About Us

Ward Hill Church of Christ the King

A Christ-Centered Community of Faith, Hope, & Love

Ward Hill Church of Christ the King is a Congregational church that adheres to the historic Christian faith and proclaims the good news of Jesus Christ. We gather together to worship God and encourage each other to love God and everyone.

You’re always welcome. We invite you to join us!

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Our Purpose – “The purpose of this church shall be to unite Christian believers in fellowship for spiritual growth and usefulness, for the winning of souls to Jesus Christ, and for the advancement of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through preaching, Christian education, and missionary endeavors at home and abroad.”    The Ward Hill Church of Christ Constitution, Article II

Our Covenant – “Having been led by the Holy Spirit to receive Jesus Christ as Savior and to confess him as Lord, and having been baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, we do hereby, in the presence of God and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully covenant with one another, as one body of Christ, to lead a life worthy of the Lord and fully pleasing to Him. We promise that we will watch over and counsel one another in the spirit of brotherly love; that we will remember one another in our prayers and aid each other in sickness and distress; and that we will cooperate in the total mission of winning others to Jesus Christ. We further agree by the aid of the Holy Spirit to strive for the advancement and purity of this church; to support and promote its work, spiritually and materially; to attend its worship services and unite in its ordinances, always giving it a sacred priority over all institutions of human origin. We will endeavor to live exemplary Christian lives to study and grow in the knowledge and practice of our faith, and to promote the Christian education of our children in the home and in the fellowship of this church.  We also agree that when we move from this place, we will as soon as possible unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of the Word of God.”     The Ward Hill Church of Christ Constitution, Article IV

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.  In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.  In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.   – 1 John 4:7-11

Our Affiliation – Ward Hill Church of Christ the King is affiliated with the New England Congregational Christian Fellowship (NECCF) and the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference (CCCC). Believing in the unity of Christ’s Church, Ward Hill Church also seeks to build relationships with churches of various denominations in the Merrimack Valley and throughout the world.

Our Founding – Parson Jonathan Allen and Deacon William Day of the historic First Church of Christ, Bradford began conducting Sunday services in the Ward Hill schoolhouse in the 1820’s.  Rebecca Haseltine and her son George aided the ministry with financial support throughout the years, and the Rev. J.D. Kingsbury provided spiritual leadership.  Following the growth of industry and population in the Ward Hill neighborhood, shoe factory owner William Knipe arranged for a new meetinghouse in 1892. In August 1893, the Ward Hill congregation became independent of its mother church and gathered as The Ward Hill Church of Christ.  The church has been unofficially known as Ward Hill Church of Christ the King since 2001.

Our Current Minister – Rev. Alex. M. Burgess IV, M.Div., was ordained to Christian ministry at Snyder Avenue Congregational Church in Philadelphia in November 1997 and was installed as parson of Ward Hill Church in October 1998.  Parson Alex’s desire is to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ, which is God’s reconciling love for the whole world, and to provide guidance to people in their Christian worship and service. He is honored to serve the people of Ward Hill Church and loves the City of Haverhill. In addition to his ministry at Ward Hill Church, Parson Alex teaches history and religion to high school students at Bradford Christian Academy.

Parson Alex sings baritone, listens to a lot of music, and watches too many sports. He is a lifelong, die-hard Red Sox fan and enjoys everything about the White Mountains.  Parson Alex and his wife Erin have been married for 25 years and have four children:  John (24), Helen (19), and twins Andreas and Eva (17).

Bradford Christian Academy Faculty - Bradford Christian Academy

Parsons of Ward Hill Church of Christ, Congregational

  1. F. Lincoln Davis                 1893-1896
  2. John C.C. Evans                  1896-1897
  3. Charles Clark                      1897-1904
  4. Roland D. Sawyer              1904-1909
  5. George H. Credeford         1910-1935
  6. Winthrop H. Richardson  1935-1940
  7. Richard J. Schaper             1941-1943
  8. Arthur M. Norton               1944-1944
  9. George E. Whittier             1945-1947
  10. George L. Mossides            1947-1949
  11. Joseph L. Hunting              1949-1951
  12. Walter W. Lyon                  1951-1956
  13. Calvin T. Wright                 1957-1960
  14. Glenn C. Bachelder            1960-1965
  15. Robert Rasche                     1966-1966
  16. Jasper M. Beane                  1966-1970
  17. A. Lawrence Leathers       1970-1981
  18. William Allen                      1981-1982
  19. Matthew Smith                   1982-1993
  20. Wayne Earl                          1994-1998
  21. Alexander M. Burgess       1998-present

One thought on “About Us

  1. Ward Hill Church is a wonderful place to worship and fellowship. We are so glad we started attending here last fall.

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