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Spreading the word for 225 years

By:JOHN HALE August 31, 2001 ( Reprint from Capital Weekly Newspaper)

 

The quilt will celebrate the 225th anniversary of Winthrop Congregational Church.
Photo by JOHN HALE

Winthrop Congregational Church
celebrating anniversary
WINTHROP - On Sept. 4, 1776, two months after our nation's Declaration of Independence was signed, 27 devout souls formed the Winthrop Congregational Church.

It was the first Congregational church to be established in Kennebec County, and through the years the church stood by its community during wars, drought, depression, cataclysmic storms and a revolution in lifestyle.
 

The church on Main Street has seen the coming of the automobile and the airplane and the passing of the trolley car and passenger rail train.
 

Now on Sept. 9, the church is inviting the larger community to celebrate its rich long history.
 

One of the senior members of the congregation, Russell Hewett, observed, "At the beginning of this town, there wasn't much more than a muddy track up over the hill."
 

For the first 49 years of its existence, Winthrop Congregational Church met in a local tavern, Squire Bishop's Inn. Then in 1825, the church built a grand new structure on upper Main Street.
 

In 1860, a simple vestry for programs, classes and some services was built on the present-day location of the church at the corner of Main and Bowdoin streets.
 

In 1904, the first of a series of renovations allowed the congregation to move down to Bowdoin Street and sell the church on upper Main Street, which now is being used for apartments.
 

The sanctuary was completely remodeled and redecorated in 1945 by Harry Cochrane, a noted church architect from Monmouth. In 1975, a major change in the church included moving the building three feet nearer Main Street, changing the entrance from Bowdoin Street to Main Street, and adding new and enlarged vestry, kitchen and storage areas as well as offices, rest rooms, nursery, chapel, classrooms, lobby and landscaping.
 

In 1998, after more remodeling and the installation of an elevator, the church was declared fully accessible to people with disabilities.
 

The church has 125 members today. The Rev. Jack Steeves is pastor.
 

"They have been a force in the town for these 225 years," said Steeves. "They're active in local and world mission. There's certainly a concern for the children of the community. There's a lot of people here who try to reach out to neighbors and even strangers. The church sees itself as a Christ-centered community that cares about each other."
 

One of the church's most prominent ministers was the Rev. David Thurston, who was pastor in Winthrop for 44 years.
 

Thurston was reform-minded and idealistic. He started the first Sunday school in New England.
 

A program written for the 150th anniversary of the church, in 1926, says of Thurston, "Much of the history of the church centers around his personality. He was a pioneer in all matters of reform and a leader outside of his community on the great questions of the day."
 

Thurston was so strongly anti-slavery that his parishioners forced him to resign.
 

Church members today say they carry on Thurston's message of social activism by running programs on family violence and an after-school program for middle school students.
 

The congregation has four members who have more than 50 years of membership in the church. They are Ruth Perry, 80 years; Beatrice Mayo, 56 years; Margaret Southard, 54 years; and Ethyl Maxim, 52 years.
 

Church members are involved in a wide variety of activities to commemorate the anniversary.
 

"We've asked everybody to take part in some way," said Marie Pettengill, co-chairwoman of the missions committee.
 

A special guest at the Sept. 9 program will be the Rev. John Alexander of Arizona. Alexander was pastor of the Winthrop church from 1943 to 1949.
 

Several women of the church are putting together a commemorative quilt in which all individual members were asked to contribute a panel.
 

Marlene Douglas is leading some of the congregation's children in a skit to reflect on the church's history.
 

And Patrice Putman will help some children bury a time capsule.
 

The program for Sept. 9 includes a 10 a.m. church service, 11:30 a.m. potluck lunch and a 1 p.m. program. For more information, call Marie Pettengill at 377-3052. n
 

©Capital Weekly 2001

                  

Fish chowder luncheon brings friends together ( Reprint from Capital Weekly Newspaper 9/9 05)

WINTHROP - Winthrop Congregational Church on the corner of Bowdoin and Main streets was a beehive of activity on Friday, Sept. 9, 2005. The reason is that was the day of the first fish chowder luncheon of the season.

Volunteers of the church put on the fish chowder luncheons the second Friday of the month every month except for December, July and August.

So there was a lot of excitement gearing up for the first luncheon in September.

A lot of work goes into preparing for the luncheons which serve an average of 80 guests, plus another 30 take-out meals.

Men and women show up at the church basement activity room about 8 a.m. on the day of the luncheon. The day before the luncheon, women of the church have baked a variety of pies. Some of the pies are baked on the morning of the luncheon, according to Darlene Rodzen, a veteran baker, and an organizer of the luncheon. She said about 15 church volunteers work on the luncheon.

This year Rodzen baked three pies - blueberry, strawberry-rhubarb and sugar-free blueberry.

Her friend, Marie Pettengill, made an interesting pie - a combination of blackberry, strawberry and raspberry. She also made an apple pie.

In all, volunteers baked 19 pies for the lunch and Darlene Rodzen cut them into individual servings.

"I'm the industrial-strength dishwasher," joked Pettengill. "It's a job you never get fired from."

Rodzen, who is the office administrator at the church, says her work on the lunch is entirely volunteer. She has been volunteering for the lunch for 30 years - since the fish chowder lunches began in 1975.

The cost of the fish chowder lunch is $6 and it is a fund-raiser for the church.

The doors open for the lunch at 11:30 a.m. And the diner gets all-you-can-eat chowder with crackers, homemade biscuits, homemade pickles and a slice of homemade pie. There's always sugar-free pie available. Coffee and lemonade are served as well. All-in-all, it's a delicious meal which, by the way, is served on real china with real silverware. To top it off, on Sept. 9, the tables were decorated with Hydrangea flowers in vases.

The chowder recipe used today was developed by Mary York for that first fish chowder in January 1975. Mary York's daughter, Lee Gilman, is carrying on the family tradition, baking two pies and donating her homemade pickles each month.

Barbara Ingham, who passed away recently, was known as the "biscuit boss," baking 100 biscuits for each chowder luncheon until she was in her 90s. Ginny Webb is the present "biscuit boss."

In the large church kitchen, Bob Ashby presided over three very large kettles, each containing the precious chowder, on a big gas stove, about an hour before the luncheon guests began to arrive.

"The first year, they made me wash dishes," he said. "The next year I was an apprentice under the late Eric Doughty and Russ Hewett. Then I worked my way up to chowder master."

Ashby said each kettle contained 10 pounds of potatoes and 12 to 14 pounds of chowder fish. Two-and-a-half pounds of onions go into each pot, along with butter, milk and evaporated milk. Very little water goes in, plus a minimum of salt and pepper "and patience," Ashby said.

"Usually, we start melting the butter and cutting up the onions at 8 o'clock in the morning," Ashby said. "The rest of the crew is making the coffee and setting up the tables."

Ashby said the chowder starts to cook about 8:30 a.m. and it's pretty much done by 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

"Then it just sits and stays warm after that," he said. "It sits there and mellows until they're ready to serve at 11:30. The secret is not to scorch anything."

Ashby is a retired electrical consultant from northern Maine.

Bill Rodzen, Darlene's husband, said he's been working on the luncheons for six years.

"I come in in the morning and cut up the fish and do whatever's necessary," he said. "I've been delivering meals around town, to teachers at the schools and every once in awhile we have somebody who's sick or a shut-in and we deliver to them."

"All the people who work on it are great and it's a chance to see a lot of different people once a month," Bill Rodzen said.

Jean Doughty, like Darlene Rodzen, has worked on the luncheons since they began in 1975.

"We made $66 in that first luncheon," Doughty recalled. "People from all over town and a lot business people come. Where we're handicapped- accessible, people with walkers come. It's grown immensely."

Doughty said she started out peeling vegetables and she's done all the other jobs. For the last 20 years or so, she's been hostess of the event.

"It's kind of a camaraderie," Doughty said. "People really enjoy the sociability of it. People expect to see us here and we expect to see them here."

At 11:15 a.m., the first guests showed up at the door and they were seated, followed by a steady stream of people behind them.

By 11:45, the activity room was bustling with people and the tables were getting full with guests who were engaged in lively conversation as they enjoyed their homemade chowder and biscuits. They saved the slices of pie they had selected until last.

The Rev. Kimberly Murphy, pastor of the church, said, "It's more than just a meal; it's fellowship."

Charlie Denoyer of Manchester who was there for the lunch with his wife, Lee, said, "This is our first visit, but not our last."

      In 1816 The Congregational Parish in Winthrop, of which Rev. David Thurston was Pastor, sued Mr. John Wadswotth who belonged territorially, but not otherwise to said Parish, for taxes assessed against him for the support of the ministry.
      His cow was attached on the writ, but not wishing to have her sold, and having a right by the law to turn out other property instead, he went to Hallowell and purchased a lot of Bibles, and delivered them to the Sheriff, who had to perform the mortifying duty of advertising the word of God to be sold by Auction and selling them in public Vendue.
       One of the Bibles was purchased by William A. Drew and is now the property of the Winthrop Congregational church.
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The Indian’s Sign Language Version Of  the 23rd Psalm

The Great Father above is a Shepherd Chief.
I am His; and with him, I want not.
He throws out to me a rope; and the name of  the
rope is Love.
He draws me, and He draws me, and he draws me, to
where the grass is green, and the water is not
Dangerous; and I eat and lie down satisfied.
Sometimes my heart is weak and falls down;
but he lifts if up again, and draws me into a good
road.  His Name is Wonderful!
Some time, it may be very soon, it may be longer,
it may be a long, long time, He will draw me into
a place between mountains.  It is dark there, but
I will not draw back.  I will not be afraid; for
it is there between these mountains that the
Shepherd Chief will meet me; and the hunger I have
felt in my heart all through this life will be
satisfied.
Sometimes, He makes the love rope into a whip; but
afterwards, He gives me a staff to lean on.
He spreads a table before me with all kinds of food.
He puts His hands upon my head, and all the "tired"
is gone.
My cup, He fills it till it runs over.
What I tell you is true; I lie not.
These roads that are "away ahead" will stay with
me through this life; and afterwards, I will go to
live in the "Big Tepee" and sit down with the
Shepherd Chief forever.