the Congregationalists. The parish attempted to discharge Ellis after a salary dispute, although legally the parish could not summarily discharge the minister. For a while Ellis was unable to preach in his own church, finding himself being blocked by Baptist ministers. In 1792 the General Court ruled in favor of Ellis which ultimately resulted in the formation of the Congregational Society and further separation of parish government and church administration. The fourth and final meeting house was constructed in 1810. In 1812 the western precinct of Rehoboth was incorporated as the town of Seekonk and the church was renamed to the Congregational Church of Seekonk.

During the 1830s the Rev. James Barney established the first Sabbath School and the Sabbath School library. The church community began to advocate for, and participate in, nineteenth-century social movements, especially the temperance and home missionary movements. In 1862, the governments of Massachusetts and Rhode Island settled a land dispute and the portion of Seekonk containing the Congregational Church became a part of East Providence Rhode Island. In 1886 the church was renamed to Newman Congregational Church in honor of the first minister.

In 1961 the Newman Congregational Church voted to join the United Church of Christ. The church continues to serve the East Providence community today.

Extent

1 Folder

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The First Church of Rehoboth was established in 1643 with Rev. Samuel Newman as the first minister. The first meeting house was constructed in 1646. The second meeting house was completed in 1678 after being delayed due to King Phillip's War. The third meeting house was constructed in 1718. The fourth, and final, meeting house was completed in 1810. In 1812 the western precinct of Rehoboth became the town of Seekonk. In 1862 the town of Seekonk was further divided and the church became a part of East Providence, Rhode Island. In 1886 the church was renamed to Newman Congregational Church. The church continues to serve the East Providence community today. This collection contains a 1785 draft of the articles of faith for the First Church in Rehoboth that were approved by Rev. John Ellis.

Technical Requirements

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Acquisition Information

No acquisition information is available for this collection.

Accruals

Additional accruals are expected for this collection in the form of full-text transcription. There is no anticipated date for this accrual.

Bibliography

Newman Congregational Church, U.C.C. of Seekonk and East Providence. East Providence: 1993. 17.11.1 EA7.953 NewCC

Processing Information

Processed by Zachary Bodnar, May 2019, using DACS Second Edition.

Title
Rehoboth, Mass. First Church articles of faith, 1785.
Status
Completed
Author
Zachary Bodnar
Date
2019-05-16
Description rules
Dacs2 2013
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Congregational Library & Archives Repository

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