Waltham church to dissolve after 122 years

By Megan McKee, Town Correspondent

As kids readied costumes for trick or treating and members of Waltham's historic Covenant Congregational Church wrapped up their annual pumpkin fundraiser last Sunday, the Rev. Linda Williams gave a sermon called “Winter.”

“As winter closes in on our church, we will experience the unavoidable pall of death,” said Williams during the sermon “But we can remember this, we can hold fast to this: Even winter, the most dismaying of all seasons, is life-giving... God has a purpose for everything, even in the waning of winter and life.”

Though her somber meditation on the season as a metaphor for death seemed incongruous with the bustle of excitement on a sunny Halloween, there was a reason she chose such a weighty topic. That day, members of the 122-year-old church voted to dissolve the congregation.

“It's been in a state of decline,” said Williams in an interview. She said that though the vote was taken on Sunday, members have been trying to save the church for awhile. “For quite a few years they were trying to figure out how to turn it around,” she said.

In the end, the financial realities and weariness of a dedicated corps of church members were the final triggers for the drastic measure, she said.

Williams said that average Sunday attendance has been 40 people, and the same small group of people have been shouldering the bulk of duties required to run a church.

For these people, the familiar Sunday routines and surroundings for sacred life events will conclude on Nov. 21, when Williams is scheduled to deliver the church's final sermon.

One of those people is Helen Olsen, who has been attending Covenant Church since she was 5 years old. She is now 78.

“It's a sad day for us. I never thought I'd see it happen in my lifetime,” said Olsen. “I don't know where in the world we'll go.”

She was the first person to be married in the church's current location, a former Swedenborgian Church at 375 Lexington St. Her marriage in 1952 gave her four children, and the daughter who still lives in the area attends services when her schedule permits it.

“It's been a wonderful church to raise the children in. It's been a wonderful,” she said. “You were well taken care of in cases of sickness or any problems.”

Williams said the property will be sold to another church, with first preference going to an evangelical congregation. In the meantime, the two ethnic churches that rent space for services, Sichem Adventist Assembly and CECU, can continue to meet.

Money raised from the sale will go directly to fund the start up of new Covenant Churches

Olsen said she and other members are trying to figure out where they'll go now. She said she'll probably end up at the Trinity Covenant Church in Lexington, but is worried about some of her friends.

“Some are confused and don't know what to do,” she said. “I think quite a few don't know what to do.”

She talked about the process of church members accepting a hard decision. “I think most people realized people-wise and money-wise that we couldn't continue. Some of us hoped we could go into December. I don't even know if we could have made it,” said Olsen.

The Covenant Congregational Church has a long history in Waltham. Started by a group of Swedish settlers in 1888, the church originally met in one of the founder's homes. That founder has a granddaughter who is still a member of the church and who will turn 92 on the day of the final sermon, said Williams.

Swedish was the church's spoken language until the early 1900s, but these days, members have heritage from around the world, said Williams.

In 1951, the church moved from its former Central Street location to its current location after the Swedenborgian Church sold them the property for $1. Though the building needed serious work, church members were up to the task and even put on two additions, said Olsen.

For the past several years, the church has had a pumpkin patch fundraiser. The pumpkins are grown by Navajo Indians in New Mexico, trucked to Waltham, and sold by the church. Two-thirds of sales go to the Navajo growers with the rest donated to local organizations.

This year, in the midst of their grieving, church members chose to hold the fundraiser and took in a record $11,000 from pumpkin sales, said Williams.

She said that the event was symbolic of the grace and dignity of parishioners who have stood united in the midst of life-altering adversity.

“It's a pretty amazing thing...It takes a lot of courage to make the call like this,” Williams said. “This has been their home.”

The church will have a celebration dinner on Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. The final worship service will be Nov. 21 at 10:15 a.m. Contact the church at 781-893-7717 for more info.

To hear Williams' sermon, “Winter,” go here.

Megan McKee can be reached at megan.mckee@gmail.com.