Author: Caroline

Starting on July 1st, members brought up from the church basement the pieces of the huge model of the FCC sanctuary and the bell tower which Alan Berry designed last year, Ron Gamon built with his construction team, and a whole crew of members painted and decorated. This year was easier. We only had to bring the pieces of the model up and reassemble and decorate them on the flatbed that ELJ Construction again generously donated to us, along with their truck and driver, for the July 4th parade.

Also different from last year was the splendid reenactment by our costumed church members of the moment in 1785 when their new minister, the Rev. Henry Wight, was the first in the nation to celebrate the Fourth of July by reading the entire Declaration of Independence out loud to the assembled Bristol population. This practice, in which Rev. Wight was personally involved for more than 40 years, has continued unbroken from 1785 to the present day.

Sam Halt Harcourt portrayed the Rev. Wight, reading from a huge version of the Declaration of Independence. The Bailey and Fontaine families, both parents and children, along with Sandy, Rei, Brady, and Bella served as the Revolutionary era congregation. Katie Evans and Katherine Harcourt did yeoman’s work carrying the “walking banner” in front of the float for the entire length of the parade. And three cheers for our own wonderful minister, the Rev. Dr. Nancy H Soukup, for joining the crew in her special July 4th stole. Perhaps it was just as hot in 1785, but this July 4th was exceptionally hot–well into the 90s. The reenactors were greeted all along the way with great enthusiasm, offers of beverages, and even some offers to douse them with cool water from a hose! All were gratefully accepted.

Thanks to Rei Battcher for providing all of the meticulously recreated adult costumes and also to the Bristol Historical & Preservation Society for loaning us the costumes worn by the young girls on the float. Thanks also to the Harcourt family and the Patterson family for providing costumes for Rev. Wight and other children on the float. And thanks especially to ELJ Construction and the entire Francis family for their great kindness in again generously providing the flatbed, the truck and the wonderful driver who made this church float possible.

Last night on June 11, we welcomed the Bosworth Lecture Series back to the church for its June lecture. The Rev. Dr. Nancy H. Soukup, FCC’s minister, and DeWolf Fulton from St. Michael’s Mens Club who each year provide a series of Bosworth Lectures, spoke briefly to the role that FCC’s sixth pastor, the Rev. Henry Wight, had played in 1785 when he began the first ever patriotic exercises in the nation by reading the entirety of the Declaration of Independence publicly.

Wight called for reflection on the veterans who had won the war and for a celebration of the new nation’s freedoms. This tradition has continued in Bristol unbroken for the past 241 years with the addition over the years of speeches by Rev. Wight and other notable guests as well as the now famous July 4th parade in Bristol.

Dyan Vaughn and Rei Battcher, both members of FCC and historians specializing in the early centuries of Rhode Island’s colonization and revolutionary era, brought some 75 attendees into Rev. Wight’s world from his birth in Medfield, MA in 1752 to his death in Bristol in 1837.

Wight’s ancestors came to the New World from the Isle of Wight in England. He served in the American military forces during the Revolution and subsequently carried on his education at Harvard University and pursued ministerial studies. He was a lifelong reader with a good knowledge of Greek, Latin, Hebrew, mathematics and science. He was called to the First Congregational Church in Bristol in 1785 and married Alice Burrington in 1789 in Little Compton. They were the parents of at least 2 sons and 1 daughter. After Alice’s death, he remarried to Clarissa Leonard. They had 7 children of which 5 daughters survived him. Wight practiced medicine as well as religion. He routinely called on sick members of his congregation and provided them with remedies as well as spiritual counsel. Wight died, much loved and respected, on 12 August 1837 in Bristol at the age of 85, 10 years after his retirement as pastor, and was buried in Juniper Hill Cemetery, Bristol.

At the end of the lecture, Steve Brosnihan read excerpts from one of Rev. Wight’s patriotic addresses that spoke to the primacy of democratic independence in the lives of Americans. During the Q&A that followed, members of the audience raised questions about several myths that are told relating to Wight or to the Rev. John Burt, who preceded Wight as pastor of FCC. Through their research, Vaughan and Battcher were able to confirm the story about how the Rev. Burt, educated at Harvard University and ordained pastor of the Congregational Church in Bristol on 13th May, 1741, died at the age of 50 on 7 October, 1775, in the evening of the bombardment of the town by a British squadron. Burt was a strong advocate of liberty and religious freedom and a faithful pastor of his flock. Dyan pointed out the presence in the church’s museum, adjacent to the DeWolf Chapel, of the actual cannon ball that had landed in the field nearby the spot where the Rev. Burt’s corpse was found after the British attack. It is thought that he died of a heart attack while running from the bombardment.

This past Sunday was a celebration of our Sunday School students, now numbering 22, who gather each Sunday to learn about God’s love for our world. Our children have so much to teach us through their love of life, their curiosity, their enthusiasm, determination and vulnerability. Throughout the service on June 7 , we recognized these children who ranged in age from 2 -18 years. We recognized our 3 long-serving acolytes, Naty, Katie and Teddy, and our new team of young acolytes, Tekla, Gabe, Bella, Brady and Sam, who have so ably taken over the symbolic bringing in and taking out the light of God’s love and knowledge during our worship.

We recognized the Sunday School teachers and the two high school-age assistant teachers, Naty and Katie. And finally recognized our graduating seniors, Naty, Gavin, Logan and Izzy, with prayer shawls and gifts and the hope that they will come back and visit us as often as they can, even as they pursue new adventures in their lives.

The service closed with wise words wishing our children grace and peace, telling them how much we love each one of them, how they remind us and teach us of God’s love and the gifts God has given to us through the glory of God that shines in their faces. Amen.

Following the service, the entire congregation poured out into the courtyard where they ate a delicious summer picnic, thanks to the Christian Education Committee, and caught up on the latest news with friends under the tents. A special congratulations to Janine, Marina and Ellie who participated and won many medals in the recent Special Olympics.

Chefs Paul and Doug oversaw the grill, turning out hamburgers, cheeseburgers and hot dogs and a big cake celebrating our children was enjoyed by all.

What a perfect way to celebrate our church family and kick-off summer!

The Deacons are partnering with the Women’s Resource Center to collect donations for survivors of domestic abuse, who often leave home with few resources. The list of special requests and urgent needs includes the listing in the flyer, above, focusing on items for all sorts of cleaning – both personal and domestic.

You can drop these off at the church in the Narthex and the DeWolf Room. Thank you for contributing to this important outreach to our community.

Since the early morning fire last Halloween, the Facilities Committee has overseen a massive amount of cleaning and rehabilitation throughout the church complex. Soot and smoke were professionally removed from all of the spaces including the entire Sunday School wing and the sanctuary. Then the DeWolf Room was painted, the sound baffles were cleaned, and new carpeting was installed. The Wardwell Room and vestibule were repaired and painted, and new tile floors were installed. In the area of greatest damage, the church kitchen which was completely destroyed, the first task was to empty the space of all the appliances and furnishings.

After stripping back all of the walls and ceiling to the studs, it was discovered that the roof of the kitchen space had been damaged by the fire and had to be replaced. Then the plumbing and electrics were replaced, insulation laid in, and dry wall began to be installed.

It won’t be long before FCC Bristol has an entirely new, professional kitchen. We’re looking forward making good use of it for many Fellowship events. There is nothing quite like cooking together and enjoying a good meal together to make friends and spread happiness.