The name ‘Jaffrey Presbyterian Church’ was chosen for our name because of its unique regional character. We are committed to building the church here in the Jaffrey area.
Ever since Laban Ainsworth preached in Jaffrey, Reformation truth took deep root in our soil. Biblical Presbyterianism was once a strong force in the Monadnock region. The area was largely settled by immigrants who brought their Calvinistic beliefs with them. Among Presbyterian and Congregational churches in the area the faith summarized in The Westminster Confession had a powerful influence.
In the nineteenth century, Liberalism and Unitarianism weakened the foundations of Trinitarian orthodoxy and opened the floodgates to the secularism of modernity that now dominates our culture. The remarkable ministry of The Rev. Laban Ainsworth (1758-1858), the first minister of Jaffrey, spanned three quarters of a century. His belief system, too, was based on The Westminster Confession. We hold to this same Biblical system because we believe that historic Christianity is as relevant today as it was in Ainsworth’s day. It offers the only real answers to the ultimate questions of life.
Jaffrey Presbyterian Church started as a small group of committed Christians which began to meet without a minister on the Lord’s Day. They listened to tapes of sermons, read sermons, sang traditional hymns and prayed. They especially prayed for a minister. In summer of 1995, The Rev. Gregory Reynolds began to lead worship in the afternoons once a month. By early 1996 he was able to lead worship each Sunday afternoon. Beginning in January of 1997 the congregation has worshipped at the traditional morning hour.
In October 1996, The Presbytery of New York and New England in The Orthodox Presbyterian Church received Jaffrey Presbyterian Church into its membership. In November 1997, the Presbytery of New York and New England ordained Stephen Migotsky to be the Pastor of Jaffrey Presbyterian Church. The church had grown enough and showed enough potential for more growth to justify having their own pastor in Jaffrey. Stephen and Fay Migotsky moved from S. Hamilton to Jaffrey, New Hampshire in January 1998. Before that, Stephen had served as Interim Pastor at Merrimack Valley Presbyterian Church in N. Andover. The Migotsky’s worshipped at First Presbyterian Church while Steve was at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. Stephen graduated from GCTS in 1996. They have three children—David, Rebecca, and Jennifer. Fay is a Family Physician in Rindge, NH. Fay is also a graduate of Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia.
During the past 22 years, we have supported missionaries to China, Japan, Eastern Europe, Africa, S. America, and India. Through our denomination we support missionaries in several countries around the world. One of our members served in China and another has served briefly in Uganda. The age of members ranges from infants to 73 years. Currently, the congregation is about half under age 18 years.