60 History of Hingham. 



July 22, 1842, Mr. Sereno Howe accepted a call with the under- 

 standing that he was not to enter upon the full discharge of his 

 duties until after the completion of his theological studies ; but in 

 order that he might be qualified to administer the ordinances of 

 the church, he was ordained as an evangelist at Charlestown. 

 Sept. 28, 1842, he was installed as pastor of this church, and 

 continued as such for nearly seven years. His resignation took 

 effect July 8, 1849. During his pastorate seventy-five persons 

 were received into the church, fifty-seven of them by baptism. 



Again, for a period of more than two years, the church was 

 without a regular pastor, during which their spiritual needs were 

 ministered to by many different clergymen and students from the 

 Newton Theological Institution. Among the latter was Mr. Jona- 

 than Tilson, who first preached here Dec. 22, 1850. May 3, 1851, 

 he received a call to become the minister, which he accepted on 

 the completion of his theological studies in the following August. 

 His labors began September 28, and he was ordained November 

 5, of the same year. 



During the summer of 1851, the meeting-house was moved for- 

 ward eighteen feet and raised three feet, the vestry removed, and 

 a larger one built with a committee room in the rear of it ; the 

 interior was improved, a new pulpit took the place of the former 

 one, and new furniture was procured. 



Mr. Tilson's pastorate was the longest in the history of the 

 church, ending Sept. 24, 1876, after a fruitful service of a quarter 

 of a century. He received into the church one hundred and fifty- 

 six persons, of whom one hundred and twenty-five were by bap- 

 tism. During his long period of service, Mr. Tilson interested 

 himself in the affairs of the town as well as the church, and was 

 much respected. 



Rev. A. Stewart McLean, of Charlestown, was installed pastor 

 June 28, 1877, and resigned July 7, 1878. During his pastorate 

 the house was extensively repaired, at a cost of $1,500, and the 

 church received ten persons, of whom seven were by baptism. 



In December, 1878, Rev. Henry M. Dean, of Dayton, Ohio, en- 

 tered upon the duties of minister, and continued until June 30, 

 1887. During his pastorate twenty-seven persons were received 

 into the church, of whom twenty-one were by baptism. 



In 1886, still further repairs were made upon the meeting- 

 house, and colored glass substituted for the former plain glass 

 windows. 



The next minister was Rev. Edward S. Ufford, a graduate of 

 Bates Theological Institute, of Lewiston, Maine. He entered upon 

 his pastorate Nov. 1, 1887, which continued until Nov. 1, 1889. 

 During his pastorate twenty-six persons were admitted to the 

 church, twelve of them by baptism. 



