Nine members first began meeting in private homes on October 9, 1822. Jotham Sewall, an itinerant minister from the Massachusetts Missionary Society and later the Maine Missionary Society helped the group form into a church. Over 30 years, he preached more than 69 times to this young faith group. He watched them grow from a small group meeting in private homes to a strong faith community. In 1835,
they began meeting in the newly built Union Meeting House. The church was covered by Rev. Sewall and other supply ministers until 1848 when Rev. Clark was ordained as their first settled minister. Not only did the Congregationalists meet at the Union Meeting House starting in 1835, but the Baptists and Unitarian Universalists met there as well. The Union Meeting House has served as the spiritual home for many faith communities over the years. Over the last 40 plus years the Union Meeting House has been the Spiritual home for Phillips Shared Ministry (United Church of Christ & United Methodist Church). Since January of this year, it serves as the home of Phillips Community Church, Congregational, United Church of Christ. Phillips Community Church serves families in Phillips, Avon, and Madrid. Regular worship is held on Sunday mornings at 10AM with Pastor Susan Kaplan-Burgess, their settled pastor presiding. The church offers a regular Bible Study throughout the year. The church also offers a Vacation Bible School in the summer. Home , nursing home and hospital visits are offered as well as home communion. This church serves the community through lunches for senior citizens, a community meal in the fall, a holiday fair, and a special shopping day in early December just for kids, where children can come and purchase gifts for their family for a small donation. The church also sponsors one or more families during the holiday season through SAVES and provides them with gifts as well as necessities. They also reach out beyond the community through the work of the Franklin Association Honduras Partnership, the Neighbors in Need fund as well as School and Hygiene kits for Church World Service.
