Edgewood Congregational Church

about us| more info

Thursday November 20, 2008

about us

About Us

Location: 1788 Broad Street
Cranston, RI 02905

Phone: 401-461-1344
Fax: 401-461-8843
Office Hours: 9 A.M. - Noon

For a map and driving directions click here.

Staff

Pastor: Rev. Dr. Bary R. Fleet
Organist/Choir Director: Brenda Farrell Muoio
Secretary/Newsletter Editor: Linda Lagace -- Office Administrator

Christian Education

Edgewood offers a vibrant, interactive Christian Education program. Classes begin at Sundays at 10:00 a.m. and are available for all ages. Nursery care is available for children younger than 3 years. The minister also leads Bible study for adults.

Worship

At the heart of our congregation is morning worship. We gather Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m. In addition to Child Care, worship provides special emphasis on children during the service when the minister delivers the "sermon in a sack."

Fellowship

In many ways, our congregation is like an extended family. Each Sunday, following worship, there is a Coffee Hour. Also, there are several small groups that meet a variety of needs and interests.

Outreach

Part of our reason for being is to serve the community and the world, which we do through ongoing and special projects. We help sponsor an Ecumenical Food Pantry, as well as underwrite an Ecumenical Heating Fund. We also help meet other local needs through the Deacons' Fund. Nationally and internationally, we solicit annually for Neighbors in Need and One Great Hour of Sharing.

Covenant

As a congregation, we covenant one with another to seek and respond to the Word and Will of God.

We purpose to walk together in the ways of the Lord, made known, or to be made known to us.

We hold it to be the mission of the Church to witness the gospel of Jesus Christ in all the world, while worshipping God, and striving for truth, justice, and peace.As did our forbearers, we depend on the Holy Spirit to lead and empower us.

We pray for the coming reign of God, and we look with faith toward the triumph of righteousness and eternal life.

Our History

In 1891, the Edgewood neighborhood was primarily a "summer seashore resort." The "summer boarders" began to express a desire to worship and conducted services in their homes.

On November 8, these worshippers held the first public service in the Edgewood Casino on Shaw Ave., where 110 people attended. On New Year's Eve that year, they held the first Sunday School at the Babbit home, also on Shaw Ave.

The State Legislature incorporated in January 1892 the Edgewood Church. Yet it was not until March 1, 1894 that the church purchased a lot on part of the Arnold Farm, with a two-year mortgage of $3,500.

The cornerstone of the new $13,000 brick church was laid on September 12, 1901. In 1923, renovations and additions were completed, including the Arnold Ave. wing.

Disaster struck in February 1946 when a fire completely destroyed the sanctuary and extensively damaged the rest of the building. The church then held worship services at the Harmony Lodge No. 9, F&AM, while the Chruch of the Transfiguration also made its facilities available.

The new sanctuary was dedicated in January 1950, but other parts of the building were not completed until 1954. In 1966, the church was enlarged, the steeple was added, and the enclosed connector was built.

In more than a century of worship, fellowship, and service, the church has received more than 2,100 members.

As we enter our second century of ministry in this community, we are enthusiastic as we regularly join in receiving spiritual nurture, provide Christian education, celebrate God's wondrous gifts, share the struggles of everyday life, and serve as Christ's representatives in reaching out to the needs of the community and world around us.

Much of this information came from "Fifty Years, a Historical Review," written in 1944 by Arthur Carter, a devoted ECC member.