Founded in 1966, the Hingham Public Library contains an impressive collection that features fiction and non-fiction books, reference materials, periodicals, audiobooks, graphic novels, children's and teen literature, CDs and DVDs. The library has rooms that can be reserved, and also hosts events and programs year-round, including movie nights and music performances. Free Wi-Fi is available.
At Hingham's Town Hall, community residents can obtain voter registration forms, death records, marriage records, dog licenses, hunting licenses, raffle permits and census recordings. Additional services include business certificates and parking ticket collection.
The First Baptist Church of Hingham has plenty of accommodations for its members and visitors. It has an elevator lift for the disabled and hearing assistance for those needing a little volume boost. It has a parents' room so that parents can stay with their young ones and still participate in the service. There is also a nursery option if you don't need to stay with your child. During the service, there is junior church during the main service for kids through the fifth grade. During the week, you can participate in some of the Bible study and prayer groups that meet. During the summer, it also hosts summer camps for children. New members and visitors are always welcome.
The goal of the Mary-Martha Learning Center is to provide a better, brighter future for mothers and children in need. It operates on the generosity of donations and state funding. Mary-Martha is a group home which can house 20 people -- mothers and their children -- as mothers work toward providing a better life for themselves and their children. While living here, an educational program is in place which works on fulfilling physical needs, providing career and intellectual development, vocational training, life-skills training and child development classes. Donations of cash, baby supplies, food and household goods are always appreciated.
Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands is a non-profit educational and environmental organization that has been promoting public use and preservation of the Boston Harbor Islands National Park since 1979. Entirely a grassroots effort, FBHI consists of dozens of volunteers who step into a number of roles, including campground hosts and boat trip narrators, serve at the visitor service center, and assist with public relations projects, special exhibits and programs. The organization also sponsors a number of summer cruises (some at sunset) to the islands, such as Long Island, Lovells Island, Rainsford Island, Great Brewster Island, Little Brewster Island, Peddocks Island, Calf Island, as well as tours of the Northern and Southern lighthouses. If you're passionate about the Boston Harbor Islands, you should consider joining Friends as a member or volunteer. Log on to the website for applications and more information.
This Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is tucked back on Gardner Street. The faith, founded by Joseph Smith in 1830, is rooted in the belief that salvation can only be found through Jesus Christ and that Jesus's will is revealed to the president of the LDS church. Its canon consists of the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. This branch meets every Sunday.
The first interment at Hingham Cemetery occurred in 1672. Over three centuries later, the burial ground is now governed by an ambitious board of volunteer directors seeking to preserve its historical identity and also provide beautifully landscaped lots for today's Hingham families. Many spaces are available for sale in the oldest sections as well as the newest area on Water Street. A memorial garden, featuring an array of beautiful flowers and trees atop one of the cemetery's highest points, provides burial spots for cremated remains. Well-paved roads and paths throughout the cemetery make it easy for leisurely walking among the old memorial stones.
The Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses believe that God, whom the group calls Jehovah, is the creator of all things. While they don't believe in heaven, they believe that they will be resurrected to a cleansed earth after Armageddon. Public talks are held on Sunday at 12:30; Watchtower study begins at 1:05. On Thursday evenings there is Bible study at 7:30, Ministry School at 8 and a service meeting at 8:30.
The Hingham public schools consist of one high school, one middle school and four elementary schools. The school department's administrative offices are on the third floor of Town Hall. Dr. Dorothy Galo oversees the seven-member department as superintendent.
For more than 50 years, the community center has been in the historic Ensign Thaxter House in downtown Hingham. The center offers more than 90 different special events, classes and activities. Hingham Community Center is a non-profit that relies primarily on membership fees and donations to keep running. Classes include gymnastics, preschool and dance for kids, as well as various classes for adults, such as ballroom dancing and CPR. There are also summer and vacation activities such as ceramic and painting workshops.
The Hingham Interfaith Food Pantry is maintained by volunteers from the surrounding churches and synagogues. Located at the Second Parish on Main Street, the center aims to benefit any Hingham resident in need of help. Food donations are accepted on the second and fourth Monday of each month from 2pm to 4:30pm. You can also leave food donations at St. Paul's Catholic Church. Cash and check donations are also gratefully accepted. The Food Pantry is open to help the public on Tuesday from 9am to noon.
St. John The Evangelist Parish is an Episcopal church. The members are committed to worship and preaching and reaching out to the wider community and world. It has adult education and Bible study groups, where people gather to learn and share in the name of the Lord. St. John's also takes pride in its ministry to children. It has a youth group program that promotes learning and growing together by taking field trips, playing games and bringing faith into their everyday lives. Services begin at 8am and 10am on Sundays.
In the House of Prayer Lutheran Church members come together to celebrate their faith and God's grace. Founded in 1964, the church has adult, youth and children's choirs for the musically inclined. Services include a Saturday evening service at 4:30pm and a Sunday morning service at 9:30am. Coffee fellowship and Sunday School follow at 10:45am. The newly constructed church was completed in 2000 and now welcomes more than 150 local Hingham families to worship.