Emmanuel Church (Killingworth, Connecticut) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Emmanuel Episcopal Church
|
|
 |
|
 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 50 Emmanuel Church Rd., Killingworth, Connecticut |
|---|---|
| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1800 |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 99000924 |
| Added to NRHP | August 05, 1999 |
The Emmanuel Episcopal Church is a historic church building located at 50 Emmanuel Church Road in Killingworth, Connecticut, United States. It's a special place with a long history, serving its community for over 200 years.
Contents
History of Emmanuel Episcopal Church
Early Beginnings and Building the Church
The church community started in the mid-1700s. It was known as the Episcopalian Society of North Bristol (now North Madison) and North Killingworth. In 1800, this group officially became a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut. A parish is like a local church community.
The church building you see today was built in 1803. After 1805, it was called Union Church. On July 10, 1800, 19 people from North Madison and two from Killingworth officially started the church. The building was finished and formally blessed in 1817 by Bishop Hobart of New York. The first part-time pastor, Nathan Bennett Burgess, started working there in 1801.
Renaming and Challenges
In 1869, the church was made a bit bigger. It was also officially renamed Emmanuel Church. The name "Emmanuel" comes from Latin and means "God is with us." Later in the 1800s, the church faced tough times. There were only a few families left in the church group. They even thought about selling the building.
A New Leader and Growth
Things changed when Reverend George B. Gilbert became the pastor in 1909. Reverend Gilbert had studied at Trinity College and Berkeley Divinity School. He was known for his friendly style and caring about ordinary people.
Reverend Gilbert brought new life to Emmanuel Church. He helped the number of people attending grow. He also organized fun picnics that would bring hundreds of people to the church's quiet location in Killingworth. For almost 40 years, he also served as pastor for other churches nearby.
A Famous Country Preacher
In the late 1930s, a magazine called Christian Herald was looking for a "traditional country preacher" to write a book about. Their readers suggested Reverend Gilbert as the perfect person. He wrote a book about his life called Forty Years a Country Preacher. It was published in 1939 by Harper and Brothers.
This book became very popular! It was on The New York Times Best Seller list for several months. Reverend Gilbert was even featured in Life magazine on July 24, 1939, and in Time magazine. His son, Charles, shared that his father wrote the book by hand while recovering from an operation. His daughter, Virginia Gilbert, typed the manuscript.
Reverend Gilbert was also a state representative and a chaplain for the state Senate. He passed away in 1948 at age 76. His son said that Reverend Gilbert believed helping the church also meant helping people who were struggling. He would often invite people who needed help to live and work on his farm in Middletown. "He liked to help poor people, that was his bent," his son said. "We always had one or two strangers, people who were down on their luck, living with us."
Changes and Modernization
After Reverend Gilbert's death, Emmanuel Church faced difficulties again. His daughter, Virginia Gilbert, worked hard to keep the small group of church members together during the 1950s.
In the late 1960s, the church changed from a parish to a mission. This helped them get more money from the state Episcopal diocese. With this help, electricity was installed in the church for the first time in 1970.
In 1980, the church joined the Middlesex Area Cluster Ministry. This is a group of small Episcopal churches that share ministers. This group has helped churches in Killingworth, Higganum, and Northford for many years.
A big improvement came in 1989 with the building of a parish hall and kitchen. This meant Emmanuel Church finally had its first indoor plumbing facilities! Before that, for 189 years, the congregation had used an outhouse.
Inside the Church
The Pipe Organ
The church has a special organ built by Karl Wilhelm Inc. from Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Quebec. This organ was designed and built using old methods from the 1600s. It stands on its own and is made of white oak wood. It has hand-carved butternut wood decorations that are covered with 22 karat gold leaf.
The organ's keys are also unique. The natural keys (like the white keys on a piano) are covered with ebony wood. The sharp keys (like the black keys) are made of rosewood and covered with cow bone. The organ has 8 "stops" of metal pipes. These pipes are made of a tin-lead mix and can make many different sounds, from very soft to bright and full. The "Bourdon" pipes, which make deep bass notes, are played with the feet on the pedal board. These pipes are made of wood. In total, the organ has 636 pipes!
Other Features
The church also has a beautiful stained glass window. A brass chandelier hangs inside, adding to the church's historic feel.
Current Use and Community Work
The church community today is part of the Episcopal faith. They are very active in helping their local community and beyond.
Their outreach programs include:
- Helping Hands Food Bank
- HK Back Pack programs (which help provide food for kids)
- Welcome baskets for the Albert J. Solnit Children's Center
- Amazing Grace Food Pantry
- St. Vincent dePaul's Place
- Bishop's Fund for Children
- Heifer International (which helps families around the world)
- Lulac Head Start
- New Horizons Women's Shelter
- Collecting clothes for Native American communities in South Dakota
- Supporting Mision Divino Salvador in Bogota, Colombia
The Emmanuel Episcopal Church building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. This means it is recognized as an important historic site.
See also
