British troops attempted to demoralize a small congregation of worshippers in the Green's Farms section of Westport in July 1779 in a raid that burned their second meeting house to the ground and with it 15 homes and 11 barns in the surrounding area. [...] the Red Coats failed in their overall goal to take the heart out of the community. [...] since its inception on June 12, 1711, parishioners of the historic church have not missed a Sunday service, according to Diane Parrish, one of four co-chairmen of the 300th anniversary committee. "Through wars, storms, fires and even the absence of a physical church structure, the people of Green's Farms Church have not missed a Sunday of worship in 300 years," Parrish said. For the 10 years they were without a meeting house, from 1779 through 1789, services were held in private homes, including Daniel Burr's house on Long Lots Road. The legacy of many of those involved in the church's early history also is intertwined with the history of the town, and so the church's celebration is really the town's as well, said the Rev. Jeffrey Rider, who has served as senior minister since 2003. Raymond said churches collected taxes and it was mandatory for people to attend church services. The congregation quickly outgrew that structure and built a second meeting house in 1736 at what is now the corner of Green's Farms Road and the Sherwood Island Connector, across the road from the old Colonial Cemetery. For more information about the Green's Farms Congregational Church's 300th anniversary service at 10 a.m. Sunday or its related art show and documentary premiere, visit www.greensfarmschurch.org.