Those attending South Church this weekend not only recognized a historic milestone, some brought history to life.
Led by fife and drum, a crowd of over 500 people walked down School Street and congregated at South Church Sunday, Oct. 16 to observe the church's 300th anniversary, just a day shy of the official date the church was congregated in 1711. An overwhelming portion of the parishioners were dressed for the occasion, with many wearing suits, dresses and garments — including wigs and hair dresses — that covered every period from the 18th century to the 1960s and '70s.
Inside the church, the service itself was tailored to the past, to when 35 Andover men and women formed the church. A beadle walked the aisles, poking sleeping members of the congregation at Rev. John Zehring's command as he preached to the near-capacity crowd about Hell and the extent that "the wicked" walks the earth, echoing the words of Jonathan Edwards' "Sinners In The Hands of An Angry God" from 1741.
"It was an interesting experience to see how it was done around 300 years ago," said Robin Gendron, a North Andover resident dressed in period clothing. "We're so used to the service in 2011 that it was really nice to see just what was done (in the 1700s)."
Brothers Ted and Tim Sorota, 16 and 14, both said that they enjoyed how the service made church history come to life.
"I like how it was done, instead of someone telling you how it was," Ted Sorota said. "It was definitely different. The service was a lot darker. I don't think I could sit through three hours of that."
Dressed as if he lived in the 1920s — around the time the church celebrated its 200th anniversary — Tim Sorota said the overall atmosphere was the perfect way of celebrating the church's tercentennial.
Dascomb Road resident David Jamison, who took part in organizing the church's 275th anniversary returned to South Church for its 300th celebration.
"Every so often, I come back for a special service," said Jamison, who now attends Middleton Congregational. "This was definitely a special one today."
After the service, most of the congregation convened in a hall downstairs for lunch, where music spanning 1651 to 1716 was performed by a live band.
Zehring said that while he doesn't expect to play a role in the church's 400th anniversary celebration in 2111, he will be in the area.
"I'll be out back," Zehring said, laughing as he nodded to the cemetery behind the church. "It has been a great celebration. We are about to kick off our fourth century, so it's interesting to start anew.
"At 400 years, we'll look back and ask the question, 'Were we indeed faithful?'" Zehring said. "I hope that we've been as faithful as our predecessors."
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By the numbers
506: People attending, as counted by deacons during collection
325: Average Sunday attendance
Oct. 17, 1711: Date South Church was founded
Oct. 16, 2011: Church service to celebrate 300th anniversary, held a day early so that celebration is on a Sunday
