In 1929 a group of people in the Forest Street area of Wilmington Massachusetts wanted to “offer religious and social life to all this community that would otherwise be without. The first service was held March 1929. The congregation called themselves the Wilson Memorial Community Church, since Mrs. Wilson offered her little building for the first church services. During the first five years the charter members pitched in to build a church with their own hands. The humblest of buildings, it measured just 20’ x 30. There was no running water, no bathrooms- just an outhouse at the back of the church. The only means of heat was a one-pipe furnace, which burned wood and coal when they could afford it. But, in this ordinary place was something extraordinary.

The first minister of the church, Arthur A. Simmons, wrote about his little white chapel; “It nestles there amongst trees that throw their shadows across the floor. When the sun shines, with a gentle wind softly sighing through, it gives a sense of peace and rest to those who attend the Morning Service”. In 1934, the name of the church was changed to the Second Congregational Church in Wilmington. The name was again changed in the 1940’s to the Forest St. Congregational Church. Relying on student ministers, or ministers from other Congregational Churches, the community thrived, driven by their desire to worship locally, in a pastoral setting. In the 1960’s the church progressed rapidly in membership. “We got so large that we needed more room for Sunday school and socials,” said Jim Mann, who has been a member of the church since 1938. A 40’ x 40’ addition was added to the basement and back of the church to accommodate the swelling Sunday school.

However, in 1978 the membership had dwindled; the congregation decided to approach the Episcopal Church, since this denomination was not represented in Wilmington. St. Mark’s Church in Burlington agreed to sponsor a mission church, with the Rev. William Seaward leading the services and Tansy Chapman, a seminarian at St. Mark’s, assisting. Tansy Chapman was ordained to priesthood in 1983. In 1985 she became St. Elizabeth’s first Vicar.

In 1986, a growing St. Elizabeth’s Chapel became a Mission in union with the Episcopal Diocese. At that time, the members of the church designed a long-term growth strategy for the Chapel, which consisted of three phases. In 1989, phase I was completed. The chapel was enlarged to allow for more worship space and a larger sanctuary. A wheelchair ramp was added, and the original bathroom was replaced with two handicap-accessible bathrooms. To accommodate the growing number of families with small children, and to give space for both youth and adult education programs, Phase II was completed in 1992. An addition was made to the basement level, creating a large, new Sunday school space. The addition was designed to be the foundation for future expansion of the worship space.

In 1992 Tansy Chapman resigned as Vicar and the Rev. Elizabeth Carpenter became interim Vicar for 3 years to be replaced by Rev. Deborah Phillips. She was there for approximately 3 years. In 1998 St. Elizabeth’s Chapel hired its first male vicar, Rev. Joseph Pinho. St. Elizabeth’s Chapel has continued to grow and become more self-sufficient so that in Nov 2000 the diocese granted the mission church parish status, thus becoming St. Elizabeth's Episcopal Church.