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Service Time: With the exception of Christmas and Easter, when additional services are offered, our regular Sunday morning service begins at 10:00 a.m.
Directions: Follow the instructions on this How to Find Us map.
Parking: Parking is available in the church parking lot behind the Sanctuary and Packard Hall. This lot is accessed from Church Street. Additional parking can be found on Church Street and Main Street.
Accessiblity: Our church is wheelchair accessible via a ramp located on the Church Street side of the building. Upper and Lower Packard Halls can be accessed through our automatic chair lift attached to each staircase. Some of our pews have been altered to accommodate wheel chairs.
We provide both large print bibles and large print weekly orders of service for those with visual impairments. We provide audio enhancement for those with hearing impairments. In all cases, our deacons and ushers on duty will make every effort to provide a comfortable service environment for those with special needs.
Children’s Needs: We welcome children to our services. We offer child care for those under the age of two in our adult staffed Crib and Toddler room. There are Christian Education programs for all children through 8th grade. For those with infants or toddlers who might need comforting at any particular time during our service, comfortable rocking chairs are located at the back of the sanctuary.
Becoming a Member
Becoming a member of First Congregational Church of Stratford is a simple process. Just express your desire to join our congregation to one of our ministers. Currently we conduct new member orientation four times a year. These two orientation sessions are the easiest way to learn about our church and our beliefs as well as the United Church of Christ.
Once you have attended these two classes, you will be given two forms to complete. The first is an informational survey which asks some basic information about yourself, your interests and your reasons for joining the church. Its purpose is to gather information that you would like presented to the church when you become a new member.
The second is a pledge form which outlines your financial commitment to our church and its missions. As you will learn in your new member classes, our church is a wholly independent organization. Our church operates each year solely on the funds pledged by our members, funds raised through specific fund raising efforts and our investment income. Church operating budgets are updated monthly and are available in our church office. While you are not required to pledge to our church when you become a member, we certainly hope you will see our financial need and help to fulfill it.
Many of our members have expressed their reasons for pledging over the past year. If you would like to read their messages, we have published some in Why we pledge.
Weddings and Funerals:
It is truly one of the blessings of our church community to be able to celebrate a joyous occasion such as marriage with you as well as help you through a great moment of loss. Below are some general answers to frequently asked questions about are services.
Weddings
Who can be married at First Congregational Church?
Anyone, member of non member, can be married at our church.
What type of wedding ceremony is offered?
We are a Christian church and offer a ceremony within the framework of United Church of Christ traditions. Generally speaking, the ceremony will include prayers, scripture readings and music if requested. Of course, we want to create a joyous celebration that you will remember – so each wedding is personalized through scripture, prayer and music selection to fit each couple’s specific needs.
What do we have to do to be married at First Congregational Church of Stratford?
The first step is to contact our church administrator, Sandy O’Neill (378-2644 or at firstchurchofstratford@yahoo.com) to schedule a meeting with one of our ministers. Three meetings with our minister are usually conducted for pre-marital counseling and coordination of the wedding ceremony.
Area there any fees?
Members are not charged for any service. Ministerial services, wedding coordination, music and building fees may be charged to non – members.
Funerals/Memorial Services/Graveside Services
Like many churches, we find many people consider us to be there home church whether they are a member or not. And that is fine with us. We want to be there to comfort you when you need us. And we will work with you or your family to provide a service which will celebrate the life of the deceased and commend that life to God.
Please contact our church administrator, Sandy O’Neill regarding these services.
About the United Church of Christ
A Brief History of Firsts
Formed in 1957, the United Church of Christ is the result of the union of two Protestant denominations: the Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church. Those of us from the New England area are probably most familiar with our Congregational roots - the Pilgrims of Plymouth Plantation (1620) and the Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (1629) considered founding colonies of the United States.
The United Church of Christ (through its pioneering churches) offers a rich history of Firsts within the Christian Community and our common U.S. History:
1600’s: Pilgrims leave Europe seeking spiritual freedom and set up fledgling democracies - each congregation is self governing and elects its own ministers.
1700’s: Congregationalists are among the first to take a stand against slavery – laying the foundations for the abolishionist movement of the 1800’s. The first published African American Author, Phyllis Wheatley, is a member of the Old South Congregation.
Our ancestral church is the first to ordain an African American minister, Lemuel Haynes.
Congregationalists make the first act of civil disobedience in the United States, protesting an unfair tea tax and inspiring the Boston Tea Party.
The Old Zion Reformed Church safely hides the Liberty Bell in Allentown, PA from the invading British who wish to melt the bell.
1800’s: Congregationalist and other Christians organize a campaign and help free the jailed Amistad slaves. The Supreme Court rules the captives are not property and the Africans regain their freedom. Another result of the Amistad trial is the formation of the American Missionary Association – the first anti-slavery society in the U.S. with a multiracial leadership.
The first united church in U.S. History is formed uniting the two Protestant traditions of Luther and Reformed.
Antoinette Brown is the first woman since New Testament times ordained as a Christian minister, and perhaps the first woman in history elected to serve a Christian congregation as pastor.
1900’s: Evangelical and Reformed theologian Reinhold Niebuhr preaches a sermon that introduces the world to the now famous Serenity Prayer: "God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things that should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other."
The United Church of Christ is born, embracing a rich variety of spiritual traditions and believers of African, Asian, Pacific, Latin American, Native American and European descent.
The UCC’s Office of Communication organizes churches to protest an imposed news blackout on the growing civil rights movements and wins in Federal court a ruling that the airwaves are public, not private property.
A UCC church ordains the first openly gay person as a minister in a mainline Protestant denomination. The UCC campaigns for equal rights for homosexual citizens and calls on congregations to welcome gay, lesbian and bisexual members.
General Synod of the UCC elects the first African American leader of a racially integrated mainline church in the United States.
The United Church of Christ publishes The New Century Hymnal—the only hymnal released by a Christian church that honors in equal measure both male and female images of God.
Currently: There are over 5,600 UCC congregations with over 1.2 million members.
How to Find Us (yahoo map link?)
Communion
The communion meal recalls the fellowship Jesus embraced with his disciples around the sharing of a meal. The bread and wine (or juice) represent the crucified and risen Christ. The gathering of the bread and wine into one bread and one cup remind us that we are one in Christ, while the breaking of the bread and the pouring of the wine remind of us Christ’s sacrifice for our sins.
We celebrate Communion the first Sunday of each month. During Communion our deacons will pass a plate of bread and then a plate containing small glasses of juice (no alcohol is served). The special service of Communion is always outlined in the weekly bulletin. We welcome you to participate in this joyous event. If you do not want to participate, just pass the plate along to the next person in the pew.
Baptism
The sacrament of baptism is an outward and visible sign of God’s grace. Through Baptism with water and the Holy Spirit, one is joined with the universal church, the body of Christ. Once you are a member of the universal church, no one can ever take it away.
Baptisms occur frequently during service at First Congregational Church. Any child of God, at any age, may be baptized in our church. The child of God is baptized with a sprinkling of water from our baptismal font. During a baptism of a child, the parents generally speak the words of baptism on behalf of the child and church members agree to love, support and care for the one being baptized. Baptisms outside of our Sunday service are also available.
What we Believe
The UCC website offers these following statements of scripture and tradition as expressions of its commitment:
That they may all be one (John 17:21) – a uniting as well as united church.
In essentials unity, in non-essentials diversity, in all things charity. With no rigid formulation of doctrine, the UCC requires mutual understanding and agreement as to which aspects of Christian faith and life are essential.
The unity of the Church is not of it’s own making – it is a gift of God.
Testimonies of faith – not tests of faith.
There is yet more light and truth to break forth from God’s holy word. Scripture is not limited by past interpretations but is pursued with the expectation of new insights and God’s help for living today.
The Priesthood of all Believers – we are all called to minister to others and participate as equals in the common worship of God.
Responsible Freedom – we are free to believe and act in accordance with our own perception of God’s will for our lives – but are called to live in a loving and covenantal relationship with one another.
For more in-depth information about the UCC, check out HYPERLINK "http://www.ucc.org" www.ucc.org. For information about the Connecticut Conference of the United Church of Christ, visit www.ctucc.org.
Visiting Us for the First Time
The people of First Congregational Church of Stratford are a diverse group, varying in age and backgrounds. We strive to make all visitors feel welcomed.
Arriving at Church
Our church doors open at 9:40 a.m. for our regularly scheduled Sunday service which begins at 10:00 a.m. If you are driving, there is plenty of parking in our parking lot located behind the church as well as on Church and Main Streets (see How to Find Us for a map). There are two entrances to the church proper marked by red doors.
If you have special needs, we are wheelchair accessible and offer additional accommodations for those with visual or hearing impairments (see accessibility). We also have rocking chairs at the back of the church for those with children who need comforting.
When you enter, a member will be waiting to greet you. An usher will hand you our weekly bulletin which details our order of worship and other church information. At 9:55, announcements of special interest will be made to the church. We have a “Crib and Toddler” room for children under the age of three and Sunday School for children from age three through eighth grade. Our Crib and Toddler Room is always staffed with at least one adult (usually two) and a teenage aide. We also have rocking chairs at the back of our church for those children who need comforting.
What to Wear
We feel you should wear whatever you are comfortable wearing. If you are comfortable in a business suit – that’s fine. If you are more comfortable in jeans, that’s okay too! You will sit and stand (if you are able) during the service.
What our Service is Like
We begin our service by welcoming you – our visitor. You will be asked to raise your hand if you are a first time visitor – this is just so that we can acknowledge your presence. If you are shy – please don’t feel like you have to raise your hand.
Our service proceeds with a musical prelude and a call to worship which usually includes a response (printed in the weekly bulletin) from those in the pews. Our older children (1st-8th grade) are generally present during the first 15 minutes of the service (before leaving for Sunday School) during which time we will sing a hymn, join in an opening prayer and perhaps have a children’s sermon. Baptisms also take place early in our service so that our children can join in welcoming our newest members to our church family.
After the children depart for their Sunday School classes, we continue worship with music, prayer (including the Lord’s Prayer) and a sermon from one of our ministers. The sermon is the time of the service when our minister connects stories from the Bible to our everyday lives. We hope that the sermon inspires you to think about your spiritual life. At the end of our service we have a time of fellowship in Upper Packard Hall (out the door to the right of the alter and up the stairs).
Our Sacraments
If you are new to church, the word sacrament may not have a clear meaning for you. Sacraments are ritual actions of worship which were begun by Jesus. Our church celebrates two sacraments – communion and baptism.
We also see each other during the week
There are always many activities during the week at our church. Our Youth Groups (see Childrens Christian Education) meet on Sunday evenings and we have gatherings of smaller groups with common interests (knitting, Mothers of School Age and Infant Children, Women’s Service League, etc.). For a partial listing of gatherings see our Fellowship Opportunities section. We also open our church to other community groups from Alcoholics Anonymous to Boy Scouts, Yoga and Ping Pong.
