Our History

Bethlehem Covenant Church is situated in the heart of the Quinsigamond Village section of Worcester. The first Swedish settler in Worcester arrived in 1868. In 1870, there were 22 Swedes in the city. Then the floodgates opened, and by 1880 over 1,000 Swedes had arrived, and a decade later there were over 7,000 Swedish residents. Worcester became home to the largest Swedish settlement east of Chicago. By the end of the 19th century the Village had become a Swedish enclave, as aljost 80% of the neighborhood was Swedish.

On September 6, 1880, twenty-two men and women covenanted together to form the Swedish Evangelical Free Church. Among these charter members of what is now Salem Covenant Church were three men and one woman who would also be charter members of Bethlehem Covenant. The first pastor of this new church was Rev. George Wiberg who had been supported and influenced by the Congregationalists. On August 21, 1881 the church joined the ranks of the Congregationalists, renaming their church First Swedish Evangelical Congregational Church of Worcester. In fact, it became the first Swedish Congregational church in the country! The term “congregationalist” was a tongue-twister for the Swedes, who jokingly referred to themselves as “kronglalister” or “trouble-makers.”

In 1882 the congregation decided to purchase land on Providence Street in order to build their own church. The church grew in spirit and in numbers and soon it became necessary to expand the work. By 1890, a branch of the Sunday School was organized in Quinsigamond Village, conducting its classes in the local school. That same year land was purchased on Greenwood Street on which to erect a chapel to serve the needs of the Village Swedes.
The Reverend A.L. Anderson arrived in Worcester in 1894 and encouraged members of the church who lived in Quinsigamond Village to organize a congregation of their own. Anderson’s wise and unselfish leadership in this regard earned him recognition as the “founding pastor” of Bethlehem Covenant Church. On October 21, 1894, a special meeting was held to organize a church in the Village. Forty-one men and women, most of them members of the Providence Street church, signed the charter of the new church. The church continued to grow rapidly; by 1900 the church had 175 members and about 150 Sunday School students. At the same time the Mother Church was outgrowing its Providence Street facilities. In 1896, that church was able to purchase the old Salem Square Congregational Church, and became known as the Salem Square Covenant Church. In 1969, when urban renewal forced that congregation to relocate to East Mountain Street, it became the Salem Covenant Church.

In 1899 the present lot on the corner of Greenwood and Halmstad streets was purchased for $832. The new church, the present building, was completed in March, 1901. The cost was $15,177.26—at a time when the annual income of the church was less than $2,000, and the average worker earned $500-600 per year!

In 1917 our pipe organ was installed at a cost of $3125. It was designed by the pastor at the time, Rev. J.A. Hultmann, who prior to coming to Bethlehem had traveled extensively as a musician. The church parsonage which we still have today was built in 1919 by Mr. Alfred Schonning at a cost of $10,000. The house has been enjoyed by all of our pastors and their families since it was built.

In 1920, the Eastern Missionary Assocation, to which the church had belonged since its beginning, joined the Evangelical Mission Covenant Church of America. In 1924, the church followed suit, changing its name to “The Bethlehem Evangelical Church.” In 1923, the Sunday School began using the English language—prior to that it had been Swedish of course! Beginning around 1930 the Sunday morning worship service was conducted in English once a month. Then for a while there were two services in Swedish and two in English each month. Finally, in 1938, the church voted to use English for every Sunday morning service.

In spite of the difficulties of the Depression and the War, the church continued to grow and prosper. As Bethlehem celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 1944, it could report an all-time high of 357 members and the Sunday School was over 300 members. During the early 50’s the church expanded and renovated. In November 1951, work was begun on an addition at the rear of the building, including rebuilding the church kitchen and installing a new heating system. Later that year the sanctuary was renovated, with the platform expanded, carpet installed and the old “theatre” seating replaced with pews on the main floor.

Since then, other renovations have occurred, notably the handicap accessible restroom and the handicap accessible ramp on the side of the church. A chair lift was installed as well to help those who need assistance getting to the sanctuary on the 2nd level.

This brief history is adapted from the 100th anniversary booklet entitled, “100 Years Sowing God’s Word.”