09/22/2026
Thank you Ruth Thompson of
WICKED LOCAL COASTAL MARINER ARTICLE for writing about our time capsule!
Do you remember 1986? Scituate Methodist church reopens time capsule by Ruth Thompson
Wicked Local
Sept. 21, 2026, 4:45 a.m. ET
Key Points
A time capsule sealed in 1986 at Harbor United Methodist Church in Scituate was opened last month.
The capsule was timed to be opened for the church's 200th anniversary.
Contents included a VHS tape, a 1986 Sears catalogue, a local newspaper, and letters from children.
It's 1986. Ronald Reagan is president, the Space Shuttle Challenger explodes 73 seconds after lift-off and a three-bedroom house in Greater Boston has a median cost of $140,000.
And at Harbor United Methodist Church in Scituate, a time capsule was sealed within a sanctuary wall.
“That year was chosen to coincide with Scituate’s 350th anniversary,” said the church's current pastor, Chris Longman.
For 40 years, the time capsule remained tucked away, with instructions that it be opened in 2026 — Harbor United's 200th anniversary.
Pastor Chris Longman, right, holds a maraca filled with seeds taken from the time capsule during its opening on Aug. 9.
Pastor Chris Longman, right, holds a maraca filled with seeds taken from the time capsule during its opening on Aug. 9. Provided By Lisa Ryan
On Aug. 9, the time capsule was retrieved from its place in the wall and opened during a church service, which took place over the town's Heritage Days weekend.
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Several current members of the congregation who were there when the time capsule was sealed in 1986 were present for last month's reopening.
A peek back to 1986
In a video on the church’s YouTube page, parishioner Wayne Ross addresses the congregation prior to opening the time capsule and remembers he was 20 years old and sitting in the third or fourth pew on the right side of the church.
“It’s amazing how many things in the church have changed and how many things have stayed the same,” he said in the clip.
This copy of the Scituate Mariner, from May 1986, was included in the Harbor United Methodist Church time capsule.
This copy of the Scituate Mariner, from May 1986, was included in the Harbor United Methodist Church time capsule. Provided By Harbor United Methodist Church
Items found inside the time capsule, which was roughly the size of a box of paper, included:
A VHS tape of the May 18 service when the capsule was placed;
A church bulletin and directory;
A flower from the boutique on the altar from May 1986;
A Scituate Historical Society article from a woman who had turned 90 and her reflections on the church;
A copy of the Scituate Mariner from May 1986, with the front page featuring stories on the schools launching 350th anniversary celebrations, Humarock residents seeking police protection, and the community gearing up for the high school prom. It cost 35 cents;
Several items from the town’s 350th anniversary;
A Scituate Historical Society cup and plate with the Old Oaken Bucket homestead image;
A commemorative gold Old Oaken Bucket pendant;
A plaque made from the old church organ;
A Town Meeting booklet from 1986.
A Sears catalogue and children's idea of the future
“My favorite was a Sears catalogue,” Longman said. “You can see what the prices were back then. They were much lower.”
The gold pendant was made by a member of the church who used to have a jewelry store on Front Street, she added.
A gold Old Oaken Bucket pendant was among the items found in the Harbor United Methodist Church's 40-year time capsule. An auction was held for the pendant, with proceeds going to support the church.
A gold Old Oaken Bucket pendant was among the items found in the Harbor United Methodist Church's 40-year time capsule. An auction was held for the pendant, with proceeds going to support the church. Provided By Harbor United Methodist Church
“There were letters from the kids in Sunday school,” Longman said. “They had been asked what they thought life would be like in 2026. One child wrote that people would only be using wind and solar energy if we are still here and we haven’t been blown up in a nuclear war. A 10-year-old girl wrote she would be a very, very old person — she’s only 50 now. There were seeds from a man who attended church here and who would give children the seeds every spring. He also made maracas and they were in the capsule.”
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There was a lot of laughter during the opening of the time capsule, Longman said.
“It was a lot of fun," she said. "We watched a VHS tape from the service in 1986. A lot of people were dressed in colonial garb for the anniversary celebration.”
Longman said the church council will soon discuss putting together a new time capsule.
