History of Ballard Vale United Church
The Ballard Vale United Church had it's beginnings in the early months
of 1850 when two churches were formed, namely, The Methodist Episcopal
Church and the Ballard Vale Union Society. In 1955 the two churches joined
to become one united church.
Union Congregational Church
Shortly after the Methodist Church organized, a group of people in the village met on March 18, 1850 and formed "The Ballard Vale Union Society for Public Worship". It was called the Union Society because it represented several religious sects. The hall in the School House was rented for services. On the first Sunday in April, Professor E. A. Park of the Andover Theological Seminary, led the first worship service.
In September 1850 Rev. Henry S. Greene, a Congregational minister, began to preach.
On December 31, 1854 the Union Congregational Church was officially organized and on April 1, 1855 Rev. Greene was installed by council, serving until 1888. Services continued to be held in the school hall until 1875 when church members decided to build both a church and a parsonage.
Methodist Episcopal Church
Some time before 1847 a Sunday school was opened in Ballard Vale and on Sunday evenings services were conducted by parsons from the neighboring churches. These services were held in the hall over the Boston and Maine depot.
Then a Methodist minister was engaged and for six months Rev. Steven G. Hiler, who a few years before had organized the Methodist church in the North Parish, conducted services. At the close of six months, in February 1850 the Methodist Episcopal church was duly organized with the election of officers. The original charter was established on February 21, 1850.
Rev. John Noon preached the first Sunday with Rev. S. S. Cooke and Rev. Hiler alternating until the church was accepted by the New England Conference.
In 1851 the Conference sent Oliver S. Howe as pastor and under his leadership a church was built.
Both churches continued to worship separately for many years. Shortly
after celebrating their 100th anniversaries, serious discussions were
begun about merging the two churches. These discussions continued for
several years until 1955 when the two congregations joined on April
2, 1955 to become the Ballard Vale United Church.
Services were held in the Congregational church because it was a larger facility. The church is still affiliated with both the Methodist and the Congregational Conferences. The Methodist minister, Anthony Perino, preached until the Methodist Conference appointed Rev. Ralph Rosenblad as the first full-time minister of the merged church.
In 1965 it was found that we needed larger facilities for our growing church. In 1966, it was voted to relocate and a contract was signed by Ernest Hall, General Contractor, in February 1967 to build a new church designed by Eric I. Brainerd of Andover. Bishop Matthews had dedicated the site in December 1966. On Sunday, November 26, 1967, the congregation led by their minister Rev. Robert Bossdorf marched from the old church on Andover Street up Clark Road, singing all the way, to the new Ballard Vale United Church for out first service. Since that eventful day, many changes have taken place. Our church building serves a civic as well as a religious need. While housing a thriving Preschool as well as a Boy Scout Group, the Women, Men, and Young People of the church also meet here. The Ballard Vale United Church is a busy and needed part of the community.
The Story of the Union Congregational Church is the history of the Congregational Church as told by Steven Byington. Reading it you will see that nothing ever changes where people and their feelings are involved.
More history about two famous persons in the Union Congregation Church can be found by clicking on the links below.
Steven Byington was a scholar of the bible, lived in Ballard Vale and was a member and officer of the Union Congregational Church.
William Shaw was a Ballard Vale boy who worked himself up from a spooler in the woolen mills at the age of 12 to a leader in the World-Wide Christian Endeavor movement.