200th Anniversary of Old Christ Church
Christ Church is an Episcopal congregation founded in 1794.
During the summer and early fall we worship at Old Christ Church (OCC), a beautiful Federal style building on Route 12 halfway between Bethel and Randolph. The entrance is across from Gilead Road.
OCC was consecrated to religious use exactly 200 years ago. Since there was then no Bishop of Vermont, the Bishop of Massachusetts, Alexander Griswold, came up to perform the ceremony on June 24, 2024.
To mark this 200th anniversary, we will hold a series of community events in OCC or on its grounds, each followed by a social hour. Here is the full schedule.
All events will start at 3 PM except the August 18 ghost walk and the September 8 evening concert.
- May 26 (Memorial Day Weekend) The History of Old Christ Church
A lecture and discussion by John Dumville, former head of Historic
Sites Operations for the State of Vermont.
Ice Cream Social to follow.
- June 23 – Harpsichord concert by Joel Speerstra, musician, organ
Builder, lecturer in music at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, and son of long-time OCC members John and Karen Speerstra.
Reception to follow.
- July 21- Folk music and discussion with Dick McCormack, singer,
instrumentalist, state Senator and active community member.
Reception to follow.
- August 11 – Jazz concert local jazz musicians Grace Wallace, vocals, and Bob Merrill, keyboardist. Both perform individually and as part of other groups throughout the region. Reception to follow. More information on the artists at https://www.gracemariewallace.com/ and https://bobmerrill.com/bob-merrill/
- August 18 – Ghost walk. Many interesting people are buried in the OCC graveyard. Here you will get a chance to meet them in person
- and find out more about their life and times thanks to re-enactors from near and far.
- September 8 – Concert by Jennings & McComber, singers and songwriters from nearby Brookfield, Vermont. Their website is https://jenningsandmccomber.com/
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When we are not at OCC we worship in the center of Bethel in another 19th century building.
We are a self-governing congregation with no permanent rector. This has been a successful experiment and has served as a model for other churches.
We invite you to worship with us. We meet at 10 a.m on Sundays and at special services on occasions like Christmas Eve and Good Friday.
Almost all services are followed by a coffee hour for general discussion and fellowship.
Christ Church | P.O. Box 383 | Bethel, Vermont 05032 | 802-234-5680