Where Have We Come From?

Williston-West Church began as a mission church of State Street Congregational Church in the late 19th Century. Officially gathered in 1873 to serve the burgeoning West End neighborhood of Portland, it was named for the wife of State Street's pastor and began its life with a membership of twenty-two. In1877 the present building was designed and built by Francis Fasset, in a style which included both Gothic Revival and Queen Anne architectural elements.

In 1904, noted Portland architect John Calvin Stevens designed a parish house which was sympathetic to Fasset's original design. Williston Congregational Church joined with the congregation of West Church in 1970 to form Williston-West Church, United Church of Christ.

The United Church of Christ was formed in 1957, blending the Congregationalism of the New England Pilgrims and Puritans, the Christian Churches of the South, and the Evangelical and Reformed Churches of the Mid-West. Through the years the UCC has been enriched by the presence of many different racial and cultural traditions who have joined these four faith streams as well.

We are a member of the Cumberland Association of the Maine Conference of the United Church of Christ.