Congregants, friends, and former congregants gathered at First Reformed Presbyterian Church of Cambridge (FRPCC) on Aug. 21–22 to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the church. The celebration was postponed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, we reached 125 years as an organized congregation, while in 2021, we marked 125 years in the current church building in Cambridge, Mass.

The celebration began with a worship service, with preaching from Dr. Jonathan Watt, pastor at FRPCC from 1986–92. His message from Acts 19 exhorted us to embody Christ’s love and truth in face-to-face ministry. At the conclusion of the worship service, attendees headed down the street to a local park for a fellowship meal of catered food.

The celebration continued with an evening program to commemorate the years of God’s faithfulness and grace. The program was emceed by our pastor, Noah Bailey, and began with Patrick Mangan, a current member, recapping the 126 years of FRPCC in the context of significant local and national events.

Highlights about FRPCC

• 1895: Congregation organized on July 9 with 17 communicant members

• 1896: Building completed Sept. 4 on land donated by a congregant; first church service on Sept. 24

• 1959: Parsonage purchased

• 1970s: Congregation dwindled and nearly closed

• 2006: Church plant, Christ RPC, established in East Providence, R.I.

• 2017: Noah Bailey began serving as 17th pastor after a 3-year vacancy

• 2020: 125th anniversary

Kyle Finley, deacon, then gave an overview of work completed on the church and parsonage. Cur-rent projects include outdoor work on the parsonage and a handicapped accessible ramp. We are thankful for the hard work of our deacon, and former deacons, on these projects to continue to keep our buildings updated and accommodating.

A recording was then played of an interview with our oldest member, Janet Millican. She dis-cussed her memories and changes she has seen over the years, and how the church has spread the gospel in the community.

Following the interview was a video compilation of previous church attendees providing memories and thoughts about their time at FRPCC. We heard from people in the U.S. as well as those abroad, including more lengthy reflections from Jan-Hermen Dannenberg, a ruling elder in the Netherlands. Cheryl Hemphill, daughter of the late FRPCC pastor Paul McCracken, who had traveled from Wyoming to join the celebration, gave a short speech on her life in the parsonage, FRPCC, and growing up in Cambridge. Brian Wright, son of current congregants, and current RP pastor in Sterling, Kan., gave a video charge regarding the call to the pastorate. Scattered in be-tween the speeches were Bible charades performed by Pastor Bailey’s family and Elder Tim Montgomery’s family.

An open mic time concluded the program, where in-person attendees shared their experiences. Many came up to share how much the church had impacted their lives, to tell how they had come to know the Lord through the ministry of this congregation, and to testify to the faithfulness of the church throughout the ages.

The celebration concluded with our Lord’s Day morning worship service, in which Dr. Jonathan Watt again preached from the book of Acts, comparing our situation to the Apostle Paul’s in Athens. He pointed out that opportunities to know, relate, speak, and love may come unexpectedly.

We are thankful for all who were involved, especially the Anniversary Committee, and we are most thankful to our heavenly Father for His faithfulness to our congregation throughout the years. To Him be the glory.

The livestream of the program can be viewed from the congregation’s Facebook page.