First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ
A SHORT HISTORY OF OUR CHURCH
In an age when religious activities in our communities subside during the summer months, it is interesting to note that most of the significant work in the founding of this Church took place during the warmer time of the year. Eighty-three individuals, twenty-four former members of the First and fifty-seven of the Second Presbyterian Churches adopted a confession of faith and entered into covenant with God and each other in a room on the third floor of the Carnes Building at 310 Main Street on September 10th 1837 with a delegation from the New York Congregational Association assisting in the procedures. This was the culmination of work during the summer by a smaller group of fourteen men dedicated to starting a new Church; thus the First Congregational Church and Society of Poughkeepsie was established.
This action by so many former Presbyterians developed out of a schism within their churches over a theological difference of opinion. A debate had raged for years over the fundamental issue of how one was to be saved. The "Old School" theology believed that if one was to be saved, the individual would have very little to do with it and that God would bring the person through the process of repentance and conversion whenever God saw fit. The "New School", on the other hand, believed that immediate repentance and conversion was available to anyone, at one's own bidding.
One could devote an entire talk what happened as a result of this disagreement; itinerant preachers railed on the subject two or three times daily for weeks at a time; the newspaper was full of articles on the different positions; and even the man on the street took up the issue. Suffice to say, this, plus great financial hardships wrought on the village of Poughkeepsie and the nation by the Panic of 1837, cause our church to come into existence.
It is also important to mention the Church's name again: the First Congregational Church and Society. At the time, the congregation had a covenant which a person took before he was accepted as a member. It emphasized the moral and practical obligations of church membership, but not necessarily theological beliefs. Before a member was allowed to take the covenant, however, he had to acknowledge that he had had the experience of reconciliation with God as described by Martin Luther - in today's language, they were no longer sinners and had been "saved". Since many sincere and faithful Christians could not honestly confess to such an experience, there grew up an increasing number within the church who were denied the full rights of membership; they were permitted only to become members of the "Society". I will come back to this differentiation later.
From the beginning it is obvious that this church possessed some characteristics that set it apart. At the first meeting of the new church the subject of temperance was brought up. A total abstinence pledge was proposed for all members wanting to join. A few thought this was too strict, complaining that it took away their liberties, but after much debate the following resolution was adopted: "Resolved, that no person shall be admitted to communion of this church who will not promise to abstain from the use of all intoxicating liquors as a beverage, and avoid making and vending the same." Said resolution was attached to and adopted as part of the covenant by all members. Church Manuals published in 1845, 1858, 1864, and in 1886 reiterated this principle. The Manual of 1895 is the first in existence that omits reference to these matters. Indeed, as a small boy in this church, I can remember the ruckus that was raised when someone stood up at a congregational meeting and proposed that wine should be used at communion instead of grape juice!
Also among the first rules adopted was: "No person shall be admitted to communion in this church who practices or approves the buying and selling of human beings or holding them in involuntary servitude."
These were noble stands to take, but at the time they were truly remarkable and attest to one of the strengths of this church, that is, having decided beliefs and stating them boldly. There was no question in anyone's mind in Poughkeepsie as to where Congregationalists stood on the matters of morals, religion and politics.
When the cornerstone for this building was laid in 1857, care was taken to see to it that it contained copies of that radical newspaper of Horace Greeley, the New York Tribune, and the head and front of an even more radical antislavery periodical, the Independent. Choice of these periodicals is significant; the preacher at the church's dedication, Rev Dr. Thompson of the Broadway Tabernacle, was at the time a leader in the antislavery movement.
At the eve of Abraham Lincoln's inauguration in 1861, Rev. Moses Coit Tyler, then our minister, preached a sermon of farewell to President Buchanan on his last day in office which was one of the bitterest, most vitriolic political attacks on record. Yet the congregation felt so highly of his sermon that they voted to have it published.
Volunteers from small churches for service in the Civil War were numerous. But they paid the penalty - less than half from this church who enlisted returned unharmed!
Our seventh minister, Rev. James Beecher, whose sister wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin, was brother to Henry Ward Beecher, the principal orator for the defense during the Civil War. He actively participated in his brother's views and both he an Rev. Tyler were so deep into the issues of the day that they sacrificed their health in their efforts.
Nevertheless, the village as a whole was not distinguished for its outward expressions of sympathy with the antislavery movement. When the famous black orator, Frederick Douglass, sought to speak in Poughkeepsie, he was denied use of the town hall and the only invitation for him to speak came from the Congregational Church.
Through these and other positions, the church made itself felt in the life of the village. The Poughkeepsie Eagle, the predecessor of the Journal, on the occasion of our 50th anniversary in 1887 stated that in every public movement for the good of the community, the Congregational Church could be found in a position of leadership.
This is not to suggest that the church did not have some rocky times, both financial and otherwise. The early church had considerable authority to cite and summon members to appear. Charges on the records include profanity, Sabbath breaking, neglect of private duties, breach of the covenant in absenting himself from the sanctuary, drunkenness, sale of intoxicating drink, willfully neglecting to appear at the time and place appointed, grossly immoral conduct, and falsehood. Before 1855 seventeen members had been excommunicated.
In the late eighteen-fifty's a dispute arose over whether the pastor should be dismissed. Passions rose to the point where the trouble makers (the three families who wanted the dismissal) were asked by the majority to leave the church, but they refused to do so. Since the First Congregational Church began as a society or company of trustees holding the church property and a congregation of worshipers using the same, a trick was used to resolve the problem. The society met and dissolved; then a new society was formed to which the title to this edifice was transferred. The new society and the new congregation thus created were now reorganized by invitation and invitations were not extended to the three families affected.
Over the years the church continued to rally to the cause and demonstrate its leadership role. In 1918 during a very serious epidemic of influenza, Margaret Chapel was converted to a fifty bed hospital where over 100 people were treated. The entire community responded to this demonstration of practical Christian service.
Some time ago when the Coalition for the Homeless wrote area churches asking for help in establishing an intake center for their homeless shelter, we were the only church to respond. This intake center has operated with only minor incidents for many years now, and it together with the Community Family Development and Day Care Center continue to demonstrate that our commitment to the community is still there.
Time does not permit me to cover all of the laughter and tears that have has been experienced by members of this congregation; hours and hours would be required to do so. As we review the history of this church, we should take heart from former periods of good fortune and strong advance and look forward with optimism to the challenges ahead.
Robert C. Jackson
28 March 1995
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