Parishioners Jim LaFlash (left) and Steve Gerrard prep a poster to hang at Faith Community Church’s historical exhibit. PHOTO/NATE KILLIAN

Not many churches in America can say they’ve been around for 100 years. Far fewer, like Faith Community Church in Hopkinton, can brag about reaching 300.

“Think of all the churches that were planted at the same time as us,” said Faith Community Church (FCC) lead pastor Mike Laurence. “And we’re still here.”

FCC was founded in 1724, nine years after Hopkinton was incorporated. Its congregation helped build the town’s first meetinghouse, which stood on what is now the Town Common. 

FCC would go on to build four other houses of worship in town, finally winding up at its location on East Main Street in 1997.

In the last 300 years, FCC has celebrated a rich history of both struggle and success. It has survived two fires and a decline in its congregation prior to the 1970s. It also lent its voice to the abolitionist movement, has grown its membership, and today supports national and international peace initiatives.

“We were a voice for change when change was desperately needed,” said Laurence.

He went on to say that throughout the last 300 years, the strength of FCC’s faith is what has kept it going.

“There were times we made great decisions and times we made bad decisions,” Laurence said. “God and his faithfulness kept our church present and engaged.”

The church will celebrate its 300 years of faithfulness and service with festivities that will run throughout the month. Things kicked off Sept. 8 with the first of three special sermons on the past, present and future of the congregation. 

The festivities will culminate in a tricentennial celebration on Sept. 22. 

“[That] whole morning is given over to celebrating our anniversary,” Laurence explained. 

The event will include opening and closing ceremonies, two worship services, food trucks, fun and games for families — including a bouncy house — and a time capsule.

The opening ceremony is slated for 10:15 a.m., with morning services starting at 9 a.m. Attendees who do not want to take part in a worship service still are welcome to participate in the day’s other celebrations.

As part of its tricentennial, FCC also has opened a historical exhibit to explore and demonstrate the connection between its faith and history.

Located at the church’s Hopkinton campus, the exhibit features artifacts, images and art that tell the church’s story over the last 300 years. It is open on Sundays from 9-11 a.m. through Sept. 22.

Artifacts that will be on display include bibles from noteworthy FCC pastors including Nathaniel Howe and Halah Loud, along with original documents from when the church was established. 

Other bits of featured history include slag from a melted church bell — the result of a massive fire that destroyed parts of town in 1882. 

A wall display of the church’s timeline will guide visitors through its history as well.

Laurence hopes the exhibit — which is placed in a common area just outside the church’s worship center — highlights the ways in which the church has modernized.

“What I love is that in the commons you see this huge timeline with original bibles and records, then you walk into a worship center with this 24-foot LED screen,” said Laurence.

He feels that it shows how the church’s rich history blends with a “beautiful, modern expression of worship and faith.”

For FCC, this multiweek celebration also is as much about the history of Hopkinton as it is about the church.

Laurence says his church has committed to care for the community, through revolutions, pandemics, booms and busts.

“We have loved being part of the town, caring for the town and celebrating with [it],” said Laurence.