page_title: Attleboro, Massachusetts
section_title: Religion
hierarchical_section_title: Attleboro, Massachusetts / Religion
caption_attribution_description: English: Second Congregational Church, UCC church, Attleboro, Massachusetts
context_page_description: Attleboro is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It was once known as "The Jewelry Capital of the World" for its many jewelry manufacturers. According to the 2010 census, Attleboro had a population of 43,593 in 2010.
  Attleboro is located about 10 miles west of Taunton, the same distance to Providence, 18 miles northwest of Fall River, and 39 miles south of Boston.
context_section_description: Religions represented in Attleboro reflect the historic ethnic makeup of the community. The three Catholic churches — St. John, St. Theresa of the Little Flower, and St. Vincent de Paul — reflect the English and Irish, the former French (now Hispanic), and the Portuguese neighborhoods, respectively.
  All Saints Episcopal Church (1890) on North Main Street provides a traditional Anglican presence, although the church is now very diverse. In 2007 it divided over the liberal policies of the US Episcopal Church, resulting in the establishment of All Saints Anglican Church in the Hebronville village of Attleboro. This church is affiliated with an Anglican diocese in Uganda.
  Centenary United Methodist Church on North Main Street began on November 26, 1865, as a fellowship meeting in a building on Railroad Avenue. The first church building on the present site was dedicated in 1896 under the name of Davis Methodist Episcopal Church. The structure was destroyed by fire in 1883. The rebuilt church was named Centenary Methodist Episcopal Church in 1884, commemorating American Methodism's 100th anniversary. In 1998 Centenary and the Hebron Methodist were consolidated into one church.
  Second Congregational Church (1748), near the town common, is typical of a New England town and is the founding church of what was then East Attleboro. It is a daughter church of the First Congregational Church in the Oldtown section of North Attleborough.  Originally located in a meeting house on what is now the common, Second Congregational had a stately white clapboard building built in 1825. It was removed in the early 1950s to make way for the addition of a new Fellowship Hall and education rooms. The main red brick building and clock tower were built in 1904 beside the white church. In the early 1960s the interior of the sanctuary and the entrance were dramatically remodeled, resulting in a blend of high Victorian style and the open feel of mid-century modern. The church owns the Old Kirk Yard Cemetery to its rear, where many of the town's earliest families are buried. In its tower is the clock, owned originally by the city and now by the church. The Jack & Jill School has operated at the church for over 70 years. One of the city's elementary schools is named in honor of the church's first settled minister, the Reverend Peter Thacher.
  Protestant denominations represented in Attleboro include Baptist (Grace Baptist on Oakhill Avenue, Word of Truth Baptist on Union Street, and First Baptist on South Main), Advent Christian (also on Pleasant), Fruit of the Spirit Mission Church (Leroy Street), and Assembly of God (the South Attleboro AOG on Newport Avenue). The Bethany Village Fellowship, formerly Bethany Congregational Church, (1886) is also on Newport Avenue. Christian & Missionary Alliance's (Faith Alliance Church on Pleasant Street), Murray Unitarian-Universalist Church (1875) is on North Main Street. Evangelical Covenant Church (1903) on North Main Street recently celebrated its 100th anniversary. It was once "the Swedish church", but includes many different ethnic groups today. Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses is located on Commonwealth Avenue. The Attleboro Seventh-day Adventist Church is located on Elmwood Avenue across from Capron Park.
  There are also numerous non-denominational churches such as Good News Bible Chapel on West Street (1935), New Covenant Christian Fellowship on North Main Street, Candleberry Ministries on South Main Street, and a handful of ethnic congregations such as St. James Anglican Church (Kenyan) which was started through church planting.
  The Salvation Army Bridges of Hope on Mechanic Street holds Sunday services and weekday and evening support services, including "Bridging the Gap" for adolescents.
  The Immanuel Lutheran Church offers Sunday services.
  The Attleboro Area Council of Churches is very active in the community.
  Congregation Agudas Achim on Kelly Boulevard is part of the Jewish Reconstructionist movement.
caption: Second Congregational Church
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