1809 Revivals in Concord, Guildhall, & Norwich, Vermont
Concord, Vermont Revival
The Congregationalists in Concord, Vermont, experienced a revival, evidently beginning around the end of 1809. From a very brief article in The Christian’s Magazine, taken from a letter dated January 11, 1810, we find the following information about this revival:
► There were close to 40 who joined the Congregationalist Church the previous Sunday (January 7).
► The church conducts three services on Sunday: morning, afternoon, and evening.
► The church conducts services in different parts of the town, up to 4 evenings during the week.
Concord Church
Guildhall Revival
► The revival in Concord spread to Guildhall, Vermont, located about 25 miles away.
► The church in Guildhall was said to have experienced “an astonishing revival” during December 1809.
► Forty-two new members joined the church, and 13 more were in process of membership.
► The entire town was “under deep concern” for the welfare of their spiritual condition.
► Two judges and two attorneys in Guildhall joined the church and were fully supporting it with their abilities.
Significant Percentages of the Populations Were Impacted.
The population of Concord, Vermont, in 1810 was only 677, so even with 40 or more people joining the church at that time, that is 6% percent of the population that was added as a result of the revival.
The population of Guildhall, Vermont, in 1810 was only 544. This equates to 8% of the population that was added to the church as a result of the revival in that town.
Multiple Revivals in Norwich, Vermont
The pastor of the church in Concord in 1810 was Rev. Samuel Goddard. In January 1822, Goddard left his Concord church and took a new pastorate in Norwich, Vermont. Of his time in Norwich, Goddard wrote in 1838 about the multiple revivals that were experienced at that church:
During a ministry of a little over seventeen years there have been five revivals of religion of greater or less extent in this church. In 1821 and 1822 there were added to the church eighty-eight. In each of the years 1826, 1831 and 1835, there were revivals and about forty added to the church as fruits at each season. In the winter of 1836-37, there was a revival in several school districts, chiefly among the Sabbath School children, and sixteen were added to the church. . . The present number on our list is now (1838) 247, some of whom are non-resident. The society is small and much scattered, and the usual number at public worship is considerably less than the number of church members.
Source
► Biography of Reverend Samuel Goddard by Access Genealogy
► The Christian’s Magazine by Timothy Priestly (page 186)
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