Norwich bulletin., 1922-10-02
MONTv|LLE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
 CELEBRATES 2OOth ANNIVERSARY

 celebrated it's bi-centennial Sunday with l services in the morning and afternoon at which Rev. E. P. Aver. it's 18th pastor, l presided The church was filled at both services, many of those attending being former members now resident in othS places who had returned to unite with the present membership in the celebration of the successful completion of 200 years of church history,
 Rev. Harrod Soule of Hartford, state secretary, 7, made the historical address at the morning session, following music by the choir responsive reading led by Rev. H. T. Arnold of Norwich, and prayer by the pastor. The church was attractively decorated with flowers, with the figures 1722-1922 on a panel in the rear of the pulpit
 Historical Address
 Rev. Mir Soule spoke as follows.
 Age Is a matter of relativity and this apart from any theory of Prof. Einstein. The Montville Congregational church is a child of tender years or an adult of ad- vanced age according to the standard you select. Over a score of years ago 1t was my privilege to attend the Sooth an- niversary of the founding of the cathedral in Norwich, England. I was immensely impressed with the fact that here was Christian institution with it's massive material plant organized and erected nearly 800 years before America was dis covered. This would make the Montville meeting house mighty modern.
 On the other hand, comparing this church with the SEA other Congregational churches in Connecticut, the distinction changeth, for in the age class only 67 stand ahead of you and 257 stand below you.
 This reckoning makes you belong to the ancient and feel sure the honorable One Congregational church in Connecfi- cut is your Newington-both of you being born Oct. 3. 1722, and last evening I attended and took part in her 200th birthday party. Coming closer to 1 the New London Association of Congre- gational Churches, comprising 29 in all. I l find that g are older than yourself and | 19 not so full of years, and these taper | down to the juvenile class.
 | The veritabie mother church is the l First in New London, who set up ecclesi- 1 astical housekeeping in 1642, and when l you came along as her child she was | having grandchildren. In this New Lon l don association family those nearest of ] your age were Griswold, two years older and Lisbon, one year younger. who were rather nieces or cousins once removed I The Colonial records reveal that this l tract here and hereabout before 17aO be- longed nowhere in particular and literally the native Indian roamed and resided ir the region round about. In 1703 New | London assumed proteetorate and pro l prietorship. The few white settlers en. joyed or endured the means of grace by 1 going to meeting in New London. Bu their tribe increased and a church o their own was earnestly desired. It tool nearly ten years (1713) to get loose iron
 mothers apron strings and the condition
 of separation was to secure a settled or
 thodox minister of the gospel.
 After the backing and filling of various
 committees covering nearly a decade ol Oct. 3, 1722, six stalwart and immens
 saintly men set up the banner of tn Lord in the north woods of New London and constituted church of Christ who's two centuries of life we celebrate today This feel sure is about the only time il these 200 years of church membershi that the men so overwhelmingly outnum 1 bered the women.
 Of course there must be meetni i, house and land a plenty for the minister l The sanctuary was set on hill so i could not be hid, Raymond Hill. a mile 0 i so west of here. where the old cemeter is Here the tribes could go up to wof ship as early as 1723. and it lasted nearl 50 years 91770). The second sanctuar! practically on this site lasted 75 year : (1S47) and the third and present one lla been in use 75 years. Since you have ac quired the habit of longer use of churc !. edif1ces, I encourage you to go on in tn :, use of this by completing century
 occupation, for it bears evidence strength and dignity,
 While your ancAste-s were occupyin
 the second sanctuary v3d wele set off g :; a separate town (17S3) and called Mon z vile. and thereby to me a mystery lingel : in the name. Why Montville. French f.
 Mount and Vile? Your forefathers wei . of Anglo-Saxon stock. come out fro . 1 such emphatieally English places as Lol ' don and Thames. Wherefore this FrenC . Nomenclature? If you had been set apa 7 with an Indian name it would have bee T, most natural, for locations round abol are rife with such names but only or # town in the state is tagged wGth an Il . dian name-Naugatuck
 | I am inclined to think, though it V solely surmise, that the name came fro : memories of the first meeting house . Raymond Hill, which has nearly the ma t esty of a mountain and the expectation
 
 Q crown it's summit. Few foreigners we if there in 17S3 3,whatever has occurred sine
 and at any period few have been Frenc Ii men.
 t But minister goes with meeting hou e and the first on the long list was an Iris
 man. You see that the foreigners came # at the very first. This is no mode Ie Montville mark. The first pastor, Re
 James Hillhouse. was a native of Erir
 Isle. able and brilliant, as we might e
 pec+ and absolutely reliable in charactt s He was introduced to this church by Re 4 Governor and Judge Gurdon Saltonst; U of New London.
 .o Reading between the lines of the rath ,s rneagre record of his ministry, l am co :, strained to infer that Rev. James Hi y house ran true to form as regards l ,a Irish race and possessed the character = tic choleric temperament of the Celt -a fore ten years of service were complet
 he had hit many If not the most of | as heads ip sight.
 ,r One sure evidence is the delay in pa ,e ing or declining to pay his salary. Ev be to this day such an attitude is stro IL cireumstantia1 evidence of ministerial q
 favor. Tn those days of church a
 state. taxes were certain for the supp
 of the means of grace As mitigati .,- circumstances of the times. the place. 1 n fewness of the people under the pressl eys of poverty generally found it difficult ol meet promptly and in full their ob1ii I'. ne tions to their pastor, but this is not - whole story. Arrears in salary amount t, to so much that in 1735 Rev. MT. H
 i house made his appeal to Caesar" for
 petitioned the general assembly for rel
 and reinforcement.
 ,R This body took immediate and dras
 action. ordered an audit of accounts. I debt to be paid in three months after