Standing the Test of Time

by Terry Shanahan, Northeast Regional Minister

But you, O Lord, sit enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations. (Psalm 102:12)

It is such an enriching experience to minister to the churches in the Northeast. Some of our member churches can trace their beginnings to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. First Parish in Wakefield, Massachusetts was founded in 1644, preceding the Cambridge Platform of 1649. First Congregational Essex, Massachusetts was founded in 1683; First Congregational Middleboro, Massachusetts, 1694; West Newbury Congregational, 1698; First Congregational Church, Boxford, 1702; South Congregational Church, Peabody, Massachusetts 1713; Evangelical Congregational Church, South Easton, Massachusetts 1713; Hamilton Congregational, Hamilton, Massachusetts 1714.

We tend to honor things that withstand the passage of time. There is a reverence offered because in the world in which we live there isn’t much that lasts. When we take time to pause and look at the history of some of our older churches we not only consider their foundational roots, we see what grounds them in the present and what offers hope for the future.

I recently celebrated with the South Congregational Church in Peabody on their three hundredth anniversary. For three hundred years this church has been engaged in Kingdom work that builds a faith that lasts; a faith that carries on into eternity. To visit a church that has thrived for this long is an awesome experience.

At the three hundredth celebration, South Church shared its rich history and the difficulties in 1713 of forming a new community and a new church in the wake of leaving the Salem, Massachusetts community and its notorious witch trials. The reality at that time was that the founding of a new church was the beginning of a new community. For a new town or parish to be formed it was necessary to have a church and pastor in place before that town could be chartered. South Church met with great opposition from the Salem Church and fought long and hard before the families were released from Salem to begin a new work of God in Peabody.

It was a joy to celebrate with South Church. I have also visited all of our older congregations that have withstood the test of time. I want to share with you two things all of these churches have in common and what it is that I consider leads to their continued longevity.

First of all, the healthy historical churches have maintained their strong ties to the community. At South Church’s three hundredth celebration, the town’s mayor and state senate and congressional representatives all gave testimony to the difference that South Church has made and continues to make in the town of Peabody and the surrounding area. South Church is a difference-maker in its community and it would be sorely missed if it tragically no longer existed.

The second thing that all of the healthy historical churches have in common is that they have kept the faith through all generations. These churches stand on the truth of the Bible and the power of the Gospel to transform lives. They revel in God’s faithfulness to them. They know that his promises are sure. The one constant they have is that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Nothing we do will ever change that.

As the Psalmist says, But you, O Lord, sit enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations.