Church of the Advent (Pawtucket, R.I.)
Biographical notes:
In 1877 a group of German immigrants desired a Christian education for their children and set up a church school through the Society of Friends in Pawtucket, Rhode Island . With the aid of a member of a Litany Society, Mr. Thomas J. Battey, The Lincoln Street Bible School opened on December 2, 1877 at No. 24 Lincoln St. The school prospered under the direction of two librarians, eight teachers and Brown University student, Fred J. Walton . Walton acted as superintendent to the school.
In May 1880 a patron, Mrs. Harriet Read Armstrong suggested that the church school became affiliated with St. Paul's Episcopal Church and its Rector, Emory H. Porter took charge. The transfer took place on Advent and the church school's name became the Episcopal Mission of the Advent . In 1884 the Mission was allowed to meet in the vacant Taylor’s Store located at Pawtucket Ave. and Main St. until the store space was rented. The Mission then met at the Pidge Avenue School for a brief time until John L. Ross leased his land for free on the condition that the congregants secured funding to build a permanent chapel. The chapel was built on the corner of Pawtucket and Trenton St. and held its first service in December of 1884.
Rev. Porter of St. Paul's continued to minister to the flourishing Mission but it became apparent that a parish organization needed to be formed. Rev. Porter secured the services of Rev. Spink to minister to the Mission and a vestry was formed 1887. Two years later Rev. Spink left. In 1891 Rev. Porter left St. Paul's and the Episcopal Mission of the Advent was without a rector. That same year the Mission bought the land from Mr. Ross. By 1894 more pews were added to the chapel, a parish house was built and the Mission became incorporated as the Church of the Advent. Pledges were secured to hire a full time rector and Rev. Asalph Swift Wicks answered the call in 1895. Rev. Wicks left in 1898 to become the rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd . Rev. James Ernest Barbour received the call in 1899. That year the church building was expanded and consecrated by Bishop McVicker . The Church continued to grow steadily and rectory was added in 1912. A year later Mrs. Harriet Read Armstrong, "the real founder of our church" died. In 1915 new additions were made and the church building was electrified. The now Cannon F. J. Walton from St. Paul's Cathedral in Boston MA was a speaker at the rededication.
Long time parishioner and Deaconess Florence P. Jones married Rev. Barbour in 1917 but died after only a few years of marriage. In 1923 a sexton was appointed and in 1927 an assistant was appointed to handle the work of the busy church. Rev. Barbour died on August 25 1928. He was succeeded by Rev. Seelye Bryant who remained with the church until 1935. Afterward a succession of rectors lead the church; Rev. Harold Lawrence Sweet (1935-1940), Rev. James Murchison Duncan (1940-1943), Rev. Harold Redevers Carter (1943-1968). The migration of people to the suburbs affected the parish membership and its numbers began to decline. After Rev. Carter’s retirement, Rev. Hall provided services for a time. Canon Arthur Fenton Roebuck rector of St. Paul’s took charge of the parish until 1972 until Canon Clifford Westhorp served as priest in charge and then as rector. Under his leadership, Canon Westhorp began an intensive outreach program to attract congregants into the church. Including creating a welcome pamphlet for the Geneva Plaza housing complex which had been build for low income elderly persons next to the church. The parish continued to be diligent and active in maintaining the buildings, fund raising, and charity work of the church but demographic change was not on its side. The numbers remained stagnant and then in the 1990s began to decline steadily. In 1988, shortly after his 50th wedding anniversary, Canon Westhorp resigned as rector and moved to Tennessee with his wife, Dorothy. The Vestry hired a consultant that year to find a new priest to lead the parish. While a search began for a full time rector, a Father Hastings ministered to the parish. Much of the work of the parish administration fell to the senior warden, Ray Stephenson and the vestry. In 1998 Judith Mitchell answered the call to be rector of Church of the Advent and remained until May 5th 2002. The Church of the Advent was dissolved on Advent Sunday, 2005 and its remaining parishioners were welcomed into the Church of the Good Shepherd .
From the guide to the Records of the Church of the Advent, 1886-2005, (University of Rhode Island Library Special Collections and Archives Unit)
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