The Congregational Church in Killingworth is pleased to announce the publication of a book entitled History of The Congregational Church in Killingworth, Connecticut. This comprehensive history begins with the first settlement of the town in 1663 and the first establishment of the church in 1667. In 1735, the General Assembly passed an act dividing Killingworth into two ecclesiastical societies and in 1737 granted permission for the establishment of a church in the Second Ecclesiastical Society, now present-day Killingworth. From that point, the history is that of the church in the Second Society to the present time.

The book is divided into sections describing the events in each century over a period of nearly 350 years. For each century, the pastors and other famous people, the meetinghouses, and society houses are described. There are chapters on church groups and activities including the diaconate, singing and music, pews and slips, the bell, the parsonage, the Agricultural Hall, women’s organizations, missions, Christian education, and country church fair. Because the church and town were nearly inseparable in early times, much of the book is also a history of the Town of Killingworth. The church in Killingworth also experienced and participated in the broader events taking place in Congregationalism, so that the book is also a reflection of the history of Congregationalism in this country since its establishment by the Pilgrims and Puritans in the seventeenth century.

The book is authored by Thomas L. Lentz, who also authored A Photographic History of Killingworth, available from the Killingworth Historical Society. He is the Historian of the Congregational Church and the Killingworth Municipal Historian. The book is hardcover, 181 pages, and has numerous illustrations. The book is published in a limited edition of 500 copies by Gateway Press, Inc. It can be purchased from the church Secretary in the Parish Hall for $35. The Secretary’s office is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays. To obtain the book by mail, send $40 (includes postage) to:

The Congregational Church in Killingworth
Attn: Church History
273 Route 81
Killingworth, CT 06419

Checks should be made out to The Congregational Church in Killingworth. All profits from the sale of this book go to the support of The Congregational Church in Killingworth.