The Meetinghouse on the Hill

Green's Farms Church sits on an elevation on Hillandale Road in Westport, Connecticut, and for more than three centuries its lighted steeple has served as a landmark for travelers and sailors on Long Island Sound. Founded on June 12, 1711, the congregation holds the distinction of being the first place of worship in the town of Westport. Today, in the same light-filled Meetinghouse, an intergenerational community gathers each Sunday at 10 a.m. to worship, learn, serve and find friendship.

The church describes itself with an image borrowed from its own geography: a church on a hill, glowing so brightly with the light of God's love that it shines like a beacon, guiding seekers inside where their souls are nourished and transformed. That picture shapes everything from how Sunday worship is led to how the congregation pours itself into Norwalk, Westport and Bridgeport.

A Covenant and a Big Tent

Green's Farms Church identifies as Congregational and is affiliated with the United Church of Christ, a mainline Protestant denomination. Members created the church's own statement of faith, called the Covenant, and re-affirm it together. It reads, in part:

"We hereby set forth the principles of the Christian faith as commonly held among us, believing that the foundation for our lives is Jesus Christ. It is our aim to bring joy to little children, instruction and high ideals to youth, inspiration to men and women in the midst of life, and comfort to those in life's later years; and to work together for the betterment of all people. Our fellowship is not dependent upon identity of theological opinion, or of outward circumstance, or of denominational name, but grown from a common loyalty to Jesus, a common passion to serve the world, and a common purpose to do justly, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God. Our ideal is the church of the open mind, the warm heart, the aspiring soul, and the social vision which ever seeks to express in all walks of life, the mind and spirit of Jesus."

The congregation embraces a 'Big Tent' philosophy, celebrating the diverse social, political and theological backgrounds found within the church and pursuing shared faith in an atmosphere of mutual respect. The vision statement calls GFC a faith family of warm welcome, respectful acceptance, shared joy and tender compassion, one that seeks to embody Christ's hope, love, and service wherever its members go.

A Sunday in the Meetinghouse

Sunday worship at Green's Farms Church begins at 10 a.m. and runs for sixty minutes. The service opens with the praise band, which plays a set of new and classic praise music to set a spirited tone. The chancel choir then sings a choral anthem each week, usually drawn from the classical sacred repertoire, and leads the congregation in hymns and praise music.

Pastoral prayers, both ancient liturgical prayers and those written specifically for the day, create space for reflection before scripture readings and the sermon. Pastors work through the richness of the biblical text and connect its stories and ideas to everyday life.

Children are welcome in the Meetinghouse for the whole service or can recess after the first ten minutes for Sunday School. Parents with infants can use the Loft, a cozy room above Fellowship Hall next to the Meetinghouse where the service is livestreamed. A staffed nursery is also available for those who prefer it. After the service, Fellowship Hall fills with coffee, snacks and conversation.

The dress code is informal: members wear what makes them feel good. Some dress up; others arrive in whatever is next on the family calendar, and getting kids to church matters more than struggling over clothing. Pajama Days are a regular feature.

Worship is livestreamed on YouTube, and bulletins and archived sermons are available for those who want to follow along from home or catch up later in the week.

From the Loft to Sunday School: Children at GFC

Children's ministry is led by Rosa Carbajal, Director of Children and Family Ministries, and a Sunday School team. During the school year, children in kindergarten through 8th grade join their families in the Meetinghouse for the first ten minutes of worship, then move to classrooms for the rest of the hour. The curriculum is tailored to each age group and weaves Bible stories together with art projects, science experiments, games and outdoor play.

The 2nd through 5th grade classroom spends the year on a journey through the Bible, with students exploring what it means to be filled with God's light, listening for God's voice through dramatized Bible stories, and following Jesus from the Christmas pageant through Lent and Easter. Sunday School leaders speak of wanting every child to walk out of the classroom knowing that Jesus loves them, no matter what.

For the youngest members, infants through Pre-K, a nursery is staffed by licensed, experienced caregivers. The Loft above Fellowship Hall is also available for parents who want to watch the livestream while tending to an infant.

Green's Farms Church has a decades-long partnership with Green's Farms Nursery School, a separate nonprofit housed in a designated area of the church building. The preschool has its own Board of Directors, but the church celebrates the relationship and the early childhood education it brings to the wider community.

Hungry Hearts and Icthus: Youth Programs

Middle school and high school students have their own rhythm at Green's Farms Church. Joey Kane serves as Director of Youth Ministry, with programming supported in faith formation by Rev. Sophie Beal, Associate Minister for Faith Formation.

Middle schoolers meet on Tuesday nights during the school year for a high-energy evening of karaoke, outdoor games and movie nights woven together with serious conversation about life and faith. Cell phones go into a "cell phone box" at the start of the night to keep things distraction free. On the second Sunday of each month, middle schoolers participate in Hungry Hearts, an after-church program where students make 200 sandwiches for Open Door Shelter. The Confirmation Program runs weekly from November through May for 8th graders and above, with a January overnight retreat, worship reflections and a faith statement project.

High school students, who call their youth group Icthus, meet on Thursday evenings. They typically stay in the main worship service on Sundays but help with Hungry Hearts and other special projects. The summer mission trip is the highlight of the year, with students traveling together to work alongside community partners. In summer 2026, Icthus traveled to the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas with Border Perspective, a host organization and partner of YouthWorks.

Adults in the Flex Space

Sunday mornings at Green's Farms begin even before worship. Adult Bible Study meets at 9 a.m. in the Flex Space, led by the pastoral staff. Recent series have included Understanding Spiritual Gifts and The Minor Prophets, alongside Lenten book studies and Lectio Divina sessions. Longtime Bible readers and newcomers sit alongside each other around the table.

The Women's Group gathers on Thursdays from 10 to 11 a.m. in the Flex Space during the school year. Caroline Barney leads a multigenerational group that reads a book or studies the Bible, shares prayer requests and prays together. Recent selections have included Brené Brown's Daring Greatly, Father Gregory Boyle's Tattoos on the Heart, Shauna Niequist's Present Over Perfect, Rachel Held Evans's Inspired, Harold Kushner's The Lord is My Shepherd and Anne Lamott's Help, Thanks, Wow. Childcare is provided in a nearby room. An annual spring retreat at the Incarnation Center offers a deeper chance for connection.

Men's Ministry takes two shapes. The Second Saturday Men's Group meets at 8 a.m. in the Flex Space for conversation over coffee, with speakers drawn from within the group and occasional service projects. Men's Bible Study gathers on a published schedule through the year, led by Thad Eidman, with strong coffee, conversation and fellowship woven into each morning.

A Crafting Circle meets after Sunday worship in the Loft during the winter and spring. Volunteers of any skill level craft woolens to donate to Bridgeport Rescue Mission. For members with their own ideas, the church publishes a Lay-Led Adult Small Group Resource Guide that walks through format, logistics and promotion for those who want to start a new small group.

Prayer is woven throughout the week. Every week, the pastoral team prays over prayer requests submitted by the congregation, and several GFC small groups meet monthly to pray over those requests as well, with the goal of having a different group cover every week of the month. During special seasons, the church offers prayer workshops that help create the call-and-response prayers used in Sunday services.

Music Across Generations

The music ministry at Green's Farms Church is led by Dr. Dylan Sauerwald, Director of Music Ministry, and Kristian Rose, Praise Leader. The chancel choir is the heart of the program: a volunteer ensemble, open without audition, that sings a choral anthem each week and leads the congregation in hymns and praise music. Each section is led by a professional section leader. Rehearsals are Thursday evenings from 7:30 to 8:45 p.m., September through June.

The praise band opens worship each Sunday with contemporary and classic praise music. It rehearses on Thursday evenings and is open to anyone who can sing or play an instrument, including guitar, bass, drums, keys and saxophone. The band also performs songs written by GFC member Dan Christian.

Handbell choir performs several times a year and is open to those who would rather ring than sing. The brass choir enriches worship with hymns and liturgical pieces. Children's music includes the Cherub choir, which performs a few times a year around the holidays, and a Youth Praise Band that rehearses on Tuesday evenings in conjunction with the Middle School Youth Group.

A Teaching Church

Green's Farms Church describes itself as a teaching church, investing in people who go on to new places and roles in ministry. Senior Minister Rev. Jeffrey Rider, a Yale Divinity School graduate with 35 years in ministry, has made developing the next generation of church leaders a central part of his work.

For fifteen years, GFC has partnered with Duke Divinity School to host summer interns who meet their field education requirements by preaching, teaching, leading youth ministry, joining mission work and engaging with the congregation. Pastoral Residency follows for those considering ordination: a full-time, two-year program with benefits that gives graduates real responsibilities alongside an experienced team. Several recent residents have gone on to ordained ministry elsewhere, citing GFC as a launching pad for their call.

Serving in Norwalk, Westport and Bridgeport

Green's Farms Church allocates more than ten percent of its operating budget to local and international mission partners. The Gillespie Center, run by Homes with Hope, feeds about 25 people every night, and GFC members provide meals on the first Wednesday and third Friday of each month. Laundry Love partners with a Bridgeport laundromat to offer free laundry services to underserved residents on the third Tuesday of each month. The Icthus Youth Group assembles Necessity Bags filled with snacks, toiletries and water for distribution to people experiencing homelessness.

Each September the church organizes Service Sunday, when members of all ages fan out across Norwalk, Westport and Bridgeport to work alongside the church's mission partners on projects that include landscaping safe houses, painting and construction at recovery facilities, sorting donations at Open Doors' Community Closet, preparing and serving meals at the Gillespie Center, and singing at The Residence at Westport, an assisted living community.

Other long-standing partners include Bridgeport Rescue Mission, providing services to men, women and children facing hunger, homelessness and addiction; the Domestic Violence Crisis Center, offering free and confidential services to those experiencing abuse; Mercy Learning Center, which teaches literacy and life skills to low-income women in Bridgeport, many of whom speak English as a second language; Open Doors, working to end homelessness in greater Norwalk; Pivot Ministries, a nine-month residential addiction recovery program; and Recovery Community Development, which builds affordable sober living communities. A Bryant Fund supports mission partners' capital campaigns, and a separate emergency fund allows the church to respond quickly to natural disasters.

Beyond Fairfield County, the church supports the India Collective, a nonprofit serving at-risk women and children in India through shelter, food, clothing and education, and Zoe Empowers, which partners with a group in rural Chennai supporting 71 children and 24 households through agriculture, income generation, health and education.

The Gallery at GFC

Art has a place at Green's Farms Church. The Gallery at GFC, run by a volunteer team, hosts several exhibitions each year in the church building, drawing on artists from the region. Past shows have included abstract paintings and wall-hanging sculptures by Fairfield County artist Joseph Dermody, and an Advent and Christmas exhibition by Katie Nelson Troyer exploring illumination and the Light of the World.

Becoming a Member

Membership classes are offered throughout the year, with new members welcomed at special services. Baptisms of infants, youth and adults are celebrated during Sunday services. Weddings are held at the church, and meeting and event space can be reserved for members and outside groups. The building is accessible, with an accessible entrance off the administrative offices and an accessible ramp off the Meetinghouse.

The church office is open Monday through Friday at 71 Hillandale Road, Westport, CT 06880.