Ecclesiastical History. 



67 



EVANGELICAL CONGREGATIONAL SOCIETY. 







EVANGELICAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING- 

 HOUSE. 



The first minister of 

 this church and society 

 was Rev. Ebenezer Por- 

 ter Dyer. Mr. Dyer was 

 born in South Alding- 

 ton, Aug. 15, 1813, en- 

 tered Amherst College 

 in 1829, where he re- 

 mained one year, and 

 was graduated at Brown 

 University in 1833, af- 

 ter which he pursued 

 his theological studies 

 at the Andover Theo- 

 logical Seminary. He 

 was licensed to preach 

 in 1838, at Carlisle, and 

 was ordained by the 

 wayside at Stow, Sept. 

 25, 1839. He was for 

 a time pastor of the Evangelical Congregational Church in Stow, 

 from which he was dismissed in March, 1846. He served as 

 city missionary in Boston from February, 1846, to October, 

 1847. While city missionary, in August, 1847, upon invitation 

 of the Norfolk Conference of Churches, he visited Hingham with 

 a view to establishing Evangelical Congregational preaching here. 

 Religious services according to this faith had previously been 

 held by Rev. Mr. Loring, in the Town Hall, and in September, 

 1847, with financial aid from the Norfolk Conference, an engage- 

 ment was made for Mr. Dyer to preach in the Town Hall for a 

 period of one year. In October of the same year a Sunday-school 

 was organized. Dec. 21, 1847, a church was formed, with eleven 

 members, of which Asa H. Holden was chosen deacon. 



In 1848 the present meeting-house was erected, at the junction 

 of Main and Pleasant Streets, and on Jan. 4, 1849, it was 

 dedicated. 



At the close of Mr. Dyer's engagement of a year he became the 

 settled minister, and his installation took place on Jan. 4, 1849, 

 the dav of the dedication of the meeting-house. 



Mr. Dyer was dismissed from his pastorate Nov. 17, 1863, after 

 sixteen years' service, during which he served the church faith- 

 fully, and he was a good citizen of the town as well. 



The ministers of this church who succeeded Mr. Dyer have been 

 the following : — 



Rev. Henry W. Parker, a graduate of Amherst College and 



