A Vibrant Monterey Meeting House

This article was originally published in the March 2025 issue of the Monterey News.

The November 2024 issue of Monterey News carried two excellent articles about the uncertain future of the Monterey Meeting House. Liz Goodman wrote from her heart of having come to accept that the Meeting House’s days under ownership of an active church congregation are numbered. She closed with the hope that the community would find a way to support this beautiful historic building to continue as a living center of the Monterey Village. But she cautioned that the challenges are formidable, and success is not guaranteed. In their companion article, Rob Hoogs and Kathy Tryon wrote on behalf of the self-organized Meeting House Steering Committee to report on that group’s efforts to ask some hard questions about the future of the Meeting House and try to come up with answers.

The Committee’s goal is to grow into an entity with the track record and resources, both human and financial, that will make it eligible for consideration by the Church to become the future owners and stewards of their beautiful building. As the new chair of the Steering Committee, I’d like to report on our progress toward that goal. The generous grant from the Monterey UCC Congregation that Linnea Grealish writes about in her companion article has made it possible for us to launch a condition assessment of the building. We are moving to hire an architect experienced in working with historic buildings to look at the condition of the roof, internal structures, asbestos, water and sewage, code and zoning issues, and accessibility. The resulting report will include a Master Plan, with estimated costs of needed remediations or improvements, which will serve as our roadmap for the next several years. Currently we are evaluating two proposals submitted by experienced local architects, and we expect to sign a contract in the next few weeks.

What uses do we imagine for the Meeting House in the future? Throughout its history, the Meeting House has hosted not only worship services and weddings, but also Town Meeting, community meetings, concerts, lectures, pot luck suppers, and other events in keeping with the traditional role of New England meeting houses. The Church has maintained that tradition and in the future, so will we.

Today, the Monterey Pantry PickUp has its base of operations in the Meeting House, serving about 30 households in our area with needed food supplies every week. The Monterey Coffee Club meets there twice a week, providing a venue for the town’s early risers to jump-start their day with coffee and conversation and to act as an unofficial welcoming committee for newcomers. The Supper Club meets there to socialize over meals and desserts. Concerts, music lessons, and a variety of meetings are held at the Meeting House throughout the year. There is every reason to expect that those uses can and will continue.

How do we see the building being used five, ten, and twenty years from now? And what will it take to inspire the community to give its time, energy, and money for those uses and for the building’s historic preservation? These are questions that the community itself must answer. The steering committee will soon distribute a survey that will make it easy for residents to express their opinions on these matters. A new website (https://montereymeetinghouse.org) will keep the community up to date on our progress and will enable anyone to contribute ideas, suggestions, and support for the future of the Meeting House. Already, they can contact us at montereymeetinghouse@gmail.com.

After meeting informally for a year and receiving encouragement from our friends, neighbors, and the Church congregation, we’ve come to believe that the goal of keeping the Meeting House alive as a vibrant center of Monterey Village is achievable. But it will take a large effort and that requires organization. So, the steering committee has chosen officers and directors for a new entity, soon to be incorporated as a Massachusetts public charity called the Monterey Meeting House, Inc. We also expect to be approved by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity later this year. As a legal entity, we will be able to receive tax-deductible donations and incur costs for services and building-related expenses. In the meantime, tax-deductible contributions for our startup efforts may be made by sending a check addressed to the Monterey Historical Society, P.O. Box 381, Monterey, MA 01245; indicate on your check that your donation is for the “Meeting House Fund.”

Moving ahead, we face tasks and decisions that go beyond our group’s current capabilities and knowledge. We hope our Monterey neighbors will continue to share both their encouragement and their concerns with us, and that they will contribute their time and talents to the goal of a Monterey Meeting House that will live on for years to come.