Our History
In 1890, a group of people made arrangements to hold English worship services on Sunday afternoons at the town hall on the corner of North Main and Kenosha Streets. This group was known as Walworth Congregational. At the annual meeting on December 16, 1902, it was voted to build a church.
The cornerstone for Walworth Congregational Church was laid on October 27, 1903. The church building was completed at a cost of $5,000 and dedicated on April 23, 1904. By this time the church had grown to a membership of 60 and was amassing a Sunday school attendance of 100. In 1927, feeling a need for a building to provide recreational activities, a 40 square-foot gymnasium was added to the back of the church for $8,000. The space was rented to the Walworth Public School district for activities, such as basketball games, and was utilized by the entire community.
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The church continued to grow in the era of 1940 – 1950. Having outgrown the added gymnasium and needing more Sunday School space, plans were laid to put a floor in the second story of the gym and add partitions to provide separate rooms.
Walworth Congregational Church continued to grow. By May of 1955 it was decided to demolish the old building and erect a new one. The decision was prompted, in part, by the wind damage to the old church. Evidence was also discovered that the south walls had been weakened and damaged by a slight earth tremor that occurred many years prior. With a budget set to not exceed $40,000, construction began. During construction, services were held in the multi-purpose room of the Walworth Grade School and Sunday School was hosted in members’ homes.
The new church cornerstone was laid on February 12, 1956. The new sanctuary was planned to provide an entrance on the northeast corner and to allow steps on the inside, rather than the outside, and pews allowing for a capacity of 192. Donations provided the church with the lectern, landscaping, and the cross on the altar.
In 1970, Walworth Congregational Church merged with Immanuel United Methodist (formerly Evangelical United Brethren) to become Immanuel United Church of Christ as it is known today. The congregation is quite diverse and includes members who came from a variety of religious affiliations.