History

ECPC has been blessed to have its roots in Vermont farming families since our origins, and these roots have spread out to reflect the great diversity of artists, academics, musicians, scientists, and many other ordinary pilgrims who have made Vermont home over the centuries.

Presbyterians in Craftsbury began meeting occasionally around 1810, and the gatherings grew as Scottish farming families began to migrate to the area (some descendants of those families still attend today). On September 14, 1816 the church was chartered under the Reformed Presbyterian Church of America, commonly called the Covenanters, who were orthodox Calvinists deeply opposed to slavery and who did not use musical instruments in worship.

In 1906 the church’s governing board voted to dissolve relationship with the Reformed Presbyterians and to affiliate with the United Presbyterian Church (now called the Presbyterian Church (USA)).  They also purchased a reed organ, which is still used occasionally in worship today. Our church building was dedicated in January, 1910.

For more history, our own historian Bruce Shields compiled a detailed history of our church in a booklet that is available upon request.

The emphasis of the church has always been to promote the personal and corporate worship of God through Jesus Christ, to serve those with needs, and to participate in spreading his good news throughout the world.