Our History

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Our History

"History," according to Will and Ariel Durant, "is an excellent teacher with few pupils. Civilization is not inherited; it has to be learned and earned by each generation anew."

The Lord knew how forgetful mankind could be when He established the Passover Feast for the Israelites. "When your children ask you, 'What does this ceremony mean to you?' Then tell them, 'It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.'" (Exodus 12: 26,27) We commemorate an even greater salvation each Lord's Day when we partake of the Lord's supper, as instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ the night before he was crucified. "Do this in remembrance of me."

Unfortunately, much of the history that occurs in families and nations-and in churches-is totally forgotten. How can we learn from the past if we have no idea what has occurred before our short time on this earth? As an effort to preserve and memorialize at least a small part of the history of the First Christian Church of Pittsfield, we, of the 175th Anniversary Committee, wish to present this booklet on the first 175 years of this congregation. We hope you will read it, and pass it on to your children. In the year 2011, not many institutions in Pike County are 175 years old. We are thankful that God has blessed us as a congregation of believers, and we pray that He will continue to bless this church until He comes again in the clouds. -Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Illinois became the twenty-first state of the United States of America on December 3, 1818, and Pike County was established on January 31, 1821. For two years, the county boundaries included all of Illinois north and west of the Illinois River, with the county seat located in Coles Grove in what is now Calhoun County. The size of Pike County was gradually reduced as other counties were formed from its original territory, and in 1823-24 the county seat was moved to Atlas.

Read more about our history here.