About
The First Congregational Church of Leicester
1 Washburn Square
PO Box 122
Leicester, Ma 01524
Church Office phone: 508-892-3274
Pastor’s e-mail: pastorfccleicester@verizon.net
Services
Sundays: 10 to 11 AM
Coffee Hour following worship
Children’s Sunday School every other Sunday
Meet Our Pastor:
Rev Doreen Oughton
Click here to read a recent interview with Rev. Oughton
ONA Covenant
“We, the people of the First Congregational Church of Leicester, affirm that each individual is a child of God, and we recognize that we are called to be like one body with many members. We celebrate the beauty and uniqueness of each expression of God’s diverse family as well as our oneness in Christ. As we seek to live out Christ’s compassion and promote healing and wholeness of life, we welcome into our community persons of every age, race, nationality, economic and social status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, mental and physical ability, faith background, marital standing and family structure; and we invite them to share in the life, leadership, ministry, fellowship, worship, sacraments, responsibilities, joys, hardships and blessings of our congregation as we seek to grow together in faith and love.”
Links: Staff
Welcome,
What are you doing the rest of your life?
It is our hope and prayer that you will want to spend some of that time becoming a part of our faith family.
We are the newly reorganized First Congregational Church of Leicester Massachusetts and we want you to know that we are very interested in both you and your spiritual journey including your specific needs and individual talents.
In these web pages we invite you to read about our life together as we serve our Lord Jesus Christ through Worship, Music, Christian Education, Outreach, and Stewardship.
In the future we will make every effort to serve you in whatever ways we are able as we heartily welcome you to the love and care of our parish.
If you have any questions please give me a call at 508-892-3274 and I will be very happy to speak with you.
In the meantime we all look forward to meeting you and making you a part of our exciting new ministry here at the first Church
HISTORY
The Meeting House on Strawberry Hill
First Congregational Church, Town Hall, Unitarian Church, Leicester Academy 1900
In compliance with the Massachusetts Bay authority, Leicester’s town government and the early settlers were held accountable for “a meeting house, a minister and his support.” Three years before the first town meeting was held, the town had caused a meeting house to be built in 1719 on the corner of the forty acres reserved for the ministry. It was small and plain, with diamond-shaped glass windows, a door in front and one at either end. Individuals built their own pews and “body seat” where women sat on those on the west side and men on the east side.
An addition, twelve feet wide, was built later on the north side. Galleries and seats were added and the pulpit was moved, but while the building was clapboarded, it never saw a drop of paint during the sixty-five years that it stood as the “meeting house” of Leicester. A marker commemorating its location is on the southwest side of the Town Common nearly opposite Faculty Hall of Becker Junior College.
First Congregational Church of Leicester ……1867 – 1900
Church business was conducted as a part of Town Meeting until 1794, then after Town Meeting until 1833, when the First Parish of Leicester was established.
Interior of third building – 1867 to 1900
Leicester’s second meetinghouse was built in 1784 at the rear of the first. It was the first to get a heating stove, in 1821. This structure was moved in 1826 to the present church location, then sold and moved to Leicester Academy in 1867,
A fine example of Colonial architecture, our third church was erected in the same year and dedicated as a memorial to Reverend John Nelson. It was hit by lightning and burned in 1900.
The fourth and current First Congregational Church of Leicester was dedicated in 1901. It’s Sunday School annex building facing Paxton Street was added in 1958.
First Congregational Church of Leicester – 1901 to Present
