History

For nearly three centuries, Thompson Congregational, United Church of Christ has been at the heart of Thompson Hill. Many members are seniors who continue to appreciate the traditions they grew up with.  Yet, we remain open – minded and happy to move into the 21st century.  In the Fall of 2018, the congregation voted to become an Open and Affirming church, formalizing our long-standing attitude of welcome to one and all. We aspire to foster an atmosphere of worship where all are able to experience a strong sense of belonging and connection, where we challenge ourselves to become our “better selves”, and motivate each other to enjoy the rewards of service to the wider community.

The church was organized in 1730 and has been served by 31 settled pastors, the first four of whose combined tenures spanned 143 years.  In 1947 the church was incorporated as the Congregational Church of Thompson, Inc.  It joined the United Church of Christ in 1964.  It has had a relationship with two Baptist churches in Thompson, the Central Baptist Church and the East Thompson Baptist Church (neither of which are still active), in which some members of those congregations joined with ours after they were no longer able to sustain their own churches.  The church has had three meetinghouses during its existence.  The present one was built in 1856, and a Christian education wing was added in 1964.  A fire in December, 2016, badly damaged the sanctuary. We are in the process of rebuilding. The church also owns the meetinghouse of the East Thompson Baptist church, informally known as Brandy Hill Church, which was deeded to it in 1996.

Reverend Shannon Wall

Reverend Wall was ordained in 2008.  She has been with us since March 2021. She had previous careers as a business writer, consultant and marketing executive; and as a professional actress.  She has a M.Div. degree from Yale Divinity School, where she also taught and won awards for preaching and scripture reading; an MFA degree in Acting from New York University; and a BA in English from The College of William & Mary.  Shannon and her husband, Larry Arno, have two grown children and two grandchildren.