History of
the Washington New Hampshire
Seventh-day Adventist Church
WASHINGTON, NEW HAMPSHIRE, CHURCH. In the township of
Washington, about three miles from the village of Washington Center, stands a
rural church building, a white wooden structure (for description, see Church
Buildings), that is often referred to as "the first SDA church." More
precisely, it is the church in which originated the first group of Sabbatarian
Adventists. In 1844, apparently, in this church of the Christian Brethren, a
traveling Methodist minister, Frederick Wheeler,
and a number of the lay members, who were already Adventists (Millerites), began to keep the seventh day
and thus became, in that limited sense, Seventh-day Adventists. In 1851 and on
they were visited by the Whites and others. In 1862 they became an organized
SDA church, but only later acquired possession, and eventually ownership, of
the church building.
The Washington, New Hampshire, church was not the first organized SDA church,
nor was the building the first SDA house of worship; for by 1862 there were
other SDA churches already fully organized, and as early as the autumn of 1855
there was an SDA church building in Buck's Bridge, New York, and one either
built or under construction in Battle Creek, Michigan (Review and Herald,
61:60 footnote, Jan. 22, 1884; 78:765, Nov. 26, 1901). However, the Washington
church may be considered the birthplace of the first Sabbath-keeping Adventist
congregation. James White described it as "the place where Sabbath-keeping
was first practiced among Adventists" (ibid., 31:104, Jan. 28,
1868).
Accounts are contradictory as to the number of the
Sabbath-keepers and the time when they began to observe the day, though the
principal facts are clear. For the differing views on these points, see A. W.
Spalding, Origin and History of Seventh-day Adventists, volume 1, pages
397-400, on which are notes to pages 115-121. These notes summarize the
principal sources on the Washington church, apparently derived largely from the
research of D. E. Kobinson. See also L. E. Froom, Prophetic Faith of Our
Fathers, volume 4, pages 945-953.
From the Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia, Volume
10, page 1575, 1976. Review and Herald Publishing Association.
The Church Building
CHURCH BUILDINGS. Throughout their history SDA's have
erected various types of church buildings. The first church in which a group of
Adventists became Sabbath-keepers, in 1844, was one erected in 1842 or 1843 by
the Christian Brethren of Washington, New Hampshire. (A group of 15 organized
the SDA church there in 1862, but it was many years before the SDA's had full
ownership of the building.)
This church is a simple rectangular frame building 30 by 40
feet, with clapboard exterior and a plain gable roof. There are two separate
entrance doors at the front, leading into a small vestibule, from which two more
doors open into the church auditorium, and a narrow stairway leads up to a
small balcony. The interior walls are plastered, and there is a series of plain
glass windows on two sides, one of which overlooks the church cemetery about 75
feet away. The church seats about 120.
From the Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia, Volume
10, page 295, 1976. Review and Herald Publishing Association.
For more information on the Washington, New Hampshire, SDA Church, see
their website, http://www.tagnet.org/washington/
From the sign on the stone monument outside the
Church
In April, 1842, a
group of citizens whose farms stretched over these hillsides banded together to
form "The First Christian Society in Washington, New Hampshire."
Because the places where they worshiped were, as they expressed it, too
"straight for them" they decided to "erect a small, neat and
commodious house" to be "dedicated to the worship of God." Plans
called for a building "30 by 40 feet, one story high, the posts about 15
feet."
In the Adventist
movement of 1842 and 1843 the members of this "Christian Society"
espoused the Advent hope. Shortly thereafter, Rachel
Oakes, a Seventh-day Baptist, moved to the community, worshiped with the
Adventists, and distributed tracts on the importance of keeping the seventh day
as the Sabbath. The result was that on a Sunday morning in the autumn of 1844 William Farnsworth arose in the congregation
and stated that he intended to observe the seventh day Sabbath. His wife, his
brother Cyrus, and about a dozen others
joined him. All were disfellowshipped for their stand.
In January, 1862,
the Sabbath-keepers here in Washington, after meeting for years as a loosely
knit company, organized into a Seventh-day Adventist Church, with William and
Cyrus Farnsworth as charter members. In the decade that followed, the majority
of the Christian Society Group accepted the seventh day Sabbath, and as a
consequence the church property passed to Seventh-day Adventist control.
This church is
considered the birthplace of the first Sabbath-keeping Adventist Congregation.
Pioneer church leaders including Joseph Bates, James and Ellen White, and J.N.
Andrews were occasional visitors here. The worldwide work of Seventh-day Adventists
has been enriched by the youth of this church who in dedicated service have
filled positions as ministers, teachers, and publishing leaders.
Donated by the Medical
Group Foundation, Inc., October 1971