Newman Congregational Church is a United Church of Christ congregation in East Providence, Rhode Island. The church is a two-story wood-frame structure on a high brick basement. It was built in 1810 for a congregation that was gathered in 1643. Newman Church is the oldest Congregational organization in Rhode Island. Historically located at the center of the Old Rehoboth "Ring of The Green," the church today is located between the historic Newman Cemetery and Carpenter, Lakeside, and Springvale Cemeteries.
Newman Church features in the 2022 Disney film Hocus Pocus 2.
History The Newman Congregational Church was established by the Rev. Samuel Newman (1602–1663) of Weymouth, Massachusetts. In 1641, he and members of his congregation purchased a tract of land from Pokanoket leader Massasoit Ousamequin located east of Providence, Rhode Island and the Seekonk River. Newman named the new town Rehoboth, and soon afterwards he formed his congregation there.
In 1812, the town of Rehoboth, Massachusetts, was divided in two, and the church location was assigned to the new town of Seekonk. In 1862, the western part of the town of Seekonk became part of the state of Rhode Island and received the name East Providence. Therefore, Newman Church has existed in three towns, two states, and multiple countries, without ever having moved.
Senior Ministers There have been twenty-two senior ministers of Newman Church since its founding: Samuel Newman 1643–1663 Noah Newman 1668–1678 Samuel Angier 1679–1693 Thomas Greenwood 1694–1720 John Greenwood 1721–1758 John Carnes 1759–1764 Ephraim Hyde 1766–1783 John Ellis 1785–1796 John Hill 1802–1816 James O. Barney 1824–1867 Samuel E. Evans 1868–1871 Hiram E. Johnson 1872–1879 Leverett S. Woodward 1880–1887 Leonard Z. Ferris 1888–1909 Burton A. Lucas 1909–1916 Loring B. Chase 1917–1936 Frank Crook 1936–1959 Robert H. Simonton 1959–1971 David F. Shire 1971–1994 S. C. Campbell Lovett 1996–2012 Timoth Sylvia 2013–2022 Samuel Lovett 2025–present
Gallery
See also Oldest churches in the United States National Register of Historic Places listings in Providence County, Rhode Island
References
External links Newman Congregational Church official website