Historic Series - First Church of Pembroke Hosts Church History Discussion

On Sunday, October 14, 2012, the First Church in Pembroke hosted a church history discussion led by noted historian, Dr. Peggy Bendroth, Executive Director of The Congregational Library on Beacon Street in Boston.  Formed in 1853 the Congregational Library now holds 225,000 items documenting the history of one of the nation’s oldest and most influential religious traditions.   The extensive array of contemporary and classic religious material includes resources on American religion and New England local and town histories.  Peggy has a B. A. from Cornell University and a Ph.D in history from the Johns Hopkins University.  She is the author of several books, including “Fundamentalists and the City:  Conflict and Division in Boston’s Churches, 1885 to 1950” (Oxford 2005).  The discussion was part of the Town's 300th anniversary celebration.

 

The question-and-answer session with Peggy gives insight into New England's early religious days and thoughts regarding state taxes paid for church endeavors, the famous “wheel of cheese,” the origins of the rift between Unitarians and Congregationalists, and the life of a young man who became the first person from Japan to earn a Western degree.

Click here to see this video made by the volunteers of Pembroke Community Media Center, right here in Pembroke, MA.

As a Commonwealth of Massachusetts non-profit and IRS 501(c) (3) tax-exempt business, Pembroke Community Media Center offers the benefit of all donations being fully deductible. 

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