Our Building

Our church building is located on the corner of Sixth & F Streets in historic downtown Antioch.

CLICK HERE for a Google Map

History of the Building

Back in 1861, soon after the July 4 celebration where the town was named, Antioch settlers began holding religious services and tried to set up a Sunday School but it wasn’t until 1865 that they actually formed the First Congregational Church of Antioch.  On June 12 of that year a group of 21 hardy citizens, known as the "Congregational Society," began holding regular church services in the city hall building.

Soon, they moved to the old school house at "Utter" and "Boober" streets, now Sixth and G streets, in Antioch. On October 10, G.W. Kimball, one of the founders of the church, called a meeting for the purpose of inviting the Rev. C. Morgan to become pastor for a year at an annual salary of $1,000, a generous sum at that time. Reverend Morgan accepted and became the first pastor later that year.

With Antioch’s first church now established, its membership became anxious to build a more suitable and permanent house of worship. Thanks to a $4,000 loan they received from the American Congregational Union the first church building was completed in 1869 at the corner of "Utter" and "Kimball" streets, now Sixth and F Street, in downtown Antioch.

Along with the new building came new members to the congregation. The Reverend William Wiggin Smith, the founder of Antioch (the town was known as "Smith’s Landing" before acquiring its Antioch name), was admitted to church membership along with his wife in 1873. Mr. Smith would become a Trustee of the church and his wife the church clerk. Except for a brief time when Rev. Smith moved to Eden Plains Congregational Church (near Brentwood) to help that church get off the ground, he would serve First Congregational of Antioch for the rest of his life.