Ridgebury Commons
Not just the small church on the corner, The Meetinghouse—one house, many rooms—inside and out, offers commons for the arts, farm & food, and wellness. A place for people of all ages who are committed to the land, creative expression, and sustainability. We seek to honor the interdependence of people and place as we work together to create sacred commons for Ridgebury. Come dwell, be restored, and serve as caretakers of the future!
Why are we reclaiming the Commons?
Since the beginning, the Meetinghouse has served a dual purpose as a house of worship and place of public assembly. The Meetinghouse was historically the place where the community gathered. If the walls could talk, they would speak of…
- Town Meetings where votes were taken to send a representative to the first Continental Congress and later to enter the Revolutionary War;
- Conversations with distinguished visitors, including Geo. Washington, Jerome Bonaparte, and Gen. Rochambeau;
- The 1781 encampment of 6000 French troops on their way to Yorktown to secure our independence;
- The critical role the church played in the national drama of the Amistad captives;
- Support of the underground railroad on Neds Mountain Road;
- The integral role faith plays in the care of community.
In reclaiming the commons, Ridgebury Congregational Church is committed to care for both environment and community.
The church and the commons were intimately related, and there was no distinction between the spirit and what was secular… making a space where fluid community could be formed… all interdependent on each other for emotiona, ecological and political flourishing.
Sociologist Diana Butler Bass