About Us

Staff

Rev. Dr. Dawn Berry, Transitional Pastor

Mission

Spread the good news of Jesus Christ

Provide for the faithful gathering of the people of Christ to hear the word of God and nurture their faith through worship, prayer, song and praise.

Invite all the community to participate in the life and mission of Washington Congregational Church.

Encourage each other in the Christian life, exemplified by adherence to Christ’s commandment “to love thy neighbor” and to share in the blessings of Christian life by using these blessings and our God-given talents to provide hope and help to others.

Reach out beyond our community to the world at large to promote understanding, peace, justice and harmony among all God’s people.

Who We Are

We are a diverse church family whose full members, associate members, and friends come from a range of church and faith backgrounds. We believe we have learned to value our differences and find it a source of strength. The congregation has about 50 full members and a mailing list that totals about 100. Our church building is historic and accessible to all. The proclamation of the United Church of Christ is that the church is listening for God’s voice in the midst of the world’s troubles. It is an affirmation that says our denomination and this church believe that faith is important in our lives and in our world. Everyone is invited to join us and participate.

Church History

Washington, NH was settled in 1768 and incorporated under the name Washington in 1776. This Congregational Church was organized four years later in 1780. That year the Reverend George Leslie, declining a professorship at Dartmouth College, came to serve as pastor. The congregation worshipped for the first 60 years in the original meeting house, now the Town Hall. In 1842, dissident members of our congregation started their own church; this later became the first Seventh Day Adventist Church and is honored the mother church of that denomination. The town population dropped during the late 1800s; by the beginning of the 20^th century the church was often closed in winter. Periods of summer-only services were followed by shorter periods of year-round services. In 1977, the (9) members of the church invited the early-retired Rev. H. G. Andersen to preach here regularly. His ministry continued for the next 21 ½ years. During that time, both the town and the congregation grew; we joined the UCC; and we reached out to the community. In 1999, the Rev. Mr. Andersen, then in his 80s, resigned. In 2000, the Reverend William Salt began his ministry with the congregation; his pastorate ended on the final Sunday of September, 2012. The congregation called the Rev. Dr. Peter Howe to be its pastor in December 2012. His ministry ended in 2019. Rev, Elizabeth Simmons served as term minister from October 2019 until October 2022.

We are grateful to have Rev. Dr. Dawn Berry as our Transitional Pastor for the 2023 calendar year.