WYBEN

OUR HISTORY

The roots of this church go back to 1802 when a Baptist church was organized and its house of worship built.  By 1876, small congregations of Baptists, Congregationalists, and Methodists had joined together to form an interdenominational congregation with rotating preachers from the various traditions. Since the church building had deteriorated beyond repair, it was torn down and replaced by the current building, and dedicated in 1877.  This interdenominational church was officially named the Wyben Union Chapel Association in 1903.

In 1902, a kitchen and dining room area were added to the original structure;  electric lights were added in 1929.  A building project came along in 1949-1950, and that kitchen and dining room were demolished and replaced with the current kitchen and portion of the Fellowship Hall. Running water was added at that time, too.  The name changed once more in 1959 to the Wyben Union Church of Westfield.  The most recent addition took place in 1984, comprising of the Pastor's Study, upstairs lavatories, and downstairs classrooms.

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In the early days of the church, pastors rotated in and out of the pulpit, as was mentioned above. Over time, their numbers dwindled, and it became difficult to maintain services at the church.  A pastor from the Methodist church in Southampton accepted an invitation to preach here on a regular basis and he did so for a number of years. He was followed by pastors from the Congregational church in Southampton.  By the time the early 1920's rolled around, however, attendance became quite low and the church contacted Springfield College in search of students to supply the pulpit, which they did until the late 1940's. 

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From that point on, and for the most part, ordained ministers have presided over the Wyben Union Church congregation. 

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1977 - 1989:  Rev. Henry Brady

1990 -  Feb. 2004:  Rev. Armand Proulx

Mar. 2004 - May 2006:  (Interim Pastors)

May 2006 - Jan. 2008:  Rev. Lisa Demkowski

Jun. 2008 - May 2014 : Rev. David Cooper

May 2014 - Jul. 2015:  (Interim Pastors)

Jul. 2015 - Present:  Rev. George Karl

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