A Brief History

The Williston Federated Church has its roots in early Congregational and Methodist activity in the town.

The local Congregational history dates back to the end of the 18th century when, in 1790, plans were made to hire a minister and to build a meeting house "for religious services, town meetings and other assemblies." Early Williston Methodists were served by circuit riders. The Williston Methodist Church was officially organized in 1844.

The first recorded joint meeting of the Methodist and Congregational churches was in 1889 when union services were held during a week of prayer. In 1899, the two churches voted to unite to support one pastor. So it was that the Williston Federated Church was formed, reportedly the first such federation in Vermont. The church building has a clock in the tower was installed in 1900. The clock continues to keep the time and toll the hours having been refurbished at the same time the church steeple was restored in 1998.   More information on the history of the church can be found at this link.

Mission Statement:

Our church is a community which seeks, welcomes and gathers people to share the Gospel of God’s love, enables people to find fullness of life through Jesus Christ, goes into the world to live lovingly and justly as servants of Christ, and responds actively to human need. 

Sunday Services:

Sunday church services begin at 9:30am.  We provide child care during the service for the youngest children and Sunday school is also available during the service time.  Masks are provided for anyone who prefers to use them, but are not required in the main part of the sanctuary.  Please come as you are.  You are welcome to join us at our Sunday services or any of our community events. 

Parking:

We have a parking lot behind the church with handicapped access to the sanctuary at 44 North Williston Road for those with special needs.  There is also an overflow lot adjacent to the church which is easily accessible to the building.

Staff:

Pastor Paul Eyer and the staff are available to answer any questions about church functions and membership.  A list of our staff can be found on this page.  You can contact us at this link.

We, the Williston Federated Church, declare ourselves to be an Open and Affirming, Reconciling congregation. With God’s grace, we seek to be a congregation that includes all persons, embracing differences of sexual orientation, gender, marital status, age, mental and physical ability as well as racial, ethnic, or social-economic background. We welcome all to share in the life and leadership, ministry and fellowship, worship sacraments, responsibilities, and blessings of participation in our congregation (adopted by the Williston Federated Church congregation in 2006).

All are welcome here at WFC. Being a full member of the church is not a requirement for participation in all aspects of worship, serving on committees, providing outreach and service to others. It is an opportunity to make a public statement of Christian witness. If you are new to the church community, or have been worshipping with us for years, and are interested in joining the church, please speak to Pastor Paul Eyer.