The motto of First Church Congregational is, “Enter to worship – Depart to serve.”  

Members will continue to do so with renewed enthusiasm after the narthex, or entrance to the church, and bell tower were restored at a cost of $300,000. The money was raised by 90 members of the church. 

“Now that the renovations are complete, we are excited to reopen our doors to the community to host weddings, baptisms and other community events,” said Steve Boyko, of events which had stopped for safety reasons and aesthetics before the renovations. 

After the service Nov. 17, congregants gathered outside the church at 26 Pleasant St., for a ribbon-cutting and dedication of the restoration.

Interim Pastor, the Rev. Ann Rogers Brigham, led the benediction recalling how people of Jerusalem prayed for peace of their city in Psalm 122: “We echo their words for our church.” 

Congregants responded in unison, “For the sake of all people, we pray for God’s peace to be within us and God’s goodness and mercy to be known in this sacred place of gathering.” 

In his remarks, Boyko said, “When we started this project five years ago, I was told this was an impossible task,” due to the magnitude of the damage.

The bell tower – raising 85 feet high – had been leaking continuously since 1870, 15 years after the church was built in 1855.

In fact, after engineers assessed the work, they gave the church a 42-page report on the damage. 

The leaks rotted the wood and plaster ceiling, and spaces between the granite blocks were caused by the disintegration of the mortar. Boyko said people doing the restoration took an interest in the building.

“It wasn’t a job so much for them. They were happy to be part of the project and took great pride in restoring it” because of its historical significance, he explained. 

The masonry work was done by Alan Tisbert of AT&S Masonry Inc., of Methuen, the narthex restoration was done by Mike St. Jean of St. Jean and Sons Remodeling of Dracut and the electrical work by John DiCenso of Methuen. The door was painted by Socrates Stamateas of Alpha Painting, Haverhill. 

“A lot of hard work and dedication has been put into this. Why? Because this has been our home for generations,” said Boyko, who is vice chairman of the church’s board.

No one was more dedicated during the process than Allan Barlow, who was at the church daily overseeing the project. 

“I’m relieved that is done and happy with the results,” said Barlow, who was in charge of maintenance and town buildings for Windham N.H., before he retired. 

Even boards left over from the restoration of the parish hall 25 years ago were used for the floors in the entrance of the church, Barlow said. 

He took pictures showing the damage during the pre-renovation, demolition and renovations and displayed them on Nov 17. 

A plaque reading, “Dedicated in the honor and enormous commitment and generosity of Allan Barlow and more than 90 families that made the restoration of the bell tower and narthex possible,” will hang in the church entrance.