From Mac's Harbor to the Leopold Eidlitz Sanctuary
First Congregational Church of Stratford, known locally as First Church Stratford, has stood on Main Street in Stratford, Connecticut, since the seventeenth century. In the spring of 1639, a company of intrepid travelers led by Reverend Adam Blakeman landed at Mac's Harbor and founded the congregation. To the right of the harbor they built their first meeting house in 1641. Many of the silver pieces used in those early gatherings are now part of the Yale University Art Gallery's holdings.
The brick sanctuary the congregation worships in today is the fifth building on this site over a 382 year history. It was designed by architect Leopold Eidlitz and opened its doors in 1859. The address is 2301 Main Street, Stratford, CT 06615, and the church remains a Main Street landmark in the heart of town.
The Rose Window
First Church Stratford is known for its octagonal rose window. The window is composed of 25 elements: one central circle, twelve radiating arms, and twelve flowers. The background is blue, with red, green, yellow, and white worked through the design. The window gives the church its name for the Rose Window Concert Series, which brings nationally and internationally renowned performers as well as local artists into the sanctuary.
What to Expect on Sunday Morning
Weekly services gather at 10:00 AM (9:30 AM in July and August) in the sanctuary, and also stream live on YouTube, Facebook Live, and Zoom for those on the church's email list. The printed order of worship guides visitors through the service. People wear everything from business attire to jeans, and some Zoom participants even show up in pajamas; newcomers are invited to join in as much or as little as they like. No one will be called upon unexpectedly.
One Sunday each month, the Contemporary Worship team leads a different style of morning worship with contemporary music and scripture, and on those Sundays Sunday School does not meet so that children and youth can worship with their families. Coffee Hour follows the service in Upper Packard Hall, out the door to the right of the altar and up the stairs.
Music as Worship
Music is treated as an integral part of worship and outreach. The sanctuary holds an Austin organ and a Yamaha grand piano, and every Sunday brings vocal and instrumental music in a multitude of styles.
The Chancel Choir, made up of adult singers from a wide range of musical backgrounds, rehearses on Thursdays from 7 to 8 PM in the sanctuary and sings from September through June. New members are always welcome. The Festival Choir joins the Chancel Choir on All Saints' Sunday, Fat Sunday, Palm Sunday, Easter, and Pentecost, as well as in the Christmas Cantata, with rehearsals beginning two weeks before each service.
The bell choir, called the Meetinghouse Ringers, plays at special services throughout the year using both Schulmerich handbells and Malmark Choirchimes. Rehearsals are on Sundays after worship, and no prior experience is needed. The Palm Sunday Concert Choir, founded in 1942 by Dr. M. Louise Miller and formerly known as the Oratorio Choir, draws church members and amateur and professional vocalists from surrounding communities to provide choral music each Palm Sunday. The Sunday School Choir rehearses during morning worship and sings choral benedictions throughout the school year, and a Youth Choir for ages 10 and up returns each fall. Music Appreciation Sunday honors the music program each year, with the Chancel Choir singing its final anthems of the season.
Dr. Joe Utterback has served as Director of Music and Organist since 1996, following a career on the American jazz scene that includes national and international tours and long-term engagements in Kansas City, San Francisco, and New York. He has taught at Sacred Heart University and performed at Tony Awards Galas and at the Empire State Building at Christmas. Allison Fay serves as Chancel Choir Director and Soprano Soloist; she is also the church's Digital Media Specialist and an accomplished classical soprano whose performances have included Orff's Carmina Burana, Handel's Messiah, Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass, and Bernstein's Candide. She has performed solo work with the Amadeus Opernensemble, the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra, and The Mendelssohn Choir of Connecticut.
Past performers in the Rose Window Concert Series include David Allen Wehr, Cynthia Raim, Andrew Shenton, Joe Carter, Ali Ryerson, Allison Fay, Michael Jovovich, and Dr. Joe Utterback.
Let the Little Children Come
The church's Christian education program is led by dedicated volunteer teachers and aides who provide a safe, loving, and nurturing environment. Church membership is not required to attend, and all are welcome.
Sunday School runs during the school year for children and youth in Pre-K through eighth grade. Children begin in the sanctuary at 10:00 AM and, after the Children's Moment with the pastor, are escorted to grade-level classrooms. Classes conclude when the worship service ends. The curriculum, Feasting on the Word, connects directly with the weekly sermon and lectionary.
Class groupings include Pre-K and Kindergarten together, First through Third grades together, and Fourth through Sixth grades together, each following the children's moment in the sanctuary. Seventh and Eighth graders begin preparing for Confirmation, which is typically held in ninth grade, with a year of study, prayer, and reflection guided by Pastor Richard Jenkins. Each confirmand is paired with an adult mentor of their choosing, usually a church member, who helps them explore the basics of Christianity. Confirmation is open to any high school aged youth, even those who did not begin in ninth grade.
The Youth Group, open to seventh through twelfth graders, meets from 6:00 to 8:00 PM on the first and third Tuesdays of the month during the school year. Meetings center on fellowship grounded in Jesus' teaching of service to others, along with service projects, special events, and trips. All middle and high school youth are invited, regardless of membership or where they live; friends are always welcome. Beginning in fall 2026, a Crib and Toddler class will be available for infants and toddlers who are not yet potty trained.
Jacqui Owens, the church's Youth Ministry Administrator, is a lifelong member of First Church Stratford who taught Sunday School here for many years before becoming a certified teacher working in underserved communities. She helped pilot the Open Choice program in Danbury and Norwalk and served as its family and community outreach coordinator, and now teaches in New Haven Public Schools.
Adults who work with children in educational or advisory roles complete Safe Church Training, and copies of the Safe Church Policy are available from the church or Sunday School offices.
Three Great Loves: Love of Neighbor
Outreach is central to life at First Church Stratford, and the congregation's Board of Benevolence coordinates time and financial support to those in need across local and global communities. The motto on the church's literature is simple: Love Comes First.
Volunteers work each month at nOURish Bridgeport's Food Pantry and Baby Center, unpacking and sorting deliveries and distributing supplies. Work shifts are available from 10:00 AM to 6:30 PM on Wednesdays and from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM on Thursdays.
On the first Sunday of every month, Red Bag Sunday collects non-perishable food, toiletries, and pet food in the church parking lot from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM to support the food pantry at Sterling House Community Center, the church's Main Street neighbor. On the third Sunday of every month, Bedding Sunday gathers new or gently used bedding, with new pillows only, for donations placed on the altar before the service.
The Ghana Legacy project grew out of a 2022 mission trip to Ghana by Pastor Ed Rawls. The group raised funds to construct a dormitory for schoolchildren at EPC Church of Donkorkrom, and the building has since been dedicated. Funds also continue to support a student's college education through the Cans for Caroline program, which collects redeemable cans, bottles, and plastics in boxes near the Board of Christian Education room and at the church entry.
Each year, Team First Church Stratford participates in the CROP Hunger Walk in support of Church World Service, with a portion of the funds raised going to hunger relief organizations in the greater Bridgeport area. Volunteers also partner with Habitat for Humanity to build and repair affordable housing, and the church takes part in the Lord's Kitchen, a Stratford Clergy Association initiative that hosts a community supper on Mondays and Wednesdays at Christ Episcopal Church.
Other partnerships include Covenant to Care for Children, which supports abused, neglected, and impoverished children in Connecticut; the Council of Churches of Greater Bridgeport, a non-sectarian social services agency working to break cycles of poverty and crisis; and Holy Joe's Café, which since 2006 has supplied free coffee to military bases around the world.
Three Great Loves: Love of Children and Love of Creation
The Three Great Loves framing shapes much of the church's identity. Love of Children shows up in Sunday School classrooms and in special moments like the Children's Message each month, the annual Christmas Pageant, and a spring Children and Youth Sunday when the students and teachers lead the morning service.
Love of Creation shows up in practical choices and traditions. The church has significantly reduced paper usage through digital bulletins and email newsletters. Volunteers clean up trash and debris from the church grounds and surrounding area. In recent Youth Sunday services, creation was integrated into scripture, song, and poetry, and Sunday School children tended marigold seeds at home that were later planted near the front of the building for all to enjoy.
Social Justice, Parish Nursing, and Helping Hands
The Social Justice Team, directed by Jocelyn Ault, coordinates with the Women's Service League and other groups on advocacy and action. Recent projects include Helping Hands FCC, a partnership with the Women's Service League that supplies hygiene products to teen males in a residential mental health program at Boys and Girls Village. Two parish nurses, Jane Hartigan and Susan Collazo, oversee health-related care for the congregation, including an Emergency Information program that helps the church be prepared for health emergencies on Sunday mornings.
An Open and Affirming Welcome
First Church Stratford is an active member church of the United Church of Christ. The congregation embraces UCC beliefs, including that God is still speaking and that scripture is not limited to past interpretations; that all are called to be ministers and to participate as equals in the common worship of God; and that all are free to believe and act in accordance with their own perceptions of God's will for their lives.
The church is Open and Affirming, welcoming the total identity of each person regardless of race, gender, age, sexual orientation, physical, mental, or emotional challenges, ethnicity, education, or economic circumstance. The congregation's purpose, drawn from Matthew 22, is to love God with all hearts, minds, and souls, and to love neighbors as themselves.
Accessibility
The sanctuary is wheelchair accessible via a ramp on the Church Street side of the building. Upper and Lower Packard Halls are served by an elevator. Some pews have been altered to accommodate wheelchairs. Large print Bibles and large print weekly orders of service are available for those with visual impairments, and audio enhancement is in place for those with hearing impairments. Ushers and deacons make every effort to provide a comfortable service environment for those with special needs.
Joining the Church and Staying Connected
Becoming a member is a simple process. Visitors express their desire to join to the minister or one of the deacons on duty, and the church conducts new member orientation once a year. The orientation session is the easiest way to learn about the church, its beliefs, and the United Church of Christ.
Giving is supported through online donations via PayPal, credit card, or debit card; through the church's Venmo account; by checks placed in the offering plates or dropped in the church's mail slot by the Church Street door; by bank EFT forms; and by mail. Annual pledges are anchored in the church's stewardship theme, currently Rooted in Love, with Stewardship Sunday falling on the Sunday before Thanksgiving.
The church publishes a weekly bulletin and a monthly newsletter called the Courier. The congregation is active on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X, and a Linktree page collects the church's online resources in one place.
The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM at 2301 Main Street, Stratford, CT 06615. The office phone is (203) 378-2644. The office email is firstchurchofstratford@yahoo.com; digital media inquiries go to firstchurchstratfordct@gmail.com. Worship services are streamed at firstchurchstratford.org/watch, and giving is available at firstchurchstratford.org/pledges-donations.