West Parish of Barnstable to Celebrate 400th Anniversary Sunday

WEST BARNSTABLE – The West Parish of Barnstable is celebrating its 400^th anniversary on Sunday.

Widely recognized as the world’s oldest congregational church, the celebration starts at 10 a.m. with a special service re-enacting worship in 1717 that will include props from the era and people in period costumes.

“It’s going to be a whole, historically accurate worship service that is open to the community,” said Reverend Reed Baer.

For the rest of the year, a number of events will be held at the 1717 Meetinghouse in West Barnstable to commemorate the milestone.

The church’s beginnings can be traced back to England in 1616.

It was then that Reverend Henry Jacob and his followers separated from the Church of England.

Rev. Baer has been pastor of West Parish of Barnstable for 18 years and his wife Christie serves as associate pastor of the parish.

“The congregation has continued on its way through bad times and good, and always looking for new ways to reach out and serve the community,” said Baer.

By JUSTIN SAUNDERS, CapeCod.com Newscenter