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The Second Advent Church

When William Miller proclaimed through the country the second coming of Christ, in 1843, a few individuals in Hampton embraced his doctrines. When a few years later, the Methodists built their new meeting-house, the Adventists, or "Come-Outers," as they were oftener called, stayed behind, and continued for some time to worship in the old house, that had already been the church home of two denominations. They were too few, however, long to maintain a service of their own, but they never gave up their faith.

About the year 1870, the doctrines of the Second Advent church began to gain new adherents in Hampton. Tent meetings were held, and efforts made to promulgate that faith. A revival followed, which resulted in the gathering of a congregation, the leasing of a plot of land for a term of years, and the erection of a chapel, completed in November, 1871.

Meetings were held with considerable regularity and interest for several years; and on the 18th of January, 1877, a church was organized, which has ever since held on its way, and been a means of good in the town. The present membership is about thirty. A committee of correspondence furnish the preachers, fortnightly, but the house is opened for a prayer-meeting every alternate Sabbath morning. The Wednesday evening neighborhood prayer-meetings have been sustained without a break for several years. The compactness of the parish renders this comparatively easy, nearly all being resident in the east part of the town, where five or six dwellings in regular rotation are opened for the evening meetings.

In 1890 money was raised to buy the land on which the chapel stands, and the finances of the little church are in a prosperous condition, its members taking the lead of all the churches, in the generosity with which, according to their strength and means, they contribute for its support.

The Advent church in Hampton can hardly be termed an offshoot from either of the older churches; for while it has drawn to itself some members formerly connected with other denominations, it is in a considerable degree composed of people not before belonging to any church, who, having been first attracted by revival preachers and an ardent manner of worship, have next been led to embrace the doctrines taught; so that really a new element of christian activity came into the town when the Advent church came, and a new congregation arose, without materially weakening the other churches.

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